Adrian Levy examines the engine of his Toyota Prius. - Norman Grindley/Staff Photographer

Andrew Anderson may have the most fuel-efficient car in Jamaica. He claims he has driven over 1063 kilometres (approximately 661 miles), on only 43 litres of gas!

The distance from Negril point in the west to Morant Point in the east is only 146 miles (240km). This means, therefore, that if Anderson's calculations are correct, he would have driven the full length of Jamaica more than four times over without refilling his tank.

Now, before you toss out his claim, it should be noted that Anderson drives a gas-electric hybrid car.

On the road, the sleek silver car may not automatically stand out, but Anderson's Toyota Prius, runs on a system, which symbolises the future in energy efficiency across the world.

Most fuel-efficient car

It has been hailed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the country.

The car is just another part of Anderson's energy-efficient lifestyle, along with the solar-wind hybrid system that generates electricity for his house.

Anderson's savings are best appreciated when compared to what other Jamaicans are paying for petrol.

When compared to Devon-Paul Murray who lives in Portmore, like Anderson, and who also works downtown Kingston as Andrew, the difference becomes apparent. Gayle is paying as much as $3,000 to $3,500 a week to fill his tank.

Carlyon Russell, who lives in Stony Hill and works in Kingston, is paying at least $5,000 to fill his Mitsubishi Pajero per week!

The secret of the Prius is that it is propelled by both gasolene (petrol) and electric power. Looking under the bonnet, many things are different from the average car. There is no alternator, no belt for the compressor among other things. What may be familiar is the engine, which is a lot similar to that of the Toyota Corolla.

A massive traction battery is largely responsible for driving the car, and a regular 12-volt battery is responsible for all the cars accessories, such as light, powered steering and so forth. All that is required of Anderson, really, is that he plugs his car into a socket in his house and charge the batteries before they become depleted.

The Prius saves on gas through several ingenuous methods like automatically shutting off the gasolene engine at low speeds when it is not needed, for example in traffic or at a stop light. The car also determines when electrical propulsion in contrast to gasolene propulsion is more efficient and then automatically adjusts the car.

The question now is cost. How much does a hybrid car like the Toyota Prius cost?

Good news

Well, if you were to purchase it on your own, a brand new Prius would run you approximately US$22,000 (app. $1,958,000) excluding shipping and customs charges.

A shot of good news though is that under Jamaica's existing regulations, hybrids or flexi-vehicles, which are capable of operating on ethanol, attract an import duty of 60 per cent, while other units are often required to pay a lot more.