It'll be interesting to see what major manufacture is "first". First being second really. There was the GM EV1. And back in the early part of the 1900's, there were lot's of electric cars. So even the GM wasn't really first. I'm mostly giving the CNET site a bit of hard time, since they say the Nissan will be "first". Neat to see that electrics are on the horizon for a big manufacture.

CNET Car Tech

I know I'm not the best writer, but this article from Wired Magazine is pretty bad. The headline is clear:

Use of wind energy expected to grow dramatically.

Later, buried in the article:

But the report cautioned that its findings were not meant to predict that such growth would, in fact, be achieved, but only that it is technically possible. And it acknowledged "there are significant costs, challenges and impacts" associated with such rapid growth.

Huh? Expected has pretty clear connotations, and the later paragraph doesn't sound like "expected".

I have a lot of hope for wind, but I agree that there are "significant costs, challenges and impacts".

Wired News

Wired Magazine has a review of many motorcycle or motorcycle derivative products that all promise to be clean. Considering that even normal motorbikes get better MPG than any car, it seems to make sense. They also don't have to meet the safety standards that make modern cars heavy, and therefore less efficient. (I'm not saying safety is bad, but there is a correlation between safety/weight/cost. )

It's interesting to see things like the very car like Apterra get classed as Motorcycles due to being 3 wheelers. This allows them to have to deal with less regulations.

Perhaps a new class of vehicle is deserved? A lightweight, efficiency class, with different safety standards. Allow me, like a motorcycle driver, to chose my trade offs.

Wired Magazine

But if someone is looking for a high end sports car, and want's to save fuel, then this might be the way to go. I predict these will be popular in Menlo Park at all the new Green VC funds.

Of course, buying a Fit or Prius, and then buying 3 more similar cars and trading them for poor peoples beater, old, polluting cars, then getting those cars off the road, would be far, far better for the environment. Of course, that wouldn't be clear to everyone who passes them on the road, so the smug value is low.

Fisker's new hybrid car