These days when you're considering a new vehicle to add to your fleet, you're more than likely to have the option of selecting a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for a particular model.

Auto manufacturers are increasingly offering CVTs on their vehicles because of the increased fuel economy such a transmission can offer.

What 's the difference between a conventional automatic transmission and a CVT?

A typical automatic transmission works using a combination of small gears and larger gears that either hold or spin to obtain certain gear ratios to effect forward or backward movement; typically four forward gears and one reverse.

One type of CVT being increasingly implemented by auto manufacturers uses a belt-driven, two pulley system. The belt rides in between two cone shaped pulleys. The "gear" that the transmission is in depends on the where the belt is riding on the grade of the cone. It allows for infinite "gears" because of the infinite places the belt can ride on the cone of the pulley. Brilliantly simple and complicated so here's where you can learn more if you would like.

What's most important to know about CVTs? 

A train hauling ethanol crashed and derailed on a steep bank alongside the Missisippi River in Eastern Iowa on Wednesday, 02-04-15. An unknown amount of ethanol has reached the river which is part of the Upper Mississippi National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Ethanol, a biofuel derived from corn, poses a threat to fish and mussles according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story here.

 "I recognize the surface of the earth is warmer and that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans is contributing to the problem." President George W. Bush made that statement in July of 2007, quoted in an article in the Financial Times. During his presidency he urged a climate change policy embracing new clean energy technologies.

Certainly scientists are in agreement that global warming is real. Politicians acknowledge this truth but disagree on the methods for bringing about a reduction in carbon emissions.

Behavioral studies show that people buy a hybrid vehicle because they want to help preserve the environment, or they want to be perceived as caring about the environment.

Should you buy a hybrid vehicle? Will driving a hybrid vehicle make a difference?

2015 Toyota Prius