We already know how to get oil from coal and from what I've read it's economical somewhere in the $50/barrel range. No energy company is currently making the investment to build these plants, which should tell you something about where they think prices will head.
Go here or search on coal gassification or liquification to get info on it.
Yes, the technology has been around since the war.
But until we have a decade of oil at $50 a barrel, investment in alternate fuels will remain miniscule.