A Law was passed in 2004 in order to encourage people to buy hybrid cars.  The goal was to give out the CARB stickers to any hybrid that got a fuel economy rating of 45 MPG combined or more.  Well that pretty much limited the cars to the Toyota Prius and the first generation Honda Insight.  The California Air Resources Board (CARB) gave out 85,000 of these stickers for Hybrid, Natural Gas, and electric powered cars.  Cars that have this sticker can fetch a higher resale price.  I would gladly spend up to $2000 more since the savings in time spent on the freeway would be huge.

Fast forward to the year 2008 and the program had been extended a few more years.  But still the only cars with these stickers were mostly Toyota Prius’ with a few Honda Hybrids like the: Insight and Civic.  Honda has the only Natural Gas vehicle on the road so these cars also got a white form of the carpool lane sticker.  This created some public outcry as other automobile owners with super fuel efficient cars were shut out of the program.  The Volkswagen Jetta TDi is a turbo diesel car that not only nets great MPG, but it has been named Green Car of the Year.  Ford has a great fuel efficient car with the new Ford Fusion Hybrid.  Likewise Saturn and other manufacturers have hybrid cars in their stable.  But since no more stickers were handed out after 2007; none of these new cars and hybrids are eligible.

New legislation is making its rounds that will give carpool lane exemption to new electric vehicles like the Fisker Karma or the Chevrolet Volt, natural gas automobiles, or those powered by other means of alternative fuel like hydrogen.  Hybrids may once again make this list if they are the plug-in type or if they net a more stringent highway fuel economy of 65 MPG or more.

source:http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/28/business/fi-hybrid-stickers28

1.    Toyota Prius Hybrid (51/48 MPG) – The Toyota Prius has topped the list of most fuel efficient cars ever since it was introduced a few years ago!  Many of the cars that follow on down the list are comprised of Toyota hybrid parts taken from the Prius hybrid system.  The Prius continues to be the innovator in the hybrid car realm.

2.    Ford Fusion Hybrid (41/36 MPG) – It is about time Ford decided to make a good hybrid Car.  The Escape has been the talk of the SUV hybrid community, and now Ford has a midsized entry into the car segment.  And the Ford Fusion Hybrid has been generating rave reviews!
3.    Honda Civic Hybrid (40/45 MPG) – The Civic Hybrid has quietly been saving millions of gallons of gas for awhile now.  This car combine Honda’s start-stop technology and a small electric motor assist to get up to 45 MPG on the highway which is only eclipsed by the Ultra Aerodynamic Prius.
4.    Honda Insight Hybrid (40/43 MPG) – Making big news in 2009 was the Honda Insight Hybrid.  Marked as the everyday hybrid for the middle class of America, the low starting price of the Insight has helped Honda sell a ton of these cars.  Taking a page out of the Toyota handbook, Honda went with the wedge shape that is synonymous with hybrid automobiles.
5.    Lexus HS250h Hybrid (35/34 MPG) – All new for 2010 the Lexus HS250h is only entry level luxury hybrid car.  To me these cars look like a cross between the Corolla and the Civic, but the HS250h does have some great luxury amenities.  The $30k + price may be a bit steep for true hybrid enthusiasts.  It is a good bet that in the coming years Toyota will be able to stretch the fuel economy of this car.
6.    Nissan Altima Hybrid (35/33 MPG) – Nissan’s only hybrid offering, the Altima, is really powered by Toyota technology.  All of the hybrid powertrain is straight from Toyota.  But hey this allows Nissan to have a hybrid vehicle in the midsized car segment.  And there is a huge following of Altima lovers that are more than willing to snap up the Altima hybrid.
7.    Ford Escape Hybrid (34/31 MPG) – The Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is a freak of nature.  No other SUV even comes close to matching the fuel economy of the Escape hybrid.  The Escape uses Toyota technology and a 2-mode hybrid system which allows the Escape to run on battery power alone.  This is the main reason the Escape hybrid gets such great gas mileage.  The Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner are the same vehicles as the Escape with a different manufacturer badge.

8.    Smart fortwo car (33/41 MPG) – You have definitely seen these little cars running around town.  They are impossible to miss.  This go-cart looking car may stick out like a sore thumb, but the great gas mileage numbers speak for themselves.  The Smart Car combines a small engine with a very lightweight design to maximize fuel economy and minimize all the extras.
9.    Toyota Camry Hybrid (33/34 MPG) – The reigning champ in the midsized category is relegated to the bottom of this list.  The Camry is in need of a serious redesign.  You can bet your top dollar that the next generation of Toyota Camry Hybrid will once again overtake the Fusion and the Altima on this list.  The Camry still remains one of the best selling hybrids.
10.    Lexus RX450h Hybrid (32/28MPG) – The ultimate luxury SUV, the Lexus RX450h is not only a technological wonder; it is a showcase of luxury amenities from Lexus.  This SUV rides great, has all the creature comforts you would expect from Lexus, and it has excellent gas mileage to boot.  A combined fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon is something special from a luxury SUV.  In comparison the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid only gets 19 MPG!

Since Space the Final Frontier has been conquered…might as well solve the gas crisis.  Damn….why did I skip Auto Shop Class!  I could be rich…..maybe not….you can bet that the big auto makers are already on the case.  The Announcement was made at the New York International Auto Show a few months back.  And even the Mayor Bloomberg gave his 2 cents on the prize:  “Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming – and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30 percent by 2030.” Please…..by 2030 we are going to be oil free.

It always seems like America is a little behind the times.  Why shoot for 100 MPG….that seems easily within reach.  I mean we already have Electric cars, Vegetable Oil powered cars, and so on running around.  And a plug in Hybrid can already achieve close to those numbers.  Gas is a thing of the past!  In 2009 a cross-country race will determine the winner of the Progressive Automotive X Prize.  Check out their website for more info. http://www.xprize.org/x-prizes/automotive-x-prize

Since the release of the Prius into the U.S. in 2000, Toyota have sold over 1 million Toyota and Lexua hybrid cars in the U.S. All of those hybrid car sales have accounted for half of Toyota’s worldwide hybrid car sales.

Toyota released their third generation Prius into the U.S. market earlier this year which carries an sales forecast of around 180,000 sales in it’s first year. A considerable amount more than expected for the new luxury Lexus hybrid.
However, they have have forecasted this number of sales, but whether they will be able to reach that number is a separate matter. Although the amount of car sales in May rose since last month, the amount of car sales since the start of 2009 as dropped by 36% in the U.S. Even more bad news has struck Toyota, the amount of hybrid car sales has slumped recently. This is because although fuel prices rose by large amounts last summer, since the beginning of the year they have dropped considerably.

The price drop has caused a shift in the market, more people are buying gasoline powered cars because a hybrid car will often set you back $4000 more than a normal car.

That aside, Toyota still have high hopes their new luxury Hybrid car because they believe that the car market is improving and the requirement for hybrid cars is coming back.  Prices on the new 2010 Lexus Hybrid begin at around $35,000.  And the gas mileage ratings for this car are expected to be 35 cobined MPG.