Not all green cars earn EPA marks

Fuel economy is in demand once again. Fed up with gas prices that have soared to all-time highs and mindful of the link between driving and global warming pollution, not to mention dependence on foreign oil, consumers are seriously looking for fuel-efficient vehicles with lower emissions. So where are they?

Frankly, the new 2007 vehicles are a disappointing line-up. Only two 2007 model year vehicles for sale outside of California earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Elite designation for superior environmental performance. These two vehicles, The Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3L and the Honda Civic 1.8L, received 9 or better on both the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Scores. Considering fuel economy as well, I found a few other respectable options to add to the list.

Those include Toyota Prius 1.5L, Toyota Camry Hybrid 2.4 L, Honda Insight 1L, Toyota Yaris 1.5L and Corolla 1.8L.

If you can walk off a car lot with one of the vehicles listed above, you’re doing pretty well. On the other hand, if you have lots of money to spend, you can set your sights higher – or lower in terms of emissions. Electric commuter cars like the Tesla Roadster and the Tango T600 can be yours, subject to availability, for a base price of $92,000 or $108,000, respectively. Both cars can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, so they aren’t just for side roads. The Roadster can travel up to 250 miles per charge while the Tango T600’s range is about 80 miles due to different battery technology – both ranges are well above what the average commuter travels per day.

For those who are counting the days until they can afford a zero-emissions vehicle, that day is not far off. The Smart Car, sold in Europe, is coming to the U.S. in 2008 with a projected price tag of less than $15,000. Beginning next year, Tango hopes to start production of its T200 model with a price tag of $39,900, followed by the T100 in 2009 for $18,700. And Tesla Motors has plans to follow up its Roadster with a $50,000 sedan in 2010.

What can we expect from the major automakers next year? That’s up to consumers. Our support for current high mileage, low emissions cars is the single best way to push the industry to continue down this road. When it comes to alternative fuels and technologies, while many major automakers are developing and testing prototypes including plug-in hybrids and cars that run on ethanol blends, nothing will be road-ready anytime soon. We can help to quicken the pace at which super green cars become available by writing to auto manufacturers and Congress demanding the swift development of cleaner technologies and fuels.