Gas prices are on the rise again.  If you’re tired of paying high prices for air-polluting gasoline to run your car, then alternative fuels may be looking more and more attractive and they’re picking up speed.  First, the electric scooter… then the hybrids… now the Smart Car… and eventually cars that run on vegetable oil? 

The Regional Transportation Commission is testing the “grease bus” - a bus that runs on low-sulphur diesel and about 15%-20% used, but clean vegetable oil.  Right now the bus is being used to train new drivers, but it will be monitored for it’s eco-worthiness over the next year or so to see just how much emissions can be spared from the air and what kind of mileage it will get.  The anticipation for vehicles that run partly on veggie oil is 100 miles to the gallon.  Wow.  I’ll take that any day.  Tracy Bower with the RTC, says they’re concerned about sustainability, so the RTC is also running nearly 60 hybrid-electric coaches, ten rapid transit hybrid-electric vehicles and 50 Compressed Natural Gas buses.  It looks like they really give a toot and are trying not to pollute. 

Electric vehicles have been around for awhile now, but how about electric go-karts?  An indoor kart raceway called, “Pole Position” races only electric karts on their indoor track.  Bryan Kroten says these state of the art Formula karts accelerate harder, smoother and are much quieter than gas-powered machines.  I’m told they can rip at 45mph hour and be as quiet as a sewing machine.  Not to mention, they’re a lot cleaner than gas-powered karts and that’s at the top of the list of payoffs.  Check out their indoor track over at W. Flamingo and Arville.

If you’d like to see some of these alternatively-fueled vehicles for yourself, they’ll be making an appearance this week at First Friday downtown.  The Green Outlet at the Arts Factory is featuring alternative fuels at this month’s First Friday (check out www.goinggreen.com)  and they will have plenty of information on the topic.  Other featured alternative transportation solutions include hybrid vehicles, flex fuel vehicles, electric Karts from Pole Position, a Smart car, bicycles and electric scooters.  The RTC will also have info on their Ride Share program which includes express bus routes and carpooling solutions to saving money and saving the air.  There will also be a preview Thursday night from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.  And First Friday starts at 6:00 on Friday… hence the name.