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Some owners of new hybrid cars can’t figure out why they don’t get the 55 or higher miles per gallon they’ve been promised. It turns out you won’t save much on gas unless you drive the right way. Honda spokesman Chris Naughton tells Civic Hybrid owners not to drive too fast or brake too hard, and says, “Be mindful that (fuel-efficiency) can vary.”

John Gartner writes in wired.com that Toyota Prius drivers have reported lifetime fuel-efficiency from 36 to 58 mpg, while Honda Civic Hybrid owners claim to get between 32 and 56 mpg. But some drivers report getting 40 miles per gallon or less.
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It’s long been thought that hydrogen cars won’t be a reality for many years, due to the problems with the volatile gas leaking into the atmosphere (and perhaps igniting and blowing up the car). The hydrogen atom may be free and available to all, but it’s also so small that it’s almost impossible to contain. But scientists are working on the problem.

Lee Dye writes in abcnews.com that hundreds of millions of dollars are being pumped into efforts to solve the problems with hydrogen fuel. One of these is that fossil fuel is much more efficient, so it takes a lot more hydrogen to run an automobile. This means the hydrogen needs to be compressed so enough of it can fit inside a gas tank.
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