Also this year, Honda became the first to offer a natural gas-powered vehicle to the public.
At the moment, for example, arcane regulations make it illegal to drive a hydrogen-powered vehicle in much of Europe.
So is it really more environmentally friendly to buy a new hybrid car to replace your perfectly good 5-year-old gasoline-powered vehicle?
Once the battery charge reaches a certain level it operates like a typical hybrid-powered vehicle, with the 2.0-liter gasoline engine doing most of the work.
The solution consists of a remote electric-powered vehicle that can accelerate up to 130 MPH within 3 seconds, position itself under a fleeing car, then automatically trigger a restrained airbag to lift the car and slide it to a stop.
But there are at least two major obstacles hindering wider adoption of plug-in electric vehicles: the premium that drivers will have to pay for an electric car compared with a gas-powered vehicle and the limited number of electric car charging stations nationwide.
FORBES: More Electric Cars Are Making Their Way Across the Country
BARCELONA, SPAIN - August 14, 2012 - Urban Green Energy (UGE) and GE (NYSE: GE) have unveiled the world's first integrated wind-powered electric vehicle charging station.
ENGADGET: GE, Urban Green Energy set up first integrated, wind-powered EV charging station (video)
That will be followed by deployment of an unmanned lunar orbiter mission along with a nuclear-powered landing vehicle to support lunar rover delivery and sample return operations.
With all due respect to Nissan and its nifty electric Leaf, BMW, long aligned with the idea of performance, decided it needed to understand more about driver behavior before introducing its own battery-powered electric vehicle.
FORBES: Volkswagen, BMW Understand What It Takes To Stand Out
As more consumers buy electric-powered cars, more vehicle charging stations are popping up which are powered by the sun.
Nikkei reports that Toyota hopes to develop a vehicle powered entirely by solar panels.
The advocacy group believes a flat road tax is a better solution -- taxing all drivers equally, no matter how their vehicle is powered.
Through CARWINGS, Nissan LEAF drivers are able to use mobile smart phones to turn on air conditioning and set charging functions remotely, even when the vehicle is powered down.
ENGADGET: Nissan starts US production of 2013 Leaf, vows faster charging and a lower entry price
The vehicle is powered by what is essentially a nuclear battery that converts heat into electricity providing power to Curiosity's instruments as well as generating warmth during the frigid Martian nights.
The company has also scaled back its plans to bring the E6, a battery-powered, five-passenger crossover vehicle, to the U. S. market.
The Karma Sedan is a series Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) powered by a lithium-ion battery and an efficient 2.0-liter range-extending gasoline engine.
ENGADGET: Fisker Karma gets EPA-certified 52MPGe, sales ready to begin
Commander in Chief rode into the White House in a vehicle that was at least partially powered by electricity.
FORBES: All The Presidents' Wheels: The History Of Cars And Our Commanders-In-Chief
Automation tools, powered by artificially intelligent systems, are the vehicle through which this same model will be applied to IT management.
FORBES: The Death Of Outsourcing, And Other IT Management Trends
But the vehicle has a small gasoline-powered generator on board that can charge the battery on the fly when it gets low.
The Chevy Volt is driven by electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries that are charged by plugging the vehicle into a standard 110-volt socket.
Your home, your car, your appliances can all be powered through the advanced battery that will sit inside your plug-in electric vehicle.
CNN: Commentary: Save automakers to help economy and security
The maker of battery-powered Model S sedans has a goal of becoming profitable this quarter, with vehicle deliveries forecast to rise to a record 20, 000 units this year.
Vehicle Production Group, which planned to build thousands of wheelchair-accessible vans powered by natural gas, has called it quits.
FORBES: The Real Reason Tesla Is Still Alive (And Other Green Car Companies Aren't)
They also can manage and monitor the vehicle remotely via computer at OnStar.com, or with a special Chevrolet Mobile App powered by OnStar Remote Link.
ENGADGET: Chevy details 2014 Spark EV: under $25,000, 0-60 in 8 seconds and a 20-minute fast charge
Still, if GM can figure out how to produce the vehicle, it would be an ingenious next step in the slow evolution of vehicles from ones powered by gasoline to those powered by electricity.
We are quite a way yet from solar-powered cars, which still have to get past the issues of speed and load capacity (the heavier the vehicle, the slower you go).
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