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. (more…)

“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. (more…)

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. (more…)

Mr. Fukui said the Honda will present a new hybrid model that operates on both gas and electricity offered at an affordable cost by 2009. With this new model the company is targeting to sell around 200,000 vehicles a year. The automaker will try to focus more on its hybrid offerings and in the process increase its overall hybrid sales to around 10 percent by 2010. (more…)

Electric cars look like conventional cars aesthetically, both when it comes to exterior and interior. The same great and pretty designs are available, and friends and family will hardly be able to tell the difference. However, some new and simmering are emerging even today that promise better efficiency because unlike conventional cars which essentially only stress their aesthetics, electric vehicles also focus on the insides.

A question many people ask is; what exactly makes electric car designs different from other designs of conventional cars? Well, most electric automobiles bypass the use of gasoline and an engine completely although some have a secondary engine and storage tank in case the battery dies. Rather than using gasoline as a primary source of power, electric car design call for the usage of electricity like the name implies. A huge battery, made from materials like lithium ion - which is similar to performance batteries found in electronics like notebook computers - powers an efficient electric motor. New designs allow electric vehicles to travel up to fifty miles or more on a single charge. (more…)

The creator claims that his developed invention converts water into a gas called HHO (2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen). Also called Brown’s gas or Hydroxy burns better than regular gas at our fuel pumps and provides more energy. This process is often referred to as Hydrogen Fuel Cell conversion.

Gas prices are on constant rise and the fuel economy question is starting to get very serious. More hybrid cars are sold all over the world, concepts of electric cars and Hydrogen fuel cell cars are developed in almost any country and finally there is a way for you to add a little something to fuel efficient revolution. (more…)

Surprisingly, car rental companies that support environmentally friendly cars were around even before the introduction of the first hybrid electric. They were renting out other vehicles that were either purely electric or were using power sources other than the fuel and electric combination as well as the conventional gas-powered cars as well. As soon as hybrid electric vehicles were introduced, it was inevitable for these companies to add them to their rosters as well.

Advantage

In order to address the demand for the use of hybrid electric cars, it is just as well then that these car rental agencies do exist. For the consumer, it will be a good opportunity to test out a hybrid before making the decision to purchasing to own one. By renting one out for a week or so, a person will be able to determine if the hybrid electric definitely will do what manufacturers say it will do. (more…)

Here is a guideline to the hybrid car and a walk through its varied history:

1839 - In Scotland, Robert Anderson built the first electric car.

1870 - Sir David Soloman built an electric car that operated off an electric engine with battery power. The batteries were quite heavy, though, so the car did not get good speed and could only go a small distance.

1886 - In England, an electric taxi cab was used. The taxi cab used a 28 cell battery and an electric motor. (more…)

These vehicles run on E85, which is short for 85% ethanol 15% gasoline and can also run on regular gasoline, there are already a few million of them in America. They are essentially the same as the gasoline cars we drive today, they just offer the option to use a different fuel mixture.

Why all the fuss about FFV?

The ethanol can be created locally from products like sugar cane, wheat, corn and wood, not oil from Iran or Iraq. Brazilians already faced the problem of middle eastern oil dependency over 10 years ago and decided to use their own oversupply of sugar cane to make the ethanol. They now use these flex fuel vehicles (FFV) as commonly as we use our gasoline cars and are essentially independent of world oil price gauging and in the process strengthened their own farming industry by using their own sugar cane and the E85 even produces less green house gases. (more…)

There is an option to diesel vehicles. Recently, hybrid vehicles have been appearing everywhere. No longer are they just slightly odd-looking compact cars. Hybrid technology can be found in everything from compact cars to SUVs. Are you better off with the old, diesel standby or do hybrid cars really offer more? (more…)