When it comes to gasoline-electric hybrids, Toyota is the leader of the pack. Come and test drive a Toyota hybrid at the Test, Ride and Drive booth at the Green Living Show.

More than a decade ago, it introduced the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid. Now it’s the world’s best-selling hybrid. Global hybrid sales at Toyota topped the one million mark in 2007, reducing carbon-dioxide output by nearly 3.5 million tonnes. By some time next decade, Toyota plans to sell one million hybrids a year. Its third-generation 2009 Prius hybrid is now in development. It’s slated to have lighter batteries, better fuel economy and more power than the current model.

But Toyota is also banking on a new kind of hybrid — a plug-in version that can be recharged using household current. Prius plug-in hybrids (PHV) are now being tested at the University of California. Not only can the PHV be recharged at a standard outlet, it can run on electric power alone. For short trips, the PHV mostly uses its motor, drawing electricity from its battery. On long excursions, it acts like a conventional hybrid, using both its engine and motor. Since the PHV can travel farther than its predecessors on electricity alone, it can improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions. While the technology is promising, the three-year study means the PHV likely won’t hit Canadian streets until 2010 or 2011 at the earliest.