Green Cars of 2008: Mega-Ginormous Summary of the Year
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 12.23.08
Looking Back on Green Transportation in 2008
It's the time for a year-end wrap-up of the green car happenings of 2008. We can't possibly included everything here, but we'll try to cover most of the major announcements. To better organize things, we'll look at them by carmaker, from Aptera to Volkswagen. Read on.
1. General Motors
The biggest thing this year for GM (except maybe the threat of bankruptcy) was the Chevy Volt. This year was a slow strip-tease: We first learned a bit more about the engine (GM Volt Gains a Cylinder, Loses a Turbo-charger, GM to Build the Volt's 1.4L Engine in Flint), then photos of the production version were accidentally (?) leaked (Photos of Production GM Volt Accidentally Leaked!) and despite the smiling guys in suits standing in front of the car, we had a much better idea of what it would look like.
This was followed by the official release of photos of the Volt (GM Releases 2011 Chevy Volt Photos & Specifications! (Tons of Photos)) and the announcement that the Volt would use batteries made by LG Chem. Unfortunately, the latest news is that GM has halted work on the factory that will build the Volt's 1.4-liter gas engine, but GM says this won't delay the car.
2. BYD
BYD Automotive had a very good year. Going from "some Chinese battery maker" to "some battery maker who's branching out into cars", to "is this the company that will leapfrog established carmakers with plug-in hybrids and electric cars?".First we heard about the F6DM plug-in hybrid sedan (BYD F6DM: Will the First Plug-In Hybrid be Chinese?), then came the E6 electric MPV (Introducing the BYD E6 Electric Car) and finally the F3DM plug-in hybrid compact (F3DM: The Second, Smaller, Plug-in Hybrid by China's BYD). Within only months of its unveiling, the F3DM went on sale in China and has been announced for 2010 in the US.
3. Tesla Motors
The Californian electric car maker certainly had a mixed year. Things started well with the first official shipments of the electric Roadster (Tesla Motors "Breaks Logjam", Electric Roadsters Start Shipping) and the announcement of the Model S electric sedan, a more affordable electric car (Tesla's Next Electric Car to be Called "Model S", Photo of Tesla Model S Electric Sedan).But trouble was on the horizon. The housing bubble burst, the credit crunch crunched, and dire economic conditions meant that Tesla had to become leaner. The Model S was delayed, Elon Musk became CEO and a good portion of Tesla's employees were laid off (Tesla Motors Breaking News: Model S to be Delayed, Unknown Number of Layoffs, Elon Musk CEO). Let's hope 2009 will have clearer skies.
4. Toyota
The two main things for Toyota this year, aside from losing money for the first time in 70 years, are the innovative and diminutive Toyota iQ (Toyota iQ: The Smallest Four-Passenger Car in the World, Toyota iQ Microcar to be First in the World With Rear Curtain Airbag, 57 MPG Toyota iQ Goes on Sale in Europe, No U.S. Release Date Yet) and the redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius (Photos of New 2010 Prius Hybrid Leaked, Confirmed by Toyota).Update: See our article on the official launch of the new 2010 Toyota Prius!
5. Honda
Honda's two most interesting cars from a green perspective this year were the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell and the Insight mark 2 hybrid.The Clarity began production (Production of Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car Begins) last summer and the first few units were leased to various celebrities in California (Honda Delivers First FCX Clarity Hydrogen Novelty Over-Sized Car Keys) soon afterwards.
Our first glance of the new Insight hybrid was from spy shots (Spy Shots: Honda's Upcoming Hybrid Looks Like... a Prius) and our first impression was that it looked fairly similar to the Toyota Prius. Once we had a chance to see the car without all that black camouflage, we saw that it was a bit more distinctive (Honda Resurrects Insight Hybrid, Pricing Expected to be Way Lower than Prius, Honda's All-New Honda Insight Hybrid: Fuel Economy Similar to Civic Hybrid).
One sad news is that the Honda Fit hybrid apparently won't be sold in the US.
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My faves:
Fisker Karma
BYD F3DM
Aptera
Toyota iQ is the best!
My money's on the Aptera, but I'd like to see some crash test data first.
I love the Aptera. Finally some evolution and innovation. Would also like to see crash test data.
Come on. All this show cars do is give people the false hope that there is a future for the automobile.
These one-offs cost millions of dollars and their production has caused significant GHG emissions.
The recent meltdown in the car industry is just one of those moments when change can really happen. I would expect the nimble Japanese and new Chinese car companies to deliver on electric and hybrid, perhaps even the US companies if they survive. The reasons are that neither peak oil nor climate change have gone away and the US govt has more leverage over standards due to the bail out, For consumers the idea of gas hog SUVs as big as ranch houses looks like what it is: a dumb fantasy from an asset bubble era. These are changing times and sure, not every show car special offering will find its way to market - it is always the case - but given the right incentives mix these types of vehicle are close.
The Tesla is ridiculously expensive, but since they cater to nobles, celebrities and ceo's, I suppose they've targeted their market.
The Toyota IQ looks like a golf cart, and the fuel economy seems a bit low for such a small car. 57mpg... the 2000 Honda Insight got 70mpg, and an old 88 CRX, if driven properly, could do about the same. The IQ is pure minimalism, lacking in any real technological breakthroughs.
Compared with their old design, the new Honda Insight appears to be a step forward in practicality, and a few steps back in fuel economy. 40mgp? There is nothing spectacular about that.
I imagine the Chevy Volt will mark a cautious step in the right direction for the big, slow, follower-of-a-corporation, GM. Let's see if they can turn a profit.
I love the Toyota IQ..too bad they are not planning on releasing it in the US anytime soon. I would love it if my company would buy one for me to use for business. I sure wouldn't mind driving around with a cool company car like that, even if they put an advertising wrap on it.
I didn't happen to see anything in this grouping that could be called widely available. The Tesla, for the wealthy who also happen to live in a narrowly defined market can be considered somewhat available, since they actually SELL the car and not just lease it to kings and movie stars. I find these these types of articles discouraging to read.
Want to BUY an electric vehicle in America today besides a Tesla? The possibilites include a single seat Myers Motors NmG, the Zap Xebra's and the small NEV (25 mph) contingency. Please tell me that I'm wrong, AND show me something highway capable I can buy with a 60 mile range and an air conditioner.