Spaceship-like car to hit U.S. roads

Spaceship-like car to hit U.S. roads
(03:15) Rough Cut Reuters Video

Feb 18 - A three-wheeled, all-electric vehicle is set to go into mass production later this year despite a snub from the U.S. government.
There is also a gasoline version. The two-seater Aptera electric version has a 100 mile range per charge and can be recharged by plugging into a regular electric outlet.
The gasoline version has a range of 100 miles per gallon (42 km per litre) because of its low drag and weight.
With 4,000 orders already, the California-based company plans to make about 10,000 cars initially, with a price tag of between $25,000 and $40,000 depending on whether buyers want an electric, hybrid or traditional power train.

# SOUNDBITE: STEVE FAMBRO, APTERA CO-FOUNDER
# SOUNDBITE: PAUL WILBUR, APTERA PRESIDENT AND CEO
# SOUNDBITE: CARLTON LUND, ON WAITING LIST TO PURCHASE CAR
# SOUNDBITE: JEFF BOWMAN

Toyota is secretly developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy

Toyota is secretly developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy
Tokyo, Japan - Toyota Motor Corp. is secretly developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy in an effort to turn around its struggling business with a futuristic ecological car, a top business daily reported Thursday.
Toyota is also likely to indirectly gain expertise in solar energy when its partner in developing and producing hybrid batteries, Panasonic Corp., takes over Japanese rival Sanyo Electric Co., a leader in solar energy, early next year.
The solar panels on the roofs add up in size to the equivalent of 60 tennis courts and produce enough electricity to power 500 homes, according to Toyota. That reduces 740 tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions and is equal to using 1,500 barrels of crude oil.

See also Toyota-Future.com to get an insight of what Toyota is working on.