You might have heard a lot of hubbub about how hybrid vehicle sales are down from last year. The economy was great in most of 2008 and gas was going for $4 a gallon. Hybrids were hot. Toyota posted a drop of 42 percent in overall sales this April from last April.

But in the cases of Ford and Honda, things have been looking up.

Despite car sales being pretty dismal this year, Ford still managed to move a record number of Fusions in April with 18,321 sold. Not considering that over 1,000 of those Ford Fusions were hybrids. Combined with sales of the Ford Escape hybrid, Ford ended up selling 2,300 hybrids in total for April, helping make for an increase in Ford hybrid sales by 21 percent over last year.

Meanwhile, Honda saw a 25 percent drop in overall sales in April from last year, but saw a surge in hybrid sales. With the new Honda Insight selling 2,096 units and the Civic Hybrid selling 3,461, Honda hybrids manage to sell 25 percent more than last April.

If you’re thinking of buying a used hybrid vehicle yourself, check out LemonFree.ca and their hybrid vehicle section.

Ford is planning on proving that the 2010 Fusion Hybrid (pictured above) is capable of averaging 57mpg with a fundraiser drive that will see it go more than 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas.

In support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation the Fusion Hybrid will be driven for 43 continuous hours using eco-driving techniques that have already seen the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid attain 70mpg in testing.

This stands out as a pretty good demonstration of not only the Fusion Hybrid but the efficacy of good eco-driving practices (unnecessarily fast acceleration we’re looking at you) all while raising money for a good cause.

President Barrack Obama has made it clear that he considers the environment a priority of his administration. He started back when he was a mere presidential hopeful in August of 2008 when he called for a million plug-in hybrids by 2015. He even traded in his V-8 Chrysler for a hybrid while on the campaign trail.

Now, in office his economic stimulus package provides about $80 billion for renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, improving and expanding mass transit, updating the electrical grid and research.

This Thursday, President Obama will continue to emphasize the role that hybrids and other clean vehicles play in America’s future by visiting the Southern California Edison Electric Vehicle Technical Center in Pomona to check the progress being made by SCE and Ford on their clean vehicles like the Escape hybrid.

Ford’s CEO Alan Mullaly recently spoke reporters at an economic conference saying that “in 10 years, 12 years, you are going to see a major portion of our portfolio move to electric vehicles.”

Ford has already revealed plans for an electric commercial van, the Ford Transit Connect (pictured above) to be sold next year 2010, an electric sedan by 2011 and a hybrid SUV for 2012. Mullaly went on to explain that he believes that although in ten years internal combustion engines will have seen vast improvements, the main focus of the entire auto industry will be all-electric cars instead as opposed to hybrids.

He also stated, that low oil prices are only temporary and that prices will continue to go up over time.

Even if this does turn out to be all just hot air, it does seem to be a sign of the times when a company like Ford predicts electric cars to be produced almost exclusively within 10 years.

Yesterday Ford announced that its first fully electric vehicle will be a van, an electric version of the 2010 Transit Connect.

The electric van will be produced and sold in North America along with a 2.0 liter gas version.

There is still no word on what kind of battery the Transit Connect EV will use or even who is supplying it. We do know that it will be outfitted by Smith Electric vehicles who the Ampere for the EU. If the specs are similar the Transit Connect specs would see it have a 100 mile range and a top speed of 70 mph.

The Transit Connect will be able to be outfitted as either a small passenger van or for a package delivery service. A Price has not been announced for Ford’s first electric vehicle.

Ford has its second all electric vehicle for North America,  a sedan, set for release in 2011.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid just got a lot cheaper for potential buyers in the U.S. After being tested by the Environmental Protection Agency its miles per gallon rating of 41 in the city and 36 on the highway qualifies it for the maximum federal tax credit for hybrid vehicles.

This means that Ford Fusion Hybrid buyers will receive $3,400 in tax credits.

But if you’re thinking of joining the ranks of hybrid vehicle owners you won’t want to take too much time in getting yours. Once an car manufacturer sells 60,000 hybrids that tax credit slowly dissolves into vapor.

Ford has already hit its limit and will see its tax credit cut in half this April.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was its usual generous self last night but with a bit of a green twist. Ford donated a 2010 Fusion hybrid to the Drumm family making them among the first people in the U.S. to drive, let alone own, a new Fusion hybrid since it’s not hitting dealer’s lots until the spring.

Keeping with the environmental theme Ford also donated solar panels for the family’s house to help reduce their power bills as well as their carbon footprint.

The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid boasts 41 mpg, great mileage for a mid-sized sedan. The Fusion dashboard even comes equipped with an “efficiency leaves” interactive display that grows leaves as a reward for eco-friendly driving. One can only assume that the tree grows right out the window if you leave the car parked for long enough, bu perhaps I’m hoping for too much here.