As United States automakers continue to reel from a disastrous 2008 in which car sales plummeted across the board, government services — and apparently many Hawai'i consumers — continue to invest in the long-term promise of hybrid and other alternative-power transportation.

Earlier this month, the major U.S. automakers reported an 18 percent decrease in overall auto sales last year, a figure bloated by a particularly harsh December in which U.S. sales dropped by a collective 36 percent.

The recent dip in fuel costs have also derailed predictions that hybrid car sales would increase in response to gas prices that approached $5 per gallon over the summer.

Toyota reported that sales of the Prius, the top-selling hybrid in the U.S., dropped a stunning 45 percent last month.

INCREASE IN SALES

Yet, while auto sales in Hawai'i had dropped an estimated 22 percent through October 2008, Servco Hawai'i reports that its sales of hybrid vehicles seem to have bucked the national trend.

According to Servco Automotive vice president Wes Kimura, sales of Toyota hybrids Prius, Camry and Highlander increased last year to the point where they now account for 10 percent of all Toyota sales.

"While most of this increased demand was driven by the spike in fuel prices in mid-2008, the percentage of hybrids sold remained relatively stable even as the price of fuel has dropped in recent months," Kimura wrote in an e-mail response to The Advertiser. "We believe that both consumers and businesses are aware of the volatility in the price of fuel and are preparing for the eventual rise in prices."

Such long-term considerations by consumers would seem to be in step with continued explorations into alternative-energy transportation by private business, the continued use of hybrid vehicles by the city's TheBus and Handi-Van services, and the state's Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative.

The state's wide-ranging and ambitious plan includes a commitment by the state and the Hawaiian Electric Co. to "a program that will identify and implement incentives needed to encourage adoption of electric vehicles for individual and fleet use, and also lead by example by acquiring hybrid or electric-only vehicles for government and utility fleets."

The state and HECO have endorsed a plan by the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Better Place company to build a network of charging and battery-exchange stations that would serve electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries.

Such vehicles — like the Nissan Rogue and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which run on swappable lithium-ion batteries capable of powering a car for an estimated 100 miles — are less expensive than most other commercial hybrids.

Under the plan, users would pay for access to the network via subscription.

Hawai'i is seen as an ideal locale for the Better Place model given its relatively limited system of roads — Better Place says there would be no need to swap batteries for drives shorter than 100 miles — and high fuel costs compared to the Mainland. The model has also been endorsed in Israel, Denmark, Australia and San Francisco.

Thomas Quinn, director of the Hawai'i Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies, said he favors the Better Place model, which would allow consumers to make the switch to electric cars at a lower initial cost.

However, the charging stations are intended to "top off" the battery's charge during trips. Full charging would likely be done at the driver's residence, which would require electricity traditionally produced by burning oil.

Quinn said that ideally the Better Place system will be able to "plug into an oil-free power grid," something the Clean Energy Initiative intends to build. Better Place is expected to contribute to the development of such an alternative-energy infrastructure.

PHOENIX MOTORCARS

Maui Electric Co. is also working with Ontario, Calif.-based Phoenix Motorcars on a trial program that will include the construction of an electric-vehicle infrastructure on Maui for use by up to 30 Phoenix sport utility trucks.

The trucks operate off a lithium-titanate battery capable of running the vehicles for 100 miles off a 10-minute charge.

HCATT helped to showcase both the Better Place and Phoenix Motorcars systems in Hawai'i and has been closely involved in several alternative-energy transportation programs over the years.

The organization now does most of its work in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, helping to develop hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles, such as buses, vans, and movers that could also one day be introduced commercially.

HCATT also helped Hickam Air Force Base develop and install a hydrogen production and fuel station.

In Honolulu, the city and county is planning on significantly expanding its growing fleet of hybrid buses this year. Officials say they plan to buy at least 10 extra-long articulated hybrid buses. That's in addition to the 10 articulated hybrid buses purchased in 2004 and the 40 standard 40-foot buses acquired in 2006.

There is other ample evidence of the government's increased interest in alternative-energy transportation:

• The state Department of Transportation purchased eight new "clean diesel" buses last year.

Clean diesel, also called ultra-low sulfur diesel, is more refined and "cleaner" than traditional diesel, and has proven more fuel-efficient in commercial use.

• The Honolulu Police Department is in the middle of a six-month trial of hybrid vehicles. The department is evaluating six Toyota Camry hybrids for performance and cost savings.

HPD spokesperson Michelle Yu said officers who drive the vehicles provide weekly reports on their performance. Of particular consideration, Yu said, is whether the cars are able to reliably power mobile data computers and other electronic hardware used by officers.

"It looks good at this point," Yu said.

• As part of his economic stimulus plan delivered to President-elect Obama's transition team last month, Mayor Mufi Hannemann proposed the purchase of 100 new hybrid buses and 50 paratransit vehicles at a cost of $85 million.