Resources for the Washington DC area

Chevy Volt - a rechargeable electric car with a small gasoline range extender engine for when the battery charge runs out. The best site to learn more is gm-volt.com If you're interested in one, you can sign up for their waiting list.

Tesla Motors 2 seat roadsters are in production now. The first model is about $109,000. A second model will be a sporty 4 door priced at around $60,000. The money generated from sales of  that will, if things go as hoped, allow a third model, code named BlueStar priced at around $30,000 . photos of a Tesla in DC  Tesla video

Mitsubishi i-MiEV - a small electric car which would be good for city use. info

Nissan is planning on making electric cars a major part of their future. They will be rolling out a model in Denmark and Israel through Nissans partner company Renault. After that, they will hopefully become available in the US. More info is available at Project Better Place.

Subaru has plans for a small electric car.

Miles XS500

Phoenix Motorcars is introducing a SUT (sport utility truck), which may be primarily sold in California. info

Lightning GT 

A recent survey by J.D. Power and Associates showed  before the market price is revealed, 72 percent of consumers say they are “definitely/probably” interested in having hybrid-electric technology in their next new vehicle.

Hybrids excel in not just one, but several areas:

gas mileage - Typically, people report getting mileage in the 45-48 MPG range with Civic Hybrids and Toyota Priuses. Owning a hybrid is like buying an insurance policy against future increases in the price of gasoline. Energy is going to be an issue that you are going to hear about constantly from now on, as countries like China, India, Russia and many others greatly increase their consumption of energy. We've already seen that when gas prices have suddenly jumped, sales of hybrid vehicles have surged. It makes sense to plan now and get one before everyone else decides they want one too. In addition to saving money, you can reduce the frequency between fill ups. With ranges of up to 600 miles, some people only fill up just once or twice a month!

reduced emissions - up to 90% lower than regular vehicles. Hybrids produce less of several pollutants: carbon dioxide (the global warming gas), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO; a poisonous gas), Particulate Matter (PM: tiny particles of solid matter that lodge in the lungs and deposit on buildings), Formaldehyde (HCHO; a lung irritant and carcinogen). The difference is so significant that Congress has granted a Clean-Fuel Federal tax deduction.

energy independence - Conservatives like former CIA Director James Woolsey, are driving hybrids, as a way to make America energy independent. The less fuel we burn, the less reliant the US is on foreign oil.