A sixty-six member jury chose the top three most environmentally-friendly cars among their earlier list of six green cars. Vying for the World Green Car of the Year title are the following:

• BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics Edition
• Chevrolet Volt
• Nissan Leaf

The Smart Electric Drive, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell weren’t able to make the cut. The three were included earlier in the list but the 320d, Volt and Leaf edged them out of the competition.

But to even be nominated for the title is already such an honor, since the jury has imposed some strict criteria and only a few were able to qualify for the award. Out of the dozens and dozens of EVs, hybrids and natural gas vehicles, the jury only chose six cars which they announced earlier in February, only to wind it down to three this month.

To qualify, the company needs to manufacture at least 10 productions of the vehicle, released in at least one major market from January 1, 2010 to May 30th this year. Emissions, consumption and power plant technology were also considered. Lastly, the car had to be an all-new production, or at least minimally modified.

The winner of the World Green Car of the Year award will be announced on April 2 at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

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Honda Civic GX bagged the no. 1 spot with its cleaner compressed natural gas technology, while electric vehicle Nissan Leaf, also a favorite among 2011 EVs, came in second. The small two-seater Smart ForTwo was third on the list and battery-powered Toyota Prius came in fourth. The Honda Civic Hybrid completed the top five.

Because of inefficient fuel economy, Chevrolet Volt fell to a disappointing and less than stellar ranking at no. 12.

The ACEEE ranks the vehicles according to their “Green Score”, with fuel economy and emissions among the top criteria for making it to the list. Diesel cars were not included in the list because they still give off higher amount of emissions as compared to gasoline-powered cars.

Although it can run on electricity and gasoline, the popular Volt still failed to impress the council with a fuel economy of only 35 miles per gallon in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

According to ACEEE spokeswoman Shruti Vaidyanathan, “As a gasoline vehicle, the fuel economy’s not stellar.”

Weight is also considered as part of the rating system, so there was no chance the heavy 3,800-pound Volt would have made it to the top 10. The lithium-ion battery pack installed in the engine added heavily to the Volt’s total weight.

GM spokesman Rob Peterson found the ranking “laughable”.

“It’s one group’s interpretation of a measurement of ‘green’,” he stated.

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The popular Nissan LEAF, which was introduced in December 2010, has more than 20,000 people on its waiting list. The Japanese automaker already delivered 19 to customers during its first production month, and followed it with 87 deliveries just last month.

Despite the delay, productions for the LEAF EV is still on schedule with about 4,000 cars built in Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan. The LEAF is scheduled to be produced in other Nissan factories as well. The cars will be built in Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee factory from 2012 and in Sunderland, UK from 2013.

Although the scheduled production seems organized, Nissan admitted bottlenecks in its quality assurance process. The delays also stem from the EV’s unconventional ordering system, which is done through the Internet. The system bypasses US dealers and is responsible for distribution delays.
According to David Reuter, Nissan US spokesman: “We knew that the production rollout would be slow at first and then would ramp up [but] it’s where we expected it to be. Where we disconnected was in communicating this to the customer.”

Nissan has high hopes that distribution would improve by April.

The Nissan LEAF’s delay is just one of the many challenges the Japanese automaker and its French partner Renault will face as they brace their companies for eight battery-powered models that will hit the market by 2014. It’s the biggest challenge on technological advancement made by any company in the automotive industry.

Around €4bn or $5.4bn is being invested by Nissan and Renault to meet the challenge in electric vehicles. Factories will be supplied with lithium-ion batteries and are being built in France, Portugal, UK, US and Japan.

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According to Bloomberg, non-qualifying vehicles like the Buick Enclave and Hyundai Sonata were erroneously granted tax credits. The tempting federal tax credit amounting to $ 7,500 for plug-in and alternative-fuel vehicles enticed some taxpayers to file for claims even if their vehicles did not qualify for tax refund.

The estimated 20 percent of erroneous tax credit is equivalent to about $ 33 million, an approximate amount that was claimed during the first half of 2010 by taxpayers who weren’t eligible to be granted such amount of money from the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported.

“While IRS management did take corrective actions to reduce erroneous claims when TIGTA brought these process weaknesses to its attention, more clearly needs to be done,” stated Inspector General J. Russell George.

Even with the erroneous credits, the IRS is firm in disagreeing with auditors’ recommendations and will not automatically reject credit claims for non-qualifying vehicles. The agency will instead take the necessary precautions and measures to ensure accuracy in the application process for claims. IRS will also take action and recapture the erroneously claimed credits from taxpayers.

According to IRS spokesman Grant Williams, “The IRS took immediate action to put additional protections in place to stop improper vehicle payments. We are also taking steps to recapture the credits people erroneously claimed.”

In an effort to have 1 million technologically advanced vehicles by 2015, the Obama administration approved the $ 7,500 tax credit. All plug-ins, like the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt, and alternative-fuel vehicles qualify for the federal tax credit.

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According to Ron Cogan, Editor and Publisher of the Green Car Journal: “The groundwork that Ford has laid with such advanced and sensible technologies as EcoBoost, hybrid drivetrains, and ethanol flexible-fuel vehicles has shown an understanding of what it takes to bring fundamental change to the marketplace, without sacrificing the features and the driving enjoyment that is so important to new car ownership. The Focus Electric is an extension of this philosophy.”

Other finalists include Honda Fit EV, Mitsubishi i, Toyota RAV4 Electric, and Volvo C30 DrivE electric. Ford first unveiled the Focus Electric in the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show held last month in Las Vegas.

Focus Electric will run on cost-efficient lithium-ion battery system and can be charged in three to four hours using a 240-volt charging station. Aside from being an environmentally friendly car, the Focus is packed with interesting and advanced features, setting it apart from other EVs in the market. The Green Car Vision winner can be charged much faster than its two closest competitors, the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt. It also utilizes the MyFord Touch interface and MyKey technology for advanced driving convenience. In addition to that, Ford developed an app for SmartPhone users to have an in-depth view and knowledge regarding the status of their car, like its battery life and charge schedule. To top it all off, Focus has eco-friendly seats and a sporty Z shape design that exudes a powerful athletic sophistication.

Get your hands on the Focus Electric once it hits the market later this year

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For those who are not familiar with Clean Air Power, they are the developer of Dual-Fuel combustion technology that enables heavy duty diesel engines to function on a combination of diesel and natural gas. The Dual-Fuel systems that they have developed have three main components: the electronic control unit (ECU), turbocharger air bypass (TAB), and the gas injection system which is comprised of electronically controlled gas injectors fitted in a customized air inlet manifold.

Aside from the Dual-Fuel technology, Clean Air Power is also working on the development of MicroPilot which utilizes smaller diesel pilot injections that would help to reduce NOx emissions by more than 80%. Clean Air Power is developing the MicroPilot to be compliant with Euro V and even to other emission standards beyond.

The 11 Dual-Fuel systems are to be fitted directly onto 11 Volvo buses which are scheduled to start operation by July 2011 in Sweden. The usage of the Dual-Fuel systems is backed by the Swedish government. And to show its support the Swedish government through the Swedish Energy Agency has contributed around SEK 24 million (US$3.5 million to fund the project.

The collaboration between Clean Air Power and Volvo does not end with the Dual-Fuel system in fact they have started discussion on their next project which is a joint development of Dual Fuel engines which are to be used for the next generation of Volvo Buses and bus chassis.

For the Dual Fuel engines, Clean Air Power and Volvo will sign an entirely new agreement separate from the previous Duel-Fuel system agreement that they have.

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The little sister of the globally successful i-MiEV, it is reported that the minicab will be powered by Toshiba’s SCIB battery. Another technological giant, Toshiba will be in partnership with Mitsubishi to develop and produce a fast-charging, long lasting battery that will support the plug-in vehicles. Pretty soon, other automotive companies would catch up with this technology and we’d soon find ourselves in a battery-operated world. But with the rising gasoline prices, the world would certainly welcome these battery-charged babies. Besides, the electric cars just might be the solution to our long-waged battle against global warming and the greenhouse effect. It was also reported that the SCIB lithium-ion rechargeable battery was particularly chosen for its low cost, extended life and fast-charge ability. A fully charged Minicab MiEV will be able to cover 100 km or 62 miles like the i-MiEV.

Mitsubishi plans to market the Minicab with a price tag that would cost around 2 million yen or less, or an estimated price of US $24, 210. Billionaires, tycoons, magnates and celebrities would definitely be lining up for this vehicle. The company has high hopes that the green cars and new business strategies will double their operating profit to 90 billion yen, and triple their net profit to 45 billion yen by 2014.

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In an interview with Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s Executive Vice President for Research and Product Development at the Detroit auto show he said, “I have high expectations for fuel-cell vehicles as a candidate for next-generation cars. Over the past several years, we’ve seen many of the outstanding technical issues solved.”

It can be noted that over the past decade the eagerness of manufacturers to produce hydrogen vehicles dwindle due to the high cost involved. It was estimated that around $1 million is required to produce a vehicle. The other problem was the lack of fueling stations but not anymore since Toyota and twelve other Japanese companies including Honda, Nissan and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. are now planning to build 100 hydrogen fueling stations by 2015.

Uchiyamada also mentioned, “When it comes to fuel cars, the cruising distance is almost comparable to conventional gasoline-engine cars.”

ToMoCo’s first hydrogen cars for retail buyers is scheduled to hit dealerships by 2015 or can be sooner in a statement made by Akio Toyoda, the company’s President. But for now Toyota is still finalizing their marketing strategy for their hydrogen vehicles and still contemplating whether the initial model will bear the Toyota brand or that of the Lexus brand. The price range of Toyota’s hybrid models will be around $50,000.

As for performance specifications and other details Uchiyamada said that they will soon release a statement on it.

I guess we’ll just have to wait for now.

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Toyota has announced at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit the addition of three new gasoline/electric hybrid namely: Prius Plug-in, Prius v and Prius c — all under the Prius name. These three new hybrid vehicles will signal the start of the model expansion that Toyota is planning for Prius. Let’s take a look at what these three brand new Priuses have to offer:

Toyota Prius Plug-in

This vehicle is definitely not your conventional Prius. It drives in zero-emission electricity with a gasoline engine as support in case of battery discharged. It’s capable of traveling 13 miles at a speed of 62 miles per hour. Equipped with a small lithium-ion battery pack for fast charging and takes only 1.7 hours to charge using 220 volt power source. Toyota will start to offer the Prius Plug-in in 14 states but plans to sell it nationwide by 2013.

Toyota Prius v

Showcasing a wagon design that offers 34.3 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats, it’s longer than the conventional Prius by 6.1 inches and provides 50% more storage space inside the vehicle. The square end of the Prius v provides it with a slick drag coefficient of 0.29 in wind tunnel aerodynamic testing. And of course since it’s a Prius expect it to be fuel efficient with a mileage of 42 miles per gallon for city driving and 38 miles per gallon in the highway. With 10 miles per gallon savings on average driving the Prius v is no doubt a highly fuel efficient small utility vehicle.

Toyota Prius c

The c concept is given a more daring style. The c which stands for city has a smaller exterior frame just right for urban driving. Some of its unique styling cues include a rather radical headlight placement which is a complete deviation from the usual, and a more sculpted fascia. The Prius c was presented as a concept vehicle for 2012.

With the addition of the three new hybrids, I wonder how Toyota’s dealerships will handle the additional stocks especially since they are already having problems just by keeping a single Prius hybrid in stock.

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According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, “The creation of this battery technology represents an important return on the American investment in innovative vehicle and battery research. This agreement gives General Motors the ability to use cutting-edge battery technology throughout its supply chain. The licensing of this technology will also spur the renewal of the American battery industry, creating hundreds of new jobs where they are needed most.”

So why choose Argonne’s composite cathode material again?—It is said that Argonne’s composite cathode material contain a one-of-a kind combination of lithium and manganese rich mixed metal oxides that can extend the life of the battery as well as its operating use. It will also enhance the safety of lithium-ion cells and allows charging at higher voltages.

Here’s what Eric Isaacs, Argonne Director and President of the UChicago Argonne, LLC, a wholly-owned laboratory management subsidiary of the University of Chicago has to say, “The fact that GM is including Argonne’s novel composite cathode material in their commercialization process is a testament to the world-class scientists performing research in this area at Argonne and the long-term vision and commitment by DOE. The scientists and engineers in Argonne’s battery department look forward to continuing this important work for next-generation electric vehicles, as well as for new energy storage technologies for the power grid.”

GM has invested $5 million on the said venture. Jon Lauckner, President of GM ventures said, “What we’re licensing is really advanced cathode material. This is the most capable cathode material that we have seen. Will take some years for us to develop it, but we wanted to get it on the road.” With the cathode material GM is expecting for a significant reduction in the cost of lithium-ion batteries which will translate to cheaper plug-in cars.

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