People in the North Central region of the US will get a second chance to see a collection of hybrid, clean diesel, and other full-efficient cars during the Woodward Dream Cruise’s latest event, NextCruise(TM) sponsored by 9 major automakers.

Guests will be able to see and drive current models, as well as take a look at future technologies and how they may shape cars of tomorrow. In addition, IndyCar and ALMS drivers will also appear during the show to discuss the Green Racing Challenge new for this season.

The Woodman Dream Cruise will be hosted at Pleasant Ridge Memorial Park, Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, on August 15th and 16th, with NextCruise(TM) taking place the 16th.

Source: NextCruise

If you’re near Wisconsin in mid-July, stop by Hybridfest 2008. The third annual convention will focus heavily on driving techniques to help save between 30 cents and 1 dollar per gallon. Along with that, you’ll see more alternative energy cars here than anywhere else.

Hybridfest 2008
Saturday, July 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, July 20 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Located at Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wisconsin

You’ll be able to catch plug-ins, electrics, biodiesel, hydrogen and other alternative autos, as well as listen to the experts speak on how to save gas with everyday vehicles. Then there’s the Hybridfest MPG Challenge where drivers do their best to stretch their mileage.

Speakers include:
Felix Kramer, Cal-Cars
Mike Granoff, Project Better Place
Jo-Ann Yantzis, Clean Energy
Francis Vogel, Wisconsin Clean Cities
Wayne Gerdes, CleanMPG
Peter Kozan, MPG Challenge Winner
Michael Sefton, Diesels 101

Hybridfest 2008 is presented as part of Dane County Fair. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children 6 to 11, parking and admission for younger children is free. Visit the Hybridfest website for more information.

* Don’t forget to comment to win a free Rand McNally road atlas … now Earth-Friendlier!*

Any fan of Ghost Hunters knows what EMF ratings are and what they can do (since they drill it into your head every other episode). EMF = electromagnetic field; overexposure or exposure given sensitivity can lead to a host of physical problems including dizziness, anxiety, nausea, headaches, even delusions.

A small number of hybrid drivers say their cars give off unhealthy levels of EMF and have caused them problems while driving. They’re also concerned that long-term exposure will cause long-term health issues in drivers. Could driving cause cancer? Even traditional gas-only autos put out EMFs.

All I can say at this time, since there are no studies to correlate whether this is a real risk or not, is that we’ve got an even better to walk or ride a bike. (Not an electric bike, either.)

For now, car makers say they run their own tests and levels are well-within the limits for traditional gas vehicles, and owners testing with handheld devices (which car markers dispute as being inefficient for car testing) say they’re alarmingly high. The Union of Concerned Scientists have spoken out on the issue, saying more testing is needed, and hopefully they will fulfill it.
Source: New York Times

So you’ve just bought a new (or possibly new/used) hybrid and you want to add a finishing touch - vanity plates. But what should you use? These are the top ten plates I’ve seen mentioned around the web:

10. HI BRED

9. MYBRID

8. YGUZZLE

7. GASMYZR

6. GAS PAIN

5. SOGEEKY

4. JETSON

3. GRNMAN

2. WATTSUP

and the number one personalized license plate for a hybrid?

1. NOFUELN

I did see a vanity plate a few years ago that was the absolute best for techies, imo. 404 WTF  *g* I’m sure someone has figured out the initials by now and kicked it off the road. (But just in case, you might want to check it out!)

[Priuschat]

Before I say anything else today, I need to send a special message to the family of Rev. Timothy John Fitzgerald. When I mentioned him in my blog on March 10th, I had no idea that he had been taken to the hospital. Fr. Fitzgerald passed away Tuesday, March 11th due to complications of a neuromuscular disorder. I can only hope the future he’s facings is half as good as the person he proved himself to be. For me, he’ll always be “the best priest ever.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Over the last week or two, there have been an alarming number of reports of hybrids harming the environment.

Did you know we’ll need to build more power plants because of hybrid cars?

Or that if you run into a hybrid car, it will kill you?

OR that hybrids are using up our water supply??

More often than not, the issues raised have been misrepresented or over-hyped.

For instance, Science Daily reports that IF 25% of the cars on the road are replaced by plug-in hybrids by 2020 AND if all their owners manage to plug their cars in at 5 p.m. we’ll need up to 160 new power plants. That’s a lot of what ifs … it’s also focused on PHEVs and not traditional hybrids, as the title may have people believing.

Terry Wood of ABC4 in Salt Lake City is saying anyone who touches a hybrid car after an accident could be electrocuted. While there is a risk to rescue professionals, especially when things like the jaws of life come into play, running your car into a hybrid, approaching a hybrid that’s been in an accident, or driving a hybrid that could be in an accident does not pose a legitimate or likely risk of electrocution.

Motor Trend made a similar decision to Science Daily. When discussing the extra water used in electricity production, they failed to make a distinction between “hybrids” and “plug-in electric vehicles.”

Is it important to address these issues now before the problem is knocking at the door? Of course it is. But we need to put the focus on the real problems. Claiming that hybrids are dangerous and bad for the environment - the hybrids being safely used while lessening our impact on the planet - drives customers away, and may prevent technologies that would be a tremendous benefit (once addressing these issues) from ever taking root.
[img src: Public Domain Clipart]

This isn’t totally hybrid-specific, though there is a blurb about them at the end, but it’s important reading if you’re on the road. You might want to skip past the first few paragraphs. They get a little morbid, measuring deaths per miles traveled and deaths per minute, etc, but do read from “By Driver Behavior” on down.

I was really surprised by a few things - what a large percentage of vehicular deaths are tied to drinking and driving, for one. Happy to see cell phone use on the road going down, while very unhappy to see hit and runs going up.

Oh, and really quite tickled to note the following:

At least two insurers offer insurance discounts to owners of “hybrid” cars, which combine a battery-powered engine with a traditional gas engine. One offers a 10 percent discount on all auto insurance coverages, except uninsured motorist and personal injury protection (PIP), basing the discount on the driver rather than on a safety device or safety training. According to the insurer, hybrid owners are less risky drivers than the average driver, based on demographics, driving records, credit data, marital status and driving patterns. The other insurer offers a 10 percent discount (5 percent in California) on all major coverages, including uninsured motorists and PIP.

Travelers Insurance

Farmers Insurance

With only 25 BMW Hydrogen7’s on US soil, the car makers handing the keys to a host of celebs. It’s a plan that must have went over well. Across the globe, the car is a popular new choice for red carpet drop-n-drives.

Who’s behind the wheel? Ed Norton, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Jane Fonda, Cameron Diaz, Francis Ford Coppola, and Gilles Jacob (President of the Cannes Film Festival). Even Davis Guggenheim, director/producer of An Inconvenient Truth.

Unless you’re rolling in cash AND blessed with a fame-worthy talent, you won’t be manning one of these babies anytime soon, but it is nice to see something eco-friendly in Hollywood besides the Prius. We all know that’s a great car, but it’s nice to give people options.

Winners from our Naming the Car of Tomorrow Contest Will be Announced Shortly

Thanks to All who participated.

What’s better than a hybrid-only luxury car service in the Big Apple? A hybrid-only luxury car service that donates a portion of their profits to NYC-based environmental causes.

While I haven’t used this service personally, it sounds like they’re keeping luxury and environment in mind. Their fleet is made up of 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camry and luxury Lexus hybrids, including SUVs. Inside the car, drivers have navigation and screen communication in the front seat, so passengers are never bothered by driver-dispatch radio conversations. Also suited the GPS transmitters, the cars can be tracked by dispatch to give clients a more accurate arrival time.

In addition to helping New York City endeavors - like Trees New York, the New York Restoration Project and Green Guerrillas - they let the client choose which group will get the support from their dollars.

I  had the weirdest dream last night. Me, the hubster and the kids went out to dinner and at some point during the night it dawned on me that Denn was on a date with another woman at our table. (Oh yeh, you know I woke up happy. :p ) Suddenly we were at home and I said, “So, you’re seeing this lady, now?” And he got all schoolgirl-ish on me and said, “It was only our first date, but I really think it’s going to work.” Ugh! By far the strangest part was when his inability to upload videos of his new girlfriend to the internet made me feel better. Wha-?!

Anyway … it must be the day for rejections because Hummer got the nudge at Houston’s Auto Show when Product Specialist “Lyda” refused to give people her last name. From the Houston Chronicle:

“It’s a statement,” said Lyda, a product specialist for Hummer who declined to give her last name. “A Hummer is like nothing else. They drive beautifully.”

Lyda dismissed the Hummer’s reputation as one of America’s biggest gas guzzlers. She touted the off-road handling of the Hummer, which can climb a 60-degree incline and negotiate a 40-degree sideslope without rolling over.

That’s great, but apparently not great enough for her to be personally associated with its anti-environmental image. They should have hired show-goer, Gayle Hill, who proudly declared the impact on our planet no big deal. According to Hill, she only drives 10 to 12 minutes to work anyway. Someone needs to introduce her to Green Vehicles’ luxury electric vehicles that are going for a good $40,000 less.

TAKE PART IN THE “NAMING THE CAR OF TOMORROW” CONTEST

CNNMoney printed a great article on new buyers’ biggest concerns regarding hybrids. They debunk many things, while substantiating a few others. Great reading for any consumer looking to buy a hybrid. My guess is, they’ll be running another article like this in a few years for the growing number of electric cars. It really warms my heart that there are enough hybrid models to make an article like this necessary (I’m not too thrilled with growing gas prices making it necessary though.)

What were the top worries?

• Hybrids are too expensive to fix.

• Hybrids batteries won’t last.

• Hybrids have more recalls, and more serious recalls, than other cars.

• Hybrids don’t offer a real savings because of their increased cost.

• Hybrids don’t offer “high-performance”.

• Hybrids don’t have good resale value.

• Hybrids don’t offer as good of mileage as they advertise.

You might be surprised which are true, and which are false.