One of the coolest things about flying back to D/FW this time was that I got to rent a Toyota Prius, which is the most fuel-efficient car in North America. It's a gasoline-electric hybrid, which means that it has a lot of neat technology not found in other cars.

When I first got into the car, I had a hard time figuring out how to start it. The fob to unlock the doors doesn't come with a key, so once I got in the car I just stuck the fob into a slot in the car. Then, to start it, I just pushed the power button. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't as easy as that, at least the first couple times I drove it. After I pressed the start button, the car still wouldn't go. I kept trying over and over, trying to figure out how I could possibly be pressing the start button incorrectly. I was about to go back to the rental car counter and tell them that it didn't work, but then I somehow got it to start. The next time I stopped the car, I had the same problem, but I figured out that I had to put my foot on the brake when pressing the power button so that the car would be ready to drive.

The car isn't really that much different than other cars, except it has an electric motor in addition to a gas motor. At low speeds, the electric motor powers the car and the gas engine stays off, so the car can be almost silent and use less fuel. While coasting or braking, the electric motor regenerates electricity that is stored in the car's battery.

Everyone thought the car was really neat, and it was. I ended up driving around 5 people at work, 4 family members, Lesley's dad, and 3 friends for a total of 13 different people, and all of them were fairly impressed. It was definitely a neat car and it goes a lot farther than any other car does toward polluting less, saving gas, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It does still use gas, though, so it's not the answer to all of our problems. But, I got 48 miles per gallon, and it shows the kind of progress that automakers can make when they try.