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According to some venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, America’s quick-paced advances towards more efficient energy production and conservation may mean that, by 2020, the US will be faced with a huge energy SURPLUS.

Is there any reason to believe they might be right? More, after the jump.

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For the past few years, we’ve gotten a lot of promises from major car manufacturers and electric vehicle startups alike. Tesla Motors and Fisker are perhaps the best known new car startups, and while the former has been delivering electric roadsters for two years now, the latter has yet to put a journalist behind the wheel of its much ballyhooed Karma plug-in hybrid sedan.

While we haven’t seen anything of substance from Fisker yet, they have just released a sexy new commercial that definitely has the production qualities of a major manufacturer. Read on to see the video and watch as Fisker brings sexy back to electric vehicles.

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I absolutely love trucks. I used to sit in the back seat of my mom’s Ford Escort and marvel up at all the trucks like the ones my dad drove. Hell, my pop drove the same ‘88 F-150 for almost 20 years. I am older and wiser now, and I know all the drawbacks to driving a big pickup, but I still love them. I just wish someone would come out with a small, affordable diesel pickup…

Oh wait, somebody has. It is an Indian company called Mahindra, and they have been working on bringing their aptly-named Pickup to the U.S. for some time now. The vehicle has finally won EPA approval for sale in the U.S., bringing it one step closer to actually making it to dealerships.

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Remember Steve Urkel? How could you forget Mr. “Did I do that?” from the show Family Matters. He was the ultimate nerd, wearing suspenders, thick glasses, and full of useless knowledge. He was also the proud owner of a BMW Isetta, a popular mircocar that had just one door, on the front of the vehicle. It was an awkward car for an awkward individual, but I never did forget about the Isetta (or Urkel for that matter).

The Isetta has been out of production for decades (though there is a cult following of kit cars). These days though, the Isetta might make a big comeback in a small way, what with the focus on fuel efficiency. A Dutch designer has drawn an Isetta for the 21st century… and it looks a lot better than the original.

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Canadian engineering firm Motive has announced that its new Kestrel will feature lightweight composite body panels made primarily of hemp.

So, forget bio-fuels for now – this post is all about Motive’s innovative use of bio-composites to deliver strong, lightweight, recyclable cars and put the Canadian auto industry at the leading edge of sustainable automotive technology.

Check out Motive’s official press release, information video, and my two cents, after the jump.

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With plans to converge on this year’s UN climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, 3 teams set out from Switzerland, Phileas Fogg-style, on an 80-day electric vehicle adventure aboard a trio of advanced EVs… all of which are available right now.

More on the teams and vehicles, after the jump.

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It is human nature to attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. If you think about it, you can probably put a “face” on just about any car and truck currently on the market… which leads me to Renault’s Paris Show concept, the DeZir electric sportscar shown, above, and I think we can draw an obvious conclusion: this car is angry.

If the Renault DeZir were to suddenly have the breath of Pixar-style life breathed into it, the slippery French coupe would indeed have plenty to be angry about. More, after the jump.

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In an earlier post, I talked about how driving cars can lead you to being overweight, and that all that extra weight costs us quite a bit in extra fuel use and costs. It is hard to argue the point considering that America has both extensive weight and traffic problems. That left me wondering though; is public transportation healthier for you?

According to a study from the American Public Transportation Association, people who live in areas with extensive public transit live longer, healthier lives. They wouldn’t be unbiased, would they?

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I’ve been lucky enough to meet and talk to a lot of the major aftermarket car parts makers in this country. By aftermarket, I mean parts that come from manufacturers other than major car companies. These men and women are responsible for making all sorts of different body kits, performance parts, and other devices generally used to make cars go faster, rather than improve fuel efficiency.

There is a shift in the aftermarket though these days, as many manufacturer start to consider fuel economy concerns. Federal-Mogul, a popular maker of engine pistons and other internal engine parts, recently announced that it will begin selling a new two-piece piston ring. According to them, this piston ring can cut both oil use and emissions drastically.

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When Lotus announced the 414E Hybrid version of the Evora sportscar this past February, the motoring world stood in awe. The car had innovative clean-burn technology built into its range-extending ICE/hybrid powertrain, 200 hp electric motors in each of the rear wheels, advanced torque-vectoring traction control, and arresting good looks that tastefully played up the cars electric pedigree.

A production model was announced.

Earlier this week, a leaked email from Lotus’ marketing staff revealed 2 new Evora models that would be announced at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The 414E Hybrid Evora was not one of them.

Should we be worried that Lotus’ hybrid tech will go the way of Chrysler’s Lotus-based ENVI cars, or is Lotus just playing coy? More about what Lotus will (and won’t) be showing off to the Parisians this fall, after the jump.

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In the months since its debut at the Geneva Auto Show one thing has become clear: the Porsche 918 Spyder is perhaps the most jaw-dropping, beautiful and salivatingly-green piece of automotive artwork to ever grace the face of the earth. It represents a sliver of hope to even the most environmentally-hardened among us that the joy and thrill of driving will still be alive even after we run out of oil.

With a 0-60 time of around 3 seconds, a lithium-ion battery that can take the car 16 miles on battery power alone, a maximum fuel efficiency of about 78 mpg, and a combined 718 horsepower, this plug-in hybrid supercar seems to have it all. Thankfully, last month the Porsche board greenlighted the production of the 918 after receiving interest from more than 2,000 potential customers—even to the tune of a greater than $400,000 sticker price.

And now, in a video produced and released by Porsche, Michael Mauer, the company’s design chief, takes us on the 918’s first in-the-wild drive prior to the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Montery, California.
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Struggling Japanese Automaker Suzuki hopes it will fare better in India than it has in the US. To help make sure it does, Suzuki introduced Indian press to a full line-up of clean-burning CNG vehicles earlier this week.

Read more about Suzuki’s new CNG cars, after the jump.

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When the 1908 Ford Model T model debuted, it tipped the scales at around 1,450 pounds. That ain’t much, considering that there are only a handful of cars on the market that weigh 2,500 pounds or less. Cars have gotten heavier over the following century as a result of bigger engines, safety features, and changes in customer tastes. It’s a shame cars didn’t go in the other direction. The benefits of light cars are tremendous to both performance and fuel economy.

The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Studio is asking the major automakers to come up with a four-person car that weighs less than 1,000 pounds, without sacrificing looks, comfort, or driving performance. Sounds like a tall order.

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Full disclosure: I’ve spent the last 18 months working closely with Tym Switzer and his crew at Switzer Performance in a PR capacity. The car was announced in June—and now, the car is ready… and I’ve been asked to tell you about it.

Am I biased? Yes. Is there a conflict of interest here? Probably. Does it matter? Not a bit: with over 900 hp on tap, even the most jaded alt-fuel cynic would walk away from a ride in Switzer’s e900 GTR with wobbly knees and an empty bladder.

Pictures, videos, and you-have-GOT-to-be-kidding-me dyno graph, after the jump.

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Ever marvel at how many millions of miles of roads there are in America? After my recent cross country adventure, I can say I am honestly in awe at how much of our country has been paved over. There seems to be no place left in America where paved roads don’t lead, which is great for travelers, and not so great for nature.

Due to the economic crunch though, some counties in America are actually unpaving their roads, and turning them back to gravel. Is it a sign of harsh economic times, or is America overpaved to begin with?

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I have always struggled with my weight, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Despite my best efforts, and being on pretty much any sports team that would have me, I’ve always been a big boy. Doesn’t bother me in the least, because for once in my life, I am in the majority. Most Americans are overweight. It’s a fact, and it is directly related to many health problems in our country.

Turns out it may also be costing us extra money as the gas pump. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released a study that says all that extra weight Americans like me have packed on have directly effected fuel efficiency.

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Remember way back in December last year, when the rumors were swirling that the next generation of Nissan’s sports rocket, the GT-R, would be getting a hybrid drivetrain? Since then we’ve gotten subsequent confirmation that, indeed, Nissan was thinking about putting some kind of electric drivetrain into the GT-R—be it hybrid or fully electric.

And with the upcoming launch of the new Infiniti M35 hybrid at the LA Auto Show later this year, it seems that all the clues are falling into place—could the M35’s hybrid system be a portent of what’s to come for the GT-R?

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Although you might think a car like the Mini would be perfectly suited to getting incredible fuel economy from a hybrid system—especially one that combined an already efficient diesel engine with electric assist—according to Mini, you’d be wrong.

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It seems like there is a new electric or alt-fuel sportscar coming out of Europe every week, each more exotic and exciting than the last. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these cars turn out to be vaporware.

That sketch above? That’s the Izaro GTe—a slinky electric GT envisioned by a bunch hot-blooded Spaniards. But the Izaro is different from the vaporware pretenders in one key area: it’s real.

Find out more, after the jump.

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Although it will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next month, Kia released a scant few details about its electric Pop concept car today, along with some pictures.

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