Now, it is well known that any car from the Toyota brand can save people pretty big chunks of change. For those of you who are free-loaders out there, it is time to stop cutting coupons, and listen to me. To Americans, cars are very essential to everyday life. Americans spend most of their week traveling on highways and navigating around their respective local places, so it is very important to have a car that can handle it. The 2011 Toyota Prius is that car: efficient enough to help stretch your fuel mileage and your hard-earned dollars as well.

The Toyota Prius debuted in 1997, after Toyota Executive Vice President Yoshirio Kimbara asked  his team of very innovative designers to create a car that is both environmentally friendly and has the benefits of modern cars. He wanted a car that could be the face of the Toyota in the 21st century. After only 12 years of production, and only through three generations, the Prius has already turned heads in the car industry. It has been named “Most Dependable Compact Cars” by JD Powers in both 2008 and 2009, and it has also been named the “Best Hybrid Car for Money” just recently by U.S. News and Report.

The efficient Prius can not only save you money but make it look good at the same time. With its unique styling and bevy of clever fuel-saving feature, which include a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder gasoline engine and electric motor. It also has fuel mileage of 51 mpg city, 48 highway, and 50 combined. You can ride it for 595 miles before you take a trip to the gas station for a refill.

It is time for the free-loaders to be in action,  go out and get a Prius and then make your weekly trip to taste free samples at stores across town.

The Aptera is vying in a crowded field against some very well-financed competition to become among the first automakers to roll out a completely electric car. The 2e, which was due out at the end of 2009 but pushed back into sometime in 2010, can be charged by plugging in to a standard household outlet and boasts 100 miles per charge.

While Aptera doesn’t have the financial backing to match their competitors, they do have a strikingly different product. The Aptera resembles a small aircraft more than a standard automobile. I’ll say this for the makers of the 2e: they know their target market.

The 2e is designed for the early-adapting environmentalist (EAE). There are two things that the EAE cares about: the environment and being seen caring about the environment. The 2e fills both those needs.  Aptera’s energy-efficient, gasoline-free automobile will do as much to save the planet as any other alternative hopeful out there.  But the 2e will also turn heads and gather a crowd.  There can be no mistaking this vehicle for any other car on the road.  Drivers of the 2e can comfortably know that everyone who sees them knows that they are driving something special.

For those who need to drive more than 100 miles at a time sometimes, Aptera is also developing the 2h, a hybrid that promises an astounding 300 mpg.  You can reserve either one today, if you live in California and have $500 in  your pocket.  If not, you’ll have to wait a little while longer.

The Leaf takes the same no-nonsense approach and applies it to the concept of electric cars. Allegedly able to run 100 miles between charges, the Leaf could be a viable ‘second’ or ‘city’ car and could be the catalyst that opens the market up to finally, FINALLY, getting away from dependence on oil (for how long have we been saying that?)

If you’ve never seen the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?, I recommend that you add it to your Netflix list (or if you’re some kind of 20th century throwback barbarian, you can go to your local video store).  I love a good Big Government – Big Oil conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, and WKtEC offers them up in spades.  As far as documentaries go, this is really a good one.

The gist of the film is that the technology was in place years ago, but the will was not there.  Recently, thanks to $4.00 a gallon gas, the will was there, but no auto manufacturer was ready to capitalize on it.  Now, gas is back down to a better – but – still – outrageous $2.50.

There are questions that must be answered.  Will consumers be willing to shell out what is sure to be a hefty premium to purchase an electric vehicle?  Will the first generation electric cars deliver on their promised 100 mile range?  Will there be enough demand at the initial prices and offerings to stimulate competition in the marketplace (which will, in turn, improve the products offered and lower the prices).  Only time will tell, but I get the feeling that after decades of delays and failed promises, the future is finally just around the corner.

Everyone these days knows that the color represents a better Earth or at least products that will help maintain a cleaner planet. It would seem that just about every company is jumping on the bandwagon and going “Green”.

Honda has gone beyond that.

After just recently launching a “Green” campaign with the release of their new Insight Hybrid vehicles on March 24th, they also have organized two featured concerts to giveaway their vehicle completely free to lucky, and random, participants.

Honda has been labeled the “eco-partner” of two music festivals featuring prominent bands of the time, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Green activities and events will be set-up at both events, as well as hybrid model displays, which hopefully will boost sales.

Both events, as Honda commented, have an environmentally friendly angle and large crowds, which made them a plus for their entire Green campaign.

Lollapalooza, which takes place in Grant Park, Chicago on August 7-9, will feature Snoop Dogg, the Beastie Boys, the Killers, Depeche Mode and Jane’s Addiction.

Whereas the Austin City Limits, which takes place in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 2-4, will feature Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, the Beastie Boys and Kings of Leon.

The new Insight Hybrid features a 40 mpg city rating and a 43 mpg highway rating, which is a big positive for many drivers out there as the cost of gas fluctuates. The Insight features a starting price tag of $20,470, which rightfully makes it a price target for many consumers. Honda is hoping it also will be within reach of the younger, concert-going crowd.

Tesla is fairly new in the automotive industry, as the Roadster is actually the first car they ever released. However, they do have another on the way. The Tesla Model S Hatchback is a completely revamped hatchback sedan, designed to be devoid of the same body design and materials as the Roadster. This car not only has more of a family friendly approach with specs and design but with the $49,900 base price as well. The base model will include a smaller size Lithium battery pack that rates about 160 miles per charge, but larger battery packs are available as upgrades that increase mileage to 230 or 300 miles. The Model S tops out at 130 MPH and can accelerate from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds (sport model) or 0-60 in 5.6 seconds (standard model). The downside is that Tesla will not begin widescale production on the Model S until sometime in 2011.

The Nissan Cube is no newcomer to the world of square autos, however. It has been in production for the last ten years in Japan. Nissan is now shifting gears and planning a release in the United States.

The Cube includes a 122 horsepower 1.8L 4-cylinder engine and gets around 30-40 mpg. Two types of transmission are available for the car: 6-speed manual or what Nissan refers to as “CVT” or “Continuously Variable Transmission).

Because the car is essentially a box it features over 50 cubic feet of cargo room and air space for passengers. Nissan even quotes the Cube has more room than a Mercedes S-class (One of the largest interiors in a vehicle). There are 6 standard airbags positioned all throughout the vehicle and a special VDC system (Vehicle Dynamic Control) which comes standard.

The Cube will use a regular gasoline powered engine to run the front wheels and an energy efficient power and fuel cell for the rear, meaning the car will be much more efficient than the average gas-using automotible.

There are several additional options that will be available, including a Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer, an iPod and MP3 device docking station, a unique Nissan Intelligent Key with a push button ignition system, an integrated Bluetooth/hands-free phone system, and a special rear sonar system so that drivers never back into anything.

The Cube will be released sometime in 2009. As of this date Nissan has quoted sometime in Q4.

The 2e features a complete aerodynamic design, which Aptera claims will be more efficient both on energy use and speed. The California built car will come in both complete electric and hybrid versions. Aptera states that the hybrid version will get up to 300 miles per gallon of gas, and both versions will have a top speed of 85 mph and go from 0-60 mph in under 10 seconds. A full recharge of the all electric version is slated to only take about a four hour charge while plugged into a standard electric socket (with a fully drained battery).

The body design of the 2e looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. The birth father (co-founder) of the auto, Steve Fambro, “dreamed of cruising past the masses in a vehicle that was safe enough to protect his new family, yet efficient enough to keep money in his pocket instead of feeding a gas pump”. So Fambro sought to “design a vehicle that follows nature and glides through the wind instead of pushing it.” As you can see in the photo, the car seems like it would do just that.

The Aptera 2e is technically considered a motorcycle because it includes three wheels total; two in the front and one in the rear. But the developers see it as a regular automobile much like the standard four wheel vehicles all over the roads. Aptera also claims that with all the efficient specifications, the 2e is the most efficient production vehicle in the entire world.

The Aptera originally had a set release date for sometime in 2008, but as we grow closer to the end of the year it looks more like the auto will be released sometime in early 2009. As if all this efficient talk wasn’t enough, the Type-1 is slated to cost less than $30,000.

The only drawback, however, is that it will be in the same design as the Scion XB, a squared off and boxy type body design. Nissan has stated that the car currently is being referred to as the “cube”, but the name certainly will change before release. Nissan is planning to release the electric autos in Japan and the U.S. with a market release for retail set in 2012 (As a side note I ask if they’ve ever heard of the Mayan end world prophecy. Think we still will be around long enough to see these cars actually bud into fruition?).

Masahiko Tabe, Nissan’s manager of advanced vehicle engineering commented on the new vehicles. “The first production vehicles will be for regional areas like California, and we will later expand the EV (Electric Vehicle) all over the world.” Tabe also commented on what type of vehicle consumers can expect to contain the EV technology.

“The technology will first appear in a small vehicle,” Tabe said.

The electric vehicle would be an ideal replacement for commuters. On average, a large number of drivers on the road only travel about 62 miles (100 kilometers) a day, and this means there is a very large potential for those drivers. The EV technology would cut out a large number of costs in the average consumer’s budget, although it would obviously create a more expensive power bill in the long run.

A main concern is that electric vehicles contain almost no moving parts that can malfunction and will run completely on electricity, so what will the auto industry do to make money off these vehicles? Not being biased with this comment, I’m sure they can come up with something shady enough to still make money.

According to R.L. Polk & Co., hybrid vehicle sales increased by 38 percent in 2007.  While hybrid sales account for less than 3 percent of total auto sales in the U.S., that is still a significant increase.

With more hybrid styles being offered through different manufacturers, it seems that hybrid sales should continue to rise.

I wonder if there might be a surge of Hummers at an auto auction.  Perhaps, the mammoth Ford Excursion will become a frequently seen vehicle at the weekly car auction.  I surely doubt that  many  hybrids will be available.

According to Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, the car’s sleek design is “a direct result of our breakthrough chassis which carries the battery pack at the center of the vehicle between the two axles.” He went on to say the car’s design will enable it to achieve “industry standard performance figures within this car class.” It is a true hybrid that allows a driver to go 50 miles with just an electric charge and can do 100 MPG when it is running under a gas/electric combo. It is also not short on get up and go capabilities with a 0 to 60 in 6 seconds.

Fisker is predicting 15,000 cars per year in production when they start deliveries at the end of 2009.

We hope they succeed. The car industry needs great outside the box thinking.