Reuters story from Christiaan Hetzner on automakers, internationally, and their level of interest and commitment to biofuels as alternates to gas, diesel fuel and liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
Car makers are having to cover at least two new bases while transitioning from standard fuel engines to fuel cells, which are the likely long term winners. In the transition period, car makers will need to satisfy a burgeoning number of drivers and commuters who will be migrating to both hybrid fuel vehicles and traditional engines modified to run on ethanol. On top of getting it right on the fuel technology choice to spend money and production on is directing research at squeezing greater fuel efficiency out of traditional and biofuel engines without sacrificing too much on performance.

Silicon Valley jumps in on the ethanol bandwagon. A number of companies and venture capitalists usually associated with computer or information technology are showing strong interest in ethanol generation, particularly using enzyme-based fermentation methods. Interest in ethanol and research into making it's production more efficient were fueled by comments made by President Bush in his recent State of the Union speech.