Check out this video of Senator John Kerry calling the US the Saudi Arabia of Natural Gas.  Take if from a major Washington power broker, the Gulf Oil Disaster has silenced the "Drill Baby Drill" rhetoric for sometime. The US has the world's largest reserves of Natural Gas and Senator Kerry believes it could help cure our addiction to foreign oil. This too is coming from an all but likely source. T. Boone Pickens and...

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The New York Times has reported Hertz will be renting the Nissan Leaf to consumers in 2011.  For people in the market or who are considering getting into the market for a fully electric car Hertz is providing the ultimate test drive. Renting a Nissan Leaf and giving consumers the ability to test how an electric car can work for them is an amazing opportunity to expand the market for electric cars. However, I warn...

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The newest dilemma in the Gulf Oil disaster is Methane Hydrates are blocking a giant dome that was to be placed over the leak. What are Methane Hydrates you ask? Also known as “Fire Ice” Methane hydrates are deposits of frozen methane gas found at the bottom of the ocean. Here is what a Dept. of Energy Study had to say about methane hydrates- If methane hydrate is either warmed or depressurized, it will revert...

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As nearly everyone knows, twelve days ago the oil rig Deepwater Horizon caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico and sank.  The tragedy resulted in a loss of eleven lives and is leading to one of the worst environmental disasters in history.  When the rig first sank two days after it had caught fire, there was faint optimism the rigs link to the oil reserve was shutoff.  There was also hope blowout prevention devices would...

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DriveAlternatives.com will soon be attending the Living Green Expo.  Admission is FREE. When:               Saturday, May 1, 2010 – 10am to 6pm                        Sunday, May 2, 2010 – 10am to 5pm Where:             Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grand Stand                       1265 Snelling Avenue, Saint Paul   Here is some information about the Living Green Expo taken from http://www.livinggreenexpo.mn/EventInfo.asp For more than 100,000 Minnesotans over the last eight years, the Living Green Expo has become an annual...

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Combining the business models of a carshare firm (like HOURCAR) and vacation home rental service (like Idaho Cabin Keepers) and what do you get? TransportCHAIN, a business plan competition winning start-up that is launching the first person-to-person car sharing service. For many urban dwellers that own a car and commute using mass transit the concept is great. Rent my car while I’m gone at work. Reserve it online when I need to on the weekends....

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Tech.mn has done a write-up and podcast on DriveAlternatives. Click over to here learn more about alternative fuels, green cars, and technology that can marry the two. http://tech.mn/news/2010/03/20/minnesota-local-startup-spotlight-16-drive-alternatives/ It's an exciting time for us as we prepare to launch our iPhone app (other products soon to follow). If you are in Minneapolis May 1st & 2nd stop by and visit us at the MN Living Green Expo  at the State Fair Grounds!

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The Chevy Volt is one upcoming green car where optimists and pessimists can find common ground. The tank should be kept half full or half empty, both are right! What you ask? Chevy is recommending the average driver only fill the Volt's tank half full (I'm an optimist). Why? Because 80% of Americans commute less than 40 miles per day and the Volt has a 40 mile range. With these numbers most people won't be...

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Our two favorite billionaires with major interests in green cars, Warren Buffet and T. Boone Pickens, have made headlines recently. First up: Warren BuffetIn 2008 Buffet made a $230 million investment for 10% of the Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams).  Fast forward two years and in a letter to shareholders Buffet has valued that investment at $1.99 billion. Quite the return on investment! Last year Buffet told a group of business student that he...

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Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show Chevy released a dummy iPhone application to give consumers a taste of what owning a Volt will be like. After downloading and taking a peek, this app leaves us drooling... The Volt’s OnStar app will allow drivers to: Check Electric Range Check Gasoline Range Unlock/Lock Vehicle Start Vehicle (including climate control) Set Charge Complete/Interrupt Messaging Set Delayed Charging (to take advantage of off peak rates) Honk Horn (to...

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To kick-off 2010 with a bang we put together a list of upcoming green cars that rev our engines (or motors). This new breed of cars includes everything from the much hyped electrics to seldom mentioned propane vehicles. These new cars are taking green and tech to new levels; and here at DriveAlternatives we are working hard to support their launch- 2011 ApteraGoogle invested in a car company? Well yes, the philanthropic arm. The Aptera...

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                            For the past twenty years we've witnessed GM, Ford, and Chrysler are being left in the dust by Japanese automakers like Toyota.  In recent years it is best exemplified by the big three’s lack of building a bestselling hybrid that could compete with the Prius. The Prius debuted in the US market in 2001 and in the years soon after left...

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    Recently several people have asked me how they could keep the environment in mind while purchasing tires. Well, fortunately for all of us many tire manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and begun selling environmentally friendly tires. Green Tires come in a few varieties, but here I’ll break it down into three simple categories: •    Tires Made with Sustainable Materials- Tires such as these are made with environmentally friendly alternatives to rubber. ...

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The Cash Allowance Rebate System (CARS), more commonly known as Cash for Clunkers, has released a transaction report of all trade-in vehicles approved for payment as of October, found here: http://www.cars.gov/carsreport As a "car guy" I found it very interesting to pour through the excel file. CNG cars first caught my eye and then a few LPG vehicles. I decided to total the list and determine how many alternative fuel cars met their maker in...

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Our mission at DriveAlternatives is to get America driving on anything but the common fossil fuel guzzlers on today’s roads. This afternoon we’ve come across quite a fleet of alternative vehicles and cannot pass up sending them your way. Ever thought about driving a cigarette to work with “break the habit” tattooed on the side? Or, maybe a computer that lets the world know how cool you are on the screen? If sports are your...

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The New York Times is reporting Nissan will be marketing the upcoming all-electric Leaf through social media. The Leaf gained notice about a month ago after self reporting a whopping 367 mpg figure, a claim released hours after Chevrolet gained international spotlight by announcing the Volt’s 230 mpg. Both releases caused a media frenzy and brought to light the absolute necessity of a fuel economy standard for electric cars needed to be determined by the...

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Gone are the days when dealer showrooms were flooded with pickup shoppers looking for a daily driver that rarely saw any real work.  The recession and last summer’s $4/gallon gas memory has hit the US pickup sales extremely hard, down -37.5% year to date September according to WSJ data. More than twice the hit US car sales have taken at – 16.7%. All signs point to fuel economy as the reason pickup sales have taken...

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Welcome to the DriveAlternatives.com's  Official Green Driving Blog! In our inaugural post we would like to thank you for visiting and give you a peek at what’s coming. DriveAlternatives.com  is here to support the greening of personal transportation in the US, and with that in mind we will be keeping you up to speed on the following topics: •    Alternative fuels•    Carshare Industry•    Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles•    DriveAlternatives news Check back for weekly updates...

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