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When most people think of a hybrid the first thing that comes to mind is the small, bullet shaped, extremely quiet vehicle known as the Toyota Prius. Like iPods or Google the Prius has become more than a product or a brand, achieving cultural icon status in the United States. As the quote below from the May 15th BusinessWeek article explains there is more to this story than 1 million in sales:

“Look a little deeper and there are some other numbers that show the real significance of the Prius. Almost 60% of those sales are in North America. The car has sold in nearly twice the volume here that it did in Japan, where Toyota really is king and gasoline is even more expensive. What’s more telling is that Prius sales in the U.S. are up 21% this year and were up 70% last year to 181,000 cars.”

Toyota merits credit for seeing where the American car market was going long before any other automaker. While many others were still building gasoline intensive, heavy emission vehicles Toyota went the opposite direction. Other automakers are now scrambling to catch up and more and more hybrid vehicles are released each year. Toyota pushed the rest of the auto making world toward more efficient, cleaner and technologically advanced cars.

Now, not just automakers but the entire world economy is shifting toward more efficient and cleaner products through the use of advanced technology. Whether the industry is power generation, manufacturing or construction, every firm’s goal is to have their new green product’s name to be synonymous with the innovation, a goal Toyota achieved with the Prius.

Larry Burns, the General Motors vice-president for Research and Development, recently challenged the government and the oil industry to build 40 hydrogen refueling stations in southern California. Right now there is only one public station, but there are many people who own Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles who need refueling stations.

While addressing the National Hydrogen Association Conference in Sacramento, California he said:

“While automakers continue to commit resources to the development of full-performance, affordable and durable fuel cell-electric vehicles, there appears to be comparatively little parallel investment and resource allocation for development and deployment of commercially ready retail hydrogen infrastructure.”

Research and development from all sectors of the economy must be present to make the energy policies we need to reduce American consumption of oil.

Washington Families are now competing in a local reality TV show to see who the greenest family is. The Greenest House is a “reality show that follows two families as they compete against each other to see who can reduce their carbon footprint the most over the course of three months.” The program follows the families over three months as they take ordinary, every day steps to cut down on water, waste, energy and transportation.

This is interesting not only because it demonstrates how green collar jobs are emerging, but really shows how important it is for families to take action to reduce their carbon footprint. If we truly want to find solutions to global environmental challenges, then there has to be a national effort. Although this reality TV show features just two family efforts, it may spark challenges like this across the country.

What do Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and popular rockstars have in common? All are on the list to buy the electric sports car that goes from 0 to 60 mph in just four seconds and can go 225 miles on one battery charge.

The $124,000 Tesla Roadster will soon be available in stores opening in NY and Chicago.

The highly coveted car is described by Autoblog, as “the gorgeous girlfriend that loves football, tunes a hotrod in her spare time, and doesn’t believe in celebrating anniversaries and birthdays. The Roadster is a beautiful car, it runs on exhaust-free plug power, and it’s already primed for more power.”

Although the sports car comes with a high price tag, it will be an electric car that doesn’t run on any gas. Allowing 225 miles on a single charge, most drivers will be able to travel to work and back without having to recharge. The Tesla is an example of the wide range of vehicles that are being marketed to appeal to everyone who wants a greener car. Some just cost a little more green than others.

While US automakers work to develop alternative vehicles to drive our energy future, some electric “vehicles” already on the road are working to forge their way ahead of the line this summer. With rising gas prices, there’s a slight chance you’ll be seeing less Escalades cruising beach neighborhoods this summer and more electric vehicles, street-legalized golf carts to be exact.

Ron and Don Stocks, the brothers who own Golf Cart Outlet will be marketing their golf carts to home owners and vacationers as a substitute to driving around larger vehicles that consume gasoline. The low cost alternatives serve for short trips to the beach, cruising large properties or running errands.

The vehicle:

• Is federally certified as street-legal with the addition of a full windshield and wiper, turn signals, headlights, brake lights, hazard flashers and seat belts for four passengers.
• Has a roof but no doors or other windows.
• Begin at $6,600 for the 864-pound, 5-foot-long, 5.5 hp. vehicle (options like an 18 hp. motor can add thousands of dollars to the price)

Owners of a similar golf cart business think it’s a hard sell to a very niche market, but the Stocks brothers seem optimistic claiming that it’s “popular around the beach.” Consumers are growing increasingly aware of our energy challenges and are looking for new options, possibly choosing electric over doors and windows.

There has been a lot of buzz around the “Car of the Future” episode that aired on the PBS show “Nova” this Earth Day. Tom and Ray Magliozzi who are the NPR “Car Talk” guys (also known as Click and Clack) will be on the search for the car of the future. The brothers test drive alternative fuel vehicles, talk to think tanks, visit the Detroit Auto Show and even travel to Iceland to ride and refuel a hydrogen-powered bus, cracking jokes the whole way.

If you’re interested in a little preview, read the interview done by Newsweek with the brothers. One excerpt below taps into what they recommend for the future:

What types of technology did you recommend in the documentary?

Ray: We cited start-stop technology, which makes your engine stop when you’re at a traffic light, regenerative braking, cylinder deactivation, turbos, diesels, direct-injection gasoline vehicles, hybrid diesels, lightweight materials. Our vehicles weigh 6,000 pounds. It’s preposterous! All of these technologies are out there right now. Is it that simple to put any one or combination in current cars? No. But they’ve got 12 years to do it. And the truth is they could probably do it in two or three years. They’ve milked the SUV craze as much as possible, and now the public is going to demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, especially with gasoline prices getting up to near four bucks a gallon. I secretly hope they go higher, because it’ll push the process along.

To watch the video go to the PBS site.

In honor of Earth Day, U.S. News and World Report came out with an update on the state of green cars.

“There may be no industry on earth that impacts our environment as much as the auto industry. And while that impact has been decidedly negative over the past 100 years, automakers are increasingly pursuing ways to do less damage, and in a few cases, perhaps even to help the environment recover.”

Here are a few of the updates the state of green cars lists:
1.) Hybrid Sales are Up…Way Up
2.) Electric Cars are Becoming Mainstream
3.) Hydrogen Fuel Cells Nearly Road-Ready
4.) Clean Diesels Coming to U.S.

There has no doubt been an increased focus on alternative fuels and vehicles. With gas prices rising, drivers have gone in search of vehicles that use less gas- or no gas at all. There are also many more options available for drivers to choose. This article mentions that hybrid sales alone were up 38% in 2007 thanks to new models of both sedans and SUVs.

The state of green cars will only get better as new technologies emerge and carmakers adapt.

Soon there will be another exciting electric vehicle available in the U.S. The Norwegian car company Think announced it will be expanding beyond its European boundaries by teaming up with two leading American clean tech investor firms to bring the vehicle to the states.

The vehicle, TH!NK city, can reach a top speed of 65 mph and travel as much as 110 miles on a single charge. The environmentally friendly vehicle is emission free, 95 percent recyclable and meets all European and US federal motor vehicle safety requirements.

Ray Lane, a Kleiner Perkins Managing Partner and Chairman of TH!NK North America, says, “The transportation industry is undergoing its largest transformation since Henry Ford built the model T. Today we are witnessing a seminal event - the first highway-capable electric vehicle intended for mass production, representing a big step towards a zero emission transportation industry.”

Production of the TH!NK city car began last year in Norway with plans to begin selling to Scandinavia, Switzerland and France. Trial and demonstration projects will begin in North America in 2009.

Imagine this: a vehicle that can go 80 mph for 250 miles after being charged for just five minutes. No gasoline. No batteries. No emissions. This is Ian Clifford’s idea of a sensible, everyday car.

His design, the tiny ZENN Motor “will use a breakthrough version of a common electrical storage device called an ultracapacitor to store power from a wall socket, the company says. Fuel costs to operate it would be about one-tenth of today’s gas-powered vehicle.”

The article claims that if this car is real it could “revolutionize automotive travel by making all-electric cars competitive with gas-powered vehicles and ease the world’s dependence on oil.”

Check it out. See what the vehicle would look like, learn more about how ultracapacitors work and what could be in store for the future.

No this isn’t Bravo’s hit reality show “Project Runway”. This is “Project Driveway” where drivers are chosen to participate in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle test drives. At the recent Washington Auto Show the first two DC drivers were chosen to partake in the World’s largest market test drive of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

“Tom Albert of Alexandria, Va., and Nick Williams of Washington, D.C., are the first area residents to join “Project Driveway,” a comprehensive deployment of more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Albert cites an interest in environmentally friendly technology as his motivation to be part of this innovative program. “I believe fuel cells will be the ultimate replacement for the gasoline engine, and I hope my involvement will be one part of helping bring this technology closer to reality,” he said.

Williams is an admitted car buff since childhood who also has concerns about the environment and the nation’s growing energy demands. “Participating in Project Driveway is one way for me to make a difference,” said Williams. “I am hopeful that fuel cell technology will ultimately be of some meaningful benefit to the environment.”

The program selects drivers of the Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle, drivers are given a car for two months in exchange for their detailed experiences while driving day in and day out. Drivers keep frequent logs of how the car runs and what they like and dislike about the vehicle. Chevy will use the feedback to make the car more practical for the public. The carmakers want to make sure the cars can withstand the commuting and trials only a family can put on a vehicle.

We think they’ll make it to the next round….