Fuel-sipping cars still years away

Al Gore has already ordered one, according to the company.

Chrysler, which so far has lagged behind in even offering conventional gas-electric hybrids, trotted out three plug-in concept vehicles in Detroit -- the Chrysler ecoVoyager, Dodge Zeo and Jeep Renegade. There's no word on when -- if ever -- these vehicles will be available.

Meanwhile, Honda, GM, BMW and others haven't given up on cars and trucks powered by hydrogen, the more exotic alternative to gasoline-only vehicles.

This summer, Honda is making its FCX Clarity sedan available to select test buyers in California. This car uses a hydrogen-powered fuel cell. Honda will select buyers who will pay $600 a month on a three-year lease.

General Motors is launching three-month test drives for select consumers of its latest fuel cell vehicle, an electric Chevrolet Equinox. However, no time has been set for production. GM also unveiled a Cadillac sport utility vehicle concept, the Provoq, which is envisioned to run on hydrogen.

GM and other manufacturers are also pushing forward to make their fleets compatible with E85 ethanol fuel. But GM acknowledged that the bio fuel needs to become more widely available.

Ford says it will take more immediate steps to improve its vehicles' fuel economy through the introduction of a new family of gasoline engines that use its EcoBoost technology.

The engines use turbochargers and direct fuel injection to improve mileage by 20 percent, according to Ford. The first vehicle to get the new engine will be the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan.

Buyers should keep in mind that when these new technologies appear, they likely won't be on the more affordable models. You'll also pay a stiff premium over traditional gasoline engine cars.

For those eager to save at the gas pump, the best bet -- aside from making sure your current vehicle is operating efficiently -- is to look for smaller vehicles with smaller engines, since there still appears to be a long wait before technology will ride to the rescue.