The Washington Auto Show and Green Car Journal will be hosting the third annual Green Car Summit on Monday, January 25.

The 2010 Green Car Summit will launch the first of the show’s two Public Policy Days that unite policy makers with international media and industry leaders. The Green Car Summit’s location on Capitol Hill facilitates reaching key Members of Congress and their staff, along with high-level government and industry officials and prominent members of the Washington media circuit.

Says Ron Cogan, Editor and Publisher of the Green Car Journal and GreenCar.com:

“We are at a critical time in the history of the motor vehicle, with decisions made today influencing the direction of the auto industry for many years to come. While there is significant support in Washington for a new generation of vehicles operating on electric drive and low carbon fuels, and growing evidence that auto manufacturers are moving in that direction, important questions remain regarding how to get there in realistic ways.”

The Green Car Summit will be held at the Capitol in the Cannon Building on January 25, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

photo courtesy: Washington Auto Show

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, Autos, General, Green

• Ford Fusion Hybrid has been named one of Car and Driver magazine’s “10 Best” cars for 2010
• Ford Fusion recently won the prestigious Motor Trend Car of the Year award
• Ford Fusion Hybrid is only the second hybrid ever to make the magazine’s “10 Best” list

A total of 58 vehicles were in the running for the Car and Driver “10 Best” list and all of the contenders were put through a week of testing, judged on three forms of criteria:

1. How well they performed their intended mission
2. How engaging and fun they were to drive
3. How much value they delivered

In addition to being fun to drive, the Fusion Hybrid offers an EPA estimated rating of 41 mpg in the city and the ability to travel more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas.

Despite the slump in the overall auto industry, sales of the Fusion Hybrid are impressive, accounting for almost 20 percent of total Fusion retail sales. Perhaps even more significant, more than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been to customers coming from import brands - mostly Toyota and Honda.

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Filed Under: Autos, Ford, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Fuel Efficient, General

Calling all college students - Nissan wants you!

On Monday, Nissan announced the launch of the Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Student Competition, which allows university and college students to express how the Nissan LEAF has inspired their outlook towards a zero-emissions future. 

Winners receive a $500 scholarship.

The contest kicks off at the University of Southern California campus, which is the first university stop on the Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Tour.

Those interested in participating can visit Nissan’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/nissan) and click on the Green 2010 tab. One student from each of the participating universities will be selected as a winner based on the creativity, relevance to the theme and originality of their entry response. The winning students – which will be named at the end of the Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Tour - will receive a $500 scholarship.

The nationwide tour, which began in Los Angeles, will make stops in 22 cities, in 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Vancouver, Canada, offering the opportunity for everyone to learn more about Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving.

Tour details can be found at www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car.

The Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Student Competition is open to all students attending one of the participating universities in the Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Tour. For a list of participating universities, full contest details, rules and eligibility requirements please click on the Green 2010 tab on Nissan’s Facebook page. 

 More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero-emission mobility can be found at www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car and www.nissan-zeroemission.com.

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Filed Under: Autos, Eco Friendly, General, Green, Nissan Leaf, Zero Emissions, nissan, transportation

Fisker Automotive announced on Tuesday that it has selected the Wilmington Assembly plant in Wilmington Delaware to build plug-in hybrid cars. Fisker executives made the announcement inside the facility and were joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Delaware Governor Jack Markell when the announcement was made.

The plant will support Fisker Automotive’s Project NINA, the development and build of an affordable, family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan costing about $39,900 after federal tax credits.

Production is scheduled to begin in late 2012. Fisker Automotive anticipates Project NINA will ultimately create or support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs by 2014, as production ramps up to full capacity of 75,000-100,000 vehicles per year. More than half will be exported, the largest percentage of any domestic manufacturer.

Fisker Automotive has signed a letter of intent with Motors Liquidation Co. (MLC), formerly known as General Motors Corporation, to purchase the Wilmington plant for $18 million after a four month  evaluation period.  An additional $175 million will be spent to refurbish and retool the factory over the next three years with funding coming from the conditional loan of $528.7M, which the Department of Energy awarded the company in September.

The company’s first car, the Fisker Karma, will be the world’s first production plug-in hybrid when it goes on sale this summer at retailers in the United States and Europe.

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Filed Under: Autos, Eco Friendly, Fisker Karma, General, electric cars, electric vehicles

The last several days have been rather exciting in the motoring news world with the reveal of Toyota’s third generation Prius, Chrysler’s new electric vehicle lineup and much more. Another news item that was generating a lot of interest was the perception that the organizers of the Tokyo Motor Show were considering a move to cancel the 2009 event.

Members of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (JAMA) were in spirited debate about the fate of this year’s show, which runs from October 23 through November 8. In an Automotive News article on the topic, “The deadline for automakers to sign up for the Tokyo show was late last year. Some of “the usual manufacturers” had not registered by the deadline, Iwatake said. He said that all of the German automakers and all of the Japanese members of JAMA had registered. He would not say whether the Detroit 3 automakers were among those who had not registered.”

Iwatake refutes the reports that discussions about cancelling the event were taking place and is assuring the public that the show will go on as planned.

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Filed Under: Autos

I have heard of nitrogen being used in place of oxygen in tires but never really thought twice about the concept until I received a press release detailing the “Ride on Nitrogen Initiative” that was created by an Ohio-based company, American Frame. Putting nitrogen in your tires increases gas mileage by between four and ten percent according to the Get Nitrogen Institute.

Environmental Impact
Increased gas mileage does have a direct effect on vehicle emissions and thus a direct effect on the environment. In addition, properly inflated tires also increase your gas mileage and according to the Get Nitrogen Institute (GNI), “Americans could save 3.7 billion gallons of fuel per year by maintaining proper tire inflation with nitrogen.”

Savings
The homepage of the GNI website has a savings calculator to help you determine what your savings would be by switching to nitrogen air. I input the following variables: 15,000 miles driven per year, $150 cost to replace a tire, $3.45 average gas price per gallon (it is what I paid today) and I used a 20 MPG rating. The calculator determined that I would save $103.50 per year in reduced fuel costs because of the improved mpg seen with nitrogen-filled tires and a $66.67 increased tire life savings for a total yearly savings of $170.17.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Manufacturer’s Warranty
A couple of questions come to mind when considering the switch to nitrogen – namely will my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) continue to function as intended and will using nitrogen void the manufacturer’s warranty on the tire. Thankfully, the GNI has included the answer to these questions in their FAQ.

If your vehicle is equipped with a TPMS, the use of nitrogen will not affect the system in any way – if your TPMS light comes in when your tires are filled with nitrogen, it simply means that the tire is not properly inflated. Concerning the manufacturer’s warranty on the tires, the use of nitrogen does not void or otherwise affect the warranty.

If you are convinced that switching to nitrogen will help you in your green motoring endeavors, you can search for a nitrogen dealer near you on the GNI website. The results are currently restricted to those that reside in the United States and Canada.

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Filed Under: Autos, General

Well before the hybrid vehicles of today came onto the scene, there were people in the past using hybrid technology to develop new ideas. When we think of hybrids, we often think about today, but a lot can be learned when we look at yesterday.

1. In 1769, they were already thinking of how to build a better, more efficient vehicle. The steam powered motor carriage was made by Nicholas Cugnot.

2. In 1839, trendsetters sailed on the first electric boat, which used technology that would later help in the development of electric vehicles.

3. It may not have been debuted to the world, but records show that in 1897, the first hybrid car was built by Justus B. Entz. The car used an assisted electric motor as a power source.

4. In 1899, “Mixie” was built by Ferdinand Porsche. Mixie was one of the first hybrid vehicles shown to the world, even though it did not make it into mass production.

5. In the early 1900s, thousands of electric trucks and delivery vehicles were used

6. 1903 saw the beginning of the Krieger Hybrid, which was very similar to Mixie. It ran on a battery pack. Due to record keeping in the early 1900s, there is not an accurate gauge of gas mileage of this vehicle.

7. In 1905, hybrid technology was getting interesting. H. Piper filed for a patent for a gasoline engine-electric motor power train.

8. In 1914, a hybrid vehicle was developed that could get 70mpg, which would astound drivers today

9. In 1918, Woods Motor Vehicle Company started the production of their “dual power” vehicle in the United States.

10. The introduction of the Hybrid Buick Skylark cannot be forgotten. It hit the roads in 1972, driven by Victor Wouk.

By the time the Toyota Prius made it to the roads, it was actually the product of years of hard work. As hybrid technology grows, we cannot help but look back at what the people before us have offered to hybrid technology. If it hadn’t been for that Hybrid Buick Skylark, we might still be living in a gas guzzling world.

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Filed Under: Autos, electric vehicles

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

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

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