According to Popular Science:

• The Toyota version of cherry sage absorbs greenhouse gases through its leaves
• The Toyota version of gardenia acts as a humidifier to cool the factory grounds and reduce the need for a/c
• The Toyota grass, which used to need mowing three times a year, now only needs a trim once a year

Is Toyota harnessing the power of science for good or evil? Grow your opinions in the comments.

The Renault Zoe Z.E. is scheduled for production in 2012, but the “spa” concept car has  a curious partner: L’Oreal’s Biotherm skin care department. The Zoe Z.E. is “aimed at people making daily local trips and looking for a car that brings them health and wellbeing,” according to a Renault press release.

The all-electric, zero-emissions car has a roof with an intelligent membrane to insulate against heat and cold (both of which can wreak havoc on a person’s  complexion) and photovoltaic cells to capture the sun’s energy (so drivers can glow with eco-self-satisfaction). And, in case you think I’m making fun, here’s another line from the press release: “ZOE Z.E. boasts the finest in air filtration and purification technology to fully protect the health of passengers and keep their skin young-looking.”

The ZOE Z.E. does have some practical tech bits. Standard recharging takes 4 to 8 hours, depending on the voltage at the socket. It’s capable of fast charging in 20 minutes at special charging stations, and it uses a “Quickdrop” system for swapping out battery packs at exchange stations.

These numbers are drops in the pollution bucket, but you have to start somewhere. Ford says it will be using the biomaterial in other places and other vehicles in the future. This is in addition to Ford’s soy-based polyurethane seat cushions and headliners, seat fabrics made from post-industrial recycled yarn, and post-consumer recycled resins for underbody covers.

A wee bit of wheat trivia, courtesy of the Ford press release: This isn’t the company’s first foray into the wheat world. In the 1920s, Henry Ford developed Fordite, a mixture of wheat straw from his farm, rubber, sulfer, silica, and more, that he used to make steering wheels.

What Ms. Maynard found, in a nutshell:

• One woman would rather spend her limited funds on health insurance than a car, insurance, and parking
• Empty-nesters are moving from suburbs to cities and shedding cars as they go
• Personal transportation like the P.U.M.A. may gain traction among carless commuters
• And, of course, people have switched to bikes and public transportation for environmental reasons

The article explores the major shift away from car purchases as an emotional, status-based purchase. Have you given up your car? Are you car sharing? Car pooling? Riding a bike, like 8% of Portland, Oregon, commuters? Do you feel like you have to have a car, given your commute or family situation? Tell us your experience in the comments.

Most of the dates are on the alterna-fuel lovin’ West Coast, with stops in Detroit to rub it in and Tennessee, where Nissan has its U.S. headquarters.

The sked:

Southern California
Los Angeles: Nov. 13-17
Orange County: Nov. 18
San Diego: Nov. 19-21

Northern California
Berkeley/Walnut Creek: Nov. 23-24
San Francisco: Nov. 25-29
Santa Rosa: Dec. 1
Sacramento: Dec. 1
San Jose: Dec. 3-6

Pacific Northwest
Seattle: Dec. 8-12
Vancouver, Canada: Dec. 14-15
Portland, Ore.: Dec. 17-23

Southwest
Phoenix/Tucson: Dec. 30-Jan. 5
Las Vegas: Jan. 6

Midwest/East Coast
Detroit: Jan. 11-13
Knoxville/Chattanooga, Tenn.: Jan. 16
Middle Tennessee: Jan. 19-21
Washington, D.C.: Jan. 26-28
Raleigh, N.C.: Jan. 29
Orlando: Feb. 1-2

Texas
Houston: Feb. 5-6

New York
New York City: Feb. 9-14

Let’s start with the electric vehicles: After Energy Secretary Steven Chu eliminated funding for hydrogen fuel from his budget, the Senate has reinstated it for the department’s 2010-2011 budget. Chu prefers straight-up battery electric vehicles for the future of greener transportation, but he says he’ll work with Congress on hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicles.

Speaking of electric vehicles, you may have noticed that many of the EVs on the road today, especially neighborhood electric vehicles, have three wheels instead of four. Thanks to some heavy lobbying by Aptera and its three-wheeled brethren, Congress has extended research and development loans to manufacturers of safe, high-mileage vehicles, even if they are short a wheel.

Requirements for the loan:

• Vehicles must be fully enclosed
• Vehicles must meet all the same safety standards as conventional vehicles
• Vehicles must carry two adults
• Vehicles must average 75 mpg or equivalent

The speed bumps, called MotionPower, are built by New Energy Technologies. According to a post on the New York Times’ Wheels blog, the action of a car driving over the bump sends the energy to a generator. A green light comes on to let you know it’s working.

No word on how much electricity the speed bumps actually generate, but it should be enough to power roadsigns or streetlights. It’ll be on the market sometime in the next couple of years, and cost about $2000. I know a street here in Portland that could power the nearby middle school if it replaced its seemingly dozens of speed bumps with these babies.

Daimler says that the electric Smart Fortwo will go into large-scale production at a plant in Hambach, France, as early as next month.

The first run of 1000 electric Smarts will be built in November 2009 and delivered to customers by the end of the year (Merry Christmas!). The car will be at full production and in Smart car dealerships by 2012, said Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche.

Specs for the new electric Smart Fortwo:

• Lithium-ion battery housed between the axles
• 30 kW motor in the rear
• 88 lb-ft of torque from the get-go
• 80-mile range
• 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds
• Max speed limited to 100 km/h (62 mph)

The idea, according to a press release, is to not get swallowed up in a sea of small electric vehicles. Rather, ZENN will develop the powerplants for those cars. They’ll even make the ZENNergy drive available for aftermarket conversions of gasoline or hybrid cars to electric power.

The big, bad Peterbilt will be used to haul furniture and office supplies around the Washington, D.C., metro area with 30% better fuel efficiency and reduced tailpipe emissions. The truck is built in Texas, making it a home-grown green-power win. The plan, according to Daniel Beard, Chief Administrative Officer for the House, is to replace their aging fleet with newer, low-emissions vehicles.