Approximately 20 percent of U.S. tax credits for green cars were erroneously claimed, a government audit reported.

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.

The Toyota Yaris has always been a slick car, which you can bring anywhere you want especially if you’re simply traversing city streets. However, Toyota has just recently upgraded this vehicle when they released the Yaris running on Compressed Natural Gas or CNG. The Yaris has now become green and that means it allows you to switch from gasoline to CNG any time that you want. Basically, the CNG tank is positioned in the rear, which you can easily access when you open the rear tailgate. That means you won’t have any problems refilling the tank when the need arises.

Since it has become green, this Toyota Yaris also added a touch of green paint to emphasize its CNG-inspired orientation. Basically, this car is all about functionality and city styling with an edge. When it comes to the exterior, this car offers rear suicide doors that are automatic and a rear split tailgate, which lets you put some stuff behind. Moreover, with a switch of the button, you can transform this car from a gas-guzzler to a unique hybrid car that feed on CNG. Meanwhile, the interior is equally impressive because it features a slick audio/visual system that can keep you entertained all throughout the journey. Performance wise, the Toyota Yaris tailback is far from being mediocre, that’s because it can cruise to 100 km/h and generate as much as 130-horsepower. In addition, reaching 60 miles isn’t a problem because this car can get to it in less than 10 seconds.

This car is definitely your best bet if you want to stop using traditional fuel and start caring more for the environment. What’s more is that you’re not going to sacrifice a lot when it comes to style. In fact the Toyota Yaris tailback gives you a preppy look on the road.

So you want to go green this year? These days there are many options if you want go for fuel efficiency and less emissions. One of the most obvious choices would have to be natural gas, because they are cheap and they extend your money for miles. However, before you buy a NG-powered vehicle, it’s better if you know some facts first about how it works and what kind of fuel it uses.

What is natural gas?

Natural gas is basically a combination of hydrocarbons with a little methane. It is also considered as one of the cleanest, safest, and efficient sources of energy right now. This is possible because natural gas has the highest hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of any type of hydrocarbon. That means it produces lesser greenhouse gases, thus less hazard to the environment and human health. Basically, there are no fundamental differences between gasoline-powered vehicles and natural gas vehicles. That’s because both types need the air to mix with the fuel before being fed to the cylinders. After which, the fuel is ignited by the spark, which lets the piston to move the pistons up and down. This repetitive action is the one that powers a vehicle that uses natural gas.

How is it stored?

Most natural gas vehicles use compressed natural gas or CNG. As its name implies, the fuel is stored inside vehicles under pressures that reach 3000-6000 lbs./square inch. If not compressed, natural gas can also be used in liquefied form or liquefied natural gas or LNG. In order for this work out, it first must be cooled down to several hundred degrees and must be contained inside thermal tanks. Basically, LNG is better than CNG because it requires less room for storage. The lesser the space it occupies, the better the space will be maximized for the vehicle.

How does it work?

Compared to diesel and gasoline vehicles, natural gas vehicles use closed systems in order to prevent fuel from escaping. Aside from that, it uses pressure-fit nozzles that lock fuel receptacles, thereby preventing the gas to escape. Because no gas escapes the engine, every bit of the fuel is used, unlike that of gasoline or other fuels.

What About Natural Gas Stations?

Every prospective natural gas vehicle buyer needs to ask about how natural gas stations function. Basically, natural gas is taken from the gas plant at very low pressures, before it will be compressed and placed inside storage tanks at very high pressures. Two kinds of things are needed for fueling natural gas and these are fast fill and time fill. The former uses a large compressor and a high-pressure container tank, while the latter uses a smaller compressor that takes an hour to be filled.

How does the engine work?

When you start a vehicle that uses natural gas, the gas flows from the storage cylinders to the fuel line. When the gas is nearing the engine, it needs to pass through the regulator in order for the pressure to be reduced. After which, it will be fed to the fuel injector and the cylinders.

Overall, these are the basic things that you need to know if you really want to try driving a CNG-powered vehicle. These vehicles have special needs and you need to know the details about them so you can enjoy their full benefits.

You don’t have to deal with tiny spaces, miniature horsepower, and mediocre speed when you talk about green cars. Recently, Nissan launched what seems to be a topnotch hot rod that you can ever get and that’s the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid. As the name implies, this car doesn’t look like your typical hybrid car. In fact, it looks like it’s ready to just move through the speedway in full throttle and turn the road into dust. The fact is, it’s as fast as most sport cars out there and the catch is: it’s not going to ruin the atmosphere with its emissions.

Basically, the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid has the standard 2.5-liter engine and an electric supercharger that you can count on once you decide to go green. That’s not all, because it also has solar panels on the roof that can help you recharge the batteries anytime. The great thing about the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid is that it can compete with some faster rivals on the road. In fact, it’s scheduled to compete in the prestigious One Lap of America Race Series. Though far from being a Tesla Roadster, the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid can generate a whopping 440-horsepower and go as fast as 110 mph. If that’s not enough to convince you, it can go from 0-60 miles in only 12.9 seconds. With that being said, the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid is a solid choice if you want to go green without having to compromise power, speed, and space.

Nissan hasn’t yet released any information on how much the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid would cost, but it doesn’t seem to be significantly more expensive than non-hybrid cars out there.