We Obsessively Cover the Green Scene…

During the unveiling of the Hyundai Elantra GT at the Chicago Auto Show, the message was the following: This car is lighter than its competitors, cars like the Mazda3, Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Golf, and therefore it gets decent fuel economy.

Hyundai CEO John Krafcik pointedly mentioned that a lot of vehicles these days – from Hyundai and other automakers – get 40 miles per gallon, even though the Elantra GT is rated at only 39 mpg on the highway. The big 4-0 remains an important psychological barrier that's often highlighted in advertising, so we asked Krafcik if he and the engineers are happy with 39 mpg. He said, "I'm sure they were hoping for [40], but that 39 is still best in class and that's pretty good." He added:

There's a slew of vehicles that get over 40 miles per gallon. That car (the GT) is a little bit heavier. It's got a bit more stuff on it so we had a sense that it was going to be a challenge to get to 40, but the difference between 39 and 40 is two percent, it's not a whole heck of a lot.

Krafcik's right, of course, that the one mpg difference isn't that big of a deal. Does it matter to you?

It's amazing what a little regulation can do for an industry. In the past four years, the fuel economy of new vehicles has improved by an average of 14 percent, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. This increase comes on the heels of big hikes in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, which Congress raised in 2007 for the first time in decades. Since then, CAFE has been set at 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016, and a new proposal that's pending would raise the fuel economy standard to 54.5 mpg by 2025.

The Michigan study showed that the average fuel efficiency of 2012 light-duty vehicles on the market was 21.5 mpg, up from 18.9 in 2008. Adjusted for the vehicles that are actually purchased, the number is even higher, with 2011 coming in at 22.5 mpg. Researchers say that shows that consumers are buying models with better fuel economy.

The biggest efficiency improvements over the past four years came from diesels, which jumped 9.8 mpg, likely as a result of more diesel passenger cars being offered. Hybrids, oddly enough, saw their average fuel economy drop by 3 mpg's, no doubt because of a number of larger and thirstier hybrids hitting the market, like the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

The Fiat 500 is 139 inches of A-segment fury, with a heaping dose of cute and a dash of fuel efficiency. In fact, the manual transmission-equipped cinquecento averages 33 miles per gallon in mixed driving, which is better than most things on the road.

Impressed? Toyota isn't. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Japanese automaker told dealers at the National Automobile Dealers Association meeting in Las Vegas, NV recently that the next generation Avalon will get better fuel economy than the wee Fiat.

Since the current generation Avalon is five feet longer and considerably wider than the 500, that's an impressive claim. Heck, the Avalon is bigger than the Camry, and buyers currently have to step into a Camry Hybrid model to surpass the fuel economy numbers of the pint-sized Fiat.

The sky-high fuel economy of the Avalon wasn't the only good news Toyota delivered to dealers. The automaker reportedly informed the car-selling audience that 19 new models were coming in 2012.

The all-electric Tesla Model X crossover was unveiled at a red-carpet, velvet-rope style event at the Tesla Design Studios in Hawthorne, CA tonight, with company co-founder Elon Musk confirming that the Model X will start production late next year and that full production is expected in 2013.

With luminaries such as California Gov. Jerry Brown in attendance and a post-announcement concert by Foster the People, Musk presented a CUV that, as rumored, has so-called "falcon-wing" doors that are similar to those of the old gull-wing vehicles but bend in the middle, allowing them to be opened in tight spaces while offering better access to the rear and third row of seats. Musk said the Model X, which is expected to be priced similar to the $57,500 Model S sedan set to debut this summer, can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, or 0.2 seconds quicker than a Porsche 911. The vehicle, which Musk says can seat "seven real adults," actually has front and rear electric motors that instantaneously shift power from one to the other to maximize traction, Musk said. He added that the CUV's turning radius was comparable to that of a Mini Cooper.

Musk, speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000 people, touted the Model X as having, "more room than a minivan, more style than an SUV and more performance than a sports car." Indeed, with no internal combustion engine, the vehicle has substantial rear cargo space behind the third row of seats as well as a "frunk" in front of the car (which provided the evening's only glitch with a sticky latch. See video of that after the jump). Musk said that the "frunk" has the same storage space as the rear cargo area of an Audi Q7. Musk should know, since he owns one.

Musk also said Telsa will start deliveries of the Model S sedan – upon which the X is based – "no later than July" and will start taking online reservations for the Model X at noon Pacific time Friday. Tesla is expected to produce between 10,000 and 15,000 Model X units a year starting in 2014.

Here it is, the Tesla Model X, the CUV prototype version of the Model S.

We'll have more details live from California soon, but here's what we know at the moment. The Model X can hit 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, will cost around the same as the Model S, and it has those cool "falcon" gullwing-like doors.

With the batteries housed in the same low skateboard as the S, the X has a lot of space. Since the CUV doesn't need a combustion engine, there are actually two trunks: one in front and one in the back. This means, Elon Musk said at the unveiling today, that the Model X can fit seven people and their luggage. The X will also feature all-wheel drive and come with a range of battery options, but we knew this already. The X is heavier than the S and will therefore offer around 10 percent less range from the same 40-, 60- and 85-kWh battery packs that the S uses. It's price will begin around $50k after tax credits, but will rise close to $90k with the largest battery pack and all the trimmings ordered. *UPDATE: There is no 40-kWh pack option.

Tesla will start taking reservations at noon PST February 10th (i.e., later today). Oh, and Tesla is going to offer a fourth model, to be revealed in around two years. More to come.

We're just a few hours away from the Tesla Model X reveal, and we've gotten one last teaser image to tide us over. The SUV's "falcon" doors are a bit more noticeable here than last time, and since people tweaked the photo in editing software last time, the company added a secret message to the image that we're added after the jump. We'll bring you photos and details from the reveal in a little bit, but you can also watch it online here starting at 8 p.m. PST (11 Eastern).

The Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in costs more than the Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle up front, but it's less expensive to own during the first five years of driving. So said Kelley Blue Book in its first-ever Total Cost of Ownership study.

A Volt will cost the driver $40,629 during the first five years of ownership, or almost $1,500 less than the $42,089 it will cost to own a Leaf. Kelley Blue Book calculated the costs by factoring in expected depreciation, fuel costs, financing, insurance, regulatory fees and repair costs. The Volt's lower maintenance and insurance costs will more than offset higher fuel costs and what's likely to be higher depreciation costs stemming from the Volt's pricetag, which is about $5,000 higher than the Leaf's.

As for subcompacts, Kelley Blue Book said it was almost a dead heat between the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Accent, all of which were within $400 of each other when it came to five-year costs.

The Kelley Blue Book results represent a bit of good news for General Motors and its efforts to sell the Volt, whose 2011 sales of 7,671 units was short of its 10,000-car target and about 2,000 vehicles less than the sales of the Leaf. Among other things, GM is looking to spur sales of the Volt by offering a special lease program in California in which customers can get 2011-produced Volts with no down payment, no security deposit, no first-month's payment and no cash due upon sale.

Hertz will be the first rental car company to try out a wireless recharging system for its fleet of electric-drive vehicles.

Hertz, whose fleet includes Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicles and Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-ins, will install the system at its headquarters in Park Ridge, NJ, this month. Virginia-based Evatran is the maker of the wireless recharging system.

Hertz said last June that it planned to have about 1,000 plug-in vehicles across its fleet by the end of the year. Last October, the company became the first to make Ford Transit Connect Electric utility vehicles available for rent.

Evatran is one of a handful of firms looking to benefit from what's likely to be growing demand for wireless recharging systems for EVs. Global purchases of wireless chargers, which were negligible last year, will total about $1.5 billion in 2020, green technology research firm Pike Research said in a report released in late 2010. Earlier this year, Evatran reached a distribution agreement with Sears' home-installation division to distribute and install Evatran's Plugless Power stations at homes across the U.S.

The Chevrolet Volt is on display in a big way at the Chicago Auto Show, mostly because GM wants you to try one out. To get you behind the wheel, the promotions team on site in the Windy City is offering three different Volt experiences to anyone who's interested. The three options are "performance," "safety" and "charging" and all that really means is that, when you walk from the show floor to where the cars are parked, you get a spiel targeted to whatever topic you're most interested in. Once you get downstairs, you get to drive – or ride in – a Volt on a short road course. All told, the experience takes 30 minutes.

GM is operating similar Volt public test drives at events around the country, including races and auctions like Barret-Jackson. With the car on sale for over a year and sales numbers still running a little lower than expected, we can understand this continued public outreach. The system is cyclical, too, as GM uses peoples' participation in the short test drives to attract more test drivers. Little lipstick cameras in the test Volts record reactions and the videos will be edited post haste and displayed in the booth later. GM is also showing longer Volt owner testimonials in the booth, including one from Matt Stehouwer, who started VoltFanSite.com.

Remember the Mindset E-Motion? When last we had news of this Murat Günak creation, the folks behind it (Spirt Avert AG, now known as Mindset Holding AG) were seeking 152 million development dollars at a time when many of the world's major economies were sitting on their posteriors, looking up at the cliff from which they'd fallen. Well, the effort survived that turmoil and recently re-emerged boasting a battery tech that claims an energy density that's twice that used in other electric vehicles.

Developed by inventor Jörg Hempel and commercialized under the name H-Tech, the technology uses conventional lithium ion cells that have been pre-conditioned and charged using a newly developed method. The 52-kWh pack currently being tested in the Mindset prototype is said to weigh only 200 kg (440.9 lbs) while extending the vehicle's range by 75 percent. By way of comparison, the pack in the Tesla Roadster is 56 kWhs and weighs 441.9 kg (990 lbs). As you can see, that's an extraordinary improvement.

As Carl Sagan was wont to say, however, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" and so it's in this spirit we await more news of the company's testing, as well as independent verification. So far, the pack has undergone an assessment on the road, but will be evaluated further in the lab for "consistency over multiple charge/discharge cycles."

According to the company's website, production of all-electric and range-extended versions had been planned for early 2012. That timeline appears somewhat optimistic in light of the Mindset's current stage of development and the fact that Xenatech, its strategic manufacturing partner, recently declared bankruptcy. Hit the jump to read the official press release for yourself.

On February 6, Penn Jillette – also known as "more than 1/2 (by weight) of Penn & Teller," the comedy duo, got himself a Nissan Leaf. He announced to the world, "Here I am with the first Nissan leaf in all of Vegas. It is mine! I'm all hydro electric." Since then, he's been tweeting up a storm about the all-electric car. The main message? He loves it but don't you dare call him a greenie.

For example, the prolific Tweeter, who usually replies to any of his 1.7 million followers who contact him, Tweeted: "Can't answer everyone right now, but I'm liking the Leaf. It's charging in my garage right now. I love being an early adopter. Thanks." He also said, "I'm not fooling myself I'm saving the earth, I'm just an early adopter." This idea gets repeated many times over the course of a few days, and he admits "yeah, we did a Bullsh*t on that, there's no free energy and electric is no better."

Bullsh*t is the name of Penn & Teller's TV show. The duo performs a regular show in Las Vegas, and Jillette said, "I will plug it in at the Rio outside the Penn & Teller Theater and charge it there." So, if you're in Sin City and you see a white Leaf cruising the streets, give Penn a wave. He might just Tweet about it.

The Science Committee in the House of Representatives has a approved a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the use of gasoline with a higher ethanol content without additional study.

According to The Detroit News, the bill was sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin and passed 19-7 along party lines after numerous groups spoke out against E15. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Petroleum Institute, the Friends of the Earth, the Milk Producers Council, the American Bakers Association and the National Turkey Federation all pushed for further E15 study.

Last year, the government estimated more domestic corn was used for ethanol than to feed farm animals, and opponents of ethanol argue E15 would only lead to steeper food prices across the country.

Congress just recently ended a 30-year tax subsidy on corn-based ethanol and put a stop to tariffs on the fuel imported from Brazil. The subsidy alone reportedly cost taxpayers $6 billion annually. All told, Congress has awarded the ethanol industry $45 billion in subsidies since 1980.

We've all heard the doom and gloom about the failure of plug-in cars, right? It is true that plug-in vehicles will account for substantially less than one percent of new cars sold in the U.S. this year, but that doesn't mean electric-drive vehicle advocates should fret. Not when you look at a bigger picture.

That's what speakers from companies such as Ford, Dow Kokam and Gartner were saying last week at the Automotive Megatrends USA 2012 conference in Dearborn, MI, according to MLive.com, a website about news in Michigan. The condensed gist: since EVs represent an entirely new vehicle technology – at least for the mainstream – how they are accepted by the masses needs to be viewed as a process that could take decades, just as other revolutionary technologies like the personal computer and home electricity did.

Last year, about one in every 700 new cars were electric-drive vehicles like the Nissan Leaf battery electric or the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in. Those two models combined to sell more than 17,000 vehicles. This year, automakers are hoping that the ratio of new EVs to total vehicles may fall to one in 135, though the number's more likely to be closer to about one in 300, MLive.com reported, citing Thilo Koslowski, vice president and lead automotive analyst at Gartner. Meanwhile, Ford has estimated that as much as 25 percent of its global fleet will be either hybrid-electric or plug-in, compared to about one percent last year.

Projections of plug-in vehicle sales vary. Last year, Michigan's Center for Automotive Research estimated that U.S. electric-drive vehicle sales will hit about 140,000 units in 2014. Colorado-based green-technology research firm Pike Research was more optimistic, saying Americans would buy about 300,000 plug-in vehicles in 2015.

Mild-Mannered Fun At 45 mpg



The world doesn't need another automaker claiming to have cracked the code for a fun-to-drive hybrid. The concept hasn't worked particularly well in any application. Just ask Lexus. And Honda. Twice.

Granted, we don't know how Volkswagen plans to pitch the 2013 Jetta Hybrid when it goes on sale this fall. We didn't get a two-hour long marketing presentation and associated PowerPoint. Instead, we snagged the keys while an executive-level engineer droned on about next-gen modular EGR systems and EU4-compliant oxidation catalytic converters.

We needed an escape and the Jetta Hybrid was it.

So maybe it was the sub-zero temps outside the VW pavilion in Wolfsburg, Germany or the chance to do something – anything – to combat the effects of three hours of sleep in 36 hours. But what we found during our all-too-brief drive of the Jetta Hybrid wasn't a cynical engineering-meets-marketing stop-gap, but instead the first compelling alternative to the Toyota Prius.