Think City has dubbed their EV, the urban electric car. This small and sporty little ride is fast (speeds up to 65 MPH), nice looking, long lasting (110 mile range while fully charged), and fuel efficient. Check out the standard (and optional) specs below on this car which originated with Ford, and then was sold off to the Norwegians. Currently in development, the Think City electric car, is slated to be available in the US in 2009. Also stop on by Gas 2.0 and check out the comments section of the post written on the Think City, in which commenters raise good questions.

Standard Equipment on The Think City

• 2 front airbags
• Disable key for passenger airbag
• ABS brakes
• Regenerative brakes
• Power steering
• Central locking
• 4kW electric heater
• Electric windows and mirrors
• 2 loudspeakers and aerial
• Mind Box (to be introduced during 2008)

Optional Equipment On The Think City

• Air conditioning
• Pre-heat timer
• Electrically heated windscreen
• Full length sunroof
• Radio CD
• Radio with MP3
• Radio CD with MP3, USB, Bluetooth
• Navigation & Multimedia System
• Winter tires
• Alloy wheels - set of 4
• Steel wheels - set of 4
• Roof rack
• 2 + 2 children seats (including 3-point seat belts)

The Think City electric car is set to debut in the US in 2009, with a retail price of under $25,000. What comments do the Think City EV spark in you? Share them below.

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Filed Under: Autos, Eco Friendly, Think City, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev

We all have read about or seen hybrid cars by now. But some of you may have questions in reference to hybrid car basics. You maybe wondering the fuel efficiency of these types of cars, or perhaps how long one lasts while fully charged, etc.

Let’s answer some of these questions today, in the Hybrid Car Q&A article below.

Question - What makes a gas engine powered car different than one of these new hybrid cars?

Answer - A hybrid car (also known as an electric and gas powered car), allows you to operate the vehicle on two different fuel systems. With a hybrid, two engines power up the car, an electric motor and a gas powered motor. As you can see these two types of engines combined will generate greater fuel efficiency than if the car was run on purely a gas only engine. Hybrids generally speaking can have highway fuel ratings of up to 50 MPG, or greater. Case in point: The Toyota Hybrid.
Question - How long do hybrid cars generally last while fully charged?

Answer - Hybrid cars generally speaking can last up to 500 miles while on a full tank of gas, and fully charged up. As you can see considerable mileage can be logged on a gas and electric powered car. Also gas engines are smaller in hybrids, yet technically superior.

Question - How does a hybrid car get its power?

Answer - From batteries located in the vehicle itself, and an electric motor. In turn, the batteries juice up the electric engine.

Question - How do i Find The Greenest Vehicles in My State?

Answer - To find the greenest vehicles in your state, as determined by the EPA. Head on over to the Green Vehicle Guide. There input your name of your resident state, and a list of the most eco friendly vehicles again as determined by the good folks at the EPA, will be generated for your use.

Question - Which are the Top 3 Hybrid Vehicles From 2008?

Answer - In the state of Illinois the following Illinois green vehicles were listed:

As usual the Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and The Ford Escape Hybrid were the best rated. But this will soon change dramatically, as more hybrids are introduced later this year, and in 2009.

Feel free to ask your hybrid car questions below. I will write a follow up post and feature your questions on the blog. Thanxs!

Reference - Green Living at About.com

Photo Credit - Geek Habitat

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Filed Under: Eco Friendly, Ford Escape Hybrid, Fuel Efficient, Green, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev, honda, toyota

Have you heard of Jonathan Goodwin, the diesel hybrid conversions master. He specializes in taking gas powered vehicles and not only making them fuel efficient by up to 40%, but also giving them major torque-age.

[photo - flickr]

Jonathan was profiled back in the November 2007 issue of Fast Company, as the possible savior of the major car manufacturers, such as in Detroit. He can take a Hummer to 60 MPG, yes you read right, 60 MPG, all the while souping up performance on the Hummer (H3) from horsepower of 300 to 600.

How does Jonathan Goodwin perform such magical feats? Well, it is a combination of ingenuity, creativity, innovation, and good ole fashioned elbo grease. Goodwin has all this and more. He is quite the busy mechanice right now, with everyone from California Governator Arnold asking for his services for a Jeep Wagoneer, to Neil Young and his 1959 Lincoln Continental.
Johnathan is a big believer and promoter of diesel engines. He even has created a bolt-on kit, for those DIY guys (and gals) who also wish to convert their gas engines into Duramax diesel powered engines at home. Why wait for the big auto companies to go biodiesel or hybrid, when you can just do it yourself, he clamors. The fuel savings are impressive and the power ramping just plain fun. With his customizations and modifications, cars become more powerful, and much more planet friendly.

The Neil Young diesel hybrid Lincoln Continental dubbed LincVolt, is still under modification, just this morning an update was provided by ABG. Looks like Goodwin is still working on this one.

Goodwin an ardent fan of electric plugin cars, in the Fast Company article, mentions that by now all Americans should have access to one. Why we don’t, he doesn’t understand. He states he gets all his parts from the big three car manufacturers. The infrastructure is already there, why are they so slow with the new fuel technologies.

Good questions, all of them. I believe that American car manufacturers slowly but surely will get on the ball with fuel efficient vehicles, and transform what will be available to all of us. I hope. We all hope!

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Filed Under: Biodiesel Hybrid, Diesel Electric Conversions, Duramax Engines, Eco Friendly, Fuel Efficient, Green, Johnathan Goodwin, Kansas, LincVolt, hydrogen

Going green in Hollywood means sporting a HOT eco friendly ride, among other goodies. Which celebs are driving around Tinseltown in electric, hydrogen, and/ or hybrid powered vehicles? See some below.

Gorgeous George Clooney - Drives a Tango 600 (a one seater electric vehicle)

Some of the cars are highly fuel efficient such as the Toyota Prius, while others just barely pass eco labeling. Then there is Cameron Diaz who not only has an eco friendly ride, but she goes one step further, she bought it used. (actually a few celebs have bought their green rides used)

[via - Forbes]

Some celebrities considerably boost their eco cred with the cars they choose to drive, driving around in an electric car is a trend right now, but one that will continue for the foreseeable future. They have all given up the big gas-guzzling SUV’s of yesteryear, and are embracing the planet-friendly autos of today.

Below are some hot celebrities who all drive green. Click the boxes to make bigger.

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Filed Under: Autos, Celebrities, Eco Friendly, Green, electric cars

Very interesting article at easy finance blog WiseBread on how gas pump manufacturers back in 1995 created pumps that cannot charge over $3.99 The convention is/ was that gas would NEVER go that high. Well……they were so wrong.

[photo credit - flickr]

Mostly these pre-1995 gas pumps are located in small towns and other backwood places. What these gas station owners are faced with, is either install new gas pumps (which is costly and out of the question for many) or simply tell customers “the price shown is wrong”. Hmmm. This is going to be quite the issue in the coming months ahead.

What happens if you fill up thinking you’re getting $3.99 a gallon, then the gas shop owner tells you “hey its really $4.14 a gallon, the pump price is wrong”. What on earth!

Fact is 1995 is not that long ago, how could manufacturers put such a low price in effect for the computers in gas pumps. Did they really feel oil would never skyrocket the way it has? Well regardless, this is the current situation for many small town gas station owners.

The government is giving these owners a break for now, by giving them ample time in replacing the older pumps, but eventually they will have to comply with the law. As it is illegal to not display gas prices.
(or incorrect prices)

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Filed Under: Gas Prices, Gas Pumps

AskPatty is a car blog written, run, and dedicated to women. They recently had a blog carnival up, and our green car blog, TGM, was nicely mentioned in it.

Blogger Brandy takes note of the post Amy wrote on the NEW! Mercedes BlueTech Hybrid due out (maybe) next year 2009. The BlueTech Hybrid by Mercedes is a first, as it combines two technologies with vision not yet available, both combined are innovative and yet to be seen in any vehicles let alone an SUV. Mercedes claims that the SUV Hybrid will make it to showrooms by 2009, but as of right now it is labeled a concept car.

Talk about fuel efficiency in an SUV, this baby if it comes to fruition, will blow the competition away, as it is expected to top 40 MPG. In comparison, eco friendly SUV’s in a similar class are only averaging about 25 MPG. The Mercedes GLK will be a sweet and fuel efficient ride!

The focus of the blog carnival at AskPatty was on gas prices, green cars, and fuel saving tips from the blog-o-sphere. Thanxs go to Brandy, for the mention.

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Filed Under: Autos, Eco Friendly, Fuel Efficient, Green, Mercedes

I have just come across a directory of golf electric vehicles called NEVPortal. Essentially this NEV (neighborhood electric vehicle) directory has a pretty decent sized list of dealers that sell a variety of electric golf cars, parts, and accessories.

Here is an electric golf cart dealer in Illinois, ExtremeKor Motorsports, that specializes in custom electric golf carts. Check out 3 hot NEV’s below.

The specs below are for the California Roadster Electric Golf Car. (the first one pictured above)

If you’re looking for a NEV, give the NEVPortal a try. They have been around since 2002, carry thousands of listings, you can search by state or country. They even have some international listings. Good luck in your search, do let us know if you come across your dream NEV.

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Filed Under: Eco Friendly, Green, NEV, electric cars, electric vehicles, golf carts

Looking for an electric vehicle now? There is one currently available in California, the Triac EV. This three -wheeled electric ride as you can see below, is not super roomy, in fact, it is being marketed as a commuter only car.

Although the Triac is not big in size, it is big in fuel savings, as it is an electric plug-in. In all it takes about 6 hours to fully charge it. The EV averages top speeds of up to 80 MPH, and has a range of up to 100 miles charged up. The green Triac is made by the folks at Green Vehicles, and will definitely make a statement on the road. This eco friendly vehicle is available in two towns in California, including Mill Valley and San Jose.

Is this an affordable EV? Yes and No! The price tag on the zero-emissions Triac as of this writing is $20,000, but it is rather small and has no airbags. Not to mention there are no incentives from the state/federal government. The value is debatable and will vary by consumer need.

Can you see yourself in the Triac? How does the idea of a three-wheeled vehicle strike you? Share your opinion below.

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Filed Under: Eco Friendly, Green, Li Ion, Zero Emissions, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev

GM has been busy with several NEW eco fuel technologies, one such being the hydrogen powered Chevy Equinox.

The Chevy Equinox is a limited production vehicle which will be powered by hydrogen, batteries, and a fuel cell pack. If it sounds complicated, don’t worry, because it is. Essentially with the technologies in place, this SUV will produce zero emissions and no co2 greenhouse gases.

The fuel cell car has also recently won the prestigious “Green Car Vision Award” for its innovative and ambitious fuel conservation and efficiency vision and efforts. Beating out other heavyweights, including the hydrogen powered BMW Hydrogen 7.

After weighing the achievements and importance of these vehicles, jurors felt that one vehicle stood out as a natural leader in this pack: Chevrolet’s Equinox Fuel Cell. This advanced vehicle brings to the highway an efficient powerplant that offers zero emissions, no CO2 greenhouse gases, and highly efficient conversion of its fuel to motive power. It also benefits from 40 years of research and development, building upon the engineering of other high-profile prototypes that have come before it and achieving near seamless operation with its space-age powerplant and electro-mechanical systems. It feels familiar to drive, even as its powerplant works in ways that that are unfamiliar to most drivers.

This familiar feel is important. The Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell is part of an extensive demonstration program that will find 100 such vehicles being driven by consumers and fleets for three months at a time in California, New York City, and Washington DC. Their experience behind the wheel will advance the cause of hydrogen vehicles considerably.

The Equinox will be test driven by consumers on the road to further test its viability and marketability. There is no date set for mass production, or when one will come to a dealer near you. But rest assured Chevy is hard at work making this a near reality.

Wanna test drive one? take one for a test drive

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Filed Under: Autos, Chevy Equinox, Zero Emissions, chevy, fuel cell, gm, hydrogen

The very first solar powered bluetooth headset has arrived. It is by a company called Iqua and features bluetooth connectivity and all you need to power up is rays from the Sun.

Model: Iqua 603 SUN
Size: 48 L x 25 W x 12 H
Weight: 14g
TalkTime: Up to 12H
Standby Time: Infinite (in sunlight)
Battery Type: 3.7v/110mAh Lithium-Polymer
Operating Distance: 10 meters

It’s too bad the contest over at CellPhone 9 ended, as they had an Iqua Sun 603 giveaway. The lucky winner was announced just this past Monday. Congrats, Lori.

This headset should net you a good run, plus no batteries are required, and you can use both outdoor and indoor light for this solar powered headset. Grab one online at Iqua.

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Filed Under: Autos, Solar, drivers