[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The New York Times reveals the shocking truth and, surprise, surprise, Prius drivers are trying to make a statement. How many middle-class Indians are there in India? Who knows—but they want to drive, and Tata wants to let them. You thought taking the bus to work was green? It's got nothin' on the Buscycle. New CAFE standards are on their way in, but don't raise your glass yet, there's more to consider. The $25,000 "farm and construction" tax credit for SUVs may be lumbering out the door for good. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has said that his company is forging ahead with lighter, smaller batteries, and that fully electric Nissans might be in the future. GM has made a series of short films for your viewing pleasure, depicting the company's green strides. Facebook wants to help you see pictures from the prom and save the planet by carpooling, too! 185,000 gallons of illicit hooch were confiscated at the Swedish border last year. What to do with it all? Brew it into biofuels, of course.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday, unless Independence day intervenes.]

This week at TreeHugger: Stick out your thumb in the UK and you could soon find yourself riding in a hydrogen Microcab. Bulky accoutrements like roof racks can cut into your MPG, so an inflatable option could be a smart innovation. Why in the world do cars use so much fuel? It's partly all the gadgets we adore. We poll the blog electorate on what gizmos they'd happily let go of. SunRed's solar motorcycle cloaks itself in a photovoltaic hood when parked, sipping solar energy for the ride ahead. In Toronto, Smart Cars are doing street duty for the cops. The Smart Car has also touched down in the US, but it's changed, and not everyone is happy about it.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: If Google is trying to rule the world, it's looking pretty good to us. Among its many ambitions, the web master is pursuing plans to bring clean plug-in hybrids to the streets. The Lightning electric road-missile is looking to give the Tesla a run for its money. London, already spoiled with multiple green taxi services, now has another. Great, jolly good for them. But at least here in the States, Hertz has added more than 3,000 new hybrids to its rental lineup. California passed a resolution to blend all the state's gasoline with 10% ethanol. A recycling monster-machine that claims to turn car debris into oil and gas and cut landfill waste by 65%. Our bullshit radar is buzzing, but could it be real? And speaking of bullshit patrol, Exxon Mobile tries to say it never doubted the risks of climate change. Meanwhile, at a conference, the oil giant proposes a new feedstock to meet world's oil needs: dead humans.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Lithium ion phosphate cells from Lithium Technology Corporation give the humble Prius a 125 MPG upgrade. Meanwhile, another company is selling solar panel systems for commercial hybrids that give the cars up to 20 miles of electric driving (just remember to park in the sun). This converted Yamaha R1 motorcycle had its guts ripped out and replaced with a cluster of batteries and some downright respectable speed. In New York City, the Doe Fund is giving new meaning to the word recovery. The non-profit is giving addicted and homeless men a second chance by putting them to work collecting the city's precious grease for biodiesel. Growing crops for biofuels, however, seems to be having a shocking consequence: jacking up the price of beer. European farmers aren't growing barley like the used to and patrons are feeling it at the tap.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The Sundance Channel's green series, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, continues with a trip into world of personal mobility. The lads at Top Gear put the peppy little G-Wiz EV through a crash test...and things didn't go so well. But was it fair? A Purdue University discovery finds little aluminum and gallium pellets might be the hydrogen miracle we've been waiting for. Researchers have found a way to make them produce hydrogen when water is added. Toyota and Honda are dubbed greenest automakers, but it's for more than just than just efficient cars that they earn the crown. China's mad rush to get behind the wheel is doing gnarly things to the nation's traffic, and the parking is getting insane. Domino's Pizza puts electric Xebras to work delivering pizzas in Las Vegas. The ZAP-X comes one step closer to hitting the road with the addition of its exciting wheel motor technology.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Honda is saying it wants to make a more accessible "entry level" hybrid in 2009. Meanwhile, Toyota is reaching for that rainbow with plans to get up to a million hybrids sold per year. It's also being said the company has ambitions to go 100% hybrid by 2020. Down in the Paris of the Southern Hemisphere, scenic and stylish Buenos Aires now has biodiesel flowing from its fuel pumps. And in a quaint Japanese village, some feisty microbe brewers are making a sake strong enough to fill up your tank with. President Bush boldly outlined his "20 in 10" proposal to cut vehicle emissions by 2017—but the plan has got some holes in it big enough to drive a truck through. French car maker Renault rolls out a new product line that cuts back on greenhouse gasses, cleans up the production process, and throws in some recycled plastic for good measure. The fuel-vapor-huffing (and somewhat fishlike) Alé is on a mission to pass the 100 mile-per-gallon mark and qualify to compete for the prestigious Auto X-Prize.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Earth Day is around the corner and you know Xzibit bas been holding his breath. He just can't wait to tag team that '65 Impala with Arnold Schwarzenegger and get it purring on biodiesel. General Motors told the world that it plans to cut its factory emissions down 40% by 2010, which is roughly what 432,692 American households emit each year. Nothing helps a powertrain become a man quite like giving it a paper route. The New York Times starts peddling newspapers from Queens to midtown in a new, experimental Sprinter plug-in hybrid van. As it becomes more apparent that big, powerful batteries are going to be a big, powerful part of the auto industry, some major players like Nissan and NEC are getting into the game. We all know that fryer grease is pure gold as a diesel substitute, but what about chicken fat? Watch out. It's about to go big time. Think you're a green driver? The TreeHugger/Slate Green Challenge is back with a verdant, leafy vengence, giving us another chance to drive cleaner.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Love it or hate it, the niche for green muscle trucks is being filled. Does a biodiesel Hummer make any sense? Who decides? Readers got more than a little rankled at the thought, so we threw it open to a vote. Biofuels, for all their carbon-neutraly goodness, emit nitrous oxide (no, it doesn't make the car go faster). But which biofuels emit the least of this smog fog? Using no gas at all, Popular Mechanics gets a chance to goof around with the Mullen L1X-75 electric supercar from Hybrid Technologies, while A123's electric motorcycle clocks in at 155 mph, breaking the electric bike speed record for the quarter mile. What the X-Prize did for commercial space flight, the Automotive X Prize hopes to do for the clean cars of the future. Preliminary guidelines were released this week at the New York International Auto Show. Chevy's new minicar will be efficient, slick, and small. But which of the three designs will they choose? Go to their site and vote for your favorite body (or pseudo-hipster name). Toyota's hybrids are flying off the lots like hotcakes and March was the best month yet. But the company's new Tundra monster earned it some major flak at the NY Car show. In Japan they call it nenpimania: the obsession that grips Prius drivers to hack their cars and achieve unworldly gas mileage.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Austin, TX is pretty durned serious about the plug-in hybrid thing. The secret sauce? The state's many wind turbines pump out more juice at night, when most people aren't driving and could be charging. Kenworth has started producing a hybrid big-rig that uses an electric motor and battery to assist a heavy-duty diesel. Clean Green Cars is a UK driver's guide to efficient motoring, hybrid jargon-busting, and what to look for on the clean-tech horizon. Has the SUV, like global warming itself, become a clich ? Ron Dembo from Zerofootprint weighs the real value of driving a hybrid against some less sexy, but likely more substantial, actions. Love that new car smell? Well it just might be killing you softly. HealthyCar.org pilots you through the hazards of your auto interior.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Nobody was quite sure what to expect when ZAP showed up at this year's North American Auto Dealer's convention in Las Vegas to show off their line of electric vehicles. But the proof was in the pudding, or in the signing, as the case may be. Car dealers signed on the dotted line placing 2,300 unbreakable orders for electric cars from ZAP. From ZAP to Zip, Zipcar rolls out a newfangled web reservation system for those with no interest in owning a car at all. And speaking of electric cars... Tesla, Tesla, Tesla. As if we could get enough of the fastest electric roadster around, Tesla Motors has announced it will open five American dealer outlets from California to Florida. Boasting 200 mpg, a diesel hybrid engine, and a striking resemblance to mushed up marshmallows, the Aptera might be closer to becoming a reality than we thought. Also this week, the four biggest US automakers say they're finally ready for some carbon reduction rules.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: A man on the inside at Tesla Motors wants the media to "toughen up" their coverage of the emerging electric vehicle market.If you think a nine-year-old girl can't do something big about global warming, think again. The Pump 'Em Up campaign is provoking people to take a radical step: proper tire inflation. This week in Ask TreeHugger...Ahh, the smell of diesel. Wait, are these fumes giving me heart problems? An Israeli research lab is cultivating oil-producing mushrooms with the magical power to create biodiesel. This month, E magazine takes readers on a tour through the world of greener driving, from plug-ins to hybrids and beyond.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The Phoenix electric utility vehicle officially launches with a full eco-celebrity entourage in tow. Starting at $65k each, don't expect them to fly off the lot, but PG&E has already claimed some for its fleet. Does ethanol use lead to vegetarianism? Well, if using cropland to grow fuel makes the price of beef rise, then yes. The Union of Concerned Scientists has designed a 40% more efficient car without any fancy fuel cells, batteries, or hybrid drivetrains, simply by borrowing technologies already divvied up in the market. GoinGreen, the London dealer of electrics cars, has partnered up with top designers of Eley Kishimoto to wrap up the G-Wiz. Artist Franke James literally illustrates her decision to "do the hardest thing first" and ditch the SUV.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The Eco Speedster by Opel is driving proof that diesels can top 100 miles per hour, and 100 miles per gallon, in the same breath. BP's Helios House is an attempt at a greener gas station, complete with LEED certification, rainwater collection, solar panels, and recycled glass. Israel wants to be an electric car Mecca in order to supply clean vehicles to Middle Eastern neighbors like Jordan and the UAE. Domino magazine and TreeHugger offer some winning tips for sustainable urban transport. George Bush smiles, waves, and inspects a plug-in hybrid Prius and a full electric vehicle from Phoenix Motorcars on the White House lawn. The Oscars went green this year, and all those beautiful celebs schlepped their good intentions to the big night in all sorts of green cars. The all-American gang over at NASCAR wants to smell some ethanol on the track. The clever Norwegians behind the electric Think want to sell you the electric car but lease you the battery.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Using the same alluring tilting technology seen in the Carver, the VentureOne puts a different slant on things with the addition of plug-in hybrid and pure electric power trains. Tom Hanks takes possession of AC Propulsions first eBox, their all-electric retrofit of the cubist Scion XB. London's famous congestion charge is spreading, and while it is indeed spurring the sale of hybrid cars, not everyone is too pleased with its migration. Argentina passes some legislation to make biodiesel a bigger part of the country's fuel diet, cutting out yet more foreign oil and making its farmers happier.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The very Los Angeles Lovecraft Biofuels pushes veggie-mobility in a video ad. Farmer Henry Hobhouse of Somerset, England has a new use for half his apple crop: methane gas that heats his house and fuels his Jaguar XK-6. The BugE's blend-into-the-set-of-Total-Recall looks may or not please your aesthetic pallet, but anything that costs a penny per mile to drive is always at least a bit interesting. John Laumer wades through the Philadelphia auto show to find more specimens of our back to the low-mileage future, and finds that some of the true relics are some of the most efficient cars. For those familiar with the T-Rex, the Silence PT2 will strike a familiar chord, but this time we're talking electric and, shhhh, stealth. Toyota, a company many believe owes its ascendance to efficient cars and green technology, is trying to make room in Americans' hearts for its enormous Tundra.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday, except for this week.]

This week at TreeHugger: Edward China's transformer furniture comes to life—not necessarily green but certainly multi-functional. TreeHugger holds up a lighter in tribute to some of the traveling bands that have made their tours greener with earth-friendly fuels and put other green acts on the venue. German automakers butt heads with the government over newly proposed emissions restrictions. Meanwhile, German street activists take the message into their own hands with a tactical balloon campaign, tragically sabotaged with misspelling—the work of right-wing counter-revolutionaries, to be sure.In Arizona, green fuel is actually green: an algae to biodiesel/ethanol project is dubbed "Emissions Energy Project of the Year". And at the Sundance Film Festival, Lexus builds an eco igloo and lures celebs inside to shmooze.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Despite being the industry hybrid leader, only 5% of Toyota's total sales are gas/electric vehicles. For 2007, the auto giant is vying for a 40% increase in hybrid output. As the climate changes, so does car fashion: while guzzlers become bigger and bigger ridicule targets, small is becoming the new black. Tesla Motors opens a new technical center near Detroit to tinker with its roadster and the "WhiteStar" sedan, moving towards its mission of bringing electric cars to the masses. Freedom Fuels is a free online documentary that examines the available alternatives for your tank and chronicles their history. Nissan announces the sticker price for its new 42 mpg hybrid Altima. A silent electric city vehicle from Italy solves the problem of startling pedestrians with the addition of horse hoof sound effects. This Summer, presumably without the sound of horses,George Clooney will zip around Italy in an electric Smart Car to promote Hybrid Technologies' newest conversion (and they're taking orders).

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: High on venture capital, EEStor breaks an informal vow of silence and announces some major technical strides in its hypercapacitator plans. Is your car getting zero miles per gallon? When it's idling, it is. Modern fuel-injection engines don't need that time to warm up, plus, an idling engine can actually be hurting itself. In Japan, the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant opens for business, turning wood construction waste into biofuel. TreeHugger TV has taken a special interest in issues of sustainable mobility. We've got some highlights rounded up here. While Honda may appear to be a step behind Toyota in the hybrid race, it's still the company with the best fleet-wide fuel efficiency. During this year's Super Bowl, Honda will try to bring that point home.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week in TreeHugger:

Keith Johnston is the managing director of GoinGreen, England's premier electric vehicle dealership and the distribution arm behind the G-Wiz. In an exclusive interview he explains what EVs are doing in the market. Virgin's new Limobike service gives Londoners the ride—and the thrill—they want without the need for a rocket of their own. Venturi's "energy autonomous" Eclectic gets its power from the sun and wind, and makes the world its golf course. The Sunswift III, a student project, is a solar long distance car that recently shaved 3 days off the record for traveling across Australia.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Detroit is all cars this week. TreeHugger waded through the auto show and hunted down the greenness. Hybrids (yes, all of them) really do save you money, a new study shows. Satellite navigation systems may soon offer drivers the most eco-friendly route from A to B. TreeHugger looks back on some of the cleanest concept cars to grace our temptation last year. Surface Magazine rounds up boys' toys, including bubbly electric cars and zippy electric bikes.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: As the Detroit Auto Show approaches, Volvo and Ford are oiling up their biofuel muscle to strut, while Toyota is getting ready to flash some fast hybrid. Pheonix Motorcars has an electric vehicle in the works that could change the game: a five-seater flatbed sport utility that is looking at 250 miles per charge. The EU rules that automakers must take back any car, no matter how old or busted, for recycling. Ethanol production in the US rockets upwards, but is still just 2% of petrol use. Also, TreeHugger glances back at car posts of 2006 and the diesels, hybrids, and electrics that garnered the most attention.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

Travelers auto insurance offers hybrid drivers in 44 states a tasty discount for their green car selection. The DOE reckons that if Americans made the switch to electric vehicles, off-peak energy from the nation's power plants could pick up most of the slack. Awake at the Wheel, a new biodiesel blog, offers biofuel drivers a new place to trade notes online. Meanwhile, BMW's Club of Pioneers is an online ice cave created to tempt bright green minds into its clutches.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The Department of Energy crunches the numbers and estimates the US power grid can carry 180 million electric vehicles, cutting CO₂ emissions all the way to the plug. For those ready to dive in to a real live electric vehicle, EV Finder lists hundreds of within-reach electric cars and trucks (though probably not the kind to perk up the law's radar much). Battery maker Lithium Technology Corp. makes a plug-in hybrid from a Smart ForFour and demonstrates 84 mpg. The AltCar Expo in Santa Monica, CA opens soon and with it will be unveiled another peppy EV, the Electrum Spyder. And in Japan, home of the Kyoto Protocol, fuel economy standards will now be raised 20% by 2015.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: The pedal-powered hybrid Renewable Lifestyle Vehicle is Toyota's entry into this year's LA Auto Show green car competition. Nissan announces its plans to pull out the defibrillator and put an electric car on the road. An exclusive TH interview with the campaign coordinator for Plug-In Partners, a leading advocacy group for those charming crossbreeds that could save the world. Iowa will be looking forward to being home to the first real, live cellulosic ethanol plant in the country. We learn that Americans overwhelmingly want to see the mandatory fuel efficiency go from a sissy 27.3 to a manly 40 miles per gallon. And in Hokkaido, Japan they've introduced a local train that does double duty on and off the tracks.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Toyota's Endo might not be quite smokin', but it's compact, slick, efficient, and now soon to be real. Also on its way to commercial reality, the Vectrix electric scooter gets unveiled next month in Milan at the International Motorcycle Exhibition. No Wet, a new waterless carwashing system, can have your car looking buff and you still looking dry. A new Japanese electric motor design could revive the (affordable) electric car, London's famous black cabs get a little greener, and another ogling look at the R-Zero, Audi's electric dream. Plus, attention Prius, Camry, and Highlander drivers: Toyota is on the hunt for real hybrid-driving humans to be in an upcoming series of commercials!

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Venturi, the French maker of surreal but real electric vehicles, including the Fetish, announces that its new Astrolab solar-electric hybrid 2-seater will hit European markets next year. Toyota decides to equip all its new automatic models with an Ecodrive indicator—a control panel light that rewards fuel-friendly driving. Last week's electric chopper is spotted rooting around at this year's NextFest. The BBC's Top Gear takes an in-depth look at GM's new Hywire fuel cell concept, and take it for a spin. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Honda struts its FCX fuel cell car, proving it packs a punch. The eensy-weensy and ultra clean G-Wiz electric car is spotted on the streets of London. Plus, the seven questions you always wanted to ask about hybrids, like "what about battery life?" (don't worry about it), "will it pay for itself?" (eh...maybe) and "is that the real mileage?" (no, but, then again...), and the Union of Concerned Scientists lays out a glossary of green car lingo from A to Z.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Mix some scooter engines, a lot of time, and some bubbly thinking and you get a DIY car project that makes 100 mpg a reality. In Toronto, community artists turn dead cars into vegetative centerpieces for city streets. A custom Harley job gives a chopper the power of electricity—and a biodiesel sidecar generator to boot. And a Portland man brings the charge to the drag racing track with his electric '76 Ford Fiesta.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: Toyota debuts a shanzed-up Prius Touring Edition for 2007, and a California developer of green homes sweetens their deals by offering a free hybrid with the purchase of a new house. The eGo Cycle might come as a quieter and less stinky (albeit squarer) alternative to that peppy Vespa. Plug-in hybrids get a huge push as CA's biggest utility rallies the support of over five million customers to convince automakers to make cars with plugs. Phoenix Motorcars, a company that started out with an electric '37 Cabriolet reproduction, is steadily making its way towards freeway-ready electric vehicles for the everyday commute, while Hybrid Technologies struts its lithium electric PT Cruiser. Also, a dense but not to be missed lecture by Oil Endgame guru Amory Lovins, and Toronto newspaper puts two popular car sharing regimes head to head.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: In a push to bring plug-in hybrids to the people, Plug-In Partners launches a national campaign to rally support for these evolved hybrids. Biodisel has become such a high-profile fuel choice, people are going to lengths to tell the world what's in their tank. General Motors, which has made a name for itself as an ethanol pioneer, keeps getting EPA favors for selling flexfuel cars, most of which will never taste a drop of biofuel. One of Toyota's "killed" RAV4 EVs fetches a tasty price on eBay, again confirming automaker's claim that there is no demand. And a little known fetish comes to light, the tricked out electric golf cart.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

This week at TreeHugger: A Lexus hybrid gets into the line of duty as a police car, a new study finds that hybrids pay for themselves pretty darn fast, and hot-shot engineers build a hot-shot Mini hybrid with in-wheel motors and some very satisfying speed. A two-part post on the Tesla roadster gets in-depth on the workings of this truly groundbreaking vehicle (parts 1 & 2). Biodiesel seekers can now find their fuel with a phone call, the first solar-powered biofuel station opens, and Chevy pimps rides with ethanol at the MTV's Video Music Awards. We check out Fiat's four fuel Siena Tetra Power, go back in time to investigate the extinct gas turbine car, and interview Joel Makower on hybrids. EVs, and his dream car.

[TreeHugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]