$80,000 Dollar Fisker Hybrid Concept Car

Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, says the car's sleek design is "a direct result of our breakthrough chassis which carries the battery pack at the center of the vehicle between the two axles." He went on to say the car's design will enable it to achieve "industry standard performance figures within this car class." Those claimed figures include 50 miles on a pure electric charge as well as 100 mpg when combined with the car's gasoline or diesel engine.

The starting price will be $80,000 when initial deliveries begin toward the end of 2009 — Fisker is predicting annual production of up to 15,000 cars.

Tokyo's Concept Car Show

Mitsubishi i-MIEV Sport

This baby electric car concept from Mitsubishi is designed to show that a zero-emission car can look great and have a sporty feel. It has three electric motors, two of which are built into the wheels, and a convenient wireless charging system that uses microwaves. A limited number of (non-sporty) i-MIEV experimental cars are already on the road (even Mitsubishi’s company president uses one) and Mitsubishi thinks the technology may be ready for series production as soon as 2010. The microwaves sound a bit ambitious, but otherwise we think it looks like a credible idea for a city car that’s practical, fun, environmentally friendly, and, perhaps, available in the not-too-distant future.