Think green

A Hybrid Car is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle.

Support Super-Efficient-Cars!

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The folks over at PlanetThoughts are sponsoring Super-Cars Shout Out Competition as a way to recognize eco-conscious citizens fight against climate change by driving a high-mileage car.

The concept is simple:
1. Find high mileage cars in your area. PT has a list of high-mileage cars (>40 mpg…)
2. Place the PlanetThoughts flyer on the windshield and take a picture of the car.
3. Send it in to PlanetThoughts.
4. Click here for full details.

We all want to do what we can to reduce the global warming gases that get emitted, especially in our own areas of living and working, where we have the most direct influence. To add another dimension, it would be great to congratulate others who are doing something to help the environment.

To offer your congratulations, print off one of the contest’s flyers, place on a high-mileage car you encounter in your day-to-day activities, take a picture, and upload it to PlanetThoughts. The winner will receive a cash prize of at least $500 (see below). Car owners whose vehicles appear on the site also have a chance at some cash: contact the folks at PT if your car appears in a contest photo, and you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for $50. The contest runs through the Labor Day.

PlanetThoughts
Despite the recent increase in news coverage of global warming, main stream media generally provides their audience with little more than surface information addressing global environmental issues. Further, the vital issues of energy availability, “peak oil” and of resource depletion are rarely mentioned. This failure has real consequences in a world that must immediately confront and plan for these mounting challenges. It is essential that the vast majority of the citizenry be informed on these issues as they are unprecedented in the scope and depth of their impact on daily life. Read more

March 30, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Leave a Comment 

Fuel-Cell Cars Will Take Years Says Toyota

With the global warming uproar, automakers are mandated to fill the roads with fuel efficient cars. Matter of fact, work is moving forward to pave the way for the fuel-cell cars, the next-generation environmentally friendly vehicles. But Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will take years to make the cars commercially viable.

“When we first started the research and development of fuel-cell cars, some people predicted that they may be commercialized by around 2010. But that’s difficult,” Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said. “The technological advances are significant. The only problem is the cost.

The fuel-cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) produces electricity through a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. Fuel cells emit nothing more than water vapor. This is why the FCHV is deemed one of the cleanest cars that are expected to invade the roads.

In 2007, the Japanese auto giant reported success in a test of a fuel-cell car. During the test, the FCHV was driven about 560 kilometers on a single filling. Remarkably, the car finished with 30 percent of the hydrogen still in the tank. Read more

March 21, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Leave a Comment 

More And More Choices: Hybrid Car Models Of 2008

More than ever, 2008 is a year for the production of gas-electric hybrid cars. Despite their higher price, consumers demand has continued to rise along with inflated gas costs.
Several other automakers have gotten into the act (if they weren’t already). In 2008, the consumer has more hybrid cars to choose from than ever before, particularly SUVs.

The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV seats up to 8 passengers. It’s got a 6.0L V8 engine and can come as a 2WD or 4WD. The estimated mpg is in the low 20’s, while the price is in the low 50 thousands.

The 2008 Chrysler Aspen hybrid SUV is very similar to the Dodge Durango SUV. Its 2-mode hybrid system was developed by Daimler-Chrysler, together with BMW and GM.

The 2008 Ford Escape hybrid SUV is available as either a front wheel drive or 4WD. It’s estimated mpg is in the low 30’s, and has a base cost in the mid 20 thousands. Ford has had the hybrid Escape in production since 2005, and they are working on other technologies such as the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle and plug-ins. Read more

March 4, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Leave a Comment