Google to invest $10 million in green cars
As if we didn't need it, here's proof that Google is still greener than its 'energy saving' rival, Blackle!
The world's favourite search engine has announced that it is to invest $10 million in “green” startups with a new scheme called RechargeIT. Specifically, the company is looking to invest $500k - $2 million in multiple for-profit startups that are focusing on electric and hybrid transport.
Google is asking for funding proposals to be submitted to by October 22 (FAQ here). These will be reviewed by Google employees, as well as a team of external advisers with expertise in Electric vehicles. Google is certainly a company with a good track record for tapping into the zeitgeist, so this project could result in some very interesting and worthwhile projects. Go google!
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As a non-driver, the main reasons I do not want a car are the pollution and carbon emissions I would create. There are enough options with public transport in London for me to not really need a car. For many people in more rural communities a car is pretty much essential though, and when I finally move to the country I will need a car. Now there are much ‘greener’ alternatives, I can get one without the guilt. 
Until now, a major drawback of electric cars has been their smallness: they include the famously diminutive Smart car (an electric version was recently launched); the G-Wiz, which is so tiny it failed routine safety tests; and the 
Toyota has created a new model of hybrid car that plugs into a household socket with an increase in the distance it can travel between charges. Other major manufacturers are also developing their own version of plug-in hybrid cars. One thing they all have in common is a capacity to charge the battery as the car is being driven, through the brakes and the wheels rotating. The advantage of these plug-in hybrids is that they run for longer using the battery power than regular hybrids. 
There are some electric motorbikes and scooters that I think should remain as concepts, and never rear their ugly heads on our streets. The 
Well I would say yay… I think. It’s nice looking, no emissions, eco, green, hippy, all that stuff. For most people the big deal is how cheap it is. A full charge costs approximately 20 pence and that gets you 70 miles. So covering 200 miles per week at average speeds of 35 to 50mph costs a quid, £1, that’s nothing, well in fact it’s 90 per cent less than petrol. Plus it’s also exempt from road tax and qualifies for a 50 per cent saving on insurance premiums.
