Bill Ford - "Oil Is Not Going To Be Any More Plentiful Or Easier To Find"

That's not the whole quote, but close:

"Oil is not going to be any more plentiful or easier to find in the future."

EDIT

Ford did not respond to the criticism, instead telling shareholders that management understood that the market was shifting rapidly because of higher oil prices. "We are working very hard on this," he said. "We agree gas prices are high and oil is not going to be any more plentiful or easier to find in the future."

Asked about the company's commitment to reducing its reliance on gas-guzzling trucks and sport-utility vehicles, Ford said the company was weighing a plug-in hybrid. Plug-in hybrids can be charged from a mains outlet and have greater range in all-electric mode. For longer distances a small gasoline engine kicks in, powering the vehicle like the hybrids currently offered by automakers.

Environmentalists have called plug-in technology one of the most immediate ways to improve fuel economy and cut greenhouse gas emissions. "Our fleet is getting smaller and we are working hard on ethanol, biofuels and hybrids," Bill Ford said,

High gas prices have cut deeply into demand for profitable Ford sport-utility vehicles, like the Explorer, and the company's market-leading F-Series pickup truck models are competing in the most-heavily discounted part of the market. Ford, who has foregone a cash salary since the company ousted former CEO Jacques Nasser in 2001, repeated his pledge to forgo any new remuneration until Ford's auto unit returns to sustained profitability.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36330/story.htm

lose his Michigan citizenship, his Michigan drivers license, his Michigan Voter's ID, and get his butt hauled before the Michigan Assembly's Un-Michigan Activities Committee - and restrict him to Washtenaw County.

The headline is unfortunate in one way. In the first or second paragraph, Ford says that he is considering a plug-in hybrid.

Ford developed its hybrid drive system independently of Toyota, although some of its concepts and designs turned out to be similar--hence the cross-licensing of Toyota patents on hybrid tech and Ford patents on diesel tech.

Because Ford worked up its own hybrid tech, it understands the system much better than any other auto company that has eschewed its own research in favor of licensing Toyota's excellent system. This puts Ford in a much better position to develop plug-in systems independent of Toyota, which has shown some reluctance. GM of course is back in the stone age.

Plug-ins will go a long way toward putting unused, off-peak base-load electrical generating capacity, principally coal and nuclear, to good use in our transportation system. Coal and nuke fired generators are at their most efficient when running at full capacity. If we don't reduce their power at night, we get some efficiently produced eletricity, IMHO nuke in particular. Plug-ins could also take advantage of off-peak wind and weekend solar.

Early Priuses converted to plug-in have shown mileage for daily commuting and errands have been reported to get 75 mpg. At EVWord, I believe, talk has been of battery packs that could give 20-60 miles of moderate speed driving from an over night charge.

Over at the Yahoo group EnergyResources, there was speculation 2-3 years ago that one third of our light vehicles could plug in late at night (midnight-5 or so) without straining the overall grid. Obviously, the best sites would be areas where coal or nukes provide electricity in the low demand wee hours. One third of vehicles getting a 20 mile boost would start to add up. Obviously, improvements in battery technology will help this along.

If Plug-ins worked out for Ford and jobs stay in Michigan, Michiganders in Oakland, Kent and even my little home county of Oceana, not just the Mecca of Washtenaw (as she genuflects in that general direction.)

I'm afraid to do the alteration with my mine, but http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_15/b3928103.htm .

http://www.hybridcars.com/blogs/power/ford-keen-interest-in-phevs

I found this reader comment interesting who listened to the shareholder meeting:

My main point, however, is that Bill Ford only mentioned plug-in hybrids when prodded by the questioners. He did not mention plug-in hybrid technology during his opening remarks. He did mention flex-fuel vehicles during those remarks.

I'm hoping that they introduce the plugin with the production and marketing to back it up. Soon, like late 2007 models. But I kind of wonder whether they are being secretive, or just not ready.