Energy cost is relative. When you plug in your hair dryer, do you ever consider the pennies it’s costing you to look your best? When you toast your morning bread, does it even register that some small price is being paid for the convenience? How about when you go to fill up the gas tank of your car? I imagine this is the point when energy costs begin to enter the minds of most of us. One U.S. company would like to see all of that change, so that in the future you think no more about your vehicle’s energy consumption than you would your refrigerator’s, possibly even less.

Google charged into the green movement yesterday, announcing one million dollars in grants for the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles capable of achieving fuel efficiencies between 70 and 100 mpg. Along with the initial moneys being paid out, the company also plans on offering up to an additional $10 million dollars for future proposals advancing the technology.

The target fuel efficiencies would be four times that of the average non-hybrid car on the road today, and twice that of standard hybrids. The increased fuel efficiency comes from higher capacity batteries in the vehicles. These batteries are left to charge overnight, and can run without gasoline assistance for the first 20-40 miles of a trip. On average, Americans commute 33 miles a day, meaning that most people would not use any gas going to or from work.

In addition to the plug-in hybrid technology, Google hopes to develop vehicle-to-grid technology that would allow drivers to sell their unused power back to the electricity grid. In other words, drivers could actually be paid for their morning and afternoon commutes.

Google states that the integration of plug-in hybrid vehicles could save the United States 85 billion gallons of gasoline per year, equaling a 27% reduction in greenhouse emissions, and a savings of $270 billion in gasoline.

An additional bonus that that these cars bring is that they charge at night, while power consumption is low, so the effect on the power grid would be minimal.

Hybrid technology has come a long way quickly, but with Google’s announcement it looks as though it’s about to take another giant leap forward.