Green Cars Of The Year 2010
Realizing the need for greener cars, the auto manufacturing industry has started researching at a fast pace. The year 2009 saw the release of a number of environmental friendly green cars and 2010 is only expected to bring forward better versions for the consumers to buy. This comes at a time when people across the world are realizing the importance of reducing their carbon footprint. With these releases, manufacturers hope to not only do their job responsibly but also increase their business by a large margin.
Some cars that were released in the year 2010 under the banner of Green Cars:
Manufacturer: Chevrolet/Vauxhall
Model: Volt /Ampera
Chevrolet plans to launch this vehicle under different names in the United States and Europe. In U.S., it would be known as Chevrolet Volt whereas in Europe, Vauxhall Ampera. This vehicle is designed such that it first covers a maximum distance of 40 miles on battery (Lithium Ion) after which, it switches to a normal engine. This effectively means that the vehicle can now cover a span of 300 miles once fully loaded. Volt/Ampera is expected to hit the stalls by the month of November.
Manufacturer: Tesla
Model: Roadster Sport
Tesla was one of the first car manufacturers to start manufacturing eco-friendly green cars. Over the span of 7 years, they have got more than 1000 orders for their famous model Roadster. But the new Roadster Sport is expected to run only on electric engine with zero carbon foot print. It can produce 248bhp, something that has not been achieved by any electrically powered car and can reach 0 - 60 mph in 3.7 seconds flat.
Manufacturer: Nissan
Model: LEAF
This is by far the most awaited car of the year. The company states that this car can travel a distance of 100 miles on a fully charged battery and can recharge to up to 80% in only 0.5 hours. This is why is it being considered to be more practical than any other car ever produced under the category of green cars. Listed as one of the top inventions of the year, the car is expected to get a lot of media glare once it hits the stands. There is also a speculation that it would receive backing from various governments.
Manufacturer: Hyundai
Model: Sonata Hybrid
Probably the latest on the list of companies to start manufacturing hybrid cars, Hyundai plans to launch a newer version of its car Sonata which was first made public last November in the Los Angeles auto show. The car comes with a 2.4 liter engine and a 40bhp electric motor. The idea is to combine them both so that combustion of the normal engines gets reduced drastically.
Even though all major car manufacturers, including the likes of Mercedes, GM, Honda and BMW has started placing their versions of green cars on the roads, the percentage of these cars are still very low compared to the conventional cars. People still prefer to buy the conventional models mainly because they are still not ready to experiment. The only ray of hope is that acceptance is coming in trickles.