The electric car is almost here. Hybrids abound. Diesel has cleaned up its act. Even conventional internal combustion engines can be tweaked to do a bit less harm to the environment.

A brighter, cleaner future is a mantra at the auto shows this year. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and a different sort of impression emerges: Change may be coming to the automobile industry, but progress is slow — even grudging — and the message can be murky.

Chevy Volt. Photo: Green Right Now

Chevy has been hyping the much-discussed Volt, for example. The manufacturer’s new electric car – due later this year – can go up to 40 miles on a single charge before a gasoline engine kicks in to keep passengers from becoming stranded.

A breakthrough? Sort of. The price? Not certain just yet, but reps allow that it will be in the $40,000 range, at least initially, making The Volt more eco-friendly, than wallet-friendly.

Nissan has been touting its new LEAF, an all-electric vehicle expected to get about 100 miles on a full charge. Intriguing, or so it would seem. Unfortunately, the LEAF was a no-show at the recent Dallas Auto Show, even though the vehicles have been touring the country as proof of their worth as “real world” transportation. A representative suggested that Nissan hoped to have the LEAF at the New York International Auto Show in early April.

Mitsubishi brought its new all-electric  iMiEV, which already is on the road in Japan. Interestingly enough, the car was not prominently displayed among the manufacturer’s offerings at the Dallas show, and featured a decidedly U.S.-unfriendly right side steering wheel. When asked about the vehicle’s range, a Mitsubishi rep had to check with a superior to answer a seemingly obvious question. (The eventual answer: About 80 miles to a full charge.)

Meanwhile, the manufacturers continue to trot out a fleet of muscle cars, big trucks and big SUVs, some of which are only marginal upgrades on the status quo. One hybrid SUV touted a whopping 21 miles per gallon on the highway. Sure, that’s better than 17, but…

Bottom line: If you’re looking for real advances in fuel efficiency and environmental consciousness, you can find them. But you’ll have to look closely, and don’t expect too much just yet

Still looking for a greener ride? Here’s are some to consider:

2011 Chevy Volt

Is 40 miles on full charge enough to get America excited? The manufacturer argues that this should be enough for the average owner to make the average commute, using government statistics that claim more than 75 percent of all commuters travel 40 miles or less. If your one-way commute is 41 miles, fear not, since that gasoline engine will pick up the slack. Still, for a round trip exceeding 40 miles, you’ll have to find a place to charge up if you are going to get home without burning any fuel. (Interestingly enough, the gasoline engine doesn’t drive the wheels; it instead powers a generator that sustains the battery charge for up to 300 more miles.) A full recharge takes about 6.5 hours at 110V, around three hours at 220V. Will buyers pony up $40,000 or more for a relatively small car with such limited range? A $7,500 tax credit on the first 250,000 sold might help.

The German government hopes to get one million electric cars on the road by 2020, offering incentives for BMW and Volkswagen to get behind the push. France aims to have twice that many in operation by that same year. Carlos Ghosn, who heads up Nissan and Renault, expects 10 percent of the world’s automobiles to run on electricity before the end of the next decade.

Wait, wait, waiting for the Volt, shown here on a pre-production test drive

Is your good old fashioned gas guzzler going to be nothing more than a noisy, pollution-spewing bad memory by the time 2020 rolls around? That may be a bit overly optimistic, but it doesn’t mean we won’t see a significant move toward a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly kind of personal transportation in the years just ahead.

Before visions of flying cars and quiet, gasoline-free roadsters begin dancing in your head, however, consider this: If history is an indicator, change will not come about quickly or easily.

For several years now, Chevy has been touting the 2011 arrival of Volt, the manufacturer’s first electric plug-in hybrid (it has a small gas engine).

Volt is expected to run up to 40 miles on a single charge, the assumption being that 40 miles will more than cover the average commute. After that, you either have to plug it in or allow a gasoline engine to kick in to keep the battery pack charged. While the company will wait until May, 2010 to set a price tag, industry analysts expect Volt to debut with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price in the high 30s. Even with the anticipated $7,500 government subsidy, you’re still looking at a $30,000 investment. (This is GM’s second run at an EV; see details of the first here.)

Nissan, meanwhile, plans to roll out its first electric entry in Japan in late 2010. The LEAF can go up to 100 miles on a single charge. Nissan also is being coy about the price, but the company has stressed that it is working on “the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car.”

The Tesla Roadster, an electric car, but not for the masses

If you are ready to go all-electric today, you have an option: The Tesla Roadster. It can reach speeds up to 125 miles per hour and can go more than 240 miles on a single charge. The slight drawback: A sticker price of $109,000, which might explain why only about 900 of them had been sold in the U.S. through the end of 2009.

Tesla Motors has announced, though, that it will be producing a more affordable, family-friendly car, the Model S. The California-based car company is taking reservations for the four-door Model S, which clocks in at a base price of $49,900.  So it’s maybe not for every family.

Hybrids? Plug-in hybrids? All-Electric (EV) cars? Or, the same, old stuff we’ve been driving all these years?

Who should prevail by the time 2020 arrives?

That depends on your vantage point regarding the debate:

• If you are concerned about emissions and global warming and saving the planet, electric is probably the best choice, even if it isn’t without problems.
• Weighing cost, longer-range capabilities and a more developed technology against environmental concerns? The electric-gas hybrid may be the best compromise.
• Own an oil company? Well, what’s so wrong with those darn Hummers, anyway?

With more people thinking about greenhouse emissions and general air quality issues, major players in the automobile industry are at least looking at getting away from the conventional internal combustion engine, whether they are happy about it or not. And, while there is no question that an electric car is more environmentally friendly than any of its rivals, several obstacles stand in the way of becoming a nation of electricity-powered shoppers, commuters and soccer moms.

The LEAF, an all-electric vehicle charges to market...ahead of the charging network

Making electric cars viable will require an extensive new infrastructure. As Toyota President Akio Toyoda told the Japan National Press Club, “What electric cars have a problem with is lack of a network of charging facilities like the current gasoline stations.”

If those power stations are built, how will they work? Early estimates on Volt anticipate a charge time of up to six hours when plugged into a 110 volt outlet, about half as much if you bump up to 220. Either way, that’s quite a bit of time to kill while someone is juicing your ride. Others suggest stations where you would switch out batteries, but developing smaller batteries will have to happen first.

Some companies are moving ahead, despite the uncertainties. California-based Coulomb Technologies has already opened four charging stations in the San Francisco Bay Area in addition to pilot ventures in Iowa, Denmark and Vancouver.

Elsewhere, car manufacturers are partnering to help insure a market for the new technology.  In Arizona, alternative energy company ECOtality is working with Nissan to provide charging stations in the Tucson area. In Oregon, both Nissan and Mitsubishi have announced initiatives to partner with the state to establish a network there.

By Deborah Wrigley
KTRK – Houston

There have been several attempts to build electric cars that can run at higher speeds and for several hours. Some have been more successful than others.

Last year’s record high oil prices boosted demand for the vehicles. And now, there are electric cars available, with limitations.

> Watch Now

Green Right Now auto writer Clint Williams and GM’s Cristi Landy talk about the landmark Chevy Volt at an appearance at Texas Motor Speedway outside Dallas.

Pushed by the dwindling prospects for fossil fuels, the auto industry is undergoing changes not seen since the days of Henry Ford. Today’s innovators aren’t just looking to gear up production, they’re trying to dial back energy use, and that’s produced a bumper crop of wild and wacky (and some not so wacky) concept cars.

Here are eight of our favorites:

Air Car

It would cost less to manufacture (and buy), less to maintain, less to fuel and there would be no emissions. The makers of this car, Air Car Factories, are either on drugs or they’ve seized the Holy Grail. Their car would run on compressed air collected by see-saw devices on the road. Each car would be refueled through regenerative driving. The Barcelona-based company expects to begin with electric models, until testing is completed on the Air Car. A green dream? We hope it’s a reality.

Nike ONE

That’s right. This is a car designed by a shoe maker. It doesn’t much look like a shoe. More like…nothing you’ve seen before. The car is intended to be “athletic.” No joke. “An athlete training to drive the Nike ONE uses a physical resistance simulator, that mimics the vehicle’s controls, along with the digital simulation within GT4 to train their muscles and mind for specific tracks and competition scenarios,” explains Phil Frank, lead designer, who said his team was inspired by the principals of Nike founder Bill Bowerman. The long term plan is that any movement by the driver would be converted into electricity through nanotechnology using a “Spark Suit.” Frank calls it “the ultimate in convergent technologies.” We agree.

Toyota Fine-S/ Fine-N

These aerodynamic hydrogen fuel cell cars would employ motors in the wheels, thereby opening up space in the cabin for passengers. The designs have been out for a while. No word on when such a car could be in production.

Honda Puyo

Honda has already hit the road with a hydrogen vehicle, the FCX Clarity, a few select models of which are being test driven by celebs in California. The concept Puyo, though, still seems from another planet. This hydrogen fuel cell car actually glows in the dark, not due to any radioactive fuel on board, but because the body is luminescent to enhance maneuverability. But that’s just where the fun begins. The whole Puyo concept is to produce a cuddly car. “‘PUYO’ is a Japanese onomatopoeia that expresses the sensation of touching the vehicle’s soft body. It is meant to convey a warm, friendly impression,” Honda reports. Looks cool too.

Chevy Volt

This much discussed plug-in is expected to be available by the end of 2010. GM promises that its lithium-ion battery will allow it to run around 40 miles on a single charge – without using any gasoline. Past 40 miles, the engine will be able to use gasoline or ethanol working along with the battery. Unlike some of the cars on this list, the Volt appears very close to production, and no wonder, GM has assigned more than 200 engineers and 50 designers to the project.

Nissan Pivo2

The electric Pivo 2 is not just a car, it’s an “intelligent life form design,” which means…we’re not sure what. But there is a “Robotic Agent” on the dashboard, a sort of alien friend who talks to you. The car is intended to be more like a living creature and less driven by mechanical design. One problem, though, while this three-seater can twirl 360-degrees, it’s not easy to envision a successful double date in this mini-car, unless one in the party is content atop the cabin.

Saab BioPower100

This turbo-charged sedan would use 100 percent biofuel in a production 2.0 liter engine, which with modifications, could produce a surprising 300 hp. The car debuted at the Geneva show in 2007. The concept explores maximizing power within an environmentally responsible vehicle.

Toyota RiN

This literally green car remains shrouded in mystery as to how it’s green, that is, how it will be powered. Toyota has much to say, however, about how the car will work to improve passengers’ awareness of their natural surroundings, improve their posture and overall health. The car’s “meter cluster” would change colors depending on your mood, which would presumably be more “serene” in this car. And…it’s cool looking.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

With consumers clearly moving — some would say stampeding — away from gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles, General Motors plans to do the same.

The world’s largest automaker announced on Tuesday it will stop production at four U.S. factories that assemble trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles, such as the BMC Sierra and the Chevy Trail Blazer; increase production at factories focused on smaller vehicles; and conduct a “strategic review” of its gas-gobbling Hummers.

“These moves are all in response to the rapid rise in oil prices and the resulting changes in the U.S., changes that we believe are more structural than cyclical,” said Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner in a GM press release. Translation: The party for needlessly out sized, gas hogs has not just run out of beer (or in this case, reasonably priced petrol); it’s over.

Wagoner announced the following changes at the company’s shareholder meeting:

• The board has approved the production of the plug-in Chevy Volt vehicles, which GM says will be able to run 40 miles without using any gasoline thanks to an improved battery, and are expected to be in showrooms by 2010.

• GM will build a new-generation compact car under the Chevy brand that will be better equipped than today’s compact cars and will feature a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine made in Flint, Mich. GM also plans to build a new-generation of the popular Chevy Aveo by 2010.

• The company will conduct a strategic review of its Hummer division, which will either be revamped or sold. According to Fuel Economy, a 2008 Hummer costs about $4,000 to fuel annually, and generates half the mileage of hybrid vehicles. It has become emblematic of the large, expensive suburban SUV with no real rationale for its size or fuel appetite.

• Four factories will stop production sometime in 2009 or 2010, including a full-size pick up factory in Oshawa, Canada; SUV factories located in Moraine, Ohio and Janesville, Wisc.; and a medium duty pickup factory in Toluca, Mexico. These production changes will reduce GMs output of vehicles such as the Chevy Silverado, the BMC Sierra, the Chevy TrailBlazer, Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon SUVs.

• GM will add third shifts to a plant in Orion Township, Mich., which builds the Chevy Malibu and Pontiac G6, and a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, which builds the Chevy Cobalt and the Pontiac G5.

“While some actions, especially the capacity reductions, are very difficult, they are necessary to adjust the changing market and economic conditions and to keep GM’s U.S. turnaround on track and moving forward,” said Wagoner.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media