With clear and overpowering demand among consumers for cleaner running, alternative-fuel vehicles, the internal combustion engine seems to have been left in the dust, so to speak.  But while newer, sexier vehicle technologies may steal the spotlight, there’s still something to be said for the plain old gas-powered car.

Take the newly-formed British carmaker Axon Automotive.  The company is building itself around a compact car that gets 80 miles-per-gallon, all without the assist of an expensive and somewhat complicated hybrid engine system.  Because the vehicle runs on such a well-known and widely produced technology, more money can be spent on green touches elsewhere, such as the carbon fiber body, or an infinitely variable transmission.

There’s still the issue of heat trapping emissions, but the technological advancements in other areas have dramatically reduced it—Axon’s vehicle pumps out a mere 190g per mile. In areas far from charging stations, or in rural areas where trips within the range of the average BEV are infeasible, highly-efficient internal combustion vehicles may still offer consumers the greenest options for their lifestyle and paycheck.