Ford Motor Company has been involved in a public-private coalition called the Crash Avoidance Metric Partnership with General Motors, Toyota and other motor companies along with road commissions over the last 13 years. Ford’s representatives announced the first “smart” intersection in the nation as the initial fruits of this collaboration. This Ford-funded intersection is located near the corporation’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan and has produced positive results in terms of reduced traffic incidents.

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Honda is taking another step toward Toyota in the hybrid vehicle market with its new FCX Clarity. This hydrogen/electric hybrid is rolling off the assembly line of Honda’s New Model Center as you read this post. The three-year goal for Honda is leasing 200 of these vehicles to consumers in the United States and Japan. The initial run of FCX Clarity vehicles will enter Honda dealerships in southern California by July 2008.

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The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is back with its latest list of the dozen greenest cars available in the United States. This list was developed by the organization based on basic criteria like gas mileage, weight and tailpipe emissions to help consumers make better vehicle choices. A look at the list shows that gas mileage played a greater role in getting on the list than the other factors stated by ACEEE.

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The development of Toyota’s next generation of green vehicles has been taken one step further with the announcement of a $192 million battery factory. This factory will be built in Shizouka Prefecture and produce nickel metal hydride batteries for future generations of the Toyota Prius. Toyota is working with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. on research, development and implementation of the Shizouka factory over the next two years.

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The sales figures for hybrid cars, trucks and sports utility vehicles in the United States show a gradual decline of traditional vehicles sales. The 46 percent increase in hybrid sales from April 2007 to April 2008 helped push sales in the vehicle class to 3.2 percent of all vehicles sold throughout the United States. There were 39,898 hybrid vehicles sold during this 12-month period which shows promise for an increasing market share as gas prices increase and gas mileage decreases in traditional vehicles.

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What is green, soft, glows in the dark and can do a 360 standing in place? The Honda PUYO concept car. Although it is not literally green, not until it glows in the dark perhaps. With a design reflecting a cross between a space moon buggy and cartoon car, this concept car is pointless. Well, we mean to say it is all curves and soft bumps, and is void of sharp edges.

Late last year Honda opened the 40th Tokyo Motor Show with the theme “For the endless joy of mobility on our earth”, and I imagine they were going for safe with this concept car as well. The PUYO runs on a fuel cell and is constructed of a soft gel body that glows at night.

Now whether is evokes the ethereal feel of a bubble or the recoiling feel of a chewed bubblegum exterior is subjective. I would liken it to Mr. Bean’s car of the future; simple, safe, friendly. Along those lines it seems well suited as a vehicle for road therapy, one to be assigned to road rage offenders rather than a car you would purchase for a functional purpose.

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