The landscape of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles is exciting and rapidly evolving: options include hybrids, ethanol fuel, hydrogen power, biodiesel fuel, and more. What is a conscientious driver to do? Fortunately our options for lowering our emissions on the road are growing each day.

Hybrid fever is grabbing America: last year over 200,000 were purchased in the U.S. The 2-door Honda Insight was first sold in the US in 1999. In 2000, the Toyota Prius became the first 4-door hybrid on the road in the U.S. Today there is plenty of fine competition in the hybrid market. There are over 10 hybrid models available in the U.S. today, and by 2010 there will be over 30 models. See hybrid models, fuel efficiency, pricing and ratings.

Hybrids use an electric motor to aid the car’s gasoline engine. The assistance of the electric motor allows the gasoline engine to work less, and thus improve fuel economy and lower emissions. Hybrids get better fuel economy and emit fewer pollution by using the electric motor in conjunction with the gas engine. The gas engine is used in highway driving at fairly constant speeds, while the electric motor is used to power the wheels and provide acceleration. The engine also generates electricity which is used to recharge the electric batteries. As the car is braking that power is also converted into electricity and stored in the batteries. Hybrids also save fuel by using an integrated starter motor. This motor shuts off the gasoline engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, such as at a stop sign or traffic light. The engine automatically starts again when needed. Unlike some electric car models, hybrids do not need to be “plugged in.”

Hybrids have been designed to meet the varying needs of different drivers. The top fuel economy hybrids are the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, and the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic aren’t far behind. Some other models are built to be more zippy and thus sacrifice some fuel economy for acceleration: the Honda Accord, The Lexus RX 400h, and the Toyota Highlander.

Hybrids save you money on fuel: You’ll be able to save $500-$3000 per year depending on what model hybrid you buy and how you drive. We’ll review one example here. A Prius gets overall ~45 mpg and a comparable non-hybrid like the Toyota Camry gets ~25 mpg. If you drive 10,000 miles in a year and gas costs $3.50/gallon, you’ll pay $1400 in gas for your Camry, and $777 in gas for your Prius. That means the Prius saves you $623 in gas money!

Reducing emissions: In addition to saving money on gas, you’ll reduce your contribution to pollution. Continuing with the Prius vs. Camry comparison, the Prius will emit 3,522 pounds of carbon dioxide driving 10,000 in a year, while the Camry will emit 6,700 pounds of carbon dioxide. Driving a Prius would cut your emissions in half!

Japanese car companies like Toyota, Honda and Lexus have taken the lead on hybrids, but US manufacturers and European manufacturers are also developing models. Soon we’ll have over three times the model options we have available today.

The government is trying to encourage hybrid adoption by offering some enticing tax incentives. To find out details please visit: www.fueleconomy.gov

Be sure to read Consumer Reports studies on hybrids. (Road tests are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only.) An interesting development on the hybrid scene is the plug-in hybrid (known as PHEVs). A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid with an electric cord. You can fill it up with regular gas or your plug it in to any 120-volt outlet. These models can offer even better fuel economy than standard hybrids. For more information, please visit: www.calcars.org