A number of ecological concept cars will be unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Among them, the Finnish company Valmet Automotive is presenting Eva, its new
100%-electric city car concept, which, according to Caradisiac, will have a 160-km (100-mile) range and will use lightweight and innovative materials.

As for Mercedes, the manufacturer is presenting the F800 Style hybrid concept, a vehicle fitted with a hybrid motorisation that couples a direct injection 300 HP V6 with an electric engine that has around a hundred HP. Its main originality, Green Auto Blog  tells us, will be the "Distronic Plus Traffic Jam Assistant", a speed-regulating system capable of automatically following the rhythm of the traffic and taking bends at less than 40 km/h (25mph).

The Opel Flextreme GT/E concept car has the appetite of a sparrow, headlines Alter Auto. Contrary to the traditional hybrid, this vehicle will run completely on electricity until the battery is totally empty. At this point, the thermic block will take over. The total range (electric and thermic) will be over 500 km (311 miles). And the average consumption: 1.6 l per 100 km (or 177 mpg)…  

Finally, there’s the Quant NLV, which has been called the electro-solar superstar and which, according to Moteur Nature, will "outclass" other electric cars. With 4 150-kW engines, it will be three times more powerful than the Tesla roadster. However, Moteurnature.com wonders about the efficiency of its bodywork’s photovoltaic coating …

"France will be the European electric car market leader" declared Shaï Agassi, CEO of the company Better Place, in an interview with La Tribune, a few days after European Member states met to discuss electric vehicles.

Generally speaking, green travel appears high on the list of the French Minister for the Environment’s ten priorities.

According to Développement durable, the Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, insisted, in fact, on the necessity of bringing means of transport and travel with low environmental impact into general use. How? Through subsidies for clean vehicles, through the widespread use of business travel plans, and through the installation of mobility platforms in rural zones that are poorly serviced by public transport.

A team of students from Columbia University won the first round of Walmart’ s Better Living Business Plan Challenge by presenting a business plan that "would reinvent the wheel". According to Clean Technica, it involves designing energy-efficient wheels, adapted to heavy vehicles (such as coaches, buses and commercial vehicles), from composites traditionally used for light vehicles such as bicycles. One to follow with interest!

Green Launches shows us two electric bikes of the future. The first, designed by a student at the University of Monash (Melbourne), is aimed at transporting one person, consumes very little energy and is equipped with a generic wall plug. Sufficiently easy to handle for its rider to be able to lean into tight bends, it also has LED (light-emitting-diode) lights.

The second is still only a concept. Called the EBIQ Electric Bike, its futuristic design makes it look like a really slim laptop. It is battery powered and especially adapted to short-distance journeys. Finally, it is so thin that it can very easily fit into the narrowest of parking spaces.

We learn from the Développement durable website that Hertz is linking up with Nissan in order to commercialise electric cars by early 2011. In fact, Hertz announced that it would commit to implementing a zero-emission mobility programme to rental vehicles in the United States and Europe by the beginning of 2011 and to developing the launch programme for the Nissan LEAF in its main markets. If the project is successful, adds Eve Auto, Hertz and Nissan could look into implementing a car-sharing system…

In order to respond to the growing needs of those companies setting up Business Travel Plans (PDEs), Cityzen Bikes and Green On are offering a "turnkey" solution to implement fleets of electric bikes and scooters in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur (PACA) region, in the south of France, reports Avem. The "full-service station" offers, as well as the actual fleet, an Internet reservation portal, automatic key dispenser , simplified recharging and a hotline.