Sun powers Orlando man’s electric car

In its Dec. 12 issue, Automotive News reports that many car buyers are now taking a closer look at the green car options on the market today. It may start with purchasing a “mild hybrid,” such as General Motors’ Buick LaCrosse eAssist, but it’s a step in the green direction for buyers who never would have considered purchasing a hybrid in the past.

Here’s the story:

Mild hybrids on the rise

           A couple in their 50s recently arrived at a Buick dealership in Chelsea, Mich., looking for an attractive sedan with decent fuel economy. They left in a LaCrosse with a four-cylinder engine teamed with General Motors’ new mild hybrid system.

          The buyers were a far cry from the green types who do exhaustive research before plunking down money for a Toyota Prius or Nissan Leaf. They were trading in a Buick and had never heard of GM’s system, dubbed “eAssist.”

          “We just explained that this is a new technology that allows a sizable car to get an extra 5 or 6 mpg in an inexpensive way,” says Lance Underwood, general sales manager at Chelsea Chevrolet-Buick.

          A mild hybrid uses a small electric motor that assists the gasoline engine but can’t propel the vehicle on its own. The technology has occupied a low-key spot along the spectrum of alternative powertrains. But that’s about to change.

          GM is the first automaker to introduce mild hybrids in a big way, adding the technology to high-volume models. This fall GM began selling it on the 2012 LaCrosse and Buick Regal. (The four-cylinder LaCrosse with eAssist, for example, gets 25 mpg in city driving and 36 on the highway compared with 19/30 mpg for the outgoing four-cylinder model.) It will be on the Eco version of the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu this spring.

          A few other automakers offer mild hybrid technology, sometimes called “light electrification,” though none is deploying it as aggressively as GM. Honda pioneered the technology in the late 1990s with the Insight before focusing more on full hybrids, though it still sells a mild hybrid: the new CR-Z coupe. BMW and Mercedes-Benz co-developed a mild hybrid system that both companies offer on their range-topping vehicles.

– Automotive News

Here’s a portion of the announcement from Mitsubishi:

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Representatives from Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA), along with San Rafael Mitsubishi, conducted the very first fleet delivery of the all-new 100% electric-powered 2012 Mitsubishi i to the California Bay Area’s City CarShare in a special ceremony held at the Green Vehicle Showcase located in front of San Francisco City Hall Plaza on Thursday, December 8 at 9:00 a.m.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111208/LA19321)

City CarShare is a Bay Area nonprofit organization founded in 2001 with the help of several other local nonprofits and the cities of San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. Their mission is to promote innovative mobility options to improve the environment and the quality of life in the Bay Area. By providing short-term access to cars City CarShare is reducing traffic congestion, parking problems and dependence on oil while promoting cleaner air and quieter streets.

“We are very pleased to introduce the all electric Mitsubishi i into our fleet. This vehicle brings us one step closer toward our goal of having 50% of our fleet run on alternative fuel as part of our mission to decrease carbon emissions in the Bay Area,” said Rick Hutchinson, CEO, City CarShare.

Numerous fleet orders have already been placed for the innovative, environmentally-friendly and fun-to-drive Mitsubishi i by a wide variety of organizations – multinational corporations, municipalities large and small, major utilities and nonprofit organizations – from New York to Hawaii.

The 2012 Mitsubishi i is the first of several new advanced, alternative-fuel production vehicles that the Japanese auto manufacturer plans on bringing to the North American market in the next few years.

For more information about the 2012 Mitsubishi i, visit i.mitsubishicars.com; for fleet sales information on Mitsubishi’s electric vehicle please log on to mitsubishicars.com/iMiEVfleet.

More information on the Bay Area’s City CarShare can be found at citycarshare.org.

Greenfamilycar.com automotive editors, the Family Car cousins Keith Turner and Dean Adams Curtis, review 9 electric vehicles that middle income families will be able to choose from among in 2012. All were on display recently during the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Among a broad range of more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly vehicles, the following 9 electric vehicles will be available from auto dealers in 2012. In no particular order and numbered for your convenience (and ours) at keeping count, they are:

1. Honda Leaf EV,

2. Ford Focus EV,

3. Mitsubishi i (aka MiEV “My EV”)

4. Ford Transit Connect Electric (perfect for small business owners)

5. BMW Active E

6. Tesla Model S

7. Coda sedan (assembled in Los Angeles area)

And finally, two EVs that have been around for a year, since the 2010 LA Auto Show, namely:

8. GM Volt (5,300 sold in the past year)

As well as,

9. The EV sales leading Nissan Leaf, currently in the hands of 8,000 owners.

There, you have our list of the nine electric vehicles we think you will be interested in investigating. Keep your eyes open for future blog entries at greenfamilycar.com as we track the prices of these nine EVs, so you will be able to see their price trend lines and determine whether they are within reach of your family, especially if you’re in the market for a second car!

The redesigned Sienna features dual power-sliding doors, which you’ll especially appreciate in a rain storm, multiple seating and cargo configurations, and an eco-friendly 4-cylinder engine that never leaves you wanting more.

With a base price of $25,345, this test model came packed with high-tech features like a back-up camera, trip computer and satellite radio-ready to top it out at $29,703. The Sienna also is a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

So load up the team and hit the road in style and comfort.

View the video here.

The Honda Civic Natural Gas was named 2012 Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. Michael Accavitti, vice president of marketing at America Honda Motor Co. accepts the award.

Other finalists for the award, announced by the Green Car Journal, were the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius V and the Volkswagen Passat TDI.

Check us out on Facebook “Family Car” and Twitter: #KTCarguy.

Spring has sprung and so have gasoline prices across the nation. Just in time for summer vacation, fuel prices have topped $4 a gallon and by all accounts, are heading higher before school gets out.

The last time gas prices got this high proved to be the tipping point for the auto industry, driving families to start to take a serious look at the relatively unknown world of hybrids.
Toyota and Honda, who had been hybrid trailblazers for half a decade, saw sales of their fuel-sippers jump significantly, with other manufacturers quickly following their leads.

Today, families have a wide range of fuel-friendly vehicles to choose from, including plug-in hybrids, electric-only and compressed natural gas powered cars designed to limit or completely eliminate trips to the gas pump.

Here’s a quick look at some popular family-friendly fuel savers for 2011:

The Toyota Prius (50 mpg) is still the leader of the pack when it comes to hybrid technology. In addition to its upgraded third-generation design, which offers a solar roof to power the climate control system, Toyota is also rolling out a plug-in Prius that supplements the electrical power with household electricity, allowing the vehicle to run in electric-only mode for the first few miles. And look for a Prius V wagon in the near future, giving families an additional 60 percent more cargo space than the current Prius.

Honda’s Insight (41 mpg) is designed with an egg-shaped look similar to the Prius and is the most affordable hybrid on sale in the U.S., starting at $18,000. Honda’s undercover hybrid, the Civic hybrid (42 mpg) remains a premium family-friendly hybrid, adding even better fuel economy in 2011. Honda also offers the Civic GX, a natural gas compression vehicle that requires not a drop of gasoline and has zero emissions.

A newcomer to the hybrid market this year is the Hyundai Sonata hybrid, a sleek four-door that rates an average of 40 mpg. Ford offers a trio of new hybrids to supplement its small SUV Escape hybrid model (32 mpg): the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ hybrids all achieve mileage of 41 mpg in city driving, 36 mpg on the highway.

Speaking of SUVs, the Toyota Highlander (28 mpg) is the only hybrid offering third row seats, and the Lexus RX450h provides luxury living while topping 32 mpg it city driving.

Rather not stop for gas? Look at the just released Nissan Leaf, and all-electric, pod-like vehicle that will take you up to 100 miles before needing to plug into a standard household outlet to recharge. Also
new to the market is the Chevrolet Volt (93 mpg), a plug-in hybrid that promises extended range driving on electric and gasoline power.

So don’t let high pump prices foil your vacation fun. There are plenty of family friendly fuel sippers to keep your wagons rolling this summer.

This column was originally published in Parent’s Resource Guide of Northern Gold Country www.sierrasourcemedia.com.

Thomas Alva Edison’s incandescent light bulbs are being swapped out for more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs around the world, however his advocacy of electric vehicles 111 years ago seems to be gaining wattage in the U.S. and internationally.

Let’s begin in India. Have you heard about Project Edison? The Hindustan Times reports today that India maybe one of the first markets to get a global small car being developed by a collaboration between Mercedes Benz (Smart), Renault (see the Renault Zoe concept car above) and Nissan.

You may find it strange that a cooperative venture called Project Edison will most likely yield a Smart-sized new car for the subcontinent powered by small gas and diesel internal combustion engines. But because we eagerly anticipate broader distibution of the MB/Smart electric vehicles in the U.S., and we are aware of Renault’s EV in Israel, as well as this year’s U.S. rollout of the Nissan’s Leaf, we figure its a good bet there will also be an electric car option for India from Project Edison.

In the United States, we are already rolling in Leafs and are looking forward to getting behind the driver’s seats of the Mitsubishi electric vehicle (the iMiEV pictured below) that has been running on the roads of Japan for a couple years and tested in the U.S.

And we often wonder what’s up with the EV offering from two car companies with 4-letter names,  India’s Tata and Italy’s Fiat which have had a deal to create a car together that has encountered some patches of rocky road. We’ll keep you posted.

When people hear “electric cars” their first thoughts are usually not of vehicles made back in the year 1900. But 111 years ago, Thomas Edison was a big advocate of electric vehicles. Back then,  for just over $2K you could get a four-passenger electric coupe with removable top and your choice of solid or pneumatic tires.

Back in 1900 there were a total of 2370 automobiles in New York, Chicago and Boston. Of these, 1170 were steam-powered, 400 were powered by gasoline, and 800 were electric. So back at dawn of EVs there were twice as many electric vehicles as those powered by gas. It was by no means apparent to anyone back then which power source would prevail.

Put an imaginary EV’s pedal to the metal through electric vehicle history to the present. January 2011, Cleantech Investor Conference in Palm Springs. Tesla’s founder and CEO Elon Musk (who is said to have drawn some of his inspiration from Thomas Edison) announces what electric vehicles he’ll be introducing next. To start with, Tesla will be giving us the Model X electric or “ESUV” later on this year. Two years from now Mr. Musk says he will share with us his Tesla Model S electric sedan (pictured here). Finally, in 2015, Tesla plans to provide a mainstream EV for $30,000.

The $30K price point is important as it is the top price that the largest group of U.S. consumers with steady median-wage jobs, low debt and good credit are likely to be able to afford in their family budgets. In short, most green family car buyers will only purchase electric cars as second vehicles when they become affordable, which currently relies on alternative power vehicle purchaser tax credit from government agencies.

Beginning back 111 years ago and for next 15 years or so, EVs gained in popularity. They were used for driving around the major cities, just as Edison had envisoned. In fact they brought the electric power companies which Edison the inventor-businessman had founded more customer dollars to pay back his investors.

The electric vehicles of Edison’s day were sometimes called “opera cars” and (as in the case of the Waverly electic vehicle ad shown above) were sometimes advertised to women as being clean, quiet, and easy to start. It is said that doctors also purchased EVs back in their early days, back when doctors still made housecalls in the middle of the night. 

Their electric cars didn’t wake the neighbors.

The ACEEE ranking expands on the ratings of the Environmental Protection Agency for fuel-efficiency and tailpipe-emissions, as well as factoring in the GREET model created by Argonne National Laboratory.

Other factors considered in the ranking are the emissions produced by the “gas-assist” power plants that add range to electric vehicles such as the GM Volt (see number 12 on this list), as well as the environmental costs associated with battery production and disposal. 

1. Honda Civic GX, a limited-production model Civic that has been around for a several years burns compressed natural gas and is expected to be in wider distribution and more retail showrooms in 2012.
2. Nissan Leaf, a true ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) with no tailpipe needed because it is all electric gets a number two rating due to this list factoring in considerations about mining of materials used by the batteries and also battery disposal. 
3. Smart Fortwo, a small and thus lightweight design uses a 1.0 liter engine to efficiently move two passengers. Drivers of more conventional looking vehicles love to make jokes about the design, such as “What happened to the rest of your car?”  Keep your eyes out for the EV version of the Smart Fortwo, which you can see illustrated at right. It combines small size with electric power and promises to be about the greenest vehicle on the mass market. 
4. Toyota Prius
5. Honda Civic Hybrid
6. Honda Insight
7. Ford Fiesta SFE, a Fiesta with a Super Fuel Economy package (lighter weight, more aerodynamic, with performance tweaks and mileage-maximizing tires) gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
8. Chevrolet Cruze Eco
9. Hyundai Elantra
10. Mini Cooper
11. Toyota Yaris
12. Chevrolet Volt
13. Mazda 2

For more information about the ACEEE organization and additional factors used to rate green vehicles, see http://www.greenercars.org/highlights_greenest.htm

Fellow auto writer extraordinaire Lou Ann Hammond recently received an all-electric Nissan Leaf for testing.

In this video, she gets a primer from Owen Thunes, the Senior Project Engineer at Nissan Technical Center North America. Sacramento, California.

http://www.drivingthenation.com/?p=2887

While we wouldn’t categorize the MiniE a green family car, due to its lack of a back seat and minimal stowage area, it could come in handy as a second car for one parent in a two-car household to pick up or drop off one child, or run errands and go shopping. According to a BMW Group rep at the 2010 LA Auto Show, most of the trial drivers extended their leases after end of field trial, so Mini is not definately not killing this little and much-loved electric car.

Exactly when the rest of us will be able to lease or purchase a MiniE is still not precisely known. Our best guess is that it will be available when the Fiat 500 EV (pictured at right ) comes on the market in the beginning of 2012.

But let’s move on from what the Germans (Bavarian Motor Group) and the Italians who bought Chrysler are offering to what the Japanese have in store for us beyond the plug-in Prius hybrid.

We can’t tell you if the vehicle from Honda called the PNUT  (their Personal Neo-Urban Utility Transport pictured at left a the 2009 LA Auto Show) is what the company’s electric vehicle entry will look like, or even what it will be called when it gets to dealer showrooms, but we can tell you that Honda has teams working hard to get them into the EV ballgame as soon as possible.

However there is an electric vehicle that is already rolling on the streets of Japan, and in a Gulf state or two, the Mitsubishi “i” electric vehicle known as the MiEV. This fun little car is set to go on sale in the United States this fall with a range of 120 to 160 kilometers and a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour. Recharging the MiEV is estimated to take 7 hours from a 240-volt power supply.

Tesla Motors, which to date has produced a snazzy roadster and practical sedan that are both entirely powered by an electric motor, went public this week and the investors responded. In an opening reminiscent of Google’s 2004 IPO, Tesla’s stock price surged 18 percent in the first two days of trading, with shares starting at $17 but trading for $23.89 at day’s end.

From the Washington Post:

The Tesla stock offering “is a good sign that people believe electric vehicles have potential,” said Robbie Diamond, president of the Electrification Coalition.

A sign of the future? We certainly hope so. When investors put their attention (money) on alternative fuels, we all reap the dividends.

Ford's Soy Foam Seat

This news should also make American soy farmers happy. According to Ford, American farmers export more than 50 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S.

Here’s the press release from Ford.

This column is about a very unusual car. It is called the GEM, which stands for Global Electric Motorcars. This company was actually founded in Michigan back in 1992. The guys were former engineers with General Motors, but sold the company, which now is part of Chrysler.

The 2010 GEM continues the innovation that has been underway at Global Electric Motorcars since 1992.

My wife Judy and I have both driven the GEM and it handles well and is fun to drive.

GEM made its first vehicle in 1998 which was an all-electric, 48 volt, two passenger model that could go almost 20 mph. It is almost like an enclosed golf cart. In that same year – 1998 – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration designated a new classification of motor vehicles called the NEV – Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. These are low-speed cars generally driven at resorts, malls, large building complexes, colleges, shuttle services, and similar places. However, they are allowed to be driven on public roads IF they meet certain safety standards.

These safety standards include having three point safety belts, headlights, windshield wipers, and safety windshield glass. Since most golf carts do not include all of these, they are not considered street legal, but GEM cars come equipped with all of this. The down side – is that the term “street legal” only applies to public roads posted at a speed of 35 mph or less.

GEM cars today usually achieve a speed of 25 mph and have a range of about 30 miles on a single charge. Like a golf cart, they plug into a standard 110 electric outlet and take about six hours to fully recharge. The GEM cars are 100% electric and have zero (0) tailpipe emissions.

GEM cars come in six different models, ranging from a small two seater to a larger pickup-style version. They are very capable with payloads ranging upwards to 1500 pounds. There are a lot of options and accessories available as well.

The good news is that they are very economical to operate. It costs approximately two cents a mile based on current electrical costs. The base model begins at just $8392 and the higher end models are slightly higher than $10,000.

I have taken several test drives in GEM cars and I like them. They are not designed for long trips and over-the-road driving. But for short-distance transportation over low-speed roads, they are great. They are capable and convenient and ideal for many everyday situations.

Check out the GEM cars yourself by contacting a Chrysler dealership or checking on the internet at www.GEMCAR.com.

Editor’s note: For a look at how NEVs like the GEM cars, as well as other vehicles rated MSEVs (Medium Speed Electric Vehicles), could potentially travel from coast-to-coast see GreenInterstate.com.

But what’s coming up in 2011? Early reports say the 2011 Honda Civic will be available in both a 3-door and 5-door version. The new 2011 generation Civic hybrid will include a fossil fuel powered by a 1.5-liter engine that generates a kick of 150 horsepower. Another version will have over 200 horsepower.

The 2010 Leaf was available not only to look at, but to drive. And judging by the positive response from the journalists who took a few laps around the top of a parking garage, the Leaf earned flying colors in performance, handling and noise abatement.

Here’s a video of  how Michael Kanellos of GreenTech Media experienced the ride and another of his interview with Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan.

The styling of the Leaf is dramatic, true to Nissan fashion. Taking a page out of the Toyota Prius marketing handbook, the Leaf designers went out of their way to create a car that is distinctive enough to grab the attention of others on the road.

The interior is Jetson-like, with digital displays for speed and meter readings, and a navigation control panel that looks more like a video screen than a stereo system.

The plug-in receptacle is in front, providing easy recharging from the garage wall or any other e-station.

The Leaf is expected to have a range of 100 miles per charge with a top speed of 90 mph. It can be quickly recharged in 26 minutes with a 480 volt fast charger, or fully charged in eight hours using a 220 volt home-charging unit.

San Diego will be the first city to have Leaf charging stations, with 50 planned by the time the car rolls out in December 2010. San Francisco will quickly follow.

The pricing of the Leaf has not been released, but informed opinion has the starting price at under $30,000, with a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 available to lighten the burden at tax time.

Nissan is also considering  interesting options for the Leaf battery, including a lease plan where you’ll qualify for upgrades when more advanced batteries come along.

The economics of the auto biz have clearly changed the way Nissan is approaching the Leaf’s rollout. Rather than spending many thousands on auto show glitz and glamor, Nissan is taking the Leaf  on tour to cities throughout the U.S. to let the media and public get and up-close and personal view of this extraordinary vehicle.

For a tour schedule, check here.

They swoop into your life and spend a few days tantilizing your senses with powerful engines, luxurious interiors and sound systems that are so advanced you could swear you were front row at a live concert. Then, just as the relationship starts to get serious, she’s gone. Off to woo another.

So it’s a good idea not to fall in love with any of these beauties. You can enjoy their company and appreciate their attributes, but in the end you have to remind yourself that it’s only a fling and both of you will eventually be moving on.

Unfortunately, once in a while a vehicle comes along that is so special that you just can’t help yourself. You throw caution to the wind and fall head over heels in love. This no longer is just a fling — it’s the real deal.

That’s what the 2010 Lexus RX450h was for me. It was true love, Lexus style.

This SUV is in a class by itself when it comes to a luxury hybrid that has enough space for dogs and kids, but not too much that you feel like you’re a truck. It sits high enough above the road to create great visibility, yet not too tall to prevent kids and pups from climbing in. And because it’s a hybrid, the engine is as quiet as a humming bird, especially when traveling in electric-only mode at lows speeds, like through a parking lot or into a driveway.

But the best part if the gas mileage. I managed 28.5 mpg during our little summer fling, which is at least 10 mpg better than any of the other non-hybrid crossover SUVs on the market. This baby is not only cute, but smart too. She’s loaded with cool, high-tech visuals designed to help us better know how to calculate the best possible fuel economy, making driving the RX450h just a little more delicious.

The techie treats are everything in the RX450h, including side view cameras that provide a fisheye view of the blind spots alongside the vehicle. And there’s a weather tracker that gives the future weather forecast for wherever you may roam.

However, as with many relationships. Once the initial flash of infatuation has subsided, some realities begin to seep onto the scene. That moment came for me when I looked at her price tag. Just a smidge under $60k is what I would need to welcome this lovely lass into my garage. That may be a small price to pay for perfection, but it’s a little too rich for my blood.

So off she went, into the unsuspecting arms of another soon-to-be-smitten driver.

It was clearly one of those relationships I will remember forever . . . or at least until the next model comes my way.

According to the CNN report, Eric Giler, CEO of WiTricity, a company that makes light bulds that turn on without the aid of a power cord or light socket, says that full-fledged wireless electricity should be commonplace in the home within the next few years.

Here’s a link to the CNN report.

The part that gets us all giggly is the part about electfic vehicles. We’ve often dreamed of living in a world that has no need for gasoline-powered vehicles, but instead uses electrical airwaves to power vehicles along the roadways. That means no more gas fill-ups at $75 a pop. It also means no batteries to recharge or dispose of when dead. It even means no exhaust fumes spewing out of the tailpipe.

In short, if elctric cars are the future, then wireless electricity is the way to go.

Now we can put in our order for a new, all electric, Tesla family car. Or the new Coda electric sedan (pictured above).

Now all we need is to do something about those nasty traffic jams.

And let’s not forget good gas mileage. How does 40-plus mpg work for you?

If all of the above appeal to you (or just the mpg part), then the new, 2009 Honda Insight is the perfect car for you.

I’ve been driving one for nearly a week now and I continue to be educated and entertained by the host of amazing amenities the little car has to offer. Since it’s a hybrid, most of the gadgets are related to helping you — the lead-footed driver — get the best gas mileage that you’ve probably ever experienced (unless you already own a hybrid, that is).

The first thing you notice is that the digital speedometer, which is placed high above the rest of the dash in a holographic type of screen, has a background that turns from green to light blue to dark blue as you accelerate. It’s easy to deduce that green is for good economic driving and blue is for bad. They could have used red, I suppose, but the sight of a bright red glow across your dashboard could very well scare some folks out of their seatbelts.

Anyway, by laying off the gas pedal and nursing it on the hills, you’ll find that it’s not too difficult to stay in the green much of the time. There’s also an indicator along the left side of the dash that tells you the same thing.

Then there’s the ECON button. If  43 mpg isn’t enough for you, just push that green ECON button and the engine will work for you to get the best gas mileage you can possibly get. And here’s the cool part, as you are driving in ECON mode, an indicator on the dash shows a bar that tells you the proper range you should be in while accelerating or braking. Stay within that range long enough and you’ll earn a leaf on a tree (or perhaps it’s a flower). You try to get as many leafs as you can so that when you finally turn the car off, the Insight’s computer will give you a score.  It keeps track of how you perform and if you do well enough saving gas, you will move up to another level in the game.

Great gas mileage and a reward to boot — what’s not to like about that!

The Insight is a joy to drive as well and there doesn’t seem to be any sacrifice in power just because it’s a hybrid.

But who cares about power anyway when you can earn a few leaves for green driving?

Why just city driving? Because after running 40 miles on a charge, the Volt will dip into its small gasoline engine for some extra fuel. This will bring the gas mileage down to approximately 100 mpg on long trips. Still impressive, but not as flashy in the headlines as 230 mpg.

We’ve been waiting for the Volt to emerge from the GM plant for several years. With its sleek and futuristic styling and promise of zero reliance on gas, the Volt has been couched as somewhat of a savior for the financially troubled General Motors.

So today’s announcement is simply another in a long string of pre-production hype that GM is trumpeting in an attempt to grab the headlines back from the “Leaf” and to pump out some positive GM news for a change.

We will reserve judgment until there is an actual Volt — or Leaf — on the road and we get to test it ourselves.

Only then will we see if we get much of a charge out of the Volt.

See what our friends at Hybridcars.com have to say.

The Nissan “Leaf” will begin sales in the U.S., Japan and Europe by the end of 2010, followed closely by two more zero-emission models.

Here’s the report from Reuters:

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co took the wraps off its much-awaited electric car on Sunday, naming the hatchback “Leaf” and taking a step toward its goal of leading the industry in the zero-emissions field.

Japan’s No.3 automaker and its French partner, Renault SA, have been the most aggressive proponents of pure electric vehicles in the auto industry, announcing plans to mass-market the clean but expensive cars globally in 2012.

Nissan will begin selling the first Leaf cars in the United States, Japan and Europe toward the end of 2010, adding two more models soon after. It expects production to start with around 200,000 units a year at the global roll-out in 2012.

Read the rest here.

The hatchback will have a cruising range of just 100 miles and a top speed of just under 80 mph. But because there are no gears to engage, Nissan says the Leaf will be quick off the block. If it’s anything like GM’s all-electric vehicle the EV1 (that was scrapped for political purposes in the late ’90s) we can assure you that it will be fast.

Nissan hasn’t released pricing on the Leaf, but promises that it will be comparable to the price of a similar gasoline-engine car.

The autumn launch of the Leaf  is significant  because that’s also the target date for the Chevrolet Volt, another all-electric vehicle that is getting positive reviews from those lucky enough to drive a test version.

Let’s hear it for this electrifying news!

• four driving modes
• steering wheel touch controls that display on the instrument panel
• a moonroof with solar panels to power the air conditioning
• and Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA).

Toyota promises that the new Prius will be roomier and quieter than the current model. It will also offer a plethora of safety features that are designed to keep the vehicle safe and secure in the event of an incident.

Oh, and the fuel mileage is charted to be right around 50 miles per gallon, accordingto EPA figures.

All this technology and fuel economy from a proven leader in hybrid vehicles will be available for a starting MSRP of $21,000, with the most popular model selling for about $22,000.

Here’s the full story from Toyota.

The new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid

Those three points are the reason we developed GreenFamilyCar.com. As families, while we are busy with everyday activities, we still care about about the future that our children will inherit. So the Green Family Car blog is a place for us to share news and notes that are related to those three important points:
1) Saving money
2) Saving fuel
3) Cleaning up the environment.

Please help us and other families by adding your comments. Together, we CAN change the world.

- Keith Turner
GreenFamilyCar.com
TheFamilyCar