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You know gas is expensive to Americans when the local news reports that scooter sales are up significantly, even in Des Moines. Scooters and moped riders who aren’t riding to school are still pretty few and far between in the States, but as we approach $4 a gallon unleaded, more and more people are buying in to these little boogers that often approach 100 mpg.

In the face of the current economic situation, a lot of Americans are actually making positive changes in their lives. Whereas hardly anybody would have been caught dead riding a motor-scooter 5 years ago, opting instead for the typical American behemoth, mindsets are different now. Environmentally friendly activities such as these aren’t as shunned anymore as habits of hemp-growing tree-huggers, but rather they are seen as viable options for a mainstream America that is acknowledging the issue.

I can’t imagine how awesome it would feel to whip into a gas station on a little Vespa for a fill-up. I’d look over at the person next to me filling up their Escalade or Expedition and try to hold back a snicker as their meter rolls past $100. As for me, I’d only have to dig around for a $10 bill to fill a nearly dry tank and be good for around 200 more miles. Oh yeah, I can clearly picture it!

The times are changing, and you can feel the waning status symbol that large, gas-guzzling vehicles have enjoyed for far too long. When Ford is drastically cutting back truck and SUV production, and Honda, Yamaha, and Vespa are enjoying the current economic conditions, our changing ways are clear. News like this is long overdue, but better late than never I guess!

I recently had the opportunity to catch some Discovery Channel, which is quite a rarity since we don’t have cable or dish at our house. One of the shows that I saw, Mean Green Machines, was actually a sneak peak episode of the series that will run on Discovery Networks new channel, Planet Green, set to launch June 4th. This is one sweet show, and it completely throws out the notion that green has to be serene.

The episode that I watched featured an electric motorcycle called Killacycle, which is aptly named. This is no ordinary bike- it is a lightning quick bullet that proves it belongs at the drag strip with it’s sub 8 second quarter mile. At over 500 horsepower and a 0-60 time of under 1 second, it thoroughly gives hope to those who want to be go green without giving up performance.

The bike’s lead designer, Bill Dube, from the University of Colorado, and his team took on the ultimate challenge: competing against the fuel-sucking counterpart ridden by motorcycle drag racing’s ‘first lady’, Connie Cohen. It wasn’t outwardly obvious, but there seemed to be tension between the two teams. Killacycle had a point to prove, and Cohen’s team probably wasn’t too keen on getting showed up by the eerily silent newcomer. I won’t spoil the outcome for you, since this episode will surely air again in the future, but its definitely a good watch!

Like I mentioned before in my post about the Tesla Roadster, one of the biggest concerns that a lot of people have, (myself included) with green is the supposed loss of performance. Sure we want to be green, but we don’t want our future to include putting around in slow, electric cars why we reminisce about the thrill of internal combustion engines. This show gives me more hope that this won’t be the case!

Who says environmentally friendly can’t be fast and fun? Tesla Motors definitely believes you can have both. The San Carlos, CA based company, with the help of Lotus Cars, developed a lean, mean, and green machine which can travel approximately 220 miles between charges. The eerily quiet Roadster accelerates from 0-60 in under 4 seconds and tops out around 135 mph, performance that normally requires a very thirsty internal combustion engine.

This is an awesome thing for the automobile industry. We have long had a certain fascination with fast cars (myself included), and it’s not about to go away anytime soon. I’m glad somebody with an environmentally conscious mindset noticed. I’ve often wondered what would happen to performance cars as we moved away from fossil fuels, but now Tesla has given me hope. Rather than ignoring the huge market for fast cars, Tesla is delivering.

As cool as the Roadster is, Tesla is a still a very new and small company. Only 650 vehicles are being produced for the 2008 model year and there are only a handful of service departments around the country for the $98,000 car. Since Tesla is such an infant company it’s still going to struggle immensely with high barriers to entry into such a tough field. Here’s hoping that they overcome their obstacles and make it big.

I hope other automakers are taking notice, and realize that efficient doesn’t have to be boring and slow. I have one request though. As wasteful as it is, there is something about hearing a supercar’s engine roar that gives me chills. I don’t know if I want a silent sports car. How about an option to artificially give it a mean-sounding growl on command?

At the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, Toyota announced that they will produce a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) by 2010.  The vehicles will be available first to commercial fleets such as government agencies and corporations.  This move pits Toyota in a direct race with GM, who hope to release the Chevy Volt around the same time.  The competition in this field will no doubt benefit the consumers as well as the auto industry. 

I can only imagine what GM is thinking.  Even if they beat Toyota in a release date, Toyota still has the advantage of being the current hybrid king, and the massive success that is the Prius will give consumers confidence in their vehicle.  I think there will be plenty of market share for both companies if they both deliver the goods, but I don’t know if either would be content with a tie.  GM would probably love nothing better than to at least temporarily knock Toyota off their high horse.  Whether Toyota is only counteracting GM’s move is beside the point.  There is now real competition. 

Toyota said that they will be studying consumer demand for a car that must be plugged in and powered off the grid.  Like I’ve said before, with rising gas prices and tighter demand for world oil supplies, I don’t think it will bother consumers too much.  With continued growth in wind, solar, and geothermal energy, as well as cleaner coal burning technology, plug-ins should be much greener than traditional hybrids.  It will be extremely interesting to watch this play out.