Whenever I write about a new solar car, readers get in touch to ask why these vehicles always have to look so freakish. And this doesn't really surprise me: there was the insect-like Cree last month, the stacking shopping trolley car and who could forget the Aptera, which looks like it whizzed straight out of an episode of the Jetsons?

It seems you can have any sort of eco-friendly vehicle you like, as long as it doesn't look like a car. And now, I fear we are finding out why the 'out of this world' designs may not be such a good idea...

The search for truly green transport continues apace, as hybrid cars have been shown to have their downsides. One possible solution is this insectoid-looking number: the Cree.

Looking something like a Reliant Robin that's mated with a praying mantis, the pocket-sized Cree is an electric car that requires minimal charging, and is described as being 'quiet, responsive, agile, and a lot of fun to drive.'

Related: Meet the MyCar: the stylish new arrival from NICE | Batman goes electric: the ZAP! Alias

Continuing on my quest for the perfect electric city runaround, I'm quite excited by the latest leccy motor to hit UK streets. The MyCar is made by NICE, and will cost as little as £8.995 when it goes on sale in the autumn.

Looking at the car, you might pick up on a fun, continental sort of vibe. That's because it's the work of Italian design house Guigiaro, who've made it look downright cute. Read on after the jump to find out what's under that perfect little bonnet...

Related: Look out for Pret a Manger's cute little vans! | New electric car from NICE has four seats! | Electric cars given the green light in UK shopping centres

I'm a big fan of electric vehicles. Not only are they better for the environment than the dirty old petrol sort: they tend to look a lot more fun and somehow futuristic, too; looking at an electric car you can finally feel you've arrived in the 21st century.

The dawn of the 'electric age' in motoring is also giving some new players in the industry the chance to compete with the big boys, bringing in fresh ideas and cool new designs without the baggage leftover from more oil obsessed times. One of these new companies is Zap! Which makes all sorts of leccy cars and bikes, from electric bikes and nippy little vans to this batmobile-esque supercar, known as the Alias.

Related: The Ego scooter is a real eco-boost! | Va-va-voom machine for quiet eco supercar

There's now not a shred of doubt that biofuels are actively a bad idea and far from being the 'green' wonder fuels many had hoped. This has created a big vacuum that's like a red rag to a bull for anyone after a fast buck, but is also bringing about lots of fascinating research into how we can get from A to B without using up ever more scarce resources.

Follow the jump for a quick rundown of some of the promising, unlikely and downright bizarre 'green fuel' ideas currently doing the rounds.

Personally I'd welcome a move towards cars that don't make that 'Rrrrrrrrrrah' show-off sound, but it seems that anyone with £120,000 to spend on a car would prefer the rest of us to take notice -- preferably through an auditory assault.

This is why the latest green supercar, the electric Lightning GT, has been fitted with a "programmable external engine sound generator"; in other words, a sort of 'canned' engine track that responds to the driver's actions. I guess it's a small price to pay to make eco-friendly cars cool (unlike the car itself, which is now pre-ordering with a £15,000 deposit.)

[via The Guardian]

Our friends over at Firebox have a real treat coming to UK streets in September: it's a shiny new scooter that looks like a gas-loving mean machine but runs entirely on electric power.

Scooters are a great way to get around town, avoiding any congestion charges and beating the traffic, so an electric model is the perfect choice for the urban eco-warrior. This one is specially designed for cities, and best of all, charges from the mains just like your mobile phone, and costing you a piddly 8p for a full charge. Try comparing that with current petrol prices! Also, the absence of traditional fuel means it doesn't make that godawful 'Rrrrrrrrrrrrr' noise that most scooters do. And that, IMHO, is a big plus.

The Ego electric scooter is available to pre-order now, shipping on 3rd September 2008, priced at £999.95.

Related: The retro electric scooter | The Vectrix electric scooter: yay or nay?

This is a Honda FCX Clarity, the latest must-have eco machine. It's not available to the likes of you and I yet, and even the great and the good of Hollywood are having to exercise some patience and wait their turn: "I want one. I want one" was the response of oscar-winning writer and director Paul Haggis on seeing the Clarity. If stars are prepared to reduce themselves to the status of Andy from Little Britain in their appreciation of this car, I think it must be pretty special...

But one star has already bagged a ride in the shiny new hydrogen-powered fuel cell car. Can you guess who it is? Follow the jump to find out...

In the quest to loosen the oily grip from the testicles of America, US car manufacturers are investing a great deal of time and money into alternative fuels. However, it seems these new methods are not always as safe as they seem to be after a hybrid vehicle exploded in testing last month. (Can't you already hear Jeremy Clarkson cackling with glee?)

But before anyone out there reading this in their hydrogen cell car starts freaking out, the motor in question was a petrol/hydrogen hybrid Toyota Prius that had been retro-fitted with a li-ion rechargeable battery system and technology allowing the user to plug the vehicle directly into the household mains. These cars are not available for purchase and had been adapted by a third party manufacturer.

Related: Electric cars given the green light at UK shopping centres | Tesla Roadstar: Sexiest electric car ever?

Nippy little runarounds are often the greenest option if you need to drive a car, and the Fiat Panda has now been re-launched with a smaller carbon paw print than ever.

I was sad to see it didn't feature bamboo seats, but in pretty much every other respect the new Panda Aria has been well and truly greened up, with some interesting features that combine to reduce emissions significantly. Read on over the jump for details.

Related: The Sexy Green Car Show is back | The electric Mini Cooper | Video review: The Smart ForTwo

Being a shopaholic is no longer incompatible with greener motoring, as electric car charging bays are beginning to appear in more of the UK's malls and shopping districts.

A new project being rolled out by EDF has recently got underway, with the bays now appearing in many of the country's biggest shopping hotspots, including Braehead, Glasgow; Chapelfield, Norwich; The Chimes, Uxbridge; The Glades, Bromley and Lakeside, Thurrock. [Via Treehugger]

Related: New electric car from NICE has four seats! | Tesla Roadstar: sexiest electric car ever?

After the success of last year's event, the Sexy Green Car Show is to return to the Eden Project for a second year running.

Sponsored again by Co-operative Insurance, the show brings together the shiniest and sexiest low-emission vehicles currently on the market, with Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Peugeot, Saab and Volkswagen all showcasing their latest green machines. But the star of the show looks likely to be a brand new Lotus Exige sports car, which can be run on methanol; possibly the next substance of interest in the search for more sustainable fuels.

The Sexy Green Car Show runs from Friday 23 - Saturday 31 May 2008 at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier has designed what has got to be the ultimate hippy lust object: a classic VW camper van that's as green as current technology will allow.

His idea for the Volkswagen Westfalia Verdier came to him when he was travelling around Europe in a traditional VW camper in 1994. Updated for the eco age his version comes with solar panels, a GPS to calculate the optimal position for maximum sun exposure, an on-boar wi-fed computer, pneuamtic suspension, sliding doors, integrated folding staircase, and a swivel cooking range to cook inside or al fresco. It also has a hybrid engine.

Mitsubishi, makers of high performance, high status sports cars and - um - pencils, has come up with a dream of an eco concept car, which was unveiled at Auto China today.

The car's 'heightened sensitivity for the environment' is said to be achieved through a super-efficient engine which runs on ordinary diesel but incorporates a new type of catalytic converter that ensures a much cleaner output. And being as sleek and streamlined as it is, I'm sure the car itself glides along with very little drag. Bets are on as to which 'sleb will own one first!

True, cars aren't the most green way of getting around the town, but sometimes there's just no way you can avoid them, particularly in large countries such as the US or Australia.

Instead of throwing your broken PC into landfills, and buying a new car stereo, you could do a DIY fix by gutting the stereo from the car, and putting in the CD-ROM drive from your PC. A lining made by a kitchen sponge will work wonders on shock-proofing your CD-playing, and I must admit, I rather like the look of it too!

(via Tech Digest and Gearfuse)