Alternative and clean means of propulsion take pride of place this week. First of all, a new stage has been reached with the building of the Hydrogen Highway. This project, reports Wired, was created by SunHydro with the aim of lining the East coast of the United States, from Maine to Miami, with hydrogen charging terminals. At $10 (£6.30 at current rates) for a kilogram of fuel, SunHyfro believes it’s possible to fill up for $50(£31.55 at current rates), which means a range of around 350 miles.

As for Hyundai, it intends to invest in fuel-cell-powered vehicle production by 2012. Autoblog Green adds that what was originally to be just a prototype could eventually be on limited sale at selected dealerships. Before making its decision, the manufacturer is awaiting the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s pronouncement on fuel economy ratings for this kind of vehicle.

Finally, Americans could soon be putting more ethanol in their fuel tanks! The EPA has just increased the proportion of ethanol that fuel producers can put in their petrol, from 10% to 15%. In order to do so, the EPA had to test engine resistance to this new mixture, which, according to Wired, was successfully achieved.

There’s plenty of scope to be imaginative in the sustainable mobility sector, as these bold initiatives demonstrate. So the Tribune Auto evokes the Odyssey of Pioneers, organised by electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla and watchmaker Tag Heuer. This event, which celebrates 150 years of the Swiss watchmaker, involved a 8,852-km (5,500-mile) round-the-world trip in a Roadster Tesla. The vehicle crossed 3 continents and 20 countries in 8 months.

On the other side of the world, the Chinese are making waves with an electric vehicle that looks like a cross between a scooter and a people carrier. The En Voiture blog stipulates that the vehicle from manufacturer Lanbei is 5.2 metres long and can accommodate 8 passengers. The prototype’s only calling at the moment is that of appearing in the Guinness Book of Records!

Towns are also changing under the combined influence of technology and sustainable development. In order to improve traffic flow on the enormous bridge that links it to Saint-Brévin, in the Loire estuary near Nantes, Saint-Nazaire has set up a dynamic lane-management system. The third lane now automatically changes direction depending on the traffic, notably during rush hour. Voiture du Futur adds that what makes this concept interesting is that it sets out to improve something that already exists rather than construct something new.

Finally, in Great Britain, Newcastle has been named the most sustainable city by Forum for the Future for the second year running.

The judges were impressed by the way in which the city has benefited from the green economy and by how it has announced its intention to become the British electric vehicle capital by installing 580 charging terminals in the region.