So automakers clearly think that we will shortly be looking for a fuel-efficient alternative, which means that gas prices as we know them soon will be a distant memory. Based once again on a 15,000-mile annual driving rate, it will cost you $1800 to drive a non-hybrid Escape XLT at $3 per gallon. A hybrid version of the same Escape will cost approximately $1100, a savings of $700 per year, based on EPA numbers. So if Ford sells the hybrid version for $2,000 more than the standard, the math indicates that consumers break even at around the three-year mark, but the reality of driving means that it could be sooner. Mix in the $2,000 tax rebate and the savings are obvious.

What's not obvious, however - but just as crucial as the electric motor in the hybrid equation - is the work automakers are doing with internal combustion engine efficiency. The Civic Hybrid uses Honda's super-clean 4-cylinder IMA engine, and the Prius engine is a 4-cylinder overhead cam that rates as SULEV for emissions - the best possible rating in California. These steps toward improvement are felt throughout entire vehicle line-ups. Honda has improved the fuel efficiency of virtually all Acuras and Hondas, as has Toyota. New cars are being released that have virtual zero emissions ratings.

Make that partial zero emission, or PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicles) for short.

A PZEV rating requires that a vehicle meet the Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standard for tailpipe exhaust emissions, and emit virtually zero emissions from the vaporization of fuel in the gas tank and fuel system. Already at dealership near you is the Camry PZEV and the Ford Focus PZEV. .