"This past year the price of an oil barrel on the world oil market has hit an all time high."
Is that inflation-adjusted? Methinks not.
"Here in Europe, the fuel prices are already considerably higher than in the US."
Because of taxation, not supply-and-demand.
"A similar development already seems to have affected the US car market considering the somewhat unexpected sales success of the Toyotas hybrid engine technology."
A ridiculous fad, not nearly as big as everyone's making it.
"Its combination of a conventional fuel motor with several electric engines seems to result in considerable better gas mileage"
Honda CRX's were getting 50 mpg back in '85. Priuses are getting less than that in the real world.
"The added advantage of this hybrid technology is that the electric engines, while noise-wise rather unspectacular, can be very nice torque monsters - they may outperform even big block fuel-based motors."
And the disadvantages are - added complexity, added cost, and battery packs that will require replacement after 60,000 miles or so for a couple thousand dollars and, being huge and lead-acid, will be an environmental disaster to dispose of. On balance, hybrids are more environmentally destructive than a standard car. Oh, and apparently, emergency crews aren't thrilled about working near these things - something about the shock danger.
"In about ten to twenty years we might see that mineral oil-based fuel has become so expensive that its use even in motorcycles may no longer be affordable for Joe Public. "
Heard the same thing in the '70's. According to Paul Ehrlich and his crew, we were supposed to be oilless, frozen in the pollution-caused Ice Age, and starving by now.
Back to the fuel cells - if they do catch on, I hope they have evaporation collectors on them - imagine New York City in the summer with every car spitting water vapor. Of course, between the NIMBYs and the trial lawyers, there will never be hydrogen filling stations of the density of present day gas stations, so it's moot.