You can buy several types of vehicles that are already rated as PZEV (partial zero emission vehicles), in that they meet the CA SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle) emission standards, have no evaporative emissions (no hydrocarbons escape from the vehicle while it is sitting stationary/off), and a long emissions warranty. Most, but not all, hybrids are PZEV, and there are many traditional gasoline only cars that also meet this low emission standard, besides some CNG and other alternative fueled vehicles.

http://www.driveclean.ca.gov/en/gv/home/index.asp

Assuming that you are currently driving a vehicle, you might as well "upgrade" it to be the cleanest vehicle that you can find that meets your needs. You’ll put out that much less emissions while waiting for your ultimate perfect vehicle.

http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicle/

NONE of the currently commercially available hybrids have the ability to plug into an electrical outlet. The only source of power is conventional gasoline. The gasoline engine provides power to the hybrid battery through one of the electric motors acting as a generator. Some of the lost kinetic energy in braking is recaptured through regenerative braking (wheels spin a generator, slowing down the vehicle), which also reduces wear on the conventional brake pads.

There are no commercially-available plug-in hybrids on the market so far, unfortunately. Some hobbiests and aftermarket companies have been altering a few hybrids (Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid) to make them plug-in capable. Typically this requires adding additional hybrid batteries, besides the ability to charge off the mains.
For more information, check out http://www.calcars.org/vehicles.html
(I’ll note that some of the manufacturers are looking into having a plug-in hybrid available in the future (2010 or so), such as the Toyota Prius and the Chevy Volt.)

For cost reasons, unless you are a fleet owner or other high-mileage driver it probably will not be worth the cost of the PHEV conversion for you. (When the hybrid battery pack is depleted to a certain point the vehicle reverts back to its original hybrid self and runs on a combination of the gasoline engine (which will also recharge the battery) and the electric motor. A PHEV would add a greater all-electric range to the existing hybrid, besides the ability (but not the requirement!) to plug it into an electric source.

Depending on the source for electricity in your area, a BEV (battery electric vehicle) may or may not put out more greenhouse gas emissions than a 55MPG HEV (hybrid electric vehicle). Mainly, if the primary source for electricity in your area is coal, your HEV is cleaner than a BEV running on coal-powered electricity. However, if your electricity source is natural gas, the BEV is usually cleaner than the HEV (depending on the method used for natural gas->electricity conversion), and it gets even better for the BEV if you are using a hydroelectric or other renewable electric source. In comparisons with a generic 17MPG SUV, an average 26MPG vehicle, and a high-efficiency 38MPG vehicle, the 38MPG vehicle still will beat the coal-powered BEV, but isn’t as clean as the HEV (and gas and renewables powered BEVs are much better than the 38MPG vehicle).
see: "Battery-Powered Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Projects to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Resource Guide for Project Development," July 2002

http://www.netl.doe.gov/products/ccps/pubs/resguide.pdf

http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/international/pdfs/hev_ev_ghgreductions.pdf

mainly section 4.3

(and that’s besides the arguements that it’s easier to manage emissions from a handful of electric plants, as opposed to millions of independently-owned cars… typically, electric charging rates (especially the off-peak charging times which would use otherwise lost power and level the loads) are still cheaper than petroleum rates, too. Of course, there are still emissions to worry about other than just greenhouse gas emissions, too.)

and yes, about 50% of the US’ electric energy generation is from coal, but for your local power outlet depends on your power company and the local mix: http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelelectric.html

And, of course, there’s some emissions created when the vehicle is produced, as well… Electric vehicles may have better or worse carbon emissions, depending on your electric source. Hydrogen vehicles usually have worse carbon emissions when taking into account the energy expenditure to make the hydrogen. Ethanol, depending on the source plant material, may take more energy to make than recouped when used as fuel, too…

Heck, even if you just decided to walk (so no added emissions or material use to provide you with a transportation device), you still have to get your energy by eating (vegetarian is more fuel efficient than animal/meat products, BTW), and then there’s your own emissions to deal with…

1998-2002 Ford Ranger EV

http://www.pluginamerica.org/rangerev/

http://www.geocities.com/ranger_ev/

1998-2002 Toyota RAV4 EV

http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/rav4-ev

2004-2007, 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
2004-2007, 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid
2005-current Ford Escape Hybrid
2006-current Mazda Tribute Hybrid
2006-current Mercury Mariner Hybrid
2006-current Lexus RX400h/RX450h Hybrid
2006-currrent Toyota Highlander Hybrid
2007-current Saturn Vue Green Line (hybrid)
2008-current Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
2008-current GMC Yukon Hybrid
2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid
2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid
2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

- you’re dark and brooding
- you’re braizen
- you’re crunchy
- dykey (lesbica?)
- to take shots
- to do a keg stand
- you wear ripped jeans and wife beater
- you wear hoodie and ked
- an hybrid car
- an escalade car
- a minivan

then a question with answers (i suppose this is a funny..and a little hot quiz..but some american friend of mine they said that i have to answer so i write you the words that i didn’t understand…lol!!!)

question: are you "Top" or "Bottom"?
answers:
- i’m already packing
- i don’t wear uderwear just in case
- it doesn’t where i’m as long as i’m getting some
- i’m a member of the mile high club
- ready..set..switch

thank you thank you so much!!!

sei pensierosa
(your’re brazen)..non la so
you’re crunchy e normalmente usata quando uno dice ad una donna….bona
dykey…lesbica
to take shots…non sono sicura ma peso che significa scattare come scattare foto
keg stand..non te lo so spiegare ma se scrivi keg stand su yahoo e vedi le foto puoi capire
insomma mi sono stufata adesso!! haha ciao

I mean if you are living in a shelter and see a new shiny car go by with Gov. tags on it, would that make your life easier?

its’ kinda like worrying about a leaky faucet on the titanic, isn’t it?

Duration : 0:3:28

Technorati Tags: 2010, alternative, car, Edmunds, fuel, Honda, hybrid, Inside, insight, interview, Line, motor, technology

Peugeot Sport has unveiled a new hybrid 908 HDi FAP powerplant.

The car, presented at the final Le Mans Series race at Silverstone in September and called 908 HY, features a kinetic energy recovery system.

This HY technology sees some of the kinetic energy produced under braking either recovered or stored. And this means enhanced performance with no increase in the amount of energy consumed due to a combination of the stored mechanical energy and the energy produced by the internal combustion engine.

It also reduces fuel consumption for the same level of performance, again thanks to the stored mechanical energy.

Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge says: This hybrid 908 HDi FAP is in perfect keeping with the overall mission of our endurance racing programme which covers not only the challenge of competing, but also the fact that as a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole.’

The 908 HY can be powered by electric mode, internal combustion engine or a combination of the two.

Unveiled with a new silver-grey livery, it is a taster of what Peugeots next endurance racing car could look like. Yet whether or not it makes it onto the racetrack depends on new regulations, to be published by the Automobile Club de lOuest, that will govern LMP 1 cars from 2009.

Currently, in a non-hybrid car when the vehicle brakes, the energy from braking is lost.
The HY system has three elements which allows it to recover and use some of this energy:

1. A 60 kW gear-driven electric motor-generator which takes the place of the conventional starter motor
2. Batteries which allow recovered energy to be stored in 600 lithium-ion cells, divided into ten battery packs
3. An electronic power converter which controls the flow of energy between the batteries and the motor-generator

The technology could also be seen in other Peugeot vehicles.
Michel Barge adds: After innovating through the use of our HDi FAP technology in competition, running a hybrid car in endurance racing would give Peugeot a chance to gain extremely valuable experience that would benefit the development of production cars.

Duration : 0:1:51

Technorati Tags: 2008, 2009, 908, alms, blonde, brazil, car, champion, formula, hamilton, horny, hot, hy, Hydrid, lemans, lmes, loeb, one, Peugeot, Race, sexy, slut, wdc

Institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor are based on results of front and side crash tests – plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash injury in rear crashes. The best performers, earning the Institute’s TOP SAFETY PICK award, are the 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue, and 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. These four models earn good ratings in all three of the Institute’s evaluations – and all are equipped with standard electronic stability control and side airbags. The Escape’s ratings also apply to the hybrid version – which is sold as the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute, as well as the Escape.

Consumers now have multiple hybrid suvs earning TOP SAFETY PICK to choose from. Others include the midsize Saturn Vue and Toyota Highlander, which the Institute evaluated earlier.

The Institute’s frontal offset crash test, which began in 1995, drove major design changes in vehicles to do a better job of protecting people in the most common kind of serious crash. In the mid-1990s, few vehicles earned the top rating of good in the frontal test. Now, nearly every vehicle is rated good for frontal protection. Since the Institute began its side tests in 2003, manufacturers have been following the same path, changing their vehicles to improve protection in serious side impacts.

An exception is the 2-door 2008 Jeep Wrangler, which was tested without its optional side airbags. The previous version of the Wrangler, in which side airbags weren’t available, earned a rating of marginal for protection in side crashes; and the new model performed even worse, earning the lowest rating of poor. A new problem was that the driver door opened during the impact. This didn’t significantly affect the movement of the dummy during the test, but an open door in a crash could lead to partial or complete ejection of occupants.

Duration : 0:2:9

Duration : 0:2:55

Technorati Tags: 0-60, Green, hybrid, Line, mileage, mpg, Saturn, SUV, VUE