If visitors to Madison, Wisconsin weren't aware of its reputation as an especially environmentally-conscious city, they should be now after Madison played host to the first-ever Hybridfest auto show last weekend. 

On hand were approximately 100 gasoline-electric hybrids from 20 different states, their enthusiast owners, all 10 currently and soon-to-be on-sale hybrid models available for test drives, and vendors selling everything from car sharing memberships to trunk-sized hybrid batteries.

The event was free, with a fee charged only to participants interested in attending lectures given by industry experts. No matter who you came to see, one resounding theme abounded: educate the public about hybrid technology.

Bill Kinney's '05 Honda Insight made it from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida on 38.6 gallons of gas.

"We hope the public will see that there are already a wide variety of hybrids available on the market today. We also hope that the public will have many opportunities to talk directly to hybrid owners and find out what they're really like to own and what mileage they really get," Hybridfest organizer Bill Robbins said.

The Enthusiasts
While the Fest was attended by both automakers and consumers, the industry's best public relations people were not those employed by the car companies, but those who drove from miles away to tout the merits of their hybrid.

These owners, mostly of Toyota Priuses and Honda Insights, got a window sticker that advertised their car's best and worst fuel-economy figures and the chance to spend the afternoon talking to whoever would listen about why they love their hybrid.

One Toyota Prius enthusiast, Dave Bassage, set up a display called "Hotel Prius", complete with sleeping bag arrangements and climate control recommendations to illustrate the ruggedness and versatility of his Prius.
 
Bassage, from Walton, West Virginia has put 80,000 miles on his 2004 Toyota Prius and claims it has been the most maintenance- and hassle-free vehicle he's had out of all 14 vehicles he's owned.

"It has carried my kayak, raft, assorted paddling and camping gear...chainsaw, lumber, firewood, and table saw, and has been places most people would only take four-wheel drive vehicles," Bassage said.

Others were there not only to educate the public about their hybrid's capabilities, but to also dismiss some falsehoods about the vehicles. Something both organizers and participants wanted to dispel was the negative press surrounding hybrids' EPA numbers versus actual mileage numbers.

"Test drivers at consumer magazines are used to driving hot rods. Put them in an efficient car and the numbers are way off from the EPA's. In reality, any driver can learn simple rules to beat that EPA number by 10 to 20 percent. Put more air in your tires, slow down, learn to use your vehicle's momentum, and try not to excessively use the brakes when you drive," said Bill Kinney.

Kinney from Seattle, Washington drove his '05 Honda Insight to Madison for the Fest, stopping only once for gas in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Top: A cut out of the Toyota Highlander hybrid. Bottom: A 2005 Honda Insight on display at Hybridfest 2006.

The Automakers
While Hybridfest was mostly attended by consumer enthusiasts and their daily-driver hybrids, the automakers were also there offering show-goers test drives of their hybrid models.

Not yet at dealerships, but on the General Motors stand at the Hybridfest, was the 2007 Saturn Vue Green line. GM claims the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder compact hybrid SUV should get 27 city miles per gallon and 32 highway miles per gallon when it goes on sale next month. With a starting price of $22,995, GM representative Matt Scarlet claimed that "the Vue Green line is the most-affordable small hybrid on the market."

Toyota was also there with a dissected Hybrid Highlander midsize SUV, open to reveal the moving parts of the hybrid system. On Honda's stage was the now out-of-production Insight, a popular car among hybrid enthusiasts. Chris Schneider, self-proclaimed hybrid guru and owner of Honda Motorwerks in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, showcased a 2005 Honda Insight and answered the audience's questions about cold winter performance, crash test results, and battery life.

"No consumer has ever paid for a new battery for their Honda hybrid, ever. Replaced, yes, but never paid for," Schneider said. Schneider, who has owned five Insights and driven them all over 100,000 miles each, claims his dealership has the largest selection of pre-owned hybrids in the country and sells more Honda hybrids than any other dealership in the U.S.

The "Infinity Miles per Gallon" Club
All-electric vehicles like the University of Wisconsin's General Motors EV1 research vehicle and local resident Brain Baumel's electric Bradley GT2 on exhibit one-upped the mileage cards displayed in the windshields of Insights and Priuses parked nearby.

A 1981 Bradley GT2 plug-in electric car powered by 12 lead-acid car batteries.

Baumel's mileage card read "infinity miles per gallon" on the windshield of the 1981 Bradley GT2 he spent 6 years building. "I like electronics and I like cars, so I put the two of them together," he said.

Powered by 10 12-volt lead-acid car batteries-4 under the hood and 6 in the trunk-Baumel has taken his electric car to a top speed of 65 miles per hour with one charge lasting at least 30 minutes. He installed two plugs that flank the license plate for recharging. 

The battery that powered the General Motors EV1 electric car on display at Hybridfest was classified and kept under lock and key, however. The EV1 at Hybridfest was one of 20 saved from the crusher when GM took back the electric cars they leased to the public and destroyed them in 2004. GM donated it to the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus in collaboration with Ballard fuel-cell systems, as a research vehicle.

The EV1 electric car donated by General Motors to the University of Wisconsin and Ballard fuel-cell systems is one of 20 left after GM destroyed the vehicles in 2004.

The technology developed to build GM's electric fleet of cars, however, was not lost even though most of the cars were disposed of. According to Theodore Bohn, from Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research, 58 patents have come out of the technology that went into making EV1.

"This technology is being used in Saturn's new Green line and in GM's new two-mode hybrid system. It's being reiterated into new vehicles and systems," Bohn explained.
 
The Future
Hybrids are becoming more and more popular as gas prices and the levels of air pollution caused by gasoline-powered cars continue to rise. In response, automakers are adding more new hybrid models to their lineup each year and increasing production as demand rises.

According to Robbins, this was Hybridfest's first year and the organizers plan to continue it.  "Hybridfest is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting hybrids by organizing this annual event," Robbins said.

Based on the public's rising interest in hybrid technology, Robbins and other organizers believe Hybridfest will become a popular annual car show