Go Go Green Cars

A show of green and ecologically friendly cars were made available in Washington DC in a show entitled, “The Energy and Environmental Showcase” – the range of vehicles on show and available for a quick spin around the Hill included a bucket seat on wheels used for repairing power lines and cables through to a couple of eye-catching sports models for cruising.

One thing they all had in common was that they were powered by alternative fuels including electricity and biofuels.

Companies who showed off their research and development results included Chrysler with the ENVI and test driven by Senator Tom Carper (D- Delaware) who joked he was suffering from claustrophobia after squeezing himself into the low slung model.

Surprisingly, Chrysler was not alone in the big-Detroit names exhibiting their work – GM was present in force and showing off the Volt which is due to hit the showrooms in late 2010. The Chevy Equinox rubbed shoulders alongside cars from around the world, and it was also notable that Japan did not dominate the foreign line-up – the organizer itself was Bright Automotive, a Canadian alternative car maker who applied for funding under the established Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program and allowed other manufacturers to join in the exhibition in the car lot of a government building.

One car stood out for it’s looks and the approach being made by the manufacturer – the ZENN.

ZENN stands for Zero Emission and No Noise and the car has a top speed as high as a gust of wind – around 35 miles an hour. The take on a car with a top speed of 35 mph is simple – urban driving is usually conducted at speeds of less than 30 mph and lasts for round trips of less than 20 miles – highly wasteful when it comes to gas and wear and tear on your gas driven vehicle so the ZENN is a powered alternative which gets a staggering 280 miles per gallon but has a limited actual range of only 40 miles – perfectly fine for the school run or quick dash to the shops and possibly for those commuting to and from work.

Utah is looking spurring on the development of green transport strategies and policies by purchasing $4.5 million worth of green vehicles and doubling the number of its green vehicle fleet by converting another hundred vehicles from gas to natural gas.

One reason we think this should be highlighted is because it underpins the role of government in helping lead the way by taking the initiative in what has become a federally mandated issue for the country. Government is a huge consumer in its own right and by following on, the source of a major portion of pollutants and carbon emissions which are creating such havoc for our world and the future for our children and grand-children.

Government agencies command huge budgets and it is acts such as this that really will help drive the demand and adoption of green car technology by firstly, providing a much needed economic boost into the sales and profit figures, acting as a major endorser by using the green car technology and providing a visible and tangible product in use out on the highways and in the sight of other potential consumers and buyers.

At this time there is a huge background noise going on with the conversion not so much of actual cars to green principles but the mindset of the consumer and potential buyers of green car technology. This has been blurred by the recent economic crisis which if anything will underline the need for economics to be straightened out so the green technology stands on its own two feet in the fierce world of competition and delivering the needs demanded by consumers.

Utah has taken a great step forward by the decision to go forward with green but this needs to be replicated repeatedly around the country and not only with government but big business too – something the big auto makers have probably learned after their collective faux pas in flying to Washington DC in luxury business jets back when the crisis broke last year – a month later they almost all drove to DC in green cars their respective companies were working on.