Looking ahead to oil beyond $150 a barrel; Chevy muses a conventionally powered, 40 mpg minicar; and fuel prices revive interest in the airship.

World must brace for oil beyond $150: Not long ago, investment bank Morgan Stanley advised its customers to prepare for $150 a barrel oil by July 4th. As it turns out, they were only a few dollars off the mark. Now a Reuters op-ed article looks ahead to oil as it passes the $150 mark. Global demand for oil now amounts to 86 million barrels per day. That’s about par with current production. But demand continues to expand, driven largely by emerging economies in Asia. That’s likely to push prices forward — and nobody really knows when fuel expenses will finally begin to moderate demand. (Reuters)

The Chevrolet Beat, America’s New Mini-Car?: While all eyes have been on the development of the Chevy Volt electric hybrid, Chevy’s parent company, General Motors, has been quietly considering a move which may prove to be more radical. The automotive press reports that GM is considering a North American version of its efficient Beat minicar. The Beat’s 40 mpg performance has made it a big hit in Latin America and Asia. And that’s an Old School 40 mpg: the Beat is a gas-burner, not a hybrid. No word yet on a production start date. (Gas 2.0)

Why Fly When You Can Float?: How crazy is the idea of reviving the airship industry? It depends who you ask. High fuel prices are pressuring airlines to the degree that some engineers are looking at modern versions of the Zeppelin for tourism, cargo, and possibly regional passenger use. There are some serious drawbacks to airships: they’re big, requiring lots of landing space; they’re slow; and airships are particularly vulnerable to weather. But the efficiency and low emissions of airship transport may return the craft to the skies. (New York Times)

Pricey Chemicals Gleaned From Biodiesel Waste: Rice University researchers have developed a process to turn biodeisel byproducts into salable products. In a paper published by the journal Metabolic Engineering, team members describe a method which allows E. coli bacteria to convert glycerine leftover from biodeisel production into formate, succinate, and other commercial-quality chemicals. The process has a double payoff, yielding a new profit center while eliminating the need to dispose of the biodeisel leftovers. (Science Daily)

Hot hybrid cars: green and surprisingly mean: Hybrids are slow, right? Not necessarily. The Times put three top-selling hybrids side-by-side on a dragstrip to see what they could do. In testing, the Toyota Prius narrowly nudged Honda’s Cyvic Hybrid aside, clocking 0 to 62mph in a very respectable 10.9 seconds. But hats off to the brand-new Guinness-certified “fastest production hybrid on the planet” award: the Lexus GS 450h SE. The Lexus dropped both of its Japanese rivals as if they were drawn by mule, going 0 to 62 in just 5.9 seconds and blowing through the quarter mile at 155mph. (The Times)

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