Chevrolet is already known for having great green vehicles, such as the Chevy Malibu Hybrid, but now they’re planning to revolutionize the auto industry even more by producing the Concept Chevy Volt.

Set to be on the market by the end of 2010, the Concept Chevy Volt is an electric vehicle that runs on a lithium-ion battery, and it can be recharged by power sources such as gas and/or E85 ethanol…

Chevrolet is already known for having great green vehicles, such as the Chevy Malibu Hybrid, but now they’re planning to revolutionize the auto industry even more by producing the Concept Chevy Volt.

Set to be on the market by the end of 2010, the Concept Chevy Volt is an electric vehicle that runs on a lithium-ion battery, and it can be recharged by power sources such as gas and/or E85 ethanol.

Why the Volt is So Green?

The main reason why the Concept Chevy Volt is a top-grade green vehicle is that it has the ability to use no gas and produce no carbon emissions if driven less than 40 miles a day!

Other green features of the car are:

• Uses a 110-volt household plug to be recharged
• Has an extended power source that recharges the battery pack for long trips
• Can drive up to 640 miles without recharging

With over 200 engineers and 50 designers working on the Concept Chevy Volt alone, you can tell that Chevrolet is serious about making this car meet the highest quality, performance and environmental standards.

Only time will tell if Chevy can get these vehicles on the market in 2 years as promised.

We hope to see these electric cars have a positive impact on the auto industry, and wish Chevrolet the best of luck on their continued dedication to protecting the environment.

Yahoo! Recently released their list of top 100 green vehicles currently on the market.

Using a system called ‘The Green Rating,’ which was developed with the help of Environmental Defense, a non-profit company dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, Yahoo! rated all types of green vehicles, from sedans and vans to SUVs and trucks…

Yahoo! Recently released their list of top 100 green vehicles currently on the market.

Using a system called ‘The Green Rating,’ which was developed with the help of Environmental Defense, a non-profit company dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, Yahoo! rated all types of green vehicles, from sedans and vans to SUVs and trucks.

How the Green Rating Works

The Green Rating system works on a 1 to 100 scale, with 100 being the most eco-friendly car you can find. Factors such as smog, greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption are taken into account when rating the cars.

The data collected for the list also includes the car’s fuel economy numbers, emissions standards and curb weight, as certified by the EPA, and it only measures the vehicle itself, and not how a person uses it.

You can read more about the Green Rating System here.

Check out the List

Here’s a small capture of the top 3 green vehicles. Click on the picture to see the entire Yahoo! list:

Now that you know about the best green vehicles available, you can also read about the benefits of hybrid tax credits. You’ll find that even though green cars are a bit more expensive to buy, they definitely come with a lot more perks!

Saturn already accomplished a great feat by creating the VUE Green Line Hybrid SUV, which is considered the most affordable hybrid SUV on the market. But now they’re really outdoing themselves by starting production on the first-ever car of its kind: a VUE Green Line Plug-In Electric Hybrid SUV!

Set to begin production in 2010, this remarkable vehicle is going to revolutionize the car industry with its plug-in technology…

Saturn already accomplished a great feat by creating the VUE Green Line Hybrid SUV, which is considered the most affordable hybrid SUV on the market. But now they’re really outdoing themselves by starting production on the first-ever car of its kind: a VUE Green Line Plug-In Electric Hybrid SUV!

Set to begin production in 2010, this remarkable vehicle is going to revolutionize the car industry with its plug-in technology. Not only will it have lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet, but it will also offer two driving modes for both city and highway driving.

Plug-In Capabilities for a Better Future

When this vehicle goes on the market, there will definitely be nothing else like it in comparison. The most impressive thing about it is that it will surpass Saturn’s VUE Green Line hybrid series in fuel-efficiency’which is pretty much double the fuel efficiency of any regular SUV currently on the market!

Here are some other ways that this plug-in vehicle will be a green vehicle winner:

• Combines 2-mode hybrid system with plug-in technology
• Electric-only propulsion for more than 10 miles
• When reaching high speeds, the engine and electric power work together to power the car
• The lithium ion batteries can be charged in as little at 4 to 5 hours
• The batteries can be charged through a connection port located on the vehicle’s front fender
• The vehicle can be charged through any 110V household outlet
• Two interior magnet motors in the transmission work with the 3.6L V-6 VVT gasoline engine to provide direct injection
• Four fixed mechanical gears maximize efficiency and performance

The best thing about this exciting new car is that it’s an electric vehicle, and electric vehicles dramatically reduce the amount of pollution emitted from cars. These vehicles use the energy stored in batteries to run, and since the batteries can easily be recharged, it means less fuel to burn!

In the past, I couldn’t imagine a future where all of our vehicles could be plugged in and recharged in a wall-outlet, or powered by solar energy, but as new technology is discovered and applied, this is truly becoming a reality.

I hope that this car is a success so that other carmakers will continue building more types of energy-efficient vehicles.

Most people dream of owning a sleek new sports car with a high-powered engine and a cool design to match. Then again, the people who choose to live green know that sports vehicles are huge emitters of carbon dioxide, so they steer clear of these fast and fancy cars.

But what if you could fit an eco-friendly electric car into your green lifestyle that was both sporty and environmentally safe? Would you do it? Of course you would because…

Most people dream of owning a sleek new sports car with a high-powered engine and a cool design to match. Then again, the people who choose to live green know that sports vehicles are huge emitters of carbon dioxide, so they steer clear of these fast and fancy cars. But what if you could fit an eco-friendly electric car into your green lifestyle that was both sporty and environmentally safe? Would you do it? Of course you would because everyone knows that driving a sports car automatically makes you cool!

So, for all you treehuggers out there whose secret fantasy is to look super cool while saving the planet, Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive are here to help you out.

Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster is the latest electric vehicle from Tesla Motors. Some interesting facts about it are:

• Goes from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds
• Does not use gasoline
• Can drive up to 250 miles on a single charge

This vehicle is a sports-car lover’s dream come true, and it happens to get an extra thumbs-up because it helps to reduce your carbon footprint! You can read more about the Tesla Roadster here.

Fisker Karma

The word karma basically means cause and effect, so what could be a greater effect of an eco-friendly cause than Fisker Automotive’s new Karma electric car? This full plug-in hybrid has some great features:

• You can select between Stealth Drive and Sport Drive
• Goes from 0-60 mph in 6 seconds
• Has optional full-length solar roof

You can read more about the Fisker Karma, which is set to go on sale in 2009, here.

The only downside to these green vehicles is the price: the Fisker Karma has a starting price of $80,000 and the Tesla Roadster starts at $98,000. Hopefully, if more of these types of vehicles become popular and more are mass produced, then the overall prices will come down and the average person will be able to afford them! Until then, I guess we’ll have to stick to our bikes and stock up on Eco Air Jordans for the long walk to work!

A factory that will have the ability to produce up to 10,000 zero emission electric vehicles per year is going to be opening in the U.S., and Smith Electric Vehicles, the company behind this, is ready to get these cars out to the public by the year 2010. It’s a pretty big goal for any company to pursue, but Smith Electric Vehicles already has two successful manufacturing facilities in Fresno, California and in the U.K., and they’re ready to offer their products to a wider portion of the American population…

A factory that will have the ability to produce up to 10,000 zero emission electric vehicles per year is going to be opening in the U.S., and Smith Electric Vehicles, the company behind this, is ready to get these cars out to the public by the year 2010. It’s a pretty big goal for any company to pursue, but Smith Electric Vehicles already has two successful manufacturing facilities in Fresno, California and in the U.K., and they’re ready to offer their products to a wider portion of the American population.

The Electric Vehicle

One of the greatest inventions ever made to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles is the electric car. An electric car is just like your favorite battery-operated toy: it needs to be recharged before you can play with it. It is basically composed of an electric motor, a controller and a battery. You can plug the battery in an electrical outlet to charge overnight before any big trips. The best thing about electric cars is that they produce no tail pipe exhaust, thus making them less harmful to the environment.

Smith Electric Vehicles

Smith Electric Vehicles is owned by The Tanfield Group Plc, a progressive manufacturing company located in the U.K. that has three main operations: specialist vehicles, powered access and engineering. Smith Electric Vehicles is an extension of the specialist vehicle operation. Founded in 1920, Smith Electric Vehicles has successfully become the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles. It has a collection of vehicles that include 7,000 pound vans and 25,000 pound trucks.

An example of one of their most popular vehicles is the Smith Edison. Reaching speeds of up to 50 mph, the Smith Edison is the perfect vehicle for city and short-distance travel.

Ready, Set, Go!

Smith Electric Vehicles already has 1,500 vehicles lined up to go on the market in the U.K. for 2008, and some of the clients ready to grab these low-emission vehicles include Starbucks and DHL. The U.S. goal of the company is to acquire at least 300 acres and to build a 500,000 square foot factory to get these vehicles out to the American public. This would not only benefit American companies and environmentalists by lowering gas consumption, but it would also create hundreds of jobs for the American people.

I’m excited for this facility to get up and running! It seems that the U.K. has always been ahead of us in regards to eco-friendly technology, and I’m just glad that they’re willing to extend their practices to our country. Hopefully this will become a global movement and we can get many other countries to go green!