While many children across the state received electric toy cars for Christmas, 10 Centre County residents were awarded money for new hybrid electric vehicles this month.

State Sen. Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) announced last week that several Centre County residents received $500 grants from Pennsylvania's Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program, which is intended to improve Pennsylvania's overall air quality and gas consumption.

Penn State associate professor of history Adam Rome is a recipient in this grant program, and he said he is excited about the environmental benefits.

"I was planning on getting one of these cars anyway," he said. "I thought it was a great idea. I teach about environmental issues, so I thought it was only fitting. It's terrific. I am really pleased with it."

Other grant recipients are interested in the economic aspects of the hybrid vehicles.

"We bought it for its great gas mileage," Port Matilda resident Colleen Felton said. "It gets almost 45 miles per gallon, in the city too. It's definitely cheaper to run."

Felton has been pleased with her choice, but she said the new automobile requires some adjustment.

"It's a little weird at first," she said. "The car turns off its engine when you come to a stop. At first, it feels like you're stalling, but then you get used to it."

Over the past few years, the interest in hybrid electric vehicles has seen a significant increase.

These cars produce no carbon dioxide, which is a component of smog and pollution.

Although these cars are environment-friendly, there is still some continuing discussion as to their role in the future.

"The main thing about these vehicles is that they can store some energy aboard and use it for later," said Dan Haworth, Penn State professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering. "In regular emissions tests, they are not necessarily any better. But in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption, there is a significant difference."

As the faculty adviser for Penn State's FutureTruck student design competition, Haworth has built numerous hybrid electric vehicles with students and has seen what they can do.

FutureTruck is a student organization that designs and constructs hybrid electric vehicles for several competitions each year.

The hybrid automobiles that FutureTruck's members create can be seen around campus and in local parades.

Although Haworth does not personally own one of the hybrid cars yet, he said he is planning on buying one.

"I am waiting for one from GM, which should be coming out in the near future. The cars get better with each generation, and now the differences are essentially transparent," he said.

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to power an automobile, and their byproduct is water.

Not yet ready for mass production, these vehicles are a main competitor of the hybrid cars.

"There is still some debate over whether this has much of a lifetime," Haworth said.

"There are many questions over whether fuel cells will just replace this technology."

Regardless of hybrid cars' longevity, their slowly growing popularity is paving the way for more environmentally friendly automobiles.

"The future sounds like it is almost here," Rome said.