GreenMuze

The Tango

This funky two seater is available from Commuter Cars and comes in three versions. The T600 costs US$108,000 but the company is working on T200 and T100 versions costing US$39,900-18,700 for 2008/2009. The T600 speeds to 60mph (96kmph) in only 4 seconds.

Once you stop you are virtually guaranteed of finding parking as four Tangos fit into a regular car parking spot or one fits into a normal motorcycle spot. It can travel 80miles (130kms) on normal lead acid batteries and over 150miles (240kms) on high-tech batteries. Full recharging takes only 3 hours from a regular power outlet. Tangos are designed to be very stable and have an extra steel safety cage for protection. More than 50 are already on order and you can reserve yours online for a US$500-10000 deposit.

George Clooney was the first buyer of a T600 (circa.2005). Referring to his movie Syriana, Clooney is widely quoted as saying: ‘If you’re doing a movie about oil consumption and corruption, you gotta walk the walk.’ Commuter Cars website reports if ‘half of the single-occupant drivers switch to electric-driven vehicles then over 3 billion barrels of oil per year worldwide will be replaced by electricity at approximately 1/6 the cost of gasoline’. Visit Tango’s website at: http://www.commutercars.com

‘NmG’ Cars

The hand-built NmG electric car’s acronym stands for ‘No More Gas’. The NmG is a single-passenger, three-wheeled vehicle with outstanding acceleration, a range of 30miles (48kms) between charges and a fuelling charge (at 11 cents per kilowatt) that costs about 55 cents. The pollution-free NmG fully recharges in 6 to 8 hours at 110V and half that time at 220V. The NmG comes in dazzling exterior colors and includes an audio system, adjustable bucket seat, accessory outlets, 6-cubic-foot trunk, power windows, and a heater.

The NmG is US Highway legal, travels at speeds above 75mph and provides practical electrical-driven eco-friendly transport for daily work commutes and errands when most drivers travel alone in their cars. Myers Motor President, Dana Myers explains, ‘research shows that 87 percent of all commutes are less than 20 miles and 93% of those commutes are with one person only in the vehicle’. No need to drag more than a ton of steel and a bunch of unused seats around with you when there is only one person in the car. The No-More-Gas Eco-friendly Car (NmG): http://www.myersmotors.com

ZENN Cars

ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) is a front-wheel drive, two-seater electrically powered conversion of a European gasoline/diesel powered Microcar. ZENN Cars have delivered more than 200 EVs to the US. The ZENN is classified as neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) and are limited by some US states to only 25 to 35mph. The ZENN has a 30 to 50mile (48km to 80km) range after a 4 to 8 hour recharge. The ZENN is reported to get more than 245mpg (USA Today, 11th December 07). The 245mpg figure is based on using one US gallon of oil to generate electricity which is then used to give seven recharge cycles on the ZENN.

ZENN Cars estimate that EVs cost about 2cents/mile versus 6cents for a gas/electric hybrid and up to 12cents for conventional gasoline cars. The ZENN costs around US$12,750 to US$17,600 with no Canadian prices yet available. In fact, you can only legally drive the Toronto-based, Canadian manufactured, ZENN Car on public roads in British Columbia due to provincial government restrictions in other provinces. Visit http://www.zenncars.com for more information.

The REVA Electric Car

The REVAi is a fun to drive all electric vehicle that is classified as a quadricycle in Europe and can be driven on city roads as a low speed urban commuter carrying two passengers. The REVAi has a full charge range of 50miles (80km) after 7 hours of charging. It is manufactured in India, with over 20 million miles (32 million kilometers) driven by their owners. A protective steel cage and damage resistant plastic outer panels with dedicated crush zones provide passenger safety. In the UK it costs £8,900 including tax (approximately C$15,000 without tax). A future REVA NXG roadster will have a range of 125miles (200kms), a top speed of 75mph (120kph) with regenerative breaking and a touch screen electronic interface with GPS, MP3 and wireless internet. Advanced battery technology and fuel cell options are also being researched. Oh, did we mention it has air conditioning and over 2000 color shades to choose from? Visit REVAi for more information: http://www.revaindia.com

TESLA Motors

How about a two seater roadster or hard-top sportscar energized from 6,831 lithium-ion cells, with a Lotus assembled body and chassis, a carbon-fiber skin, 13000rpm 185Kw electric induction motor and a 0-60mph (0-96kph) time of 4 seconds but an equivalent 135mpg (57kms/liter) fuel consumption? Backed by Elon Musk (PayPal and SpaceX fame), Google and other interested entrepreneurs, and with some high profile clients already putting down deposits for the US$98,000 electric road rocket, the TESLA looks set for success.

According to TESLA Motors, the TESLA produces one-tenth the pollution of similar high performance vehicles and claims to be twice as efficient in terms of energy used per km than a Toyota Prius. TESLA Motors plan to manufacture a five-seater luxury sports sedan followed by a US$30,000 EV for those wanting green travel with a more economical price tag. Check out their lean green sex machines at http://www.teslamotors.com

NORDIC

The Think City is a two seat EV with a 112mile (180km) range and a 62mph (100kph) top speed. Complete with anti-lock brakes, a shock impact absorbing frame and side-impact bars, the Think City complies with both American and European safety standards. Made in Norway, it is a low pollution, cheap to operate, city commuter vehicle. Check out the NORDIC Think City at http://www.think.no

Future Electric Cars

Chevrolet/GM Volt

One interesting EV of the future includes the Chevrolet Volt from GM that may be available in 2010 with lithium ion batteries and a small internal combustion engine. It promises to be an EV for short distances and then use the internal engine to re-charge the batteries, with an electric drive range of 40miles (64kms), a 60 mile (96km) journey would give the equivalent of 150mpg (64kms/liter). Perhaps the Volt will be as successful as the GM electric car EV1 in the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? and also avoid being compacted for being too successful now that corporations, both oil and vehicle, are getting on the electric-bandwagon.

Gas/Plug-in Hybrids

Expect future hybrid vehicles to have lithium ion high performance batteries increasing efficiency by 50-100% and gas-electric hybrids with plug-in recharging that will again greatly improve existing hybrid vehicle performance. The hybrid electric gas engines might be replaced by diesel or biofuel-mix internal combustion engines, or even the fuel cell will one day find its way economically into our daily use vehicles.

Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specialising in renewable energy, power grid modelling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites.