Powering our vehicles with renewable energy—like wind and solar—is a highly effective way to reduce our personal carbon footprints. The rise in fuel prices combined with renewed concern over climate change has significantly increased the interest the auto industry is paying to alternative energy when it comes to how they develop new vehicles. Here are the latest developments.

• Nissan released the Leaf electric car on August 3, 2009, hoping to provide the first mass-market zero-emissions vehicle. The battery, which charges overnight, is said to have a 100-mile range. You’ll even be able to check in on your car through your iPhone.
• REVA is an under $20,000 electric car that reaches speeds of 50 mph and comes out of India.
• The all-electric E6 vehicle by China’s BYD could be available in the US by 2010 (ahead of its 2011 schedule). The battery’s range is suggested to reach about 186 miles (300 km) per charge.
• The $100,000 Tesla Roadster electric vehicle goes from zero to 60 in four seconds or less and packs a battery with a 200-mile range.
• The Chevy Volt electric car is supposed to get 230 miles per gallon city driving according to closed circuit tests. Real-world tests will confirm whether this will actually be the vehicle’s average city driving mileage rate.
• Daimler is set to begin rolling Smart ForTwo electric cars off the production line in November 2009 in France. It will have a Tesla Motors lithium-ion battery pack that gets about 71 miles before needing a charge.
• The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car was unveiled in early September 2009. It is anticipated to reach top speeds of 155 mph. The battery charges in about 2.5 hours and will go about 31 miles in electric mode-only.
• UCFlorida has purchased the Zenn car, a plug-in electric vehicle with 3 solar panels attached to the roof to make it 100 percent solar powered. The vehicle can only go about 15 miles, but it that works for this vehicle that travels only around campus.
• MIT students have developed a 90 mph solar-powered car that will race for 7 days in the World Solar Challenge in October2009.
• The Prius 10 by Toyota has an optional solar-powered ventilation system that cools the interior of the vehicle while it’s parked.
• The BlueCar EV by Pininfaria and Bolloré is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with supercapacitors, and has roof- and hood-mounted solar cells. It will go into production in 2011 in France and Canada.

Enermotion is a company that converts the Prius by installing photovoltaics and a back-up battery supply. This will provide additional electric charge to the motor and will extend the driving range while the factory battery pack recharges itself.