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Well I think the age of alternative energy fueled cars is really starting to take shape. We now have major league coverage of announcement touting the Greenest Cars of the year. Imagine that. Just a few short years ago there were no such things as alternative energy cars. Or only in the labs of universities or companies at least. Now it is becoming normal to sell a hybrid in amongst the rest of the gasoline fueled cars made by the major carmakers around the world. Now they are beating the bush to innovate.

Much has been said about hydrogen fuel cells powering our cars and trucks. That is something great for down the road but for now we have to stay the path of things that are possible and proven and as such that means hybrid cars that involve battery technology and conventional gas powered engines as well as bio diesel cars and trucks. Did you know that converting just the truck and bus fleets of major cities around the world to bio diesel could have a major impact on the amount of particulate matter in the air and thus a major boon to increasing healthy breathing in many cities where currently millions suffer from air borne particulate induced health issues.

Maybe even a few true electric cars as well even though the carmakers essentially killed them off a few years ago. Now I feel that market forces may bring some of them back to the consumer choice on auto lot.

So what did they vote as they Greenest Car of the year for 2006? Well not much surprise here, as the Toyota Camry was voted as the greenest car of the year. It features a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric drive motor for a total output of 192 horsepower. With EPA estimated fuel economy of 40 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, the hybrid Camry variant offers a marked improvement over the standard four-cylinder Camry's 24/34 mpg and offers a reasonable price of just over $26,000.

"The Camry not only protects the planet, it protects consumers' pocketbooks," says Jason Mark, vehicles director for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It's one of the most cost-effective hybrids on the market."

Here is the rundown of cars that were finalists this year: The natural gas Honda Civic GX Lexus GS 450h Hybrid Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Alternative Energy HQ will have to start its own list of best green technologies of the year. Maybe it won’t have tinges of corporate sponsorship attached. We like our independence. Keep your eyes out for that.

Oh by the way our new book covering the Wild West days of Alternative Energy Technology is coming along smashingly. We are so proud to be close to releasing it to the public in about four weeks. Stay tuned for that announcement.

By the way what are you driving?

Energy Tags: hydrogen fuel cells, bio diesel

Whether it's a concern for the environment or the increasing cost of fuel, more and more people are seeing the hybrid vehicle as a viable option. Hybrid cars are appealing because they pair a gasoline engine with one or more electric motors to achieve higher fuel efficiency and extremely low emissions.

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Is it time to buy a new car? You may want to consider a purchase that will address your future needs of our environment as well as your personal economy. Instead of the gas guzzling cars of the past, you may want to consider a fuel saving car of the future. Of course I mean a Hybrid car.

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What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a Hybrid Car?

The days of 50 cent gas prices have vanished along with sock hops and soda shops. Now days gas is closer to $2.50 a gallon and kids go to raves. What can be done? Are we destined to spend more on gas for a week than we do on groceries? Enter the hybrid car. Every year, more hybrid cars hit the market, and for good reason, consumers today are beginning to demand more fuel efficiency from their cars. If you are interested in purchasing a hybrid car, you are not alone, but you may not know what to look for while car shopping. The following tips will help you plan what you want in a car and how to find it on a lot.

Hybrid car dealers also have their own language, you should know how to speak 'hybrid' before you decide to go shopping for one of these vehicles. You will need to know that these cars are, on average, have a 90 percent lower emission rate than traditional cars and are therefore known as Ultra Low-Emission vehicles.

Research is so important when contemplating the purchase of a [tag-ice}hybrid car[/tag-ice]. Thankfully, most people have access to the internet and therefore have access to information such as manufacturers websites. These websites may be some of the most valuable information that you will find. They will contain information that will lead you to repair shops, vehicle maintenance requirements and other such information that is specific to hybrid cars.

However, if needed, the engines will run simultaneously as well. This will happen if more power is needed than either the electric or combustion engine alone can produce. An example of this type of situation would be accelerating on an expressway.

Before you decide to tackle the hybrid car market, there are some general points of knowledge that you need to be aware of. For example, this type of car is often referred to as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle or HEV. It will have two engines as opposed to a traditional vehicle, which has one. The engines that are found in an HEV are combustion and electric, having the two engines allows the car to switch from one engine to the other when power begins to run low.

by Peter Wallander

Visit http://find-hybrid-cars.info or http://hybrid-cars-central.info to learn more about all hybrid cars.

Energy Tags: Hybrid Car

It hasn't been a happy new year for most this year, the celebrations have been overshadowed by incredible rises in energy prices. Increases of 15% in some cases have left many bill payers wondering why and how they are having to pay for gas and electricity.

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