The automobile market has been constantly changing since cars were first invented and it will continue to change as new types of cars are designed. The latest trend in car manufacturing is the electric vehicle or EV. These cars run solely on electricity and have to be plugged in to charge the battery. The benefit to an electric vehicle is that it saves an incredible amount of money on gas and it produces very low emissions.

Nissan has just announced their new form of electric car, the Leaf. It is a purely electric vehicle and has already gotten people talking, as it has sold over 4,000 cars thus far and sales are expected to continue increasing. The Leaf qualifies for the $5,000 rebate in California and it also qualifies for a carpool sticker, both of which are huge benefits for drivers, especially in the state of California. The Leaf is priced at $33,360 and it has been shown that only 15% of drivers are leasing the car, meaning an overwhelming majority of people want to own the car, rather than simply test it out.

The Nissan Leaf is a brand new model but tire outfitters are keeping up with the trends as well. Many places now have tires for sale and rims for sale for the new electric cars and are able to accommodate new electric vehicles.

Many other car manufacturers are coming out with new electric vehicles or some sort of plug-in hybrid vehicle. Some of the new models that are expected to hit the road are the Chevrolet Volt, the Mitsubishi iMiEV, the Ford Focus Electric, the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid, and the Honda Fit EV. These are all brand new models which are expected to revolutionize the car market and create a whole new demand for electric and hybrid vehicles. Although these cars seem expensive at face value, they end up saving the owner incredible amounts of money compared to how much money they would be spending on gas.

Scientists have discovered new material properties that may lead to the development of inexpensive and efficient plastic solar cells resulting in pollution free generation of electricity. The study, which is due to be published in Nature materials, explains that solar cells in organic semiconductors could overtake the cost and performance of silicon solar cells. The would make solar-generated electricity even more efficient and a more practical alternative to fossil fuels.

This technology is still years from developing into a real world application. In the meantime, solar installers in California and other states will continue to take advantage of the current solar panel technology. While less efficient, it is still preferrable to reliance on electricity generated by oil . That is why California has such a far reaching initiative to encourage homeowners and builders to convert to solar power. Working with dozens of utilities around the state, the government is providing a slew of tax credits and rebates to those who convert or build new construction that utilitizes solar energy.