The Green Car Revolution by Trivett Sydney

Eco friendly cars are all the rage as more and more manufacturers recognise the growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles. They're friendlier to the planet and kinder to your wallet when it comes to filling up at the pump. Meanwhile, the Federal Government's Green Car fund has ear marked $500 million in funds for "green car" initiatives, which should help boost innovation in the industry.

Is it a "green car"?

Eco friendly vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, but ultimately, their "greenness" is attributed to lower carbon dioxide emissions. Australia does not have CO2 emissions standards in place, but the EU is looking to establish a 120g/km of CO2 emissions on vehicles by 2012. This has auto manufacturers competing to meet and beat the emissions standards. And a number of different engine technologies have been employed:

Hybrid - probably generating the most hype when it comes to eco friendly cars is the hybrid - an petrol supported electric motor. Hybrid engines are primarily off electricity but engage the petrol engine when needed. Toyota has long dominated this market with its ever popular Prius, but more and more hybrid models are emerging in the marketplace including the Honda Insight. The Honda Insight will be hitting Honda dealerships ; this year.

Lean Green Diesel - diesel technology has been around for decades, and the word "clean" doesn't usually come to mind. However, modern diesel engines have come a long way from their sputtering predecessors. Today's engines employ "injection" technology to boost the efficiency of diesel fuel and maximise performance. Many of the most popular models now come with a diesel variant.

There are the usual suspects when it comes to diesel cars, think VW or Peugeot which has developed an innovative HDi "intelligent diesel engine", but perhaps more surprisingly are the diesel versions of some prestige cars ;, including the Volvo XC60 and even the Porsche Cayenne.

Electric Vehicles (EV) - Meanwhile, pure electric vehicles are emerging into the market with the Smart ForTwo coming out of concept and hitting showrooms in the US this year. These engines are powered by large lithium batteries that can be recharged with a plug in system that could one day be powered by renewable energy such as solar panels.

Alternative Fuels (bio diesel, solar) - independently, eco conscious consumers have modified their own cars to run off of bio fuel, such as corn oil, soy or even waste oil from fish and chips! The feasibility of full scale production of vehicles of this sort is under heavy debate, as many cite the potential of food shortages as a potential concern. However, countries like Brazil already supply 85% ethanol blend at the pumps. Meanwhile, other technologies are still being researched, including the much hyped hydrogen fuel cell where the only waste product is water.