There is plenty of electric vehicle buzz at this year’s North American International Auto Show and Volvo just added to the green transportation hype by showcasing the world’s first (and second) plug-in diesel hybrid. The V60 and XC60 Plug-in Hybrids are being touted as two of the most technically advanced models in Detroit. They offer drivers the freedom to choose from three driving modes: pure, hybrid, or power without sacrificing interior space, comfort, or performance – and they give EV enthusiasts a choice of a crossover or a premium wagon.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", conservation, detroit auto show, diesel, electric car, ev, fuel economy, green design, green transportation, hybrid, NAIAS, naias 2012, north american international auto show, phev, plug-in hybrid, sustainable design, v60, volvo, xc60

We recently brought you an advance look at the 2013 plug-in Prius, which was just revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Now pricing details are coming out along with the plan for a gradual rollout across the fifty states. The good news: the plug-in Prius will be available in 14 states starting just next month, though the rest of the country will have to wait until 2013. The not so good news? It’s going to cost you. The 2012 Prius V that does not plug in will cost you just $26,400, but the plug-in versions range from $32,000 to $39,595.

Read the rest of Toyota’s Plug-in Prius Pricing Revealed

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Post tags: 2012 Plug-in Prius, 2013 Plug-in Prius, alternative transportation, electric car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid, phev, plug-in hybrid, plug-in Prius, Plug-in Prius pricing, Prius V pricing

Ford just leaked photos of its EVOS Concept to be revealed at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show. In short, we love it. The EVOS is a plug-in hybrid with four exotic gullwing doors and a gorgeous design language, which Ford is using to establish a new direction for the design of all future Ford models. The shape of the EVOS borrows heavily from current Aston Martins, which isn’t a bad thing. The teardrop-shaped rear windows are going to show up on numerous Fords in the coming years, lending four-door sedans a coupe-like appearance.

Read the rest of Ford Unveils Photos of Its Gorgeous Electric Gullwing EVOS Concept

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Post tags: alternative transportation, concept car, electric car, electric vehicle, Ford concept car, Ford EVOS Concept, Frankfurt Motor Show, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid vehicle, phev, plug-in hybrid

Read the rest of TEST DRIVE: Inhabitat Lives with the Chevy Volt for a Week

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Post tags: alternative transportation, Chevy Volt extended test drive, Chevy Volt test drive, electric car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green transportation, inhabitat, Laura K. Cowan, phev, plug-in hybrid, range-extended EV, transportation editor

Remember the stock Nissan LEAF that was planning to take on the grueling Pike’s Peak Hill Climb? Well, it may not have had much competition this year to become the Electric Production Class’s first champion (just one EV from AC Propulsion), but it did beat several highly modified combustion-engined competitors to the summit. The key was in the LEAF’s immediate torque, which all electric vehicles have on tap at all speeds, and the consistency of the electric motor at high altitudes, which robs traditional engines of 30% of their power.

Read the rest of Nissan LEAF Becomes First Electric Class Pike’s Peak Champion

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Post tags: alternative transportation, electric car, electric race car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green transportation, LEAF Pike's Peak Electric Class Champion, Nissan Leaf, phev, Pike's Peak, Pike's Peak Electric Production Class

John Viera has made a name for himself as a pioneer for the green movement within the automotive industry. As Ford Motor Company‘s Director of Sustainable Business Strategies, he has been building a new base for the Big Three manufacturer to flourish in a sustainable way. We here at Inhabitat were lucky enough to have the opportunity to pick the brain of Viera, who spoke to us about a number of topics, including Ford’s future in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV). Read on for our exclusive interview!

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Post tags: electric cars, ev, ford, ford escape, ford fusion, ford hybrid, Ford Motor Company's Director of Sustainable Business Strategies, ford motors, ford transit connect, green automotive, green cars, green transportation, hybrid cars, inhabitat interview, john viera, phev

Joining the ranks of automakers a little late to the hybrid party, Hyundai just announced plans to offer a plug-in hybrid by 2013. An unnamed company official told Reuters this weekend that Hyundai “plan[s] to launch a plug-in hybrid model which is in the same segment as the Prius in 2013.”

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid vehicle, Hyundai hybrid, Hyundai PHEV, Hyundai plug-in hybrid, phev, plug-in hybrid

General Motors offered up an elegant new concept at the Shanghai Motor Show, the Buick Envision Plug-in Hybrid SUV. This scissor-door beauty is equipped with a solar roof and lithium battery to provide the vehicle with power independent of its direct-injected turbocharged 2-liter engine and two electric motor generators in the eight-speed automatic/manual transmission. On the inside, the Envision’s high-tech cabin is loaded with cloud computing-powered goodies that connect the driver to the Internet through his cell phone or the touch-screen interface on the center console or on the windshield.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, Buick Envision, general motors, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid, phev, plug-in hybrid, Shanghai Motor Show

Last year we showcased the Karma 1, a plug-in hybrid that can go from zero to 60 in under six seconds, has a top speed of 120 mph, and offers an average fuel efficiency of 100 mpg. Designed by Henrik Fisker, the man behind Aston Martin’s DB9, V8 Vantage and the BMW Z8, this sexy hybrid has overcome a series of funding and logistical issues, and Fisker rolled out the first working production unit this week!

Read the rest of Fisker Unveils First Karma Hybrid Fresh from the Assembly Line

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Post tags: automotive, car, electric, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, expensive, factory, Finland, first, fisker, fisker karma, FiskerKarma, karma, luxury, manufacturing, milestone, phev, plug-in, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, premium, Production, valmet, valmet automotive, ValmetAutomotive

French businessman and billionaire Vincent Bolloré just announced that he will invest $131 million in Autolib, the Parisian electric vehicle car share program that will be launched in the fall of 2011. The car share program will be modeled after the successful Parisian bike share program — called Velib — and Bolloré’s investment will go toward purchasing the bubble-shaped Bluecars that Autolib will rent by the half hour at 1,000 stations in and around Paris.

Read the rest of Billionaire to Invest $131 Million into Paris Carshare Program

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Post tags: Autolib, autolib car share program, Car Sharing, electric vehicle investments, ev, ev investments, france, green design, green technology investment, green transportation, Paris, phev, sustainable design, velib, Vincent Bollore

While a number of electric vehicles around the world are being graced with green car honors, the Nissan Leaf just one-upped them all by nabbing one of the world’s most coveted auto prizes — European Car of the Year. This award comes on the heels of the EPA’s official gas mileage estimate for the Nissan Leaf which came in at a whopping 99 miles per gallon. The Leaf is the first battery powered vehicle to win the award (though the Toyota Prius hybrid took the prize in 2005).

Read the rest of Nissan Leaf is First Electric Car to Win European Car of the Year

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Post tags: cars, electric vehicle, european car of the year, ev, green car of the year, green design, green transportation, Nissan Leaf, nissan leaf car of the year, phev, sustainable design

Chalk this up to things we never thought we’d see: Houston, that bastion of the oil industry, is getting the first privately-funded electric vehicle charging network in the U.S. The $10 million network, which is being developed by NRG Energy, will offer both public charging stations and home charge spots to residents of Harris County, Texas.

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Post tags: austin, ev, evgo, Houston, nrg energy, oil, phev, San Antonio, texas

We’ve covered the Chevy Volt extensively over the past few years, and we are now excited to announce that the EV has just claimed the title of Green Car of the Year at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show! In a year filled with new market releases and incredible concepts, the already popular Volt has risen above the competition to become the first electric vehicle to ever claim this prize.

Read the rest of Chevy Volt Crowned 2011 Green Car of the Year at LA Auto Show!

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Post tags: chevy volt, electric car, electric vehicle, ev, GM, green car of the year, green design, green journal, hybrid, LA Auto Show, Nissan Leaf, phev

Forget the upcoming Leaf EV — Nissan has other snazzy electric vehicles waiting in the concept phase. The latest is the New Mobility Concept, a golf cart-like EV that is, according to Nissan, easy, innovative, safe, and clean.

Read the rest of Nissan Unveils New Ultra-Compact Electric Vehicle Concept

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Post tags: ev, Japan, leaf, Nissan Leaf, nissan new mobility concept, phev, yokohama

If Back to the Future was made today, Doc Brown’s DeLorean would probably be an all-electric powerhouse. While we haven’t heard about any movie remakes in the pipeline, the electric DeLorean is about to become a reality – courtesy of Wired Italy and eCars Now! Italy.

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Post tags: back to the future, delorean, doc brown, ev, phev, wired italy

Read the rest of BMW Unveils Their New Electric Mini Scooter E

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Post tags: BMW, ev, mini cooper, mini scooter e, phev, Scooter

Need another reason to buy a plug-in hybrid vehicle? How about this: California Governor Arnold Schwarzanegger just signed into law this week a bill that grants HOV lane (aka carpool lane) access to qualifying plug-in hybrid vehicles.

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Post tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, carpool lane, HOV lane, hybrid, phev, plug-in hybrid

Southern California isn’t exactly known for having the best public transportation system, but Foothill Transit, a public transportation agency in the San Gabriel/Pomona area, is about to get an impressive upgrade: all-electric buses that can charge up in under 10 minutes. Foothill bought three EcoRide BE35 all-electric buses, along with two charging stations.

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Post tags: ecoride, electric bus, ev, foothill transit, phev, pomona, proterra

Is it possible to travel the globe in electric vehicles powered by renewable energy offsets? We’ll find out soon — the “Zero Race”, an 80 day around-the-world excursion, just launched today. The race pits electric vehicles from Australia, Germany, South Korea and Switzerland against each other on a journey through Mexico, Europe, Russia, China, Canada, and the U.S., ending in January 2011.

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Post tags: electric vehicle, ev, green design, green transportation, phev, sustainable design, zero race

Citywide bike sharing systems are easy enough to organize, but how about citywide electric vehicle sharing programs? Paris is hoping to capitalize on the success of its bike-sharing system (Velib) with an EV sharing scheme dubbed Autolib — and it might be ready as soon as September of next year!

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Post tags: Autolib, Car Sharing, ev, france, green design, Paris, phev, velib