| Japan Auto Industry Gambles Future on Green Cars |
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| by Tom McGregor | Wed, Dec 9, 2009, 11:44 AM |
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According to the BBC News, "one cause could be the introduction of legislation and higher taxes to penalize drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles by governments around the world." Yet another factor is a rise in the range of eco-friendly cars on offer, which includes hybrids with a combination of gas engines and electric motors, fully-battery-powered electric vehicles and also experimental ones running on algae. Japan's automobile giants, especially, have been stepping up their manufacturing of environmentally-friendly cars. Mitsubishi has become the first to mass-produce an electric car that is anticipated to be available for sale in Europe next year. The corporation has produced the i-Miev that is based on existing gas cars widely available in Japan. As reported by the BBC, "the green model has seen the petrol engine replaced with an electric motor, while a lithium-ion battery is stored underneath the cabin area and also stabilizes the car." Heavy batteries could hamper the green car's performance by weighing it down and making it slower. Also, the batteries can take up to eight hours to fully-charge, so these vehicles have a long way to go from being as convenient as a quick stop at the local gas station. Director of the UK's Environmental Transport Association, Andrew Davis, informed Click that currently eco-friendly cars lack an infrastructure to supply them with fuel. Nevertheless, he notes that there is a practical alternative. He said, "electric cars have the advantage that the infrastructure is there in the houses - people are able to drive the cars onto their own drives to charge it quite easily." To read the entire article from the BBC News, link here: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 
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In recent years, green vehicles powered by alternative fuel sources have become more visible on the streets.
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