Should you wait until 2010 to buy a new car?

I get emails pretty regularly from people asking which car, from my perspective, is the greenest. If you're one of the thousands of people wandering around the Internet, convinced that there's got to be a greener option for you than your current car, then I've got some good and bad news for you.

The good news is that, no matter what kind of car you're looking for, there's a green version out there. The bad news is, it might not be 100% available just now -- in fact, you're almost certainly going to have to wait.

There is simply no new technology that, in my opinion, is worth investing in. Even if you don't have a hybrid, you will save so much more gas with the next generation of plug-ins and full-electrics that it really isn't worth upgrading now.

So, hold onto that junker this Earth Day. Take her in, get her a tune up, and bide your time. Two years from now, it'll be easy pickens from the green car tree. Here's a taste of what's on the horizon.

ZENN, a little Canadian electric vehicle company, is planning on selling its first highway-capable car in 2009 ... with plans to scale up production in 2010. The car will have a range of 250 miles and a top speed of 80 mph.

We'll also have EVs from mainstream companies. Mitsubishi's iMiev is already on sale in Japan, but it has promised to bring the two-seater, all-electric vehicle to Europe and the U.S. by 2010.

Nissan has also promised to be selling a full EV in the U.S. and Europe by 2010. Though, we haven't seen a final design, it's likely to be based on the sporty two-seater Mixim concept.

The 2010 Prius: Finally upgrading from nickel to lithium, the Prius's battery will soon be both greener and much more powerful. Add to that a plug-in option, and the Prius could be in the 80 mpg range.

Unfortunately, this might have you waiting till 2011 ... as Toyota isn't sure if this'll be a production-level car until after a year of testing. We're still waiting for specifics on the third-generation Prius, but it's right on the horizons, and there have even been mumblings of triple-digit fuel economy.

And if you really want an alternative vehicle, MDI's compressed-air powered car is scheduled to go on sale (with a top speed of 95 mph and emissions of pure air) sometime in 2010. Just imagine being the first person on your block with one of those babies!

GM will also be ready with the a plug-in hybrid version of it's Saturn Vue SUV. For the EcoGeek who needs space for the kids, this will be the first truly green SUV on the road.

And, of course, the holy grain of near-term green cars should be hitting dealerships at the end of 2010. The Chevy Volt will be the world's first large-scale production run of a range-extended electric vehicle.

The car will go 40 miles without ever burning a drop of fuel, but you won't sacrifice any of the space, performance, or range that we've come to expect from gasoline vehicles.

So, I hope you'll take the chance this Earth Day to treat your old car like she's new. Give her the love she deserves ... just don't tell her that you're biding your time and saving your dollars till 2010, when real green alternatives will be in dealer lots.