They keep getting better and better!  Here’s another killer eco-friendly sports car.  While this is still a concept, Hybrid Technologies has some pretty bold aspirations aiming to have a working prototype by this September and be on the market by lat 2009, early 2010.  They plan to produce two models of this beauty, an all electric that will have a range of 150-180 miles, and a plug-in hybrid model that they are entering into the Progressive Automotive X-prize competition and will boast a 220 mile per gallon efficiency!  The details on the specs of this Green super-car are scant.  Popular Mechanics interviewed one of the engineers working on the project, Ron Cervan.  When asked if this car would be able to match the Corvette ZR-1’s performance (638 Horses), Cervan laughed and told them they are “way out of the ballpark—it’s gonna be wild.”

Sleek, sexy & eco-chic the Fisker Karma is the first Luxury Plug-in Hybrid.  Did I mention it’s screamin’ fast?  Not quite as quick as the Tesla Roadster, but it still boasts an impressive 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 125mph.  Not all power and asthetics, the Karma has some impressive eco-amenities.  According to Fisker the Karma can travel 50 miles on a single charge, without tapping into it’s gas reserve.  For longer trips the gas tank switches on and increases the range up to 650 miles.  No word on the size of the tank or the actual MPG, but another site speculates that it will get about 40mpg, which is pretty good for a sports car. 

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When I am surfing the Green sites of the interweb (including our own) I see a lot of very thoughtful and inspiring conversation, and I see a lot of misleading generalizations.  One of the most abundant of the ladder is the comment “that car is not Green because when you plug it in it is using fossil fuels and contributing to global warming!” Here’s an example from our post on the Aptera.  The issue of the indirect carbon emissions from plugging a hybrid into the “Grid” is an important one that needs to be scrutinized, however, those snap criticisms are misleading and hardly productive. 

Such a statement implies that because of the fossil fuels being burned to provide the electricity to these cars, there is no net reduction in emissions or the reduction is somehow insignificant.  That is just not the case. 

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Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM, the US arm of MDI) is going to begin taking US pre-orders for their ZERO emissions Air Car.  The orders will be filled in 2010.  This announcement came shortly after news of a contract between MDI and India’s largest auto maker, TATA Group, to start producing the Air Car to be released in India later this year. 

About the Air Car…

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From Aptera comes a new wave in electric and hybrid vehicles. Aptera is a new company that designed the Typ-1E from the get-go as an electric vehicle with long range capabilities. The three wheeled phenomenon will most likely be classified as a motorcycle. But, with its three-wheel base and fully enclosed cabin most will opine that this is more of a car. The hybrid version will also include a small combustion engine that will extend the cars range after the batteries have been thoroughly taxed. With intermittent combustion periods this wingless car purportedly will get close to 320mpg, albeit under a max speed of 70mph. When it’s time to put her away simply plug into any 110-volt outlet and let her refuel.

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A Hummer with good gas mileage?  A bio-diesel that’s faster than a Lamborghini?  Is this bizarro world?  No, it’s the handy work of Jonathan Goodwin.  In a nutshell Goodwin takes gas guzzlers and gives them MORE horsepower and drastically INCREASES their fuel economy.

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