Massachusetts drivers are increasingly going green as the number of registered hybrid vehicles in the state has increased by 36 percent during the past nine months. The timing couldn’t be better for those drivers as the state’s new managed competition system for auto insurance allows them, for the first time in state history, to take advantage of auto insurance discounts created especially for hybrid drivers from insurers such as Travelers of Massachusetts.

According to the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, there are currently 22,353 registered hybrid cars in Massachusetts, up from 16,477 in July of 2007, for an increase of 36 percent. Hybrid cars are generally defined as vehicles that use gasoline and an alternative fuel source such as electric or fuel cell.

AT&T plans to add 105 alternative-fuel vehicles to the corporate fleet of its operating companies. The vehicles, which will roll out in more than 30 cities across the U.S. beginning in June, will help the company reduce its impact on the environment and its dependence on imported oil.

After carefully evaluating several alternative-fuel technologies, AT&T will deploy three types of alternative-fuel vehicles. The vehicles will be embedded into AT&T's workforce as operational components of its fleet. AT&T will measure and track fuel efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs, performance and driver satisfaction of each vehicle.

The alternative-fuel vehicles consist of 25 Compressed Natural Gas vans, 65 electric hybrid Original Equipment Manufacturer vehicles — Ford Escapes and Toyota Priuses — and 15 electric hybrid conversion work trucks. The vehicles, which will be deployed in cities in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas, join four Ford Escape hybrids that were deployed in California in late 2007. A Green Technology insignia will make the vehicles easy to identify on the road.

A new kind of electric car and truck are taking gas prices head-on in California's Central Valley. The gas-free vehicles are from California automaker ZAP and are now available in Visalia.

Mike Brackett is opening the new dealership with sales and service for the ZAP Xebra. This week he plans to roll the Xebra out at the annual Porterville Fair, May 14-18 in nearby Porterville, California.

ZAP says record gas prices are driving up sales for the Xebra. As of April 18, 2008, ZAP reported orders in hand of $6.8 million for the city-speed sedan and truck.

Eco-drivers will love the re-engineered Mini Cooper D, which ticks several environmentally-friendly boxes. It easily delivers 50mpg while putting out a green-as-grass 104 g/km of CO2 emissions. The new version also features an integrated stop/start system, which cuts the engine in standing traffic, boosting its green credentials even further.

It’s a pleasure for motorway driving, damping down wind noise and rarely registering above 2500rpm on the tachometer. The extra-supportive seats cushion driver and passengers against bumps in the road, making for a luxury drive. It holds its own during country back roads, too, with confident and secure steering on even the tightest corners.

Cooperlease’s Marketing Director, Ben Newton, says: “The Mini Cooper D is an all-round little sports car. Its energetic acceleration and sharp transmission combine with steady suspension and low ground clearance to give the classic Mini go-kart feeling. It’s also one of the safest cars around. Anti-Lock Braking System, Cornering Brake Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist Automatic Stability Control + Traction all come as standard on the Mini Cooper D.”

Solazyme Unveils Renewable Biodiesel Derived from Algae. First ever algae-derived biodiesel test drive to successfully power a factory standard vehicle.

UPS deploys 167 Compressed Natural Gas delivery vehicles in Texas, Georgia and California. The CNG vehicles, part of UPS’s global alternative fuel fleet, will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and its dependence on fossil fuels.

Of the 167 new CNG trucks, 25 have been deployed in Dallas; 42 in Atlanta, and the remaining 100 in five California cities: 30 to Sacramento, 14 to Los Angeles, five to Ontario, 10 to San Ramon and 41 to Fresno. They join more than 800 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS in the United States. Previous CNG vehicles in UPS’s fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels. The new vehicles are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use.

No matter the car color consumers may prefer, green technology will be unmistakable at the 2008 Washington Auto Show. Many new and future vehicles will be on display at the show, but the most promising feature clean diesel powertrains, thanks to their powerful engines, exceptional fuel economy and proven technology.

The anticipated expansion of clean diesel cars and light trucks in the U.S. is driven by many factors, most notably the arrival of diesel engines held to the same emissions standards as gasoline-powered engines. The nationwide introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel in October 2006, 97 percent cleaner than previous diesel blends, has enabled manufacturers to engineer the world's cleanest diesel vehicles. Nearly a dozen automakers have announced plans to sell clean diesel versions of popular cars, pickups and SUVs in the U.S. by the end of this decade.

Transmission Service specialist AAMCO has introduced Eco-Green Auto Service Certification, a new program designed to protect the environment, reduce vehicle emissions, and promote alternative fuels among the thousands of motorists AAMCO serves annually. Eco-Green Auto Service Certification will be awarded to qualifying AAMCO centers across America based on a stringent set of criteria that reduces the centers' environmental footprint, while giving AAMCO customers a new range of services that cut emissions, improve mileage, and reduce the hazardous waste associated with owning and maintaining their vehicles.

Eco-Green Auto Service Certification seeks to move AAMCO centers to a zero-waste operating model that recycles solid and liquid waste, uses recycled products wherever possible, and promotes energy efficiency. For example, Eco-Green certified centers will recycle used oil for heating fuel, ensure waste water doesn't enter sewer systems, install energy-efficient lighting and heating, use water-based alternatives to hazardous cleaning chemicals, and recycle used filters. They will also work to improve vehicle efficiency by promoting alternative fuels, higher mileage oil and air filters and components, proper tire inflation, and new technologies that result in cleaner-burning vehicles.