If you're looking for an eco-friendly vehicle or just doing some research on them, here are a few good examples to examine.
Smart Fortwo
If you're looking for a substitute for the Mini Cooper and the Fiat 500, then this is the car for you. The small,lightweight and compact Smart Fortwo. It's great on gas having the mileage around 33 city/41 highway mpg having an 8.7 gallon gas tank which makes it a lot of driving between fill ups. The Fortwo is also classified as a ULEV (Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle) since it has such extremely low exhaust emissions. Not only that but interestingly enough, some of its plastic color molded-in parts are fully recyclable making this one vehicle actually recyclable and environmentally friendly (top that Prius!!).
The Fortwo has three different trim levels. The Pure, the Passion, and the Passion Cabriolet. All three trim levels are powered by the same 1 liter,71 horsepower, 3 cylinder engine all equipped with a 5 speed manual automated transmission. All three trim levels come with a lot of standard equipment and including gobs of options such as power steering,metallic paint,heated seats and fog lamps. The Smart Fortwo starts at around $11,590.
Tesla Roadster
This sleek yet stylish roadster is one heck of a car you definitely won't want to miss or look over. If you look at it, it may look like another small gasoline car that tries to look stylish and be eco-friendly but it doesn't run on gasoline. It's actually powered by nothing but lithium ion batteries. The roadster is powered by a large pack that holds over 6800 batteries in which each of them are a slight bit larger than a AA battery which are called 18650 cells weighing in at 450kg. Its range is excellent since it can go over 220 miles on a full charge which is the equivalent of 256 mpg as Tesla Motors claims. The car is lightweight since it is made of strong,rigid and lightweight materials being that carbon fiber and aluminum were used making the car weigh 2,700 pounds.
The Tesla Roaster is surprisingly capable of having supercar-like performance for its kind. It can go 0-60 mph in a quick 3.9 seconds with the top speed of 125 mph (electronically limited). The Roadster has a fixed- single gear transmission, making it only a one speed but helping the car keep its light weight and zero emissions stable. The motor is a 3 phase 4 pole electric motor capable of producing 248 horsepower and 200 ft pounds of torque with a high of 13,000 rpm. Another fact about the Tesla is that it's built on the same platform and body style as the Lotus Elise and it's built in the UK at a Lotus manufacturing plant. No word on options for right now but the car is expected to be priced starting at $109,000.
Chevrolet Volt
This is a car unlike any other with all the technology that is packed into this sleek and actually stylish vehicle. The Chevrolet Volt is designed to look futuristic, prove that not all eco-friendly vehicles have to be small and contend to beat out the Toyota Prius at its own game. The concept Volt was first unveiled at the Detroit Autoshow in 2007 just to show the public what Chevrolet can really do. Since then, talk about the Volt has been spreading like wildfire all around the automotive world, further increasing the Volt's chances for being put into a production car for the public. Last month, it was confirmed by General Motors that they gave the green light on production of the Volt which will be in dealerships by 2010 or possibly late 2009. The final production version of the vehicle however hasn't been finished but it will be unvealed this month.
The Volt has been not only been exposed like crazy on the internet but Chevrolet has also shown it in their ads recently in automotive magazines and at world famous car shows. The Volt will get further exposure next summer since it will be featured in the upcoming summer blockbuster Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen.
The Volt is to replace the Aveo and the Cobalt sedans and coupes while it will be released with the new and upcoming Beat.
The Volt will be expected to go 40 miles just on a lithium-ion battery pack alone that can be charged at a standard electrical outlet,capture energy from braking and have an on-board engine that will be used to send power to the batteries for longer trips. No word yet on further specs,options or price.
