Pump prices for gasoline may be significantly lower compared with a year ago, but battery power remains a popular alternative to internal-combustion engines. 

It doesn't come cheap, though.

As carmakers strive to find a replacement for fossil fuel that is efficient, economical and acceptable to consumers, they continue to develop technology to fill the gap between the reality of today and the hope for tomorrow.

A number of new, as well as redesigned hybrid-electric vehicles, or HEVs, from General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Lexus and more are arriving in showrooms as early as this spring, sparking a fresh look at battery power as the most likely viable alternative to gasoline-fueled transportation.

Honda Insight
The Insight name may sound familiar because it was the hybrid that beat the Prius to market by a few months in 1999. Eighteen-thousand of them went out showroom doors before Honda discontinued the Insight in 2006. Other than being a full hybrid, there isn't much the 2010 version and the original have in common. Rather than the original's George Jetson-inspired styling, the new Insight looks more similar to a Prius. A little smaller than the Prius, the Insight is set up for five passengers with 16 cubic feet of luggage space that expands to 32 feet when the 60/40 rear seat is folded forward. The 1.3-liter, four-cylinder engine and 10-kilowatt electric motor deliver a combined 111 horsepower. The Insight can operate strictly on electric power at speeds approaching 30 mph. The EPA rates its city fuel efficiency at 40 miles per gallon with a city/highway combined number of 41 miles per gallon. It comes in two trim levels priced well below the competition. All Insights come equipped with automatic climate control, power accessories, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, audio system with CD player and auxiliary input jack, and a security system with keyless remote entry.
Price: Starting at $20,470.

Toyota Prius 
For the moment, non-plug-in HEVs are the popular solution for reducing oil consumption and easing tailpipe emissions. Of these hybrids, Toyota's Prius is the best selling and most recognized. Scheduled to whir into showrooms this spring, the third-generation Prius promises an EPA fuel-efficiency rating of 50 mpg for combined city and highway driving, 4 mpg better than the current Prius. Combined horsepower for the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine and electric motor is 24 ponies better than the 110 horsepower generated by the second-generation Prius. To reduce weight, aluminum was used in the hood, rear hatch, front-suspension axle and brake calipers. The new exterior design with its wind-cheating 0.25 coefficient of drag provides a roomier interior. Interestingly, a solar-cell panel comes with an optional glass moon roof and is located over the rear seating area. The solar cells power a ventilation system that reduces rising air temperatures when the vehicle is parked, reducing cool-down time when the driver returns to the vehicle and decreasing the workload of the air conditioner. The Prius base price originally was announced earlier at $24,220 but recently was dropped to $21,750. That's far less than the previous Prius model, and the new one has more goodies. The price slash may have come about because of the low starting price announced earlier on the new Insight.
Price: Starting at $21,750.

Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan
The first true HEV sedan from a Detroit automaker (The Chevy Malibu Hybrid is known as a "mild hybrid"), Ford's Fusion Hybrid delivers an EPA city fuel economy rating of 41 mpg, yet retains the spirited driving characteristics of the gasoline-only version that is priced about $4,000 less. Available in only one trim package, it comes with rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control, multiadjustable power front seats, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Ford Sync electronics interface, 17-inch alloy wheels and power accessories. The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and electric motor collaborate to pump out 191 horsepower. It reaches 60 mph from a standstill in less than 9 seconds. The Milan, Mercury's version of the same sedan, will provide a few extra amenities.
Price: Fusion starting at $27,995; Milan starting at $28,225.

Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid/GMC Sierra Hybrid
GM was first to the party with full-size hybrid sport-utility vehicles, like its Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Now it's the first manufacturer with full-size hybrid pickup trucks. Using the system found in GM's hybrid SUVs, the city fuel economy of this pickup truck duo beats the gas-only versions by up to 40 percent with 21 mpg. Combined city/highway fuel economy is 25 percent higher. A 6-liter, V-8 mated with GM's new Electrically Variable Transmission, or EVT, and a 300-volt energy storage system powers these pickups up to 30 mph solely on electric power. They can run on as few as four cylinders when cruising. The system generates a total of 332 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque. Although the hybrid versions can't tow as much as the gasoline-only-powered trucks, they can still pull up to 6,100 pounds. Only available in a four-door, crew-cab configuration, they seat up to six.
Price: Silverado starting at $38,995; Sierra starting at $39,365.

Lexus RX 450h
Earning about 10 percent better fuel economy than the RX 400h it replaces, the 2010 RX 450h has a combined system horsepower rating of 295, which is 27 more than its predecessor. A 3.5-liter, V-6 engine works with a series of electric motors and a 288-volt nickel metal hydride, or NiMH, battery pack to achieve an estimated city fuel economy of 28 mpg. The hybrid version has all the luxury appointments of the new RX 350. This includes the optional front-light system that estimates where a vehicle turning a corner will be in three seconds based on speed and angle of the front tires, and then adjusts the lateral aim of the headlamps. Safety equipment includes 10 airbags and an optional precollision system that automatically prepares seat belts and braking systems when the vehicle is closing in on obstacles and an accident is possible. It is expected to go on sale midsummer.
Price: Expected to start at $44,000 to $44,500.

GEM
Global Electric Motorcars, or GEM, a Chrysler company, produces a number of EV models -- such as the e2, e4 and e6 -- two-, four- and six-passenger versions -- designed for navigating congested urban corridors or other roads with low speed limits. With a top speed of 25 mph, they have a range of up to 30 miles.

Six 12-volt electrolyte batteries make up the power pack that requires six to eight hours to charge using a 110-volt outlet. There are also versions with cargo beds of varying sizes. You can personalize them with optional features ranging from a stereo audio system with CD player to heated seats and a tilt steering wheel. Sure, they seem to be little more than glorified golf carts, but they are street legal in all states except Wyoming, Nebraska, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. They are now on sale at dealers in 30 states.

Price: Starting at $8,340 for the e2 and $13,940 for the e6.

Tesla 
Running on pure electricity doesn't necessarily mean low speeds and short ranges. Pack enough batteries into a vehicle, and you can travel up to 244 miles with a top speed of 125 mph in the Tesla Roadster.

With a style traceable to the Lotus Elise, Tesla puts some sizzle into plug-in EVs, using its 366-volt, lithium-ion battery array to hum to 60 mph from a standing stop in a company-measured 3.9 seconds. Charging requires less than four hours using a household 240-volt outlet. Cruise control, air conditioning and heated seats are all standard in addition to a long list of available extra-cost options. The ultimate look-at-me automobile, only 250 Roadsters have been sold to date.
Price: Starting at $110,950.

Chevrolet Volt 
The Volt won't be on sale until 2010, but it's been the subject of so much media attention that we included it in our list. GM will take a giant step forward in the EV sweepstakes with the long-anticipated showroom launch. This is the first practical application of GM's E-Flex hybrid technology that teams a lithium-ion battery with a fuel-based engine. In the Volt, a 400-pound battery pack teams with a three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine.

The Volt's battery pack is charged by plugging into a standard household outlet for six hours or a 240-volt outlet -- like your clothes dryer uses -- for about three hours. Volt will run solely on battery power for 40 miles between charges. No gasoline is burned, and no emissions are spewed into the air on round trips of 40 miles or less -- fewer miles than most commuters drive to and from work, says GM.

Once the battery charge is depleted, the engine engages -- not to turn the wheels, but to recharge the battery. This is unlike today's crop of HEVs in which the gas engine, as well as the electric motor, power the wheels. Because the gasoline engine runs only as needed, the Volt's miles-per-gallon is calculated on a sliding scale and shrinks as more continuous miles over 40 are driven: A 60-mile trip garners 150 miles per gallon, while traveling the total 640-mile range burning the entire 12-gallon tank of gas yields fuel economy of about 53 miles per gallon. Seating up to five, Volt's top speed is 100 miles per hour and GM says it can reach 60 miles per hour from a standstill in less than 8.5 seconds.
Price: Starting from $35,000 to $40,000 when released late in 2010.

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