Toyota just unveiled the new ME.WE electric concept, which is a pick-up, convertible, off-roader and small city car in one. Toyota says that the ME.WE is simpler, more appropriate and more realistic than many of today’s cars that are about “passion and status.”

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Post tags: electric motor, electric vehicle, green city car, green convertible, green pickup, in-wheel electric motor, Toyota, toyota electric vehicle, Toyota green car, Toyota i-ROAD concept, Toyota ME.WE concept

Nissan just unveiled its new Terra Concept – a fuel cell-powered SUV that will have its world debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show on September 27th. The Terra SUV concept is described as a zero emissions, zero limits SUV that takes sustainability off-road with its all-wheel-drive hydrogen-electric powertrain.

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Post tags: 2012 Paris Motor Show, electric SUV, fuel cell vehicle, green SUV, green transportation, NISSAN, Nissan electric vehicle, Nissan fuel cell vehicle, Nissan Leaf, Nissan Terra Concept

Read the rest of Nissan’s Newly Unveiled Self-Parking Pivo3 EV Could Soon Be Put Into Production

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Post tags: alternative transportation, automatic valet parking, electric car, electric vehicle, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, in-wheel motors, Nissan Pivo3, Pivo, Pivo3 EV, smartphone controlled car, Tokyo auto show

There are an increasing number of electric vehicles being designed for tight urban areas, but this one is unique. Juha-Pekka Rautio’s Citroen CCrab concept has independently turning wheels that allow it to sidle out of a traffic jam or parking space sideways just like the small Cuba Crab. Rautio designed the three-seater CCrab as part of a program run by Citroen in which designers worked closely with the automaker to create a new design language for electric vehicles, receive feedback on their designs and even have prototypes wind tunnel tested.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, CCrab, Citroen CCrab Concept, concept car, electric car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, in-wheel motors, Juha-Pekka Rautio, urban vehicle

Read the rest of City Cars Reign Supreme at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

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Post tags: alternative transportation, Audi A2, Audi Urban Concept, Audi Urban Concept Spyder, BMW e-scooter, bmw i8, city car, city car concept, concept car, electric car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green cars, green transportation, green vehicle, hybrid vehicle, in-wheel motors, laser headlights, laser tail lights, Opel One Euro Car, open-wheel concept, smart forvision, Volkswagen NILS

Here is one more car to add to the growing list of futuristic electric city cars going into production. The Volkswagen NILS EV Concept will debut alongside its Audi Urban Concept cousin at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week and is designed to please the German commuter, who needs a range of 40 miles, moderate power, and apparently only the tiniest of trunks.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, city car, concept car, electric car, electric vehicle, Frankfurt Motor Show, green automotive design, green transportation, lithium ion, Volkswagen NILS Concept

Audi will soon be revealing a super futuristic concept car with a staggered 1 + 1 seating arrangement, entry through the rear tailgate, a body composed of ultra-lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, a sliding canopy roof, and propulsion from a pair of in-wheel electric “e-tron” motors backed up by a lithium ion battery. We can’t wait to see the real deal at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, but for now we’re happy to ogle these renderings of the one-of-a-kind Urban Concept car which were just released.

Read the rest of Audi Offers a Sneak Peek of Its Futuristic Electric Urban Concept Car Before Frankfurt Motor Show

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Post tags: 1 + 1 concept car, alternative transportation, Audi concept car, Audi Urban Concept, concept car, electric concept car, Frankfurt Motor Show, green automotive design, green transportation, urban concept car

The Tesla E-Max bike by Madella Simone is not just a pretty electric face. This motorcycle is covered in piezoelectric material that converts compression strength to power. And that’s not all. A second layer of Halite fabric also converts the heat of a human body sitting on the bike into extra electricity.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, concept bike, concept vehicle, electric motorcycle, green automotive design, green transportation, Halite fabric, in-wheel motors, Madella Simone, piezoelectric, Tesla E-Max Bike

Pipistrel just rolled out the world’s most powerful electric aircraft — and it’s the first to seat four people. The Taurus G4 required two years of preparation and development, but took just four months to build. Its uniquely aerodynamic design connects two Taurus G2 lightweight gliders with a 15 ft. wide electric engine.

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Post tags: 2011 CAFE/NASA challenge, aircraft, airplane, brushless electric motor, CAFE challenge, CAFE cruiser, Climate Change, CO2, eco design, eco habitat, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, electric airplane, electric vehicle, emissions, Environment, environmental design, ev, EV aircraft, EV concept, green design, green infrastructure, green living, green technology, green transportation, infrastructure, pipistrel, Slovenia, sustainable design, sustainable living, Taurus G2, Taurus G4

Many electric concept cars feature in-wheel electric motors to move them down the road, but only recently have they truly proven themselves as the greenest way to move future hybrid vehicles. A Vauxhall Vivaro diesel hybrid equipped with Protean’s electric in-wheel motors recently showed a 300 percent fuel economy improvement in hybrid mode, showing that there really is something to these bad boys.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, fuel efficiency standards, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid efficiency 300 percent, hybrid vehicle, in-wheel motor hybrid, Protean in-wheel motor, Protean Vauxhall Vivaro

Read the rest of Star Wars-Inspired Honda Chopper Concept is a Stormtrooper’s Dream

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Post tags: alternative transportation, electric motorcycle, green automotive design, green transportation, Honda Chopper Concept, Honda concept bike, Honda electric motorcycle, Peter Norris

Think hybrid vehicles have only been around a couple of decades? The Porsche Semper Vivus, developed over a century ago in the year 1900 proves otherwise. A beautifully crafted copy of the original Semper Vivus hybrid drove into the New York Auto Show last week and parked next to the new 2012 Panamera S Hybrid. Hit the jump to see a video of it in action!

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid car, hybrid vehicle, new york auto show, Porsche Semper Vivus, Semper Vivus hybrid

This three-wheeled beauty is the brainchild of Serbian industrial designer and professor Marko Lukovic, who was honored for his “Supersonic” concept car in the Michelin Challenge Design competition along with several other futuristic concepts. Designed to resemble a supersonic aircraft, the electric car would run on small lithium-ion batteries and be powered by in-wheel motors at both of the back wheels.

Read the rest of Supersonic: Removable Battery-Powered EV Concept Car Honored in Michelin Challenge

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green automotive design, green transportation, Marko Lukovic, Michelin Challenge Design, Supersonic concept car

Protean Electric came to the 2011 SAE World Congress ready to prove that its in-wheel electric motors could power more than a mini city car. They brought an F150 kitted out with Protean’s motors and offered rides to prove to show attendees that electric in-wheel motors are a viable option for greening transportation. Because Protean’s motors fit into the wheels of a vehicle, they can either be used to hybridize existing gas-powered vehicles or to power an electric vehicle without the need for a gearbox, differential, or drive shafts, thereby reducing the weight of the vehicle and making it more efficient.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green transportation, in-wheel motor, Protean

The future of electric cars is here, and the Japanese SIM-LEI EV four seater from SIM-DRIVE has now joined the ranks. Electric cars have been making the news a lot lately, and with each new release boasting more and more speed and efficiency, the competition is heating up! But the SIM_LEI car has an edge above the rest – it’s achieved a smashing driving range of 207 miles on just one charge!


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Post tags: electric car, Electric Lithium-Ion, green transportation, JC-08 cycle, SIM-Drive, SIM-LEI

With President Obama aiming to have 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015, there has never been a better time for manufacturers of EVs to think big… or in this case, small.  Like the electric SMART car before it, the MiraQua is a tiny electric car that aims not only to make urban parking easy, but completely emission free. It also has a stylish door that allows drivers to enter from the front of the car just like Steve Urkel’s ride – remember him?

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Post tags: Chaoyi Li, electric car, james dyson award, miraqua, miraqua australia, Miraqua Chaoyi Li, miraqua china, zero emission, zero emission car, zero emission electric car

Read the rest of Well Tech Awards Showcase Green Innovation at Milan Design Week

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Post tags: I Saloni, Milan Design Fair, Milan Design Week, Milan Salone 2010, Milano, Salone 2010, Salone del mobile, Well Tech Awards 2010

Although the Peugout BB1′s styling may be some of the funkiest design work we’ve seen, it’s causing quiet a stir in the Electric Vehicle world, and for good reason. The BB1 is part scooter, part car, and features two in-wheel electric motors and a solar panel equipped roof.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green design, peugeot bb1, plug in electric vehicle, scooter car, Solar Roof, sustainable design

Not since Tesla electrified the auto world with its lean green supercars has an all-electric vehicle gotten pulses pounding this quickly. Germany-based auto manufacturer E-Wolf recently unveiled images and specs of their new e2, a 537 horsepower plug-in sports car that boasts slick Italian styling and a 0-60 speed of under 4 seconds.

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Post tags: e-wolf, e2, green car, green design, Green Transportation, supercar, sustainable design, transportation tuesday

Nissan recently unveiled an all-electric vehicle that stands to break ground as the company’s opening foray into the EV fray. Rather than aiming to create a high-end supercar, Nissan has decided to target an altogether different market. Enter the Nissan Leaf, an economical fully-electric vehicle designed with the family in mind.

Read the rest of Nissan Announces Fully-Electric Leaf Vehicle for 2011

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Post tags: Electric vehicle from Nissan, green vehicle, Nissan Electric Sedan Vehicle, Nissan Leaf