By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

In the last issue, we discussed alternative methods of transportation to save money at the gas pump. One increasingly popular way to cut gas costs—and do your part to reduce global warming pollution and American dependence on foreign oil—is to drive a hybrid car.

Hybrids are catching on

Just a few years ago, the concept of a hybrid car was not familiar to many people. But today hybrid cars are catching the eyes of an increasing number of savvy drivers, and quickly entering the mainstream.

Bob Chen, who lives at Sedgebrook, is one such driver who decided it was time to switch to a more fuel-efficient car that’s easier on the environment.

“I had been complaining that the government should set a mileage standard, so I figured I should put my money where my mouth is,”Chen says.

Chen traded his minivan for a Toyota Prius in 2005. He says the car gets 50 miles per gallon during the summer months, and 40 in the winter—which means less frequent stops at the gas station.

The push to slow global warming

Carbon dioxide is the primary “heat-trapping” gas, according to the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest environmental advocacy group. So every gasoline-powered vehicle on the road contributes to global warming.

U.S. cars and trucks create more global warming pollution than the entire country of Germany, according to Colleen Sarna, a Sierra Club spokeswoman in Illinois. She says getting more hybrid cars on U.S. roads is part of the solution.

“If you’re looking at a Toyota Prius, it may get twice as many miles to the gallon as a conventional automobile,” Sarna says. “So not only are you going twice as far, but you’re spewing half as much global warming pollution from your tailpipe.”

How does it work?

A hybrid car combines a gasoline engine that powers the car at high speeds, and an electric motor that takes over when the car slows down—which means they waste less energy.