The Ford Fusion Hybrid created some of the biggest buzz at the show, and for good reason. It’s a roomy, family-size car but with snazzy style and a regenerative braking system and electric battery that help it get 36 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway. (Full disclosure: I was a guest of the Ford Motor Company at the auto show, though under no obligation to favorably review any of its vehicles.) In case you’re wondering, here’s how Ford explains what “regenerative braking system” means:

When you apply the brakes in a conventional vehicle, kinetic energy is lost to heat due to friction. During braking in the Fusion Hybrid, however, the regenerative braking system recovers over 90 percent of this energy that is normally lost and sends it back to the battery pack to be stored for later use. Not only is regenerative braking efficient, but it also helps minimize wear on the brake pads, lowering the cost of maintenance.

It doesn’t matter if a car CAN get good fuel efficiency if the driver drives so it doesn’t. One of the features I like the most on the Fusion is its “Dual LCD SmartGauge Cluster with Eco Guide.” The SmartGauge uses liquid crystal displays on either side of the center-mounted speedometer. A tutorial built into the display lets you choose one of four data screens for the level of information you want — Inform, Enlighten, Engage or Empower — and explains your options within each. Steering wheel-mounted controls make it all easy. All levels can indicate instant fuel economy and trip data including time-elapsed fuel economy and miles to empty. The display grows leaves when you drive efficiently. The leaves fade when you don’t. More leaves = more mpg.

Another plus? The Fusion Hybrid’s eco-friendly cloth seating is made from 85 percent post-industrial materials – polyester fibers that would otherwise have ended up in landfills.

The car also includes “adaptive cruise control” to automatically slow the Fusion when it detects slower traffic ahead, and an “active park assist” system to make it easier for the driver to parallel park. Sensors in the Fusion’s rear quarter-panels detect traffic in a driver’s blindspot, providing both audible and visual warnings if traffic – unseen by the driver – is approaching.

While the Fusion Hybrid is available in show rooms now, stay tuned for the Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, which Ford claims will be the most fuel-efficient midsize car in the world. Arriving this fall, Fusion Energi could deliver more than 100 MPGe, a mile per gallon equivalency metric for electrified vehicles. Ford says this is 8 MPGe more than the Chevrolet Volt and 13 MPGe more than the projected efficiency of the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid model.

Related Posts:

Here’s what I thought when I test-drove the original Fusion Hybrid in 2010

How Green Are the Cars at the 2010 Auto Show?

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Top Ten Ways to Use Less Gas

Test drive the new Chevy Volt with me

Want to increase your fuel efficiency overnight? Pump up your tires! Use this tire pressure gauge to check your tire pressure at least every three months.

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Learn how to drive as efficiently as possible.  Take note of these gas-saving tips and driving techniques and you’ll visit the pump less often. Plus, you’ll save $20-$50 a month on gasoline (photo credit).

• Recycle your car once it has reached the end of its life. Don’t send your vehicle to the junkyard before you’ve looked at this list.

• Carpool and use mass transit as much as possible. When you share the ride, you reduce your costs – and your impact on the air your breathe and the water you drink.

• Use a car-sharing service such as Zipcar, which may eliminate the need to own a vehicle altogether. It has certainly helped me!

• Walk, bicycle. Well, these are more “non” driving tips, aren’t they? But they do help you guzzle less gas; and manufacturing a bike or a pair of walking shoes uses far less resources than producing a car!

• And remember: if you are in the market for a new car, choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the size that will meet your needs. Visit FuelEconomy.gov to find the best available option for you.

The post Eco-Friendly Tips Will Reduce Your Car’s Environmental Impact appeared first on Big Green Purse.

NAIAS is showcasing what it calls the most recent advances in automotive technology at Detroit’s Cobo Center through January 24th.  Although NAIAS is featuring plenty of gas guzzlers, it is also highlighting dozens of electric, hybrid, and fuel-efficient vehicles.  On the ground floor, a 37,000 sq. foot exhibit called the “Electric Avenue” has been devoted solely to electrics.

Here are the highlights:

Chevy Volt

Price: TBA estimated $30,000-$40,000

Production Begins: 2010

Although the Volt appeared as a concept car previously, Chevrolet’s much-hyped hybrid electric is on display in anticipation of its launch later this year.  Drivers can travel up to 40 miles per charge on the Volt’s electric battery before the car switches to gasoline, at which point the car can go up to an additional 600 miles without a refill.  Personally, I believe the Volt is a game-changer.  Why? Click here to see what I told Fox News.

Nissan LEAF

Price: TBA, estimated $25,000-$30,000

Production Begins: 2010

Unlike the Volt, the LEAF is greener because it’s an all-electric car with no gasoline back-up system.  However, this benefit doesn’t come without a tradeoff: it can only travel 100 miles on a single charge, making the LEAF better suited for local drives rather than long-distance road trips.

Tesla Model S

Price: $49,500

Production Begins: 2011

The Model S gives the consumer a choice of three battery options, providing driving ranges from 160 to 300 miles between charges.  While the hefty price tag may place the Tesla out of reach for many middle-class consumers (like me), if you’re already in the market for a Lexus, Mercedes, or even a very flashy Camry, get your name on the Tesla list instead.

Honda CR-Z Hybrid

Price: TBA, estimated $25,000

Production Begins: 2010

Honda finally unveiled the production version of this vehicle after debuting the concept design years ago.  Two different transmission options will be available: 6-speed manual or the more fuel-efficient Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).  However, the fuel economy is somewhat underwhelming even with CVT, topping out at 36 city/38 highway miles per gallon.

Toyota FT-CH

Price: TBA

Production Begins: TBA

As the next member of its hybrid vehicle “family,” Toyota showed off the FT-CH as a lower-priced alternative to the popular Prius.  Intended for younger consumers, the FT-CH is also lighter and more fuel-efficient than its big brother.  The price and date of availability are unknown because it debuted as a concept car. Stay tuned.

As excited as we are about the development of electric cars, their price is not for the faint of heart. Consumers who buy these cars right now are doing so because it’s a smart way to save gas, improve national security by way of consuming less oil, and help reduce air and water pollution. You may not be financially ready to order a Tesla yet, but George Clooney has. Thanks, George.

If you’re interested in checking out the NAIAS cars for yourself, view a schedule of upcoming auto shows here.

You can also review EPA’s list of most fuel efficient vehicles here.

The post How Green are the Cars At the 2010 Auto Show? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Ford’s 2010 Fusion Hybrid delivers the goods:

* It meets my minimum standard for high fuel efficiency for a family car by getting 37 mpg on the highway, 41 in the city, and 39 mpg overall, goals achieved thanks to the car’s gasoline engine boosted by an electric battery.

* It’s roomy enough to seat three adults comfortably in the back, for total seating capacity of 5 overall.

* The in-car GPS system can direct you to the nearest, cheapest gas station or the most direct route, saving you money on gas and reducing the amount of gas you use.

What’s the downside – apart from driving a fossil-fuel burning car at all? It’s expensive, around $28,000 base price and as much as $32,000 for a “fully loaded” car that includes skylights, leather seats, a Sirius radio system, and GPS.

I test drove the vehicle for three days, morning, noon and night, and in the rain. Here’s what I had to say:

Intrigued? Here’s a good explanation of how the Fusion Hybrid technology works.

USA Today compares the Ford Fusion hybrid to its Camry and Nissan Altima counterparts here.

For a cheaper hybrid option, you might want to compare the Fusion to the new Prius and the Honda Civic hybrids.

Want a hybrid minivan? Sign this petition urging Toyota to bring its Sienna hybrid minivan to the U.S.

Don’t forget to check fuel efficiency ratings for all vehicles at fuelefficiency.gov.

These eco-friendly suggestions will help you save money using less gas driving the vehicle you currently have.

The post Ford Fusion Hybrid: Good Choice for Family Looking for High MPG appeared first on Big Green Purse.

General Motors, Toyota, and other auto manufacturers hope to put their first plug-ins on sales floors by the year 2010 (see Saturn Green Live Vue hybrid, left). When they do, all you’ll have to do is plug your vehicle into a regular 120-volt electrical socket, charge the car for several hours overnight, and drive away. You won’t need a single drop of gasoline! In fact, because electricity is cheaper than gasoline, the fuel cost is expected to be the equivalent of less than $1/gallon of gas.

Here at the North American Auto Show, car makers are trumpeting their fuel-efficient plug-ins with the same zeal that’s being devoted to their gas-guzzling SUVs and luxury vehicles. Why?

Jennifer Moore, Corporate News Manager for Ford Motor Company, says, “Automakers respond to consumer choice. We wanted to do the right thing for the environment, but we also listened to what people said they wanted to buy.”  Score one for green consumer demand!

Still, plug-ins are at least two years away from occupying a spot on your driveway. What’s holding manufacturers up is their need to perfect the lithium-ion battery they’re all using to store the car’s electric power. The battery is complicated to engineer, expensive to make, and tricky to integrate with the rest of the car design.

At a press conference earlier today, I asked Tony Clarke, President for General Motors North America, why all the automotive companies couldn’t band together to pool research resources and accelerate battery development.

Clarke initially responded with the traditional corporate-think response: “The first company that brings the battery technology to market will have tremendous consumer advantage.” In other words, there’s a lot of money at stake.

But when pressed, Clarke acknowledged that the sooner all companies have the technology, the faster automakers will be able to profit from what is clearly the next wave in energy-efficient automotive technology.  If other companies collaborate, “we’d love to be a part of that,” GM’s Clarke said.

Clearly, the sooner that happens, the sooner the environment and public health will benefit as well.

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