The most popular type of green car is the hybrid. A hybrid runs on two different propulsion systems to drive it. Usually this involves a gasoline engine and an electric drive motor. Often it uses the gas to start the car and switches over to electricity once it is going.  Periodically it uses gas to help boost the speed of the vehicle as well.  Hybrids get for more miles per gallon and have very few tailpipe emissions. While you also save money on gas the downside is that they tend to be pricier up front and after a few years the main battery needs replacing. That being said, the technology is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce every day. To make them even more efficient they can also run off diesel or other alternative fuels.  Hybrids can also come in a plug-in version.

Another rapidly developing option is the electric car. Much like it sounds, these cars run purely on electricity and are incredibly cost efficient, averaging just pennies per mile.  They are also incredibly green as they produce no emissions what so ever. The down side is that they have a limited range of miles, usually around 100, before they have to recharge. The other downside is they don’t have a high top speed. Come to used trucks for a great deal today.

Some cars run on biodiesel as well. Biodiesel is a diesel fuel made from alternate sources like waste vegetable oil or even soy beans. It is much cleaner then gas or even petroleum diesel. Additionally, it can run in standard diesel engines without any need for conversion.  It is also made locally so it can reduce the countries need for foreign oil.  The downside is that gasoline cars must be modified to use it and currently it isn’t easy to produce.

On a similar note it is possible to run a car on ethanol as well. Ethanol alcohol is the same kind found in alcoholic beverages. There are roughly 30 types of flex vehicles that can use ethanol or gasoline or both. Many electric cars and hybrids are designed to use ethanol as well. It is made from corn or sugar cane, although alternate sources are being developed.

Green technology is getting better and more efficient every day and has already come far from its early days. As for which type is the best only you can decide.

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Mercury’s 2010 Milan Hybrid is one smart vehicle. It has been labeled the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in America, getting more than 700 miles to a tank during city driving. As with most Hybrids, the engine is powered by a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor which draws power from a battery pack and never needs to be plugged in.

A regenerative braking system captures energy generated from braking and transfers it to the battery for storage and later use. The 2010 Mercury Milan is equipped with Smartgauge™ with EcoGuide technology, allowing the driver to monitor performance-related information such as fuel economy history, battery-charge status, electric mode indicator, engine output power and battery output power. Milan drivers can monitor their driving efficiency by selecting a dashboard graphic display with “energy “ leaves and vines which grow as their driving efficiency increases.

All and all the Milan Hybrid is a great choice for saving money on fuel expenses but further savings may occur at tax time. The IRS has approved a tax credit between $850 and $1,700 for those who purchase a Mercury Milan before March 31, 2010 making the Milan Hybrid one sweet and smart deal.

Ford has created an ingenious system which is built into the instrument cluster of the Fusion Hybrid called the SmartGauge.  There are 2 LCD screens located one on each side of the speedo which display 4 different information screens.  The first screen shows the fuel level and the level of power left in the batteries.  The 2nd information monitor shows the tachometer and the electric mode function.  The third screen displays engine and battery output power.  The fourth and final data screen shows power to the wheels and accessory power consumption.  The info centers in the Fusion display MGP, fuel consumption past data, a driving log, and radiator temp.  A real time MPG information gauge easily displays to drivers which driving style would be best for fuel economy.

You can see the Fusion hybrid flow graph located in the navigation screen.  This display will track the 5 modes of the Fusion’s Hybrid Powertrain which are the; electric drive, hybrid drive, electric boost, idle charging, and regenerative breaking.

Seperating itself from the hybrid pack, the Fusion has seats made from reclaimed fabric.  The Prius and the Civic Hybrid are two of the most popular cars out today, its about time Ford designed a hybrid car.

Nowadays, hybrid electrical vehicles are produced in lines for mass usage, particularly since more and more manufacturers have joined the green line. The reasons why many car producers jump on the green bandwagon are varied. Some producers are truly interested in preserving the natural resources, while others show a form of interested caring for the environment as a means of attracting more clients. Fuel consumtion can be significantly improved when using hybrid electric vehicles. First, they lower the amount of wasted energy during idle or low input (turning off the ICE); secondly, they collect waste energy (regenerative braking), and thirdly, they reduce the size and power of the ICE and inefficiencies generated by under-utilization.

The batteries that supply the electric motor get charged when you drive around, thus preventing the input necessities. Some hybrid electrical vehicles designs depend on the use of an electric generator that is spun by the hybrid engine and allows the recharging of the battery. Many of the existing hybrid electric vehicles’ capability is to reduce idle emissions by shutting down the internal combustion engine at idle status and restarting it when necessary (this is a start-stop system). The engines of the hybrid electric vehicles are smaller than those of non-hybrid petroleum fuel vehicles. These engines may work at various speeds, thus generating more efficiency.

The design of the hybrid car became a duty for manufacturers since the 90s when Honda and Toyota launched their first green models. Even since the beginnings of hybrid electric vehicles they have become widely available to the buyers. The future of hybrid electric vehicles is definitely bright, and this is the forecast by some automobile makers who consider hybrid electric vehicles a central segment of the automotive market of the future.

New 2009 Carsite has a great Yukon Hybrid SUV Article.  Awesome New Cars has a 50 MPG Prius Article.