Smart Fortwo cdi Contender for World Green Car Award. The 2008 World Car of the Year Awards was announced at the New York Auto Show. However, the third annual World Green Car of the Year honors went to the BMW 118d. Smart not planning diesel version of micro car in United States!

 

All Smart Car of America SCOA Club forum members who purchase any pen are qualified for free shipping and will also receive an additional $10.00 off the retail price.

This provides SCOA Club forum members a savings of over $20.00. SCOA Club members need only supply their SCOA forum user ID. SCOA Club member's prices will be $75.00 for the ballpoint pen and $99.00 for the fountain pen design, with no shipping or handling fees! 

Send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and  write pens in subject line. Then  supply  SCOA forum user ID and we will email you a special invoice!

(NewsUSA) - Electric cars have huge potential to change the auto industry, particularly with rising gas prices, but a new design out of California targets the niche of busy urban drivers.

The Zap Xebra all-electric car is a 40-mph, three-wheeled automobile designed for people who do a lot of in-town driving. Unlike hybrids, the Zap car needs no gas at all - just plug into any conventional outlet.

Zap sees a market with multicar families that are looking for the fuel-savings benefits electrics offer for urban commuting and errands. Many view it as a great second car for in-town driving, but according to Zap it soon becomes the first car for the entire family.

"Many people buy electric cars because they want to use them when they don't need their gas cars," said Alex Campbell, spokesman for Zap. "What they quickly realize is that most of their daily trips are perfect for electric cars and realistically it becomes the first car."

Studies show that most driving trips are within 20 miles of home - distances well within the city limit for the Xebra, which can travel up to 40 miles per charge, Campbell said.

When consumers have a choice between driving an electric car and a gas car, they are likely to choose the electric car, Campbell said.

He says Zap's Xebra project is the offspring of more than three decades of thought and evolution in electric transportation. The car was created as a breed by itself because the use and purpose of electric vehicles is different than gas cars.

At about 3 cents per mile - compared to 12 cents or more for gas - there is no comparison for cost-conscious consumers. With rising gas prices, people will be much more open to this unique new cost-effective design, he said.

For more information on the Zap Xebra, visit www.zap world.com or call (800) 251-4555.

(NewsUSA) - Each year, approximately 5,000 pedestrians and bicyclists are killed along U.S. roads - 2,300 of them occurring at night - and another 70,000 pedestrians are injured in traffic crashes, according to a 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report.

New automotive lighting technologies, including Xenon and Adaptive Front Lighting Systems, can help improve nighttime pedestrian safety, according to the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council.

According to researcher Michael Flannagan of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, drivers "overdrive" the headlights on many of today's vehicles, meaning they are going too fast to stop safely within the distance made visible by the headlights.

"The critical safety need in low-beam lighting is seeing distance," Flannagan said. "The maximum safe speed with today's average low beams is only about 45 mph. Our studies indicate there is a major safety problem that headlights could address."

One possible solution is Xenon headlights, also known as High Intensity Discharge or HID. Based on a gas discharge process, Xenon uses an arc instead of a filament as a light source. The result is enhanced roadway vision by increasing the light output to the sides of the road.

A 2004 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute test revealed that Xenon headlamps provided twice as much light for seeing critical objects on the road while producing 25 percent less glare. The wider beam coverage also provides better lighting on road shoulders, where pedestrians and bicyclists are commonly found.

Nearly 120 vehicle models equipped with Xenon headlights were sold in North America in the 2005 model year -; up 21 percent from 2004.

Another emerging headlight technology is AFS or Adaptive Front Lighting System. It provides optimal illumination in various driving conditions by automatically modifying the beam pattern of the headlights in response to various speed, weather conditions and road situations. The headlamps automatically move as the steering wheel is turned. This helps illuminate the road at an earlier stage, allowing the driver more time to adjust and steer or brake as needed.

For more information on new lighting technologies or the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council, visit www.mvlc.info.