Auto makers must shift their focus to make more fuel efficient vehicles such as electrics and hybrids available to the masses.

The obvious benefits of building more gas sippers include protecting our environment from the harmful fuel emissions and allowing consumers a cheaper way of getting around.

Rising fuel prices will force compromise on the side of the consumer and the car manufacturer. Traditional gasoline is no longer an abundant viable source of energy for a vehicle, electricity and even hydrogen will power our vehicles in the near future.

Though consumers have their doubts about hybrid and electric vehicles, the technology that powers them has reached the point where they are practical daily drivers.

They have the range and reliability that traditional engines offer with lower operating costs. The average running costs for a gas powered vehicle is 20 cents a mile compared to the electric vehicle running cost of three cents a mile.

There are plenty of excuses consumers give for not adopting hybrid or electric technology.

Since no electric vehicle is road trip friendly, consumers will shy away from them even though the average person doesn’t road trip that often and drives about 40 miles a day in the United States.

Also most current hybrid and electric vehicles are visually repulsive.

Commercial vehicles must also take steps to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. Aside from having large commercial vehicles adopt hybrid or electric technology, roads and highways have to be improved to cut down on the idle time they spend in heavy traffic needlessly burning fuel.

We cannot be naive about the fact that fossil fuels will soon run out. If you are not ready to make the jump to electrics and hybrids, then smaller economic vehicles or properly maintaining your current vehicle to improve fuel mileage would be a smart choice.

Our domestic car culture has prided itself in the fun that powerful gasoline engines provide. America is the land of the motoring enthusiast who don’t spend too mush time away from the drag strip or their favorite canyon road. This has made us a bit skeptical about adopting vehicles whose lack of power may hurt an owners ego.

Lets adopt more fuel efficient vehicles now on our own terms before we are forced to by the pricey gas pump.