Top 10 Tech Cars

by John Voelcker IEEE Spectrum, April 2006

Nowadays, two technologies are battling for the crown. In one corner stand Japanese and U.S. companies, which have invested billions of dollars in hybrid-electric technology. In the other corner are European makers, with decades of experience in light-duty diesel engines. Today's hybrids cost so much to build that their fuel savings may not cover the higher sticker prices. They are most fuel-efficient in urban, stop-and-go traffic, and least economical at freeway speeds or under hard acceleration. Diesels, on the other hand, tend to be dirty, and some of the air pollution standards they have to meet, such as those in California, are the world's strictest. Yet the will to make a clean diesel is there, because the engines are so fuel-thrifty.

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