Hybrids and green

Electric cars are the only real option for stopping carbon dioxide emissions from the tailpipe, and thus preventing global climate change. But as of today, you can't visit your local dealer's row and drive away in an electric car. Things are changing, though, and here is a selection of new electric cars we've seen at recent auto shows.

Click here for photos of electric cars shown off at recent auto shows.

Sanyo and Volkswagen announced an agreement on Wednesday to make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, turning up the competition in the field for energy-efficient cars.

Sanyo intends to open a factory to make the batteries in 2010 and Volkswagen plans to introduce a car with them the same year, according to a Bloomberg report. The first car to get the batteries will be an Audi AG, Reuters reported.

The pact also calls for the two companies to make software to electronically control the batteries.

Sanyo already provides nickel metal hydride batteries for Ford and Honda.

Lithium-ion batteries are growing … Read more

Boats that run on solar power have been around for awhile, but they're usually reserved for touring watercraft and other conveyances designed for a leisurely pace. And that's precisely what makes the Czeers MK1 stand apart from the aquatic crowd.

This Dutch-made prototype is billed as "the world's first solar speedboat," which has reached speeds of up to 30 knots. The 10-meter boat was built by the Delft Technical University Solarboat Team, which rode it to first place in the 2006 Nuon Frisian Solar challenge, according to Gizmag.

Its success was attributed in no small … Read more

As part of our retrospective of this season's auto shows, we've put together a roundup of new hybrids that are scheduled--or likely--to make it to market in the next year or so. Many of them are larger models that make use of the two-mode hybrid system jointly developed by a consortium of major automakers that are scrambling to clean up their fleets.

See our round up of production hybrids here.

Each year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) puts out its list of the 12 "greenest cars," taking into account tailpipe emissions, gas mileage, and curb weight. Here is our photo gallery of this year's greenest 12.

Click here for photos of the ACEEE's 12 greenest cars of 2008.

The batteries may not be ready yet, but Chevrolet is planning to show a production specification version of its electric-powered Volt at this year's Paris auto show. According to a report from the U.K.'s Channel 4 News, the Volt will be shown at the October show with an electric power train and auxiliary gasoline engine in similar configuration to that of the original concept, which debuted at Detroit last year. However, an official teaser shot of the production Volt released by GM suggests that the Paris-bound production version of the four-seater may lose some of the dashing … Read more

If you think buying a "green" car is as easy as picking the paint color, we've got news for you--there are different types of green and many different car choices. Are you trying to reduce smog and its attendant health risks, or are greenhouse gases and global climate change your biggest concern? And those aren't exclusive concerns, either. Amongst the types of cars you can choose, there are hybrids, PZEVs, SULEVs, flex fuel vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and even diesels. We also take a look at future technologies that are in heavy development and could the … Read more

For all of the buzz surrounding General Motors' Chevy Volt, it now looks like Nissan may well be the first major automaker to market with an electric car in the United States. A line item buried in Nissan's mid-term business plan reaffirms the company's commitment to "zero-emission vehicle leadership," with a plan to introduce an all-electric vehicle in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 and then mass-market vehicles to consumers globally in 2012. In an interview in today's New York Times, Nissan's boss, Carols Ghosn, said that the company was looking at a … Read more

NEW YORK--Fisker Automotive is raising a large round of funding to build its $80,000 electric sedan, but it intends to make a version at half the price in a few years.

The company expects to close a series C round of $65 million in June, company CEO Henrik Fisker told CNET News.com on Tuesday.

Fisker, who spoke at a clean tech investor conference here, declined to name investors. But he said the company is in advanced talks with investors in Europe and Dubai and the round is "oversubscribed." To date, Fisker Automotive has raised $25 million. … Read more