You may be jealous of ‘gas’ prices across the pond where they teeter close to $4 a gallon, whereas we pay nearer $10 a gallon - but it’s the North Americans who are green with envy about our environmental breakthroughs.

Green cars are on the mind of North Americans, just as they are throughout the world, but an article in a Trenton, Ontario based newspaper questions just why the promised influx of green cars has failed to materialise.

In 2003, JD Power Associates, an automotive market research and polling group, predicted that by 2006 North American car buyers will have purchased more than half a million green cars with 20 hybrids, trucks and sports utility models to choose from.

By 2008 however, there are only 12 hybrid models on offer - and this includes five models from Japanese manufacturers. Collectively all companies have around 300 hybrids on the road, when the original prediction was for more than 30,000.

So with demand expected to be high given the rise in fuel prices, just what has slowed down the development of green cars in North America?

According to the Trenton newspaper, most North Americans are simply unwilling to sacrifice their ‘gas guzzlers’ for leaner, greener alternatives. In fact the average North American vehicle consumes more fuel today than the Model T used at 25mpg.

There is little base-stock for alternative fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel, which cause controversy in the on-going fuel v food debate.

Consequently, green cars remain a rarely used alternative rather than a success story in North America, a continent that uses 1.444 billion litres of petrol every day.

How do you think green cars could find more success in North America? How can Americans be persuaded to go green? Let us know your thoughts.