Will the Economic Crisis Affect Green Cars?

Hybridcars.com has a very perceptive article on the affect our current economic crisis will have on the development of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.

Its important to keep in mind, that while the economy may benefit over the long term from green cars, in the short term we are still far away from fully realizing the goal of putting green cars in every driveway.

The world of hybrid cars is still very much in flux. 

We are seeing this as new technologies emerge, and many different manufacturers are releasing ever-different models of cars.

We have electric cars, hydrogen cars, gasoline hybrids, and who-knows-what will be next.

All this new development could be seriously stifled by the economic crisis, as investment decreases, and a manufacturer's ability to get credit to fund new technology development shrinks.

Among the points outlined and what to watch for: The vehicle market in general is shrinking, Dealers are struggling to get credit, Manufacturers lack investment funds, Battery developers lack access to credit... and let's not forget the price of oil, which still powers most gasoline hybrids, continues to increase.

Read the whole article here, to see how the future of hybrid car development might be affected by the economic crisis.

Toyota to Release CNG-Electric Hybrid

USA Today reports today that Toyota plans to announce a new concept version of a CNG-electric hybrid Camry at the LA Auto show in November.

What is a CNG-electric hybrid?  CNG (or Compressed Natural Gas) can be a substitute for gasoline.  It is cheaper than gas, and also burns cleaner.

Combine CNG with powerful electric batteries, and you have a hybrid car that is cleaner, cheaper, and more green than the existing hybrids out there.

Honda is currently the only car company developing a CNG-electric hybrid (Honda makes a Civic version of the CNG-electric hybrid).

Toyota's announcement also comes not long after Honda announced plans for a worldwide launch of their new hydrogen hybrid based on the Insight.

While Toyota is the current leader in hybrid car sales, with their ever-popular Prius, Honda is trying to catch up. 

I've long thought that the gas-electric hybrid car as a transition vehicle: ultimately our goal should be to make 100% emission-free cars, which means burning no gasoline OR natural gas.

When major car companies like Honda and Toyota compete to put the most efficient and affordable cars on the market, I think eventually we will get there.

Aptera: 300mpg, affordable, revolutionary

California company Aptera has unveiled two cool new concept cars that will change the hybrid and plug-in car game forever.

The three-wheeled vehicles sell for only $26,000 and get amazing mileage.

The all-electric version gets 120 miles per charge, and the plug-in hybrid version gets 300 miles per gallon of gas.

Besides looking totally cool and revolutionary, the cost is actually pretty reasonable.

The Aptera is set to be released by 2009, and so far will only be available in California, but the car company plans to expand.

Check out the Aptera website, where they have lots of pictures and more stats on these futuristic hybrid and electric cars.