Americans bought nearly half a million alternative fuel automobiles (AFAs) during the second quarter of 2007… a record and good news for the alternative fuel industry and the environment.

The Missouri Soybean Association lists the story in its “Bean Briefs” and says the numbers from R.L. Polk & Company are a 27 percent increase from a year ago:

Sales of clean diesel vehicles were up 16 percent from 93,012 to 108,044. Sales of E-85 capable vehicles and hybrids were also up significantly. High fuel prices and increasing availability were likely drivers of this upward trend, said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “Yet even though more AFAs are being sold, we still need more gas stations to offer biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.”

The article goes on to say that a recent study conducted by R.L. Polk and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers found that while about three-fourths of consumers were familiar with AFAs, availability of biofuels was still impacting actual purchases.