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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The Toyota Prius has been the standard bearer for the hybrid vehicle market since the turn of the century. Toyota is not resting on its reputation for reliability and fuel efficiency among loyal customers in the 2009 and 2010 model years. The next generation of Prius sedans will feature solar panels from Kyocera that will offset energy used by internal systems.

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Scientists and researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have helped Australia jump into the zero-emissions fray. The university’s Institute for Sustainable Futures was contracted by developer Szencorp to create a plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) that would work well as a commuter car. The end result is the UTS/Szencorp PHEV which was presented for the first time this week in Melbourne.

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The good news keeps rolling for Toyota Motor Company regarding its Toyota FCHV-adv sports utility vehicle. This vehicle was given vehicle-type certification by the Japanese government last week. Organizers from the Environmental Showcase at July’s Hokkaido Toyako Summit have allowed Toyota to highlight the FCHV-adv as a prototype for attendees. There are many reasons why Toyota’s newest hybrid vehicle is getting the attention of auto tastemakers.

The FCHV-adv contains hydrogen tanks that are able to hold up to 10,000-psi pressure that fuel the vehicle. Toyota’s initial testing found that the FCHV-adv can run up to 516 miles on a single filling of hydrogen. Subsequent tests have placed the vehicle’s range between 348 and 472 miles in real driving conditions.

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Katsuaki Watanabe does not seem content to rest on the laurels of Toyota Motor Company’s successes in the burgeoning green vehicle market. Watanabe and the TMC board of directors have found winning combinations in the Toyota Prius as well as fuel-efficient vehicles like the Corolla. The recent announcement by Watanabe of additional initiatives toward greener vehicles and manufacturing processes shows Toyota’s desire to push this niche market to its limits.

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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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For the fifth year in a row Toyota’s Prius is ranked number 1 in the green car category. The Prius is a gas / electric hybrid that gets 44 miles per gallon. It is affordable priced around $24,000 and can hold a family with a five-passenger capacity. The capacity alone is probably the biggest contributor to its number one showing on the list. As more cross-over hybrids appear on the scene it might make it harder for the Prius to hold its ground unless cost is more of a criterion for the purchaser.

There is talk of Toyota adding plug-in hybrids to its line-up especially in response to community requests. San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom wants leaders in the Bay Area to request plug-in hybrid cars as they are lower-emission vehicles and get more miles to the gallon. Perhaps the ten year old favorite is up for a face lift in the near future.

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New tests are being announced everyday regarding hybrid buses in different transport sectors. While not new on the scene, hybrid buses are certainly changing the landscape. From private to public transport hybrid buses are becoming available and are being noticed.

Two-week testing began this week at Haneda airport in Tokyo of the Hino hybrid wireless bus. The bus which will transport between airport terminals charges without the need to plug-in as it uses an electromagnetic inductive charging setup. Essentially this is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that doesn’t need to be plugged-in.

While Mercedes-Benz plans their next move to field test the Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid in the public-transport sector, it was announced the beginning of February that this urban bus received the 2008 DEKRA environmental award. Mercedes-Benz has sold an estimated 2600 hybrid buses and has their site set on making a more cost-effective diesel-electric, hybrid urban bus as well. Mercedes-Benz services the US market through its Orion brand.

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