Not only does “going green” mean driving vehicles that are good for the environment, but it should be good for your wallet too. SUVs don’t necessarily mean gas guzzlers, and small cars aren’t always the gentlest on the environment.

Not only are “being green,” “eco-friendly,” fuel-efficiency and affordability the top concerns among car buyers, they’re also the American Government’s concerns now.

In light of the recent auto industry push for government bailout, many government officials are viewing the crisis as an opportunity. As President-elect Barack Obama mentioned in a press conference on Nov. 8, “[the car industry’s] resuscitation is an opportunity to make clean-burning vehicles and reduce oil dependency.”

As well as finding on-shore means of fuel, reducing oil dependency means developing, buying and utilizing vehicles with a small carbon footprint. An additional encouragement is the Energy Policy Act, which provides credits for taxpayers who purchase certain new energy-efficient vehicles.

2009 Top Green Cars

• BMW 335d
• Ford Fusion Hybrid
• Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid
• smart fortwo
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI

These five “greenies” are up for the 2009 Green Car of the Year® award, which will be announced the morning of Nov. 20, 2008. Vehicles must prove to substantially raise the bar in environmental performance and be in production before January 1 of the award year to qualify for nomination. Representatives from the Green Car Journal test each of vehicles to prove they follow through with the environmental and performance their producers claim.

BMW 335d (2009)
Betcha thought the only association BMW had with the word “green” was the color your friends turn when you show up to work with a brand new one.

BMW proves that style and performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed when going eco-friendly. This sporty 3 Series sedan pumps out 23 mpg city/33 mpg highway and incorporates advanced, efficient and clean diesel power.

Ford Fusion Hybrid
This vehicle illustrates what strides the American auto industry is taking toward improving fuel efficiency. The Ford Fusion bests the Toyota Camry (its primary competitor) city mileage by 5 mpg (more than 34 mpg), and can cruise up to 47 mph on electric power alone.

This five-passenger hybrid vehicle also incorporates an attractive fuel-information panel called SmartGauge with EcoGuide. The LCDs next to the speedometer display the driver’s fuel efficiency and statistics, and it’s completely customizable—definitely a cool bonus to this eco-vehicle.

Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid
This turned-green SUV crossover boasts at being the most affordable 2009 hybrid crossover ($28,625 msrp) and implements a unique hybrid powertrain system with puts out 25 city/32 highway mpg. It’s GM’s first application of the two-mode hybrid technology and delivers an incredibly smooth V-6 front-wheel-drive ride.

As the only SUV crossover in the top 5 Green Cars, it holds its own among the smaller sedans as being an eco-friendly vehicle while maintaining style and performance.

smart fortwo
This little “head turner” has only been on the U.S. market a short while, but has made big strides in setting a precedent in fuel efficiency. The tiny two-seater is the trendiest green ride on the road, boasting of 33 city/41 highway mpg. It’s wallet-friendly too with the msrp starting at $13,990.

Though its size draws immediate concerns for its safety, it earned comparable crash test ratings as the Mercedes C-Class. And don’t let the 70 horsepower let you think it’s slow. Its lightweight body style and agile steering give this a “go” on performance too.

Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Not only is this diesel Jetta fuel-efficient (30 city/41 highway mpg) and affordable ($21,990), it is downright fun. The “T” in TDI, Volkswagen reminds us, stands for “turbocharged.”

This clean diesel sedan is Volkswagen’s culmination of more than 30 years developing eco-diesel fuel vehicles in the U.S., and passes tight emissions certification in all 50 states with flying colors.

BYD Auto nosed out ahead of General Motors (GM), Toyota and Nissan on Dec. 15 by debuting China’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid, the F3DM. Though it’s not much to look at and has a rather forgettable name, it’s an impressive step forward for hybrids, the auto industry and China.

The F3DM gets juiced from a normal electricity outlet and pushes up to 60 mph in a respectable 10 seconds, also runs up to 60 miles on electricity before gas power kicks in. It’s not a sports car, to say the least; the F3DM feels much more like the conservative Toyota Camry inside and out, and starts at $22,000. Also its near-silent engine adds to the impressive driving experience, heightening awareness of the wind and humming tires sounds.

Warren Buffet (MidAmerican Energy, controlled by Berkshire Hathaway) invested $231 million in BYD a short time ago to charge the electric car into the American market by 2010, clueing in analysts in China’s potential in developing environmentally-friendly cars.

However, what BYD faces in implementing the F3DM hybrid car is the weak infrastructure in China. Most people live in large apartment buildings where recharging plug-ins are extremely scarce.

Designers, out-of-the-box thinkers and researchers are discovering that there may be something better than good old metal to make cars, car parts and vehicle interiors—plastic. And perhaps even Velcro.

But not just any plastic; specially designed durable plastic like car designer Chris Piscitelli’s concept designs, and “nanotech polymers” that researchers at MIT have created.

And it’s not your old sneaker’s version of Velcro either. UK research company, Warwick Manufacturing Group is developing a new technique that involves coating the surface of car components, such as bumpers and wing mirrors, with a surface of nanometer-sized “hooks and eyes.” The idea is intended to improve ease of recyclability or disposal of car parts.

At MIT, researchers have discovered by reinforcing the rigid crystalline structures in an elastic polyurethane with thin, flat, nanoscale clay platelets, they produced a material that is 20 times as stiff, four times as tough, and can handle temperatures more than twice as high.

And in Piscitelli’s new designs, he uses the advantages of plastic by heating it so the long, spaghetti-like molecules slide over each other to form new shapes, creating durable, cost-effective, lightweight plastics with sleek curves.

The [coconut car parts technology] and super-mini-sized Velcro is relatively new, but the plastics and nanotech polymer technology has been in development for years. Only time will tell whether these technologies could be the future of car manufacturing can be legitimately implemented into production, or if they’ll get swallowed up by more financially feasible technologies—good or bad.

Resources:
Science Daily, “Auto Designers Test Possibilities Offered by New Materials,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 02/01/06
Autopia, “Nanotech Polymers Could Lead to Ultralight Car Parts,” Mark Durham, 01/30/07
Physorg.com, “The Future of Car Manufacturing? Sticky ‘Velcro’ Car Parts,” University of Warwick, 08/20/08

What is natural gas fuel for vehicles?
Ethanol comes from any starch or sugar-based feedstock, the most common in America being corn (sugar cane is preferred in Latin America). It’s produced for vehicle use by breaking down the plant matter (corn, sugar cane, cheese whey, potato waste) and fermenting it to produce alcohol. It’s basically moonshine, but it’s “denatured” to prevent human consumption.

History of natural gas for cars
Ethanol’s been around forever. It’s the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages and has been used in every culture in history. The synthetic, fuel-based form was developed in 1827 through a few independent scientists.

However, exorbitant taxes on industrial alcohol during the Civil War prevented further research and distribution. From 1908, Model T Fords and other early cars were easily adapted to run on ethanol, but in 1920, during the Prohibition, sellers of the bio-fuel were accused of teaming up with moonshiners. Ethanol development got knocked off the bio-fuel radar entirely until the 1990s when global pollution and dependence on foreign oil became concerns.

Using natural gas in your vehicle
Ethanol also comes in various blends (the name/percentage similar to biodiesel). E10, also known as “gasohol,” is 10% ethanol and 90% can be used in all gasoline-fuelled vehicles; E85 (85% ethanol; 15% gasoline) can only be used in flex-fuel vehicles.

Ethanol Pros and Cons
Pros:

Cons:

Resources:
www.feueleconomy.gov, “Alternative Fuels,” “Natural Gas”
Consumer Energy Council of America, “Bio-Fuels Facts”

The car industry crunch calls for creative marketing to get consumers to buy vehicles, and Hyundai has risen to the challenge. If you need a new car and not sure if your job will stick around, you can get a Hyundai now and return it.

If you lose your income within 12 months, Hyundai cars come with a warranty that includes returning it to the dealership with no further car payments or hits on your credit.

Feedback on blogs have praised the idea saying, “This is just one of many reasons why foreign car companies are so successful; they are willing to innovate and adapt to new situations.”

The car return policy, dubbed “the Hyundai Assurance Program,” is a new concept so no one has found a “catch” yet. However, it’s sure to be copied by car competitors soon enough.

Have you? Post your thoughts about Hyundai’s Return Policy on the Automotive Blog.

Resources:
SunSentinel.com, “Hyundai’s ‘best warranty’ an idea for our time,” Marcia Pounds, 1/28/09
Digg.com, latimesblogs.latimes.com, “Hyundai: Lost Your Car? Return Your Car…” 1/25/09
Edmunds.com, Anita Lienert, “Lose your job? Return Your Hyundai with Few Strings,” 1/05/09