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My wife and I last month trekked to the Chicago Auto Show with our kids in tow. We figured that with the tax incentives for hybrid cars that Congress passed in the gargantuan economic stimulus bill it would be a good time to see what’s out there. And, why not save money on gas and help the environment at the same time. We’re resourceful like that.

 Of course, our time would be limited because three and five-year-olds have little patience for car shopping.

First stop, the electric hybrid Chevy Volt. We wiggled our way through a small crowd hovering around the Volt – a shiny, slick machine that was perched on a well-lit stage. The nice lady, as my five-year-old put it, gave the crowd a demo.

The Volt could travel up to 40 miles without recharging – a nice feature since most Americans, she said, travel less than 40 miles per day. Simply plug the car in a common household outlet, and in a few hours – voila – the Volt is recharged and ready to go. It all sounded futuristic but the only problem was the Volt would not be ready for sale until late 2010. Also, no one could tell me what the price tag would be.

I collared one rep and asked for a ballpark figure. He said the Volt would probably cost in the $40,000 range but he added, “Don’t quote me.”

Ooops.

Next stop, the popular Toyota Prius –a battery/gas hybrid. When I got to the only model on display, there were two people sitting inside. Time was of the essence with small kids, so I hopped into the passenger seat. Bob, the driver, and Mary, in the backseat, didn’t seem to mind the intrusion. Bob said his neighbor has a Prius and he wanted to see what the fuss was about. Mary said the backseat had plenty of leg room. She joked that Bob was driving too fast (those annoying backseat drivers are all the same). After about 10 minutes of joking around, I bid farewell to my new hybrid car friends and raced back to base camp, near a Toyota concept car, circulating on stage.

When I got there, a few Toyota reps were going ga ga over my cute three-year-old who had placed her “snuggly” she named, “Support,” on stage. Support was slowly going around in circles, catching the eyes of onlookers. One Good Samaritan decided to pick up the snuggly and give it back but we waved him off. The kids were happy. Happy kids meant more time to explore.

So, as the kids played their new game, I searched for the new hybrid Ford Fusion, another battery/gas car. There were none on display. The rep said the hybrid Fusion would be available in late spring, and would cost in the upper $20,000 range.

When I got back to base camp, the meltdown had begun. Not even giant salty pretzels could buy more time. They were bored, tired and whiny. It was time to leave. We loaded the kids into our gas guzzling carbon-emitting Dodge Caravan, and headed home.

One month later, we’re still confused as what to do. Should we buy a hybrid Prius or Fusion, knowing that battery technology will improve in next year’s models? Should we wait until next year when the electric hybrid Volt is available? Or, should we wait for Honda’s new hydrogen car – the FCX Clarity – that could travel up to 280 miles without filling up?

On second thought, I could use a new bicycle.