l Alternative-fuel vehicles with the state's special Clean Fuel license plate.

l Specific models of the following cars: 1994 Geo Metro XFI, 2000-2005 Honda Insight, 2001-2005 Toyota Prius, 2004-2005 Ford Focus, 2004-2005 Ford Focus Station Wagon, 2005 Honda Accord, 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid

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You save on gasoline. You can drive solo in the car-pool lane. And soon you might be able to park for free on Salt Lake City streets.

To encourage motorists to buy and use alternative-fuel vehicles, Mayor Rocky Anderson wants to offer these energy-conscious commuters free parking at city meters.

Sure, it would drive down revenue from meter fees by an estimated $9,000 a year, but the city hopes to come out ahead in the long run through cleaner air.

Anderson, who tools around in a natural-gas-powered Honda Civic, would benefit along with drivers of vehicles powered by propane and electricity, as well as gasoline-powered vehicles that log 50 miles per gallon in the city or emit little pollution based on the federal government's air pollution scores.

Drivers will save $1 an hour at the meters versus spending thousands on an environmentally friendly car.

"It's not going to move mountains or sweep away the smog by itself," said Duncan Moench, Anderson's spokesman. "But if you could save a little extra cash, it might motivate you to drive a cleaner vehicle."

If approved by the City Council - which plans to discuss the idea tonight - owners of qualifying vehicles would apply for an identifying sticker from the city, which also would post a list of qualifying cars on its Web site.

The city's transportation department employees would check vehicles' underhood ID numbers to ensure they qualify. Not all Honda Civic Hybrids, for example, do.

Free won't mean forever. Drivers with the special decals couldn't park for free beyond the posted time limits. Motorcycles would not qualify for the free parking.

The city estimates 3,492 vehicles would be eligible. There are 2,175 parking meters in the city.

Other cities - Los Angeles to Baltimore - have offered similar incentives.

Troy Bennett, general sales manager at Larry H. Miller Honda in Murray, says he doesn't need to offer many carrots to get people to buy fuel-efficient cars. Gasoline prices do that for him.

"That's completely changed the mind-set of customers we've had going from SUVs to Accords," he said.

But he does mention the car-pool lane in his sales pitch for alternative vehicles and he may add the parking perk to his repertoire.

"We're always looking for an added benefit."

hmay@sltrib.com