The top-rated green vehicle of 2010 is not the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid, which tops most such lists.  The greenest vehicle title goes the Honda Civic GX, powered by natural gas.  Okay, the Toyota Prius is number two, and Honda Civic Hybrid claims spot three.

The top three green cars list from the [...]]]> http://www.car-and-travel.com/2010/01/top-ten-green-2010-cars/feed/ 1 http://www.car-and-travel.com/2009/12/first-electric-smart-car-delivered-to-customers-in-germany/ http://www.car-and-travel.com/2009/12/first-electric-smart-car-delivered-to-customers-in-germany/#comments Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:31:46 +0000 Evelyn Kanter http://www.car-and-travel.com/?p=244

SmartforTwo plug-in electric minicar

Getting smart: The first plug-in electric Smartfortwo minicar has been delivered to customers in Berlin, close to the Stuttgart home of its parent company, Mercedes-Benz.  The first two owners — an artist and a dental technology company executive  — currently own the regular gas-powered Smartfortwo.

The compact two-seater is the first emission-free vehicle in the world with state-of-the-art lithium-ion technology plus an intelligent charging management system on board.   The batteries are from electric sportscar manufacturer Tesla Motors, which Mercedes parent Daimler bought a piece of in 2009 to produce and market electric cars together.  

SmartForTwo images: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is calling the plug-in Smartfortwo an ED, for electric drive, rather than EV, for electric vehicle. 

The on-board electronics on the electric Smartfortwo has a unique new information feature that allows real-time exchange of information with the owner by iPhone, Blackberry or other smartphone.  

Here’s how it works: