Fuel Economy and Hybrid Transportation Impact

For all the talk about hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles...they are still only 2.1% of vehicles registered in the most enthusiastic state -- California.  Personal transportation is still talk more than walk! 
For all the impressive gains, alternative fuel vehicles in California have not yet made a major impact on the State's overall fuel economy.

Although increasing from 0.1% at the beginning of the decade, alternative fuel vehicles in 2007 accounted for 2.1% of all registered vehicles in California. The average fuel economy for California passenger vehicles in 2006 was less than 20 miles per gallon (19.9), a number that has not changed appreciably during the rapid rise in alternative fuel vehicle registrations and rising gas prices.

In fact, the United States as a whole has a higher average fuel economy of passenger vehicles (20.1 mpg) than California.

Californians are shifting to greener transportation options in many ways. According to Field Research Corporation,

• Two-thirds (67%) of registered voters are "using their more fuel- efficient vehicle more frequently."
• Almost three in ten (28%) surveyed report that they have "replaced a car or truck with a more fuel- efficient vehicle."
• Most of the new alternative fuel vehicle registrations are for hybrid automobiles.

In 2007, 3 of the top 10 hybrid metropolitan markets were in California; Los Angeles (#1), San Francisco (#2), and Sacramento (#9)

Metropolitan areas accounted for over 20% of new hybrid registrations in the United States.

In metropolitan areas as well as rural regions with high volumes of pass-through traffic, cleaner transportation options mean cleaner air.

REFERENCES:
California Air Resources Board. The EMission FACtors (EMFAC) 2007.

U.S. Department of Energy., Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 27." June 30, 2008