With all the attention in the world of green autos focused on how they’ll get around (will it be electric, biodiesel or even something wilder like solar?), car companies seem to be forgetting about the ways they can enhance the eco-friendliness of their exteriors and interiors. But the limited edition Eco Elise that Lotus debuted last year at the London Motor Show didn’t just give a nod to greener components, it revolved around them.

The Lotus Eco Elise isn’t the first foray that Lotus has had into the realm of more environmentally-aware autos, but the company is usually involved in a roundabout way, like manufacturing the chassis for the Tesla Roadster or finding one of their Lotus Exiges used to develop a wind-powered car. For the Eco Elise, Lotus attempted to make the Elise as green as possible—without changing the way it was fueled. And while it managed to slip under the radar for the most part, it’s remains an innovation.

Hemp, the eco-wonder plant, was used to make composite body panels and a spoiler and to make up elements of the trademark Lotus seats (although one car reviewer described sitting in them liking being surrounded by itchy old mens trousers). The upholstery on the seats is made from what Lotus describes as “eco wool”, which is ethically produced wool that hasn’t bee dyed (the sheep it’s sheared from are selected for their natural car-appropriate coloring). Underfoot, sisal comprises the carpeting as a natural abrasion-resistant material. Click here to read more

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The smart fortwo—and its on-purpose lowercase spelling— has finally gone electric, in a move that makes the mechanics of the miniature vehicle a closer match to its exterior, which has always had an air of EV about it. The electric smart fortwos will be available ahead of early estimates that had it on roads in 2010, and, instead, the vaguely golf cart-reminiscent electric car will be available this November. But there’s a catch: It will only be available for lease.

A series of the all-electric smart fortwo vehicles will be appearing on the assembly line in France come mid-November before they head out to select cities in Europe and the United States, where they will be available only to select lessees who will all commit to four year leases on the electric smart fortwos and be responsible for giving feedback on how the tiny EVs function in real world situations (if this sounds familiar to you, it’s because Daimler did the same thing with the electric smart fortwo in the U.K. and BMW is doing likewise with the electric Mini Cooper). Daimler expects that the electric smart fortwo won’t be available for purchase until 2012, by which point the market could already be filled with many electric options.

So what will a few lucky—depending on your car preference—U.S. drivers get to experience? A lithium-ion battery from Tesla that will get them about 70 miles before needing to be charged again (a process that can be completed overnight), and the quirky design that’s always accompanied smart cars. The range is lower than the average on EVs these days (usually about 100 miles before recharge is needed), but will fit the needs of most of the city-dwelling commuters that the electric smart fortwo is geared toward. The biggest selling feature, however, is expected to be the price tag, which Daimler has made no comment on yet, but is likely to be less than that of larger EVs. And, of course, there’s always the perk of being able to park in the smallest spaces.

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At a time when most car makers are struggling to survive, having the demand for your car exceed the supply probably feels reassuring…or at least until you release you can’t keep up with demand at all. That seems to be the situation at Toyota, where sales of the incredibly popular 2010 Prius have been so good that they can’t get their hands on enough batteries to manufacture the hybrid cars.

The senior managing director of Toyota has already spoken out saying that the factories are “working overtime at full capacity” but that production of the batteries need to go up for waiting lists for the Prius to go down. The batteries are currently manufactured by Panasonic EV Energy and the company send more than 90% of the more than 500,000 batteries it manufactured last year to Toyota for use in the Prius, but that amount won’t do if Prius sales continue to rise as they have been. Panasonic EV Energy has already announced that in response to the demand they plan to open a new plant in northern Japan  next year (and will be much needed if Toyota meets their sales estimate of 1 million hybrids by 2011) and Toyota has announced that they will also be purchasing batteries from Sanyo to keep up with sales. Click here to read more

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After plenty of hype (ending with a big buzz about wireless charging), Nissan has finally debuted their latest offering in the world of green cars—the all-electric Leaf, a zero emissions vehicle that will be available in late 2010.

The Leaf is the first representation of Nissan’s plan to focus less on reduced emissions vehicles (like their Altima hybrid) and instead skip ahead to zero-emission EVs. The Nissan Leaf also highlights some of the challenges of making electric cars a common choice for car buyers with the steps Nissan has taken to ensure the vehicle is “real world” ready. Mainly, Nissan knew the Leaf needed to be affordable and practical for the day-to-day driving of the average driver, and they’ve tried to meet those demands with a cost expected to be somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 (not the cheapest vehicle on the market, but certainly no Tesla Roadster either) and a range of 100 miles. The company also opted for a shape that would match most of the cars on the road—lest they scare off anyone afraid of change—and a five-person capacity. Click here to read more

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Make no mistake, Nissan will be making a zero-emissions electric vehicle (currently nicknamed the ZEV), but they may be pulling the plug all the same. That’s because the company has developed the technology to wirelessly charge electric cars—kind of makes Nokia’s wireless cellphone charging technology pale in comparison, doesn’t it? The technology relies on inductive charging (charging electrical batteries through electromagnetic induction) and you may already use it everyday if you own a certain model of electric toothbrush. Nissan plans to take the technology up a notch and see if it can be of use in the ZEV.

Nissan is hoping the plug-free technology will help convince car buyers who are hesitant about purchasing an electric vehicle because of recharging concerns (something Nissan found more than half of consumer research respondents to worry about). It wouldn’t be as simple, however, as charging wirelessly from your home; the inductive charging would require a special charging bay and because of that the company sees it more as a public option. ZEV drivers would still recharge by plugging in at night, but could pull into designated parking bays to recharge wirelessly during the day. Nissan is even playing with the idea of wireless car-charging lanes, which would be sections of roads that were fitted on the sides with the inductive charging panels, enabling drivers to charge as they drive. Many scientists have doubts about the feasibility of the idea, though. Click here to read more

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