Bikes & Cars...

First came the clever little Smart ForTwo. Then came the outrageous gas prices. Now, drivers are looking for ways to get out of the SUV and into a car they can afford to drive. Below, the past, present, and future of affordable cars that go easy on the wallet and the environment.

First, the present. The Triac EV picks up where so many others have left off: it's an electric vehicle that can hit the highway and not break the bank. Green Vehicles, a company based in San Jose, Calif., builds the three-wheeled car, and claims the Triac can do 80 mph. A six-hour charge gets you 60-100 miles from the lithium-ion battery pack, depending on terrain and speed. Rumor has it that the Triac will run about $20,000, or one-fifth the price of a Tesla EV supercar.

Meanwhile, the futurisitc folks at Fiat worked with several design agencies to produce the Phylla, an asymmetrical solar-powerred car. The consortium that created this cutie was charged with designing a car that was recyclable, used alternative energy, worked with car-sharing programs, and was inexpensive to operate. A day's worth of sun should propel the Phylla 11 miles; not far, but completely free.

Lastly, it looks like people should have hung on to those underpowered, three-cylinder Geo Metros from the early 1990s. Turns out those little guys get great gas mileage, somewhere in the 30s around town and in the 40s on the freeway. Looks like my friend John shouldn't have gotten rid of his off-green Metro, "the General Bean," after college.