General Motors has recently filed for a bizarre trademark in claiming the right to the term, “Range Anxiety.” Range anxiety, for those new to electric car discussions, is the term used to describe that some electric vehicle drivers might feel if they are low on battery power and not close to home or a charging station. It reflects the limited range of the electric car and is generally considered the primary negative aspect of owning an electric car.

Gm has applied for the rights to phrase in order to “promote public awareness of electric vehicle capabilities.” This seems unlikely however since GM has no current fully electric vehicles available, or even expected in the near future. What they do have is the Chevy Volt (image above) coming out this Fall with its range-extending engine.

So GM will be using fear-based marketing to scare potential Volt buyers away from pure electric competition like the Nissan Leaf.

We’re looking forward to the first Volt commercials where drivers are stranded on the road and eventually die of starvation thanks to range anxiety.

With plug-in electric cars about to hit the U.S. market in droves soon (Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, we’re looking at you), the EPA has finally come out with some proposed fuel economy window stickers for plug-in electric cars.

There are currently two designs which both share the same kinds of information, just with a difference layout. What the plug-in EV fuel economy stickers have in common is the added information that comes along with the complexity of electric vehicles.

Among the additional data elements is a field for greenhouse gas emissions. These will however, only cover emissions that come from the tailpipe, which is understandable since grid emissions might be a little tricky to pin down.

There will also be an area that shows fuel/energy consumption in terms of gallons per 100 miles and/or kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. Plug-in hybrid stickers will also feature a set of mpg numbers as well as a composite/equivalent number that reflects energy usage while the battery is charged and while it’s depleted.

The new fuel economy window stickers also come with a QR code that lets shoppers scan it to make quick comparisons on vehicles.

Have you ever been about to cross the street when you realized several tons of hybrid or electric car was about to cream you? It’s an occurrence that is apparently happening more and more often.

That’s why Toyota is offering a $149 noise maker for its Toyota Prius starting next week. Initially only to be available in Japan, the hybrid noise maker will be a speaker that’s installed under the hood. The noise will be selected by the manufacturer and will be designed to “alert but not annoy.”

While the Prius noise maker is only going to be available in Japan for now, plans are in place to see it brought to the U.S, market. It will be interesting to see if the American versions will allow for sound customization. Will it be like a whole new ringtone? Will Prius drivers be given the option to blast Lady Gaga at innocent passersby? Only time will tell.

In news that brings to light the ever-worsening vehicle pollution and congestion problem in China, the 62-mile traffic jam near Beijing that officials say could last until mid-September has entered into its 10th day.

Local authorities have dispatched hundreds of police to try and maintain order and to reroute cars and trucks carrying essential supplies, such as food or flammables, around the main bottleneck. Vehicles were inching along little more than a third of a mile a day.

Zhang Minghai, director of Zhangjiakou city’s Traffic Management Bureau general office, said that he didn’t expect the situation to return to normal until around Sept. 17 when road construction is scheduled to be finished and traffic lanes will open up.

San Francisco residents thinking about purchasing a Nissan Leaf electric car are in luck as the potential cost to buy the slick little EV is dropping almost daily due to dealer price wars.

It all started when the first discount of $500 off the Nissan Leaf MSRP was announced. Soon after, a second San Francisco dealer topped that with a $1,000 discount. Since then another has claimed to beat both those offers while yet a fourth dealer claims to be the premiere place to buy a Leaf with a full 5% off the MSRP amounting to $1,639 shaved off the base model Leaf.

This latest offer comes from North Bay Nissan, who regrettably can’t offer free shipping due to the large discount already afforded.

Are you thinking about buying a Nissan Leaf? Living in or near the Bay area? Let us know.

The 2010 EV Conference and Trade Show in Vancouver will see the unveiling of the first Canadian car with a body built entirely out of pot! OK, it’s a hemp composite to be exact.

The car in question is the Motive Industries Kestrel electric car, a four-person compact boasting the ultra renewable hemp body. The hemp body has the same impact resistance of fiberglass but has the added value of weighing less and costing less to produce.

The decreased cost and lighter weight really lends itself to electric car manufacturing. We’ll be following the Kestrel as it goes through testing this month. In the meantime, let’s enjoy a short video about the world’s first vehicle made entirely out of weed.

Earlier this week, the New York City Police Department introduced the first 30 of 102 Ford Fusion Hybrids to be used as patrol cars.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the cars use less fuel and emit fewer pollutants, and they contribute to his PlaNYC goal of reducing the city government’s carbon footprint. The cars are equipped with specialized police equipment and switch between a gasoline engine and an electric motor.

This is just another move in The NYPD’s effort to become a more green force. Their fleet already includes hybrid Nissan Altimas, SUVs and electric scooters.

Sixteen Chinese state-owned companies have joined forces to form an electric vehicle industry association in Beijing. According to a Beijing Times report, the association’s goal is to develop electric cars. integrate technological standards and assist Chinese companies to become world leaders in the production of electric vehicles.

The newly formed group also hopes to design a thorough and efficient information sharing system that allowed automakers, battery producers, and associated state resources to exchange information.

The companies are anticipated to invest a total of $14.7 billion on the growing electric vehicles market by 2012.

Karl Stracke, who is the Vice President of global engineering at General Motors, as come out with a statement which if true, could alter the face of the hybrid sportscar. He was quoted as saying that the idea of a hybrid corvette was “interesting” and added ““You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts,” Stracke said. “And turn 80 to 90 percent of your sports-car portfolio to hybridization.”

Stracke made the comments whilst denying that GM was developing a mid-engined Corvette.

In the first quarter of 2010, during the 918’s public launch in Geneva Auto Show, Porsche announced the full details regarding the 918 model. Details included the V-8 engine and its 3.4-liter motor produce 500 horsepower as well as the 5 kWh lithium ion battery pack and the sport design, which Michael Mauer calls “the performance and design future of Porsche”.

The Porsche hybrid has four modes – E-Drive is the full electric mode which powers car for 16 miles. The Hybrid Mode uses both the internal engine and electric propulsion. The Sport Hybrid mode uses electric power to boost the engine giving more the power to the rear wheels. Finally the Race Hybrid mode uses a push-to-pass button using battery and electric for passing.

The price of the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Supercar is rumored to be over $600,000, and they will be available in early 2013.