The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: Dierk Schaefer

This time next year, you could be saving gobs on gas money — not to mention cutting your carbon footprint — on your summer road trip: Rental car company Hertz will be adding the new, all-electric Nissan Leaf to its offerings in early 2011, along with plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt and Prius PHV.

While the electric vehicles won’t be available everywhere — major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, will get first dibs — my guess is that Hertz and other rental car companies will be quickly expanding their EV offerings to other markets. Provided that the rental rates aren’t significantly higher than for a standard car, who wouldn’t want to fuel up for practically free?

When my husband and I rented a car for a one-way road trip up the coast from Los Angeles to Seattle last fall, we were upgraded to a Prius, and it was almost magical: We spent about $75 on gas for the entire trip, and we only had to refuel twice. Sure, it may have felt more festive to cruise the coast in a Ford Mustang convertible, but it would have also cost us $100 more in gas (according to the AAA Fuel Cost Calculator) — not to mention 600 extra pounds of CO2.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Before I tell you about my test drive this week of the new, all-electric Nissan Leaf, a disclaimer: If you’re looking for a review packed with performance stats (or any mention of the word torque), you’re out of luck; my experience with cars consists of putting about 4,000 miles a year on a fairly battered 2004 manual transmission Volkswagen Jetta that my husband refers to as Robocar.

(Before that, I lived for eight years sans car in Philadelphia, then Boston, then New York City; before that, I had a 1985 VW Cabriolet that spent more time on a AAA tow truck than it did on the road.)

OK, now the test drive results. Here’s what I can tell you about the Nissan Leaf:

It’s a real car. This may sound silly, but I think people expect electric cars to feel more like a toy than an all-purpose vehicle that you could take on the highway, on a road trip, and up in the mountains to go camping. The Nissan Leaf is not a novelty; when you’re in it, you would never know that it’s an “alternative” vehicle, save for the ultra-quiet driving experience and the fact that you’re fueling it for practically free.

It’s really quiet. About that pin-drop driving experience: With the absence of that familiar engine noise, it’s amazing how little sounds you would never otherwise notice seem really loud. So much so that Nissan had to actually go back and redesign the Leaf’s antenna and side mirrors to make them more aerodynamic, after they were resulting in too much perceptible “wind noise” to the car’s passengers. The turn signal clicker, to me, sounded way louder than usual; something I could totally get used to, but it took me by surprise at first.

It’s comfortable. Take it from someone who’s nearly nine months pregnant: This car has great lumbar support. I got to ride as a passenger in the back, as well as drive the car myself, and both seats were very comfy and offered a surprising amount of legroom (I’m a leggy 5’8″) for a compact hatchback. I also dug the recycled-soda-bottle fabric, though I would like to see an eco-leather option as well.

It’s zippy. I’ve always loved small, sprightly cars, and the Nissan Leaf fits the bill: It’s quick to the start, hugs the turns really nicely, and the brakes are responsive. In “eco mode,” which ups the amount of mileage you get per charge, the car does feel relatively heavier, though it’s still fine for tooling around town (not to mention being stuck in LA traffic).

It looks great. Before I saw the Nissan Leaf in person, I was expecting a Ford Focus-esque, run-of-the-mill hatchback. But in real life, the ride has style; the silhouette is sleek, the front of the car is gracefully curved, and the small rear spoiler detail gives it just a bit of edge. I saw it in that “earth blue” color that seems to be all the rage these days, but in black (see above) I think it would be a real beaut.

Let’s face it though; while it is nice to know that the Nissan Leaf stands out for all of the above, there are really two reasons you’ll want to buy or lease the Leaf: #1 It costs about 3 bucks to “fill it up” (a hefty 100 miles per charge), and #2 you’ll never again have to give a dime to dirty oil companies like BP.

–Jennifer Grayson

Related post:
Tax credits put Nissan Leaf within reach

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When I asked Fuel director Josh Tickell at the recent LA Get Off Oil Day what Angelenos could do to help the biggest gas guzzling city in the nation curb its crude consumption, his answer was simple: “Do not buy another car, do not trade in your car, do not take another car unless it has a plug on it.”

OK Josh, you’ve got it! Can I please have the new Fisker Karma?

Unless you’ve been living off the grid for the past three years, you’ve no doubt by now caught a glimpse of the Tesla Roadster, the eco-extravagant all-electric sports car that retails for about the price of a two-bedroom home in Phoenix. Well, the new made-in-California Karma is the first luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicle — packing the same zero-emissions punch of the Tesla (or any all-electric car, for that matter), but with the driving range of a conventional car.

Check out this green monster:

Boasting 100 mpg (that’s about 2 cents a mile FYI; though at $87,900 retail it could take a while to realize those savings), the Karma has a total range of 300 miles, an all-electric range of 50 miles, and can be fully charged in as little as six hours from any 110-, 220-, or 240-volt outlet. Oh, and did I mention it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds?

It’s also loaded with sustainable design features, including recyclable aluminum wheels, a solar panel roof, wood trim sourced from reclaimed California forest fire timber, and an animal-free interior option that replaces leather with bamboo viscose.

Word on the street is that LACarGuy, which will be opening the first Fisker dealership in Los Angeles in early 2011, will also be the first automotive dealer in the United States to offer Level 2 SAE J-1772 electric vehicle charging stations to the public at all of the LACarGuy locations. Good news for those of us who will probably be pulling up in a Leaf and not a Karma.

–Jennifer Grayson

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One of the paradoxes of modern life is that we think we’re so connected to everything via iPhones and Twitter and a blindingly paced 24/7 news cycle, but the amount of information is so vast that it’s sometimes hard to really feel connected.

Since the BP oil spill, I’ve been busy signing petitions to President Obama and writing relevant blog posts and sharing the latest Tony Hayward gaffe on Facebook, but at my core I feel wholly unsatisfied. I don’t feel like I’m really doing anything.

Evidently, I’m not the only one who feels this way. It wasn’t until I saw Rebecca Tickell speak at the Women of the Green Generation Conference and share her and her husband’s (Fuel director Josh Tickell) plans for oil spill protest rallies both here in Los Angeles and later this month in New Orleans that I realized: Oh, yeah. There are some issues that warrant more of a response than a Tweet from the comfort of my own couch.

And if the BP oil spill isn’t one of them, I don’t know what is.

So if you’re in Los Angeles tomorrow, consider stepping away from your laptop for a few hours and making your voice heard at LA Get Off Oil Day. And if you can travel (preferably in an eco-friendly way) to the June 29 protest in New Orleans, more green power to you.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Respres

This has been a week of some seriously heavy environmental news, what with the BP oil spill showing no signs of slowing down and the introduction of the new climate bill to the Senate, and I know I should be offering some astute analysis of either; but the truth is, I’m fried. It’s Thursday night as I write this, and I’m already dreaming about the weekend.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we only had to work four days a week?

As it turns out, embracing the Friday fatigues could actually be good for the environment. According to a new article in Whole Life Times, if the entire California workforce bypassed its Friday commute, the state could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 8 million tons a year. Utah implemented a four-day workweek for its government workers last year, and cut the state’s energy use by 13 percent.

How to ditch a day without reducing productivity? Simple: Add an extra two hours to each of those four days — something a lot of us do for the five-plus days we work, anyway.

Of course, avoiding the Friday commute doesn’t curb carbon emissions when that commute consists of making your way from the bedroom to your laptop at the kitchen table. Would a power-down day be too much to ask for, too?

–Jennifer Grayson

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It may only be March, but I already know what I’m putting at the top of my green holiday wish list: A 2011 Nissan Leaf. It was announced yesterday that the electric vehicle (EV) will be available for both purchase and lease in select markets in December.

It may even be possible to realize my wish, thanks to a hefty federal tax credit of $7,500 that will knock the price of the Leaf down to $25,280. That credit will also be factored into leasing deals, which are expected to start at $349 a month. And because I live in the state of California, where an additional $5,000 tax rebate is available, the cost could be even lower. (Green car enthusiasts living outside the Golden State need not feel excluded; $5,000 and $1,500 tax credits are available in Georgia and Oregon, respectively.)

The Leaf may not seem as affordable as, say, a Honda Fit, but factor in the operating costs and the Leaf starts to look pretty tempting: Charging the Leaf for 100 miles will set you back a mere $3 in electricity costs; compare that with the more than $11 in gasoline to drive the same distance in the 2009 Fit (based on the current national average fuel price of $2.94 a gallon). Plus, the prospect of never again having to stop at a gas station is pretty compelling. Take that, ExxonMobil!

An electric vehicle isn’t without environmental cost, however. EVs increase demand for electricity — and if the electricity from your utility isn’t coming from a green source like solar or wind, you could be passing the buck to coal-fired power plants.

Still, there are a few other incentives that may nudge you toward the Leaf:

Zero emissions. The Leaf completely eliminates emissions at the tailpipe (the car doesn’t even have one!), which may help reduce air pollution in congested cities like Los Angeles.

Eco-friendly features. The vehicle is equipped with energy-efficient LED headlights, as well as recycled/recyclable seat fabric, instrument panel, and bumper materials.

Made in America. In May, Nissan will break ground on its vehicle and battery production plant in Tennessee, which will be capable of manufacturing 150,000 Leafs and 200,000 battery packs a year. The move is expected to bring 1,300 jobs to the area.

There’s just one glitch in my green holiday plans: Because I’m a renter in an apartment building, I may not be able to install the personal charging dock that Nissan provides along with the car. And while glitzier apartment/condo complexes may be adding charging stations to their list of amenities that already include fitness centers and swimming pools, that scenario isn’t likely for my eight-unit 1920s Los Angeles walk-up. (I’m lucky I even have a garage, albeit one that looks like a tool shed.)

Still, I’ve been told that the company is planning to make public charging stations readily available in major markets. With 85,000 people already signed up on the preliminary interest list for the Leaf, consumer demand may soon make that a reality.

–Jennifer Grayson

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While it now appears that we won’t be able to count on Jay Leno’s 10 pm time slot, there’s at least something else we can depend on the famed talk-show host for: his continued devotion to sustainable automotive technology.

WATCH: Leno profiles the 2011 Chevy Volt

Most people know that Leno is a car nut — his personal collection of 150+ cars and motorcycles is housed in a 17,000-square-foot custom-built garage, complete with its own team of mechanics — but it was only recently that I heard about Leno’s Green Garage initiative, which is profiled on Jay Leno’s Garage website. And it’s not just the vehicles that are green, though Leno does have a smattering of some truly drool-worthy eco-minded models, like his E85 Corvette and BMW Hydrogen 7; the garage itself is outfitted with solar panels and a wind turbine that have taken it almost completely off the grid, as well as a host of other cool green garage solutions, like using microorganisms to clean auto parts, an aerosal system that eliminates single-use cans, and a foaming waterless hand soap strong enough to take the grease stains off your hands.

It may seem a bit hypocritical for the owner of so many cars to talk about going green. But, as Leno said when he introduced the Green Garage, it’s not like they’re all running at the same time. Cars are here to stay (for the meantime, anyway), so we may as well be realistic about finding innovative solutions that can reduce their footprint — both in and out of the shop. We’ll be looking to Leno’s Green Garage to fill us in on the latest and greatest in green automotive technology.

And if this second round of late-night switcheroos doesn’t pan out, maybe there’s a future for Jay on Planet Green.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Looking to purchase an alternative vehicle or install solar panels on your home in 2010? Check out what tax credits you may be eligible for on the DOE site.

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The Mercedes Pens! (Or, how to recycle used pens)

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[Watch video on Vimeo]

Wolfgang Puck and Ferrari drivers, take note: The Los Angeles you know and love is changing.

A serious foodie culture (I’m talking Kogi, not Kobe) has exploded in the five years since I moved to LA. I credit the LA Weekly‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning food columnist Jonathan Gold, the proliferation of food blogs, and a diversely ethnic population’s scrumptious cooking that the city’s gringos are finally beginning to notice, thanks in part to the former two. A serious biking culture has also sprung up, owing to the expanding green movement and a dismal economy forcing people to reconsider the bicycle as a method of everyday transportation. So what do you get when you combine these two emerging counter-cultures?

Pure marketing genius, says Josef Bray-Ali, co-owner of the Flying Pigeon bike shop in the Highland Park district of LA. Last year, he and his brother Adam started hosting group bike rides to various Chinese dumpling houses in the area as a way to showcase the shop’s Chinese (and Dutch) commuter bikes. The Get Some Dim Sum ride, as it’s now called, has since taken off like fried rice cakes — as many as 50 people now show up for the gastronomical excursions, which take place on the third Sunday of every month.

Josef is quick to point out that the rides are more than a marketing ploy, however. He’s passionate about sustainability, and envisions commuter biking as a serious component of LA’s green future. “If [the city of LA] were to just focus on our streets, and move a greater percentage of people by rail and by bike — not by mandate, but because they want to, because it’s a comfortable, fun, nice thing to do, because the street is oriented for it — we could massively reduce the needs we have for all kinds of resources,” he says.

Comfortable and fun it is. The brothers were kind enough to let me test out one of their cruisers when I joined them on the dim sum ride, and I’ve got to say, this model was a welcome improvement over the converted mountain bike I use for errands around town. It’s sturdy, you can sit upright (no hunching over the handlebars with these), and the seat is cushy — heck, you could even wear a dress on one of these! I also managed to work up quite an appetite on the 10-mile ride, despite the leisurely pace.

Want to join Flying Pigeon on the next Get Some Dim Sum ride? All you need is a helmet, a bike (or call a few days in advance to reserve a rental for $10), and $15 per person to pay for the food. All ages and athletic abilities are welcome.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Biking is great for the planet, not so great for you if you get hit by a car. Click here to learn how to ride safely and defensively.

Related post:
Eco-friendly road-trip: Just Follow Nathan

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Yesterday, I met with Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell of The Veggie Van Organization as they raced to get ready for their nationwide tour to promote their film Fuel (which, by the way, won the Best Documentary Audience Award at Sundance 2008 — this film is going to be huge). While I was there, they gave me and The Huffington Post a first glimpse of the Algaeus, the world’s first algae-fueled, 150 mpg, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

There’s been a lot of buzz about algae fuel, which is actually a synthetic gasoline (albeit one that’s completely biodegradable — even drinkable!), not biodiesel, as Harrell relayed yesterday. Stay tuned for an in-depth look at this fuel of the future.

Click here for the full story on today’s HuffPost.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: One of the goal’s of The Veggie Van Organization is to make available a free 35-minute educational cut of the film to every classroom in America. Visit the website to make a donation.

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Looking to take your biodiesel Benz to the next green level? Then take a cue from the hilariously creative Mercedes Pens, which I stumbled upon (well, not really — there was a huge crowd gathered around it) in the picturesque hamlet of St. Helena, CA, on my trip to Napa Valley last week.

Costas Schuler, comedian and creator of the Pens, announced this summer his next ambitious feat: to divert 1 million used pens from their landfill fate, to create giant art murals he dubs Pen-tingsä (Get it?).

Got a stash of old pens in a drawer somewhere? If you live in Northern California, click here to find a drop-off location near you. Everyone else can mail donations to:

The Pen Guy
2425 Mendocino Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

To read more about Schuler, visit his blog, The Pen Guy and His Mercedes Pens Art Car.

–Jennifer Grayson

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