Unlike many concept cars, that throw practicality out the window in an effort to achieve fuel economy or light weight, the Hungarian-designed Antro Solo manages to fit three adults while returning excellent fuel figures and highway speeds.

Built almost exclusively from carbon fiber composite materials, the Solo weighs in at just 270kg. Seating is arranged like that found in the McLaren F1: the driver sits in the center, flanked by a passenger on each side. The light weight and hybrid design allow it to achieve fuel efficiency between 1.5L and 2.0L/100km (117-157mpg US) while also attaining a top speed of 140km/h (87mph). The car derives its power from a series of technologies, including solar power, human power and a standard combustion-electric hybrid system. The combustion engine is a small flex-fuel unit capable of running on petrol or ethanol, but the engine is only designed to be required for the longest trips the Solo makes. Short trips, between 15km-25km, can be made on solar power alone, thanks to the large array of high-efficiency solar panels stretched across the vehicle’s roof. The pedals in front of each passenger can also be used to power the generator, which stores the power in the car’s batteries, helping to keep the car in electric-only mode, reports the AFP. Once the human power is tired out, or when driving alone, the combustion engine kicks in to move things along.

Already built in prototype form, the car was recently displayed at the Budapest Museum of Transport for press and public viewing. Volume production is planned to begin in 2012, with the price of the Solo to start around €12,000 (US$18,000). A larger model, called the Duo and offering room for six but otherwise essentially identical, could follow. There are even plans to make the Duo capable of being split into two Solos with just 10 minutes of work.

The overall package is an impressive but dauntingly difficult combination of technology, design and innovation. If the company can in fact pull off mass production within four years, while meeting the necessary safety standards and still achieving its performance and efficiency specifications, and coming it at the projected price figure, the car will be a runaway success. But there will be no shortage of hurdles to clear along the way.

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In California, home of the strictest car emissions regulations in the U.S., cars produced before 1976 do not need to undergo smog testing. California State Senator Dean Florez has proposed legislation that would remove that exemption for cars registered in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.

What would that mean if it were passed into law? It would mean that as of January 1, 2009, any car registered in a rather large swathe of central California — from the 1974 Maverick to the 1929 Model A — would need to pass every current and future smog test. If it didn’t, it couldn’t be driven.

It is theorized that the move comes because state authorities have missed their air quality goals and are now looking at targeting a tiny fraction of cars. Living in LA, we can’t speak for Central California, but most of the pre-1976 vehicles we see here sound and run better than the glut of 80’s Toyotas puttering down the streets. What vintage car owners fear is that if the legislation becomes law in the San Joaquin Valley, then it’s only a matter of time before it gets adopted everywhere.

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Plug in America is calling on Governor Schwarzenegger to “live up to his vow to turn back the clock on pollution” by reviving the historic ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) program. How did they do it? The got people from 45 states and 13 countries, as well as few celebrities, to fax a letter to him asking to remove a million cars from roads, or replacing them by EVs.On March 27, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is voting to revise its ZEV program. The program once proudly called for 10 percent of all vehicles sold in California to be zero emission and resulted in thousands of electric vehicles on the road. The revision, however, “will profoundly weaken the program again instead of propelling our country toward a pollution-free future,” Plug In America’s letter states. Instead of the 10 percent mandate, the proposal would merely require each of America’s major automakers to produce about 150 ZEVs per year through 2015. This is fewer than the number required under the mandate when the electric car was killed the first time in 2003, according to Plug In America Executive Director Chelsea Sexton.

Plug In America’s letter also is signed by “Who Killed the Electric Car?” director Chris Paine. He will be filming the air board’s March 27 vote for his sequel, “Who Saved the Electric Car.”

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For those of you who were so disappointed when Toyota super-sized the second-generation Scion xB, Nissan may soon offer an alternative. Next week at the New York Auto Show, Nissan will be showing an electrified version of the Cube equipped with lithium ion batteries. Nissan is planning to introduce an electric Cube in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 with fleets getting them for field testing for the first two years. After that, Nissan plans to expand availability to retail customers starting in California and, eventually, worldwide. The production edition is expected to have a range of 100 miles per charge

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We recently told you about North Carolina’s Duke Energy’s new research center for plug-in hybrids. Yesterday, Duke Energy announced that the energy company and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated (based in Charlotte) will be working together on research for plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) technology. The partnership won’t just be to test vehicles - both companies will convert some hybrids currently in their fleets to PHEVs (Coke will convert three Priuses) - but also to educate the public on what a plug-in hybrid is all about.

This isn’t Coke’s first foray into greener vehicles. Just a few weeks ago, Eaton announced that Coke had ordered 120 hybrid trucks. Now, if they can find a way to replace all the HFCS with sugar - the old fashioned style - in American Coke, I might drink the stuff more often.

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What you see here is the TAC Stark, a Brazilian off-roader that aims to leave a smaller footprint. The lightweight 4×4 was planned to be the first flex-fuel gasoline/ethanol off-roader on the market, but when local suppliers forced the small upstart automaker to push back the launch date from last year to next, Mitsubishi jumped in with the Pajero TR4.

Although fuel consumption figures are not yet available, the Stark promises to economize its intake on either type of fuel thanks to lightweight construction with a tubular frame covered with plastic body panels. The diminutive jeep has a wheelbase barely 2.5 meters long, weighs just 1300kg, and is powered by a small Volkswagen engine. But while it may share more in common with a VW Beetle than any other truck on or off the road, the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine comes quickly to mind when looking at the Stark’s styling. See what we mean in our high-resolution gallery by clicking on the thumbnail images below.

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Ever justified buying something you know you shouldn’t have purchased? Getting the fries instead of the salad for an extra dollar because you’re hungry and, hey, it’s just a buck? Or maybe you bought a way-too-big house because the ARM was so affordable (emphasis on the “was”)? Well, you’ll have your work cut out for you if you want to spring for the DiMora Natalia SLS 2. The price? A cool two million dollars.

Obviously only intended for the insane - wait, I meant insanely wealthy - the Natalia SLS 2 should be out next year and the justifications have begun. Described by My Desert as “the first eco-friendly, hand-built, $2 million production automobile” (let’s hope there isnt’ a second), celebrities like Willie Nelson and Larry Hagman are ready to tell us just how good this car can be for the environment. Willie’s usually a pusher for biodiesel, not ethanol, but he was excited about the flex-fuel capability of the Natalia SLS 2. He didn’t say anything about the car itself. We can guess that’s because it’s got a V-16 that displaces 14 liters for 1,200 horsepower, which certainl doesn’t sound green. Still, DiMora Motorcar says its flagship vehicle will get “excellent gas mileage.” Oh, and it’s got some nifty windshield wipers.

Look, if you’re thinking of blowing $2m on a car, go get help. Better yet, buy a spaceship and head for the stars. We don’t need your kind here. If you want to impress your neighbors, buy a Tesla or a Fisker or convince Honda to sell you an FCX Clarity or something. Green cars are smart, but two million bucks for a sedan is just dumb.

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