Tom Hanks

There’s a positive trend sweeping Hollywood A-listers, and it has little to do with fashion or vegetarian living. It’s showing love for green cars. These days, more and more Hollywood stars and starlets are showing their support for Mother Nature by driving environmentally-friendly rides. Some A-listers are even writing about their commitment to turning this “trend” into something more lasting–the norms, perhaps?

The latest green car enthusiast to show his support for electrics and hybrids is none other than the great Tom Hanks. According to TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, Mr. Hanks has recently written a letter to the New Yorker. It’s his way of setting things straight with regards to the electric cars he’s been using in the last few years.

Peter J. Boyer’s original article made the assumption that the 52-year old Academy Award-winning actor had an EV1, which was briefly produced by GM. Hanks, however, was quick to say that this certainly wasn’t the case. According to the letter from Hanks:

The Improved EV? The Newly-Launched Toyota FT-EV

“By the time I began shopping for an all-electric car, in 2003, the EV1 had already been yanked from showrooms as if the car had never existed. Instead, I found what was purported to be the very last electric car available for sale in the state of California–a Toyota EV. It had four doors, a rear hatch, room for my family, including a dog in the back, power windows, A/C, a great sound system, and the fastest, most effective windshield defroster known to mankind.”

“When the car companies collectively, and, to some, diabolically decided to take these cars back, the electric vehicles disappeared. But not mine. I have the pink slip. I own that car, and it is still driven everyday, albeit by one of my crack staff of employees. My electric car recently crossed fifty thousand miles on odometer with its original battery but without so much as a splash of gasoline,” Hanks added.

Talk about an excellent green commitment! Now if only we had more people showing the same commitment as Mr. Hanks and his staff, then we can help reduce the amount of pollution produced daily worldwide.

Let’s face it. Most of us aren’t willing to do away with our rides completely and to trade them in for electric cars. While ideally, we would all be able to purchase our green car of choice, there are other factors at play, which could delay this type of big purchase. If you have a fuel-efficient vehicle that’s not being run by biofuels or electricity, then there’s still a way for you to reduce your carbon footprint, without having to trade in your fuel-run car completely.

Aside from walking more, or riding a bike to work, another thing you can do is to get a green car insurance for your vehicle.

The ordinary, non-green car is capable of producing up to 3.5 tons of Carbon Dioxide per year. Now, multiply that by millions upon millions of times and you get a rough estimate of how much pollution vehicle drivers pump into the atmosphere. Air pollution is what ruins the environment, causing rapid and extreme climate change and global warming.

So how can you help minimize your contributions to air pollution with a Green Car Insurance policy? Well, you drive your fuel-efficient car while being absolutely carbon neutral. Meaning, the carbon dioxide produced by your car is taken away from somewhere else.

What a green car insurance policy gives you is an offer of up to a hundred percent offset of your carbon emissions. These types of policies even offer discounts to fuel-efficient or eco-friendly vehicles and drivers who keep their mileage to a minimum.

By offsetting your carbon emissions, the policy means that a huge chunk of the money you spend on your premium is used to buy Carbon Credits used in renewable energy projects. Solar farms, wind farms, and hydroelectric stations benefit from your insurance policy, allowing them to conduct further research on their fields while minimizing their carbon footprints. So indirectly, you’re helping lessen the use of fossil fuels.

So while it’s ideal to purchase a new green car, if you can’t buy one now, might as well become an eco-warrior by getting a green car insurance policy instead. Negate your carbon dioxide emissions by getting green car insurance as soon as you can.

There are a lot of companies today, which are solely dedicated in providing vehicle owners with this type of policy. Check out local companies in your area and ask for brochures before getting your green car insurance. Go for a legit green car insurance company to ensure that you’re truly offsetting your car’s noxious emissions.

The Lincoln "C" Concept

It must have been quite the surprise to auto enthusiasts when Lincoln presented the Lincoln C Concept car. While most people are hesitant to make the shift from their gas-guzzling rides to the smaller and greener vehicles on the market, it should come as a comfort to luxury-loving folks that they won’t have to give up the comfort provided by their luxury rides–not once the Lincoln “C” Concept hits the market.

What’s so lovable about the concept car called the “C” Concept is that it helps make green cars look cooler. Sure, for green car lovers like us (hopefully you included), green cars are the cat’s pajamas, but some people tend to see green cars as slower and less-powerful (and by default, less cool) cars compared to large vehicles that guzzle down gas like there’s no tomorrow.

But then, here comes the “C” Concept to shatter these types of pre-conceived notions. What’s so surprising about the unveiling of the “C” Concept is how the automaker Lincoln has always been associated with creating large and bulky vehicles that look and feel nothing like what people expect a green car to. Sure, Lincoln had to make their concept green car more compact, but the car looks amazing! Kinda like what you would expect a high-performance and powerful sedan would look like.

"C" Savvy Interior

Of course, Lincoln seemed to have gotten its inspiration from the typical box car design, but the brand has noticeably made the car curvier. Smoother. Sleeker. In an article from Ezinearticles.com written by Matthew B. Bailey, the writer describes the Lincoln concept to look like a cross between a Lincoln Navigator, a Chrysler PT Cruiser, and a VW New Beetle. And based solely on the looks of the car, I think I’d have to agree with Mr. Bailey on that one.

As for the interior, well, let’s just say the seats are so comfortable, it makes you want to just lie back and have a few minutes of snooze time. But what really gets me going is the car’s instrument panel, that’s panoramic, mind you. It’s so futuristic, it even has an avatar (customizable, of course) that welcomes you back and tells you if you’ve got new text messages or emails.

Also, according to “The Green Luxury Car - The Lincoln C Concept” by Mr. Bailey, the car also has fingertip controls that allow you to operate GPS Navigation, MP3 Players, and a Satellite Radio. It’s every environment-friendly technophile’s dream car.

But the best part about this concept is not its good looks or technophile-friendly accessories, it’s what drives the car that makes it so irresistible.

The Lincoln "C" Concept's Futuristic Look

AutomobileMag.com included the Lincoln C Concept Car in their Detroit 2009: Five Most Significant Green Cars due to the concept’s incredible, direct-injection, EcoBoost engine. This type of engine comes with a dual-clutch transmission, stop/start technology, and a “focus on weight-savings.”

Created based on the same ideas used on the European Focus, the pint-size “C” is a truly awesome ride that retains the typical Lincoln style we see from the brand’s luxury line.

If there’s one green car that could appeal to the cool kids (regardless of age), this one has got to be it. Here’s to hoping we’ll be seeing more of the “C” sometime soon.

Let’s face it. The conscious decision of trading a fuel-powered, high-performance vehicle for a less-powerful but greener alternative is not exactly the easiest thing to do. For starters, in most parts of the world, biofuel can be pretty hard to come by. As for electric vehicles, well, keeping your car fully-charged for hours of travel can be near impossible. But going “Green” does have its benefits.

Let’s not get started on the “save the world for the children” campaign. It’s something we’re all familiar with, and it’s something that we all understand perfectly. Instead, let’s focus on the benefits that will affect YOUR life.

(1) Green Cars Save Lungs (and Lives)

Since you won’t be emitting as much carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide with your green ride, then you can expect less pollution to damage your health. While you won’t inhale enough pollutants to develop a respiratory or cardiopulmonary sickness in one day, everyday exposure to these pollutants can and will damage your lungs in the long run. By going for a green car, you minimize the pollutants released in the environment, thereby cutting everyday air pollution by the tiniest bit. If you persuade others to join you and to get green cars for themselves, you make a bigger change in helping make the environment safer for you, if not your children, or your children’s children.

(2) Lower C02-Related Taxes

In some parts of the globe (like London, we’re told), the road tax you pay the government increases or decreases based the amount of C02 your ride releases and the type of fuel your vehicle uses. Naturally, fewer emissions can help lower your road tax. Now, an article from EzineArticles.com, entitled: “The Benefits of Having a Green Car”, also mentions that you won’t have to pay any taxes if your gas emissions are way below 100g/km. Now if this rule applies to your area, then this can mean pretty sweet savings in the long run.

If you drive an electric car, then you also won’t have to pay a single dime for fuel tax. After all, your car doesn’t run on fuel, it runs on power. Fuel tax for natural gases are also a lot lower than what you’d have to pay if you were driving using diesel or petrol.

(3) Green Car Insurance Companies Usually Offer Low-Priced Insurance

Some Green Car Insurance Companies have better and cheaper offers when it comes to green car insurance. It acts as a type of incentive for people to buy more green cars.

So actually by buying a green car, you’re saving more than just the environment, you’re also saving more money. That’s why, if you don’t own a green car now, you might want to think about purchasing one in the near future.

Again: It’s not easy being green—but if you stick with it, the rewards can be incredibly fulfilling.

ECC, also known as the Electric Car Corporation Plc, has just announced its launch of a new, “all electric”, 4-seater, production car that will be made available to the public today.

This recent UK launch comes right in the heels of the announcement from the government saying how they subsidize and support the use of electric cars. The British government has also expressed their commitment in making the UK the “world leader” in creating and exporting quality electric cars. London’s own mayor, Boris Johnson, has also revealed plans of introducing 25,000 recharging points throughout the city. These recharging points should make it easier for electric car drivers to keep their rides ready for longer road trips.

The new electric car is going to be called the Citroën C1 ev’ie. It’s the first 4-seater, all-electric ride that’s designed to give its drivers (and passengers) superior comfort and performance. This car even comes complete with all the standard safety features you’ll find in your usual gas-powered car.

WhatGreenCar.com also reports that this vehicle is capable of running 60-70 miles when fully-charged, at a level speed of approximately 60mph. Not bad for an electric car, right?

To keep this car completely-charged, you can also plug it in for around 6-7 hours in a domestic 13 amp socket. That should cost you around 90p, which means you’re going to be spending less than 2p per mile.

Citroën C1 ev’ie models will be assembled in the United Kingdom from the donor car. And the company expects to produce around 500 of the C1 ev’ies in the next 12 months. Significantly rising to 2,000-4,000 units by next year depending on public demand and the government support.

“We are committed to providing greener alternatives for motorists and are delighted to be supplying ECC with C1s for this exciting project,” the Managing Director of the Citroën UK, Xavier Duchemin, said.

ECC plc Chief Executive David Martell also commented: “We believe this is the first serious alternative to a petrol or diesel car. It drives just like a petrol car and has excellent capacity for use in any town or city in the UK…The key to building a successful electric car is an efficient battery management system (BMS). ECC has developed an advanced and sophisticated system, which when coupled with regenerative breaking, can provide the driver with much greater range and better performance.”

The C1 ev’ie is said to be priced at $16,850 and can be bought directly from ECC.

Everybody knows the Smart fortwo car is one of the most promising mini cars out there. Some versions of this car have already been transformed to hybrid and electric autos, which can certainly help you save a lot of money on your gas bills. Sure you might have to deal with the glaring limitation in space, speed, and power; but this car is at the top when it comes to lessening your fuel emission and gas consumption. On the other hand, the SEMA show in Las Vegas just exhibited what may seem to be Bruce Wayne’s effort to lessen his bat mobile’s emissions and that’s through the Batsmart. It’s essentially a Smart fortwo equipped with nifty bat mobile wings, while painted in black. Yeah, it’s definitely far from being the real bat mobile, but other people will surely see the similarity once you start flaunting it.

The Batsmart is not necessarily menacing although when it comes to fuel economy, this car is second to none. The Batsmart has an astonishing 60 mpg rating for the gasoline model. For starters, that means you’ll get 60 miles out of every gallon of fuel when you drive it. Meanwhile, the diesel model is even better, because you’ll be getting as much as 83 miles by consuming only one gallon. Power wise, the Batsmart is far from its more ravenous and stronger counterpart. That’s because it can only manage 40 km/h as its maximum speed. Aside from that, there’s only room for one, which means Robin has to find another way of chasing the bad guys aside from walking and running.

On a different note, the Batsmart will be available to the public in the coming months and if you really want to feel like Bruce Wayne even for a day, getting this car is a good move.

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