Water is indeed inspirational and one trip to the beach will surely inspire you to follow the waves. While Mazda have tried to emulate the wind and sand in car designs earlier, their attempt at giving solid shape to water seems to have come off much better. The Kiyora Concept of Mazda is a futuristic car that is inspired by water and one look at the car clears any further doubts on that. The ?flowing? design of the car along with the pattern on the glass are mesmerizing, to say the least.

Kiyora?s aerodynamic Nagare design and next-generation four-cylinder direct-injection engine contribute to excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. The new Mazda Kiyora concept car is based on an all-new platform designed to minimize weight and maximize safety and driving pleasure. It also features an interior design and new functions that support a youthful lifestyle. It seems that this clean car from Mazda with better efficiency and cleaner exhaust will really steal the show when the Paris Motor Show Kicks off. Let’s wait and watch!

Via: Tuvie

With soaring crude oil prices it seems that more and more people are inevitably turning towards alternate fuel. This is more or less an expected phenomenon and the green products industry is cashing in on the trend big time. More gadgets and chargers are coming out each day which either use solar power or wind energy. With automobile industry embracing changes both rapidly and effectively, we are hopefully heading towards clean and emission-free roads.

Following that trend is the new Solar Battery Charger from Coleman. The Coleman Solar Battery Charger rests on the dashboard or any part of the car where it can harness solar energy and trickle charge into the battery. Just leave it where there’s visible light and let it do the trick on your hibernating vehicle. The Coleman Solar Battery Charger is currently priced at $29.95.

The best part of this is that you can just park your car and by the time you are ready to go back home from work, you have completely replenished battery! This truly is a wonderful little gadget that should get popular pretty fast.

Via Goodcleantech

With the kind of troubles Tata is having in its own country, right now relocating to Norway completely seems a better option for Tata! Not that they are going to do it, but the way much famed Nano is struggling to get past the political hurdles, it is wise indeed of Tata to try and expand its international market with a new green car. Tata intends to soon sell an ‘all-electric’ car exclusively in Norway and the car is rumored to be based on the design of the Indica V2, which is already in use and powered by fossil fuel.

Tata previously announced that they were looking for ways to electrify the Nano. And concurrent with the Indica announcement, they also brought forward plans to create another electric car, the Ace, but details were scant. The Indica is being developed by Tata and a Norwegian firm. The car will be sold solely in Norway first, but Tata has plans to sell it in India as well at some point of time.

The car though will have the already pretty common Lithium-Ion technology at its heart and promises close to a range of 200km and an 8 hour charge period. While this might not really shatter any existing electric car records, it is nice to see a clean new car for the tranquil environment of Norway. At the end of the day, every ounce of Carbon emissions saved is a boon to an ailing planet!

Via Fashionfunky / Cleantech

There is one thing about DIY and it is that they are pretty appealing when you look at the final product but are most often a lot more messy when you actually get down to do them. While we have come across many DIY projects and there are many car kits out there which actually give your chrome most likely a new chrome look, few compare to this one. This DIY car called XR3 Hybrid Vehicle is a two-passenger car that looks rather like a futuristic sports car.

The car is not just been build out of the blue but it has been a project and a commercial venture that was slated to hit the market almost a year back. This DIY car called XR3 Hybrid Vehicle is a two-passenger car that looks rather like a futuristic sports car. The futuristic XR3 Hybrid Vehicle though comes to you at a very heavy price of $ 28,000 and that is if you already have an existing car that is fit for getting redone!

The car though is propelled by an electric engine and is green with zero-emissions. The designer claims that the car is especially efficient, delivering a performance of 25 miles per gallon, because it’s lightweight at just 700kg, when not in the electric mode. The XR3 uses a lithium-ion battery pack that takes merely 1.5 hours for an 80 percent recharge. While there are many concept cars around that look cool this one is actually something that will hit the road on a pretty large commercial scale very soon and that makes it unique. Hopefully the XR3 will have takers.

Via Goodcleantech

Smart is one company that is relatively new in the world of automobiles and is only now celebrating its 10th anniversary. Now that is a very young age for a car making company and it is almost akin to an infant still in his first year. Then how is that Smart is this awesome and fancy with its work and so confident about its market? For those still wondering, Smart is a joint venture of Swatch and Mercedes. That is quite simply a phenomenal combination, which ensures that there is neither in shortage of funds or skill or even technical support.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary Swatch has released a Limited Edition car that it quite aptly calls the Smart Edi10n and the car is a perfect urban commuter in every sense of the world. Style and automobile finesse aside, Smart is a diesel-powered vehicle for two. Before you even shout about how it still spills out fumes and is not good for the planet, just remember that it only holds two people. This saves on space, energy while engineering the car and putting it together, parking space, fuel consumption and costs.

With most urban commuters using cars either all on there own or just for a couple, it is time every carmaker starting making this ’smart’ choice. While it might not be appealing for all, it does its job to perfection and saves the roads from plenty of messy jams and fumes. The rest of the car is simple impeccable with world-class interiors, top-notch styling and great design. It comes with the 0.8-cdi engines or the 1.0-liter 84hp gasoline engine and is priced at €16,850 - €19,790. That is no surprise at all either.



Via Leblogauto

Toyota Prius is one of those Plug-In cars that has been eagerly awaited since a long time and while one is still waiting for the big electric vehicle that will apparently change the existing market ways and set a whole new standard, the wait is just cut short by one year. This is absolutely great news for all auto enthusiasts who were waiting for the Prius Electric with great anxiety. The important thing is not so much the fact that it will be out in 2009 but the fact that the stuff under the hood will also roll out a year in advance. This means a giant step forward for the Lithium-Ion Batteries which will be the heart of this beauty.

Toyota’s plug-in capable Prius is getting a big boost for testing, hitting the open road a year ahead of schedule. Several hundred of the PHEVs will be put into government and commercial fleets for field testing by the early 2009. So in just a few more months, we might be able to catch one of the new models out and about. While the plug-in car indeed might hit the roads very soon, one might still have to wait a bit longer before jumping up and down on that prospect.

It is one thing to claim right now that the car would be ready but if the Li-Ion battery technology is not found up to mark by the time then Toyota will rather push the date back instead of taking a risk on the performance aspect. But surely Toyota will do their all to meet the new deadline and let the Prius roar with green energy by the next year.

Via Autobloggreen / Toyota

Germany is a country that has vividly stamped a class of its own in the international arena with what the world considers as the unending quest for perfection. Germans are known to be hard taskmasters who strive for that final millisecond and that last millimeter of perfect design, form and function. It is something that comes up with German athletes, German technology and of course the ever green German beer. From that perfect lap of magic by Michael Schumacher to the precision of the Mercedes- it is all about power with grace and accuracy.

But Germany has been a land that has been changing away from the technology to the green technology which saves both on oil and emissions. The home of the Mercedes, BMW (even though British) and Volkswagen is moving from oil-guzzling technology to windmills, green gadgets and electric vehicles. Germany is already the single largest producer and market for Solar Energy in the world.

To add to that Germany has recently taken to wind energy and now 7% of the country’s total power is produced by windmills and driven by those gusty flutters of the blade. It seems that the Germans are driven to even eek out perfection out of the renewable energy sources and that once again is a welcome sight.

Via Eco-Chick

It seems that the automobile industry is really riding the wave of green change with glee as it is making the best possible effort to keep up with the changing world. The fact the crude oil prices are shooting up at the rate of knots and pollution levels are growing alarmingly combine to make sure that the world of vehicles and transportation has virtually no other option but to switch to green. It is the turn of Boston and its Taxi system to head in that direction by completely going hybrid.

The mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, made a major step forward for urban transportation by proposing that all off the city’s taxis be replaced with hybrids by 2015. The progressive measure will significantly cut the city’s carbon emissions, and officials expect that within two years, 50% of the city’s 5,500 cabs will have been replaced with ones with hybrid engines that work like a charm.

While the beautiful city of San Francisco and ever active New York are already on that path and will get there by 2012, Boston is running behind as a close second for now. The move will also modernize the outdated Taxi System of the city giving a whole new look. Hopefully more US cities will jump on the green bandwagon and set similar targets for themselves.

Via Inhabitat

Nissan Mori is both a unique and an inspirational green concept that is more of a concept than a ‘Nissan’. While Nissan themselves have nothing two with making an electric bike that looks like it has fallen in to the real world from Looney Toon Land, it is what an imaginative designer feels Nissan must be making. (Now, you can see why the big boys do not let anyone and everyone design their stuff). A designer by the name of Shane Crozier has gone ahead and imagined what a scooter by Nissan that was inspired by a chest of drawers would look like.

Nissan Mori is a product of that inspiration and irrespective of what anyone think, we feel that it is really cool in a cute sorts of way. The Mori is all about eco-commuting in a big modern city and it serves its purpose pretty well. But it looks more suited for transportation in malls or in airports. While super-sleek city road might not need a mud guard, this still could do with one. Yet what attracts you is the green concept of an electric powered simple scooter that occupies very little space.

While it is unlikely that Nissan will turn to younger audience who intend to travel across the city in a cool new way with something like Mori, it is a fairly interesting idea that might yield something substantial in future in terms of green commuting.

Via Autobloggreen

It is almost always assumed that everything green is always priced at the high-end of the shopping cart and in most cases it is indeed true. One of the major hindrances to green technology is that it just is not always economically feasible in a large scale. But with more money and time going into the research of green products and eco-friendly gadgets, it only is going to get better with the prices. Most of the green cars and vehicles are generally far more expensive than their fuel-guzzling and Carbon fuming cousins. But with Ibiza of SEAT the convention is all set to change.

The new vehicle has been dubbed the ‘Ibiza Ecomotive’ and comes in either a 5 door hatchback or a 3 door Sport Coupe. Powering both the 5 and 3 doors versions is Volkswagen’s 1.4 liter 3-cylinder TDI turbo diesel engine which makes 80 horsepower at the wheels.

The new Ecomotive features a very low CO2 emissions figure while also providing very low consumption. Though the Spanish car makers have not yet released any official fuel mileage figures, it seems that the vehicle is pretty green compared to others in the same category.

The aerodynamic simplicity of the car along with its light body work makes it further reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. So how good a buy is the car in pure economic sense? At $ 19, 120 the Ibiza is an excellent buy to say the least.

Via Inventorspot