You may have noticed that green cars have become increasingly popular over the past few years. But what exactly is a green car, and why are they better in comparison to a conventional vehicle? Well, here is a little guide to answer those main green car queries. Most conventional vehicles are powered by petrol or diesel, which are fossil fuels. The…

Steven Chu of the Department of Energy has announced a collaboration with automotive industry partners to speed up the development of technologically advanced green vehicles, dubbed U.S. DRIVE. Formerly called the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, U.S. DRIVE – Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability – will bring leading tech experts from the DOE, the national laboratories, and industry partners together to…

The Government Services Administration (GSA), a department that purchases cars for federal bureaus to lease, recently announced that all the new cars bought in 2011 consume 21 percent less fuel than the vehicles that were replaced. On average, the MPG for the new fleet has jumped from 19.1 in 2010 to 23.4 this year. This step toward more enhanced environmental conservation on part of the GSA is mainly thanks to an…

Telecom giant, Cox Communications, is one of the first companies in Southern California to generate more than half of its energy needs with renewable power. Using an 800-kilowatt fuel cell, the company will reduce its environmental impact to the equivalent of taking more than 850 cars off the road annually — enough energy to power 603 average homes. Fuel cells are one of the few truly green sources of energy, as they are highly efficient…

After much talk for decades, more urgent impetus is now being put into the development of technology to allow vehicles to run on alternate fuels. These fuels are namely those other than petrol and diesel. Changes to designs of cars may require further training by mechanics, but hopefully this will be for the benefit of the planet. Biodiesel can be produced from oil seeds. While diesel engines may be able to run on biodiesel, fuel efficiency is not quite as good as regular diesel, unless fuel injection systems are adjusted. Biodiesel has lower emissions than regular fuels, but is currently more…