Back in August of 2007, we shed the smallest of tears for Yoko Ono after she publicly urged automakers to “make hybrid cars as comfortable as a Bentley”. We felt awful for her — and the millions of happy hybrid-owners who are oblivious to the uncomfortable and spartan interiors of their vehicles.

Thanks to a report on Autobloggreen this morning, Yoko now has reason to hope for the future. Apparently, Bentley may be considering offering a hybrid version of their insanely-priced luxury vehicles. Their 2009 models average about 9 mpg in the city and 14-17 mpg on the highway — so any movement toward a hybrid model would certainly save Yoko some fuel costs — and potentially keep the whining to a minimum.

Full article over at ABG here.

Originally slated for a 2009 release, Chris Paine’s Revenge Of The Electric Car documentary — the follow-up to his successful Who Killed The Electric Car? flick — has now been moved to a late 2010 release.

Speaking at the Plug-in 2009 conference in Long Beach, California last week, Paine said the decision to move back the release was less about production hold-ups and more because they want the cars to be available when the film hits theaters. Filming for the doc is expected to wrap in September 2010.

Joining Paine during the conference panel was Chelsea Sexton — EV advocate and star of the first film — and none other than Bill Nye the Science Guy, who left his all-electric MINI-E at home in favor of taking the train. Autobloggreen has an MP3 audio capture of the event with the three panelists discussing everything from Ann Coulter to “what it’s like to give someone a ride in your electric car and make them excited about what EVs can do.”

Jump here for more.

– Ed Begley Jr. in a recent interview discussing the hardships of being a green role model.

It’s worth noting that today is April 1st.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, for any other artist out there thinking of glorifying their Prius in song.), the reception to the music has been less than welcoming. “The other car songs featured on tour are decidedly bad, but this ‘Fork in the Road’ song is so distressingly awful that it almost seems like a joke,” said one reviewer on the Thrashers Wheat website. “So hideous that one almost has to laugh at the situation.”

The new viral video for one of Young’s new songs “Fork in the Road” is below. Have a listen and tell us what you think!

via Autobloggreen and Greendaily

So, it’s a bit of a bummer to hear Kerr talking about her jet-setting ways in the latest issue of Page Six Mag. “In the last 22 days I’ve been to eight different countries,” she said regarding her job as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. “Honestly, I’m always on an airplane. I spend a lot of time on beautiful little islands, but generally its one day here and then flying, then one day there, then fly. But I feel very grateful to have so much work, especially with the economy how it is.”

I wonder if Kerr is approaching David Beckham’s 250,000 miles in the air record from last year? It’s estimated that this contributed to one of the largest carbon footprints in history.

Like previous interviews, Kerr opens up about an eventual family — and her desire to have it be an eco-friendly affair. “I’ve always wanted kids, so…someday…eventually, yes, it will happen.  My ideal situation would be to live on a farm in a solar-powered house with a hammock and a vegetable patch. When this is all over that’s where I’ll be.”

Hopefully, that happens soon. Till then, here’s to the optimistic thought that VS flies all their models commercial…

Check out more on Kerr in this week’s issue of Page Six Magazine, free inside the Sunday edition of the New York Post.

Beyonce says: “Even now I sometimes fly economy if I need to. We had a storm in Miami and there was a hurricane coming so we just got out. You know the airlines where if you’re fifth in line, you sit in seat five? And then they throw a peanut at you with your drink? I don’t care about those kind of things.”

True, Beyonce doesn’t always fly coach because “It’s just that people don’t give me peace in economy, that’s the hardest thing”, but still we love that chooses to avoid flying private, which ends up creating so much waste!

While flying in general is hard on Mother Earth, its almost a better choice for the environment to fly commercial vs. private. If you’re taking a trip soon, head on over to TerraPass.com and find out how YOU can offset your flight. Offsetting may not be the ultimate solution, but it’s certainly better than not. Happy travels!

via: femalefirst.co.uk

Hilary Swank is one of the latest celebrities to receieve the keys to a BMW Hydrogen 7 –- the world’s first hydrogen car for everyday use. Over the weekend, Swank officially broke the two million mile mark for this groundbreaking vehicle – since its introduction, more than two million miles have now been driven with the BMW H7. From the release,

Swank joins a litany of fellow green-minded boldfaced names, such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan, Gavin Rossdale, J.J. Abrams and Kristen Davis, as the newest member of the BMW Pioneer Program. The program gives industry leaders and prominent figures in entertainment, politics and business a BMW Hydrogen 7 for their daily use as proof that hydrogen-powered vehicles could be viable for everyday driving in the future.

Dear BMW: We’re still waiting for our keys. More info on the H7 available here.

There’s been a slew of green car news this week and I thought I would catch everyone up on updates to our “Top 5 Future Hollywood Green Cars” feature. So strap in!

First up, whether intentional or not, shots of the 2010 Toyota Prius have landed online — a full three months before the true reveal was supposed to take place in January ‘09. Granted, pictures can only tell us so much, but it appears that the car is a bit more aerodynamic than the current model. That should help with mileage — something expected to be higher with the new model. Additionally, the interior has received a full-overhaul. More pics available over at ABG.

Not surprisingly, electric automaker Tesla has been hit hard by the recent economic slowdown. Besides some shifting of executive power at the top, Gizmodo is reporting that the company also laid off 90% of its Detroit staff. Unfortunately, it didn’t give anyone time to prepare — choosing instead to fire those employees with a cryptic blog post on its site. Classy. Check out more over on GIZ.

The new electric Mini Cooper has been revealed! Sporting a 572-pound lithium ion battery, the Mini-E supposedly has a range of 150 miles after a solid 8-hour charge. You’ll also get 204-horsepower, 162 lb-ft of torque, and a top speed of 95mph — which should give you plenty of ‘oompf’. The full info will be available at the Detroit auto show in January. Look for the actual car to debut in limited quantities sometime next summer. [Read more...]

The auto star of the latest James Bond movie hasn’t been the Aston Martin, but the little Ford Ka. We were previously bummed to hear that this car would probably not be coming to America, but now it appears that may change. AutoBlogGreen reveals that Ford is reconsidering demand for small cars in the U.S. and may bring the 60mpg diesel here sometime 2010/2011. Do it! [Read more...]

With a beer in hand, Neil Young went on camera last week to record a “State of the Linc Volt” address and give the world an update on his progress converting a ‘59 Lincoln Continental into a badass electric vehicle. We haven’t heard much on the project since engineer John Goodwin and Young nearly destroyed the car in their first test run back in June.

Now, we’re learning that the number of Lithium-ion batteries has been reduced and they’ve added an on-board generator — similar to the Chevy Volt’s small gasoline range extender. Also, and most interesting, the Lincoln has been outfitted with sensors that will wirelessly hook up with the Internet and deliver real time stats to the world. We’re not sure if they’re jacking in through a cell phone or just some local hotspots, but either way, cool!

Also, take a look at the live web cam now available in the garage for visual updates at your leisure. Is that a Hummer to the right? Is that monster getting a new green soul too?

via autobloggreen

Back in June of 2007, we reported that Daryl Hannah had been spotted riding an iZip Hybrid Electric bike during the L.A. Bicycle Coalition LA River Ride. Digging a bit deeper, it turned out that Hannah had received the bike from Ed Begley Jr. — who couldn’t be at the race due to a cross-country trip in his Prius. Anyways, Begley enjoys a business relationship with Currie Technologies, makers of the iZip, and thought Hannah would love the opportunity to try one. The company agreed, sent her one, and then also allowed her to keep it after the race.

So now Hannah is suing the green bicycle maker for using “her name and photo to promote the product on its website and catalog, wrongly leading potential customers to think that she endorsed the product.”

Really? Didn’t she endorse the product by a.) using it in a race and b.) deciding to keep it when it was offered to her? Is suing an upstart green company like iZip for $1 million dollars in damages the right move here? I understand that people do not want to be misrepresented — but it seems to me that companies promote celebs using their products all the time; even if they only spot them with the swag in paparazzi pics.

What do you think? The offending photo is above.

[UPDATE: Please read our new post on this development here...]