Governor Linda Lingle made both announcements that she would like to see electric vehicles adopted widely by the Hawaiian Islands by 2012. The adoption of EV’s and the supporting electric infrastructure will create jobs, support economic growth, reduce emissions and serve as a model for other states and countries as well.

Currently, Hawaii imports over 90-percent of its energy in the form of fossil fuels but has been researching wind, solar, biodiesel and even hydrogen development over the past few years to wean itself of its dependence. Making the 50th state in the union a Better Place is part of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.

Now, I haven’t talked about Phoenix Motorcars in about a year. They had ambitions of rolling out test fleets of their SUT and SUV EV’s in 2008, but Hawaii will serve as a quality launching point for their vehicles.

Phoenix Motorcars has signed on with Maui Electric to test the electric sport utility trucks (SUT) around the island. The goal is to move from 10-percent to 70-percent clean energy for Hawaii by 2030.

On Monday, the UK is set to announce that it will be installing thousands of electric car charging points throughout the country. The UK Ministers will be announcing $158 million USD in tax breaks and corporate incentives to spur electric vehicles into the marketplace. Currently, there are only 3,000 such vehicles in the UK.

The Brits are well aware that the Renault-Nissan Alliance will be rolling out EV’s in 2011 that have over a 100 mile range. Cleaning up smoggy old London and other regions is still of great concern even after Mayor Boris Johnson cancelled an order of 60 hydrogen cars for his city this past August.

The UK is also keeping its eye on Israel and Denmark and the Better Plan program, which helps those who drive over 100 miles in their electric car swap out batteries at special stations in under 5 minutes. Australia has decided to be the third and largest nation getting in on the action with an investment of $676 million.

Both recharging spots and battery exchange stations will be added to the world’s sixth largest country. Getting the Aussies to give up their gas guzzlers may be a bit tricky, but the low cost incentives will be worth it in regard to the low recharging price and vehicle maintenance costs.

California has around 500 recharging stations that it has built up over the past decade or so, but the rest of the states are still pretty scarce when it comes to support for electric vehicles. What we need is “electric cities” to come onboard such as Lake Portland, Oregon that is putting up recharging stations in support of future EV’s and PHEV’s.

A little planning now will pay dividends a few years from now and won’t involve any nasty “crushing” incidents.

The first notable is the Ultra Motor A2B eBike that was rolled out last month that is an eight gear bicycle with electric assist. The Ultra Motor A2B comes with a 500 watt motor that’s good for about 20 miles of continuous range, which would be handy getting up a long hilly stretch.

The lithium ion battery is encased inside the aluminum frame making the total weight of the eBike around 73-pounds. The Ultra Motor A2B has a mountain bike type hand grip throttle and shifter and sells for around $2,500.

Now, the other news concerning electric bikes is that Toshiba and Schwinn are teaming up to offer a fast-charge eBike that can recharge is about 1/8th the time as other similar vehicles. Toshiba’s Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) technology has been integrated into Schwinn’s Tailwind eBike.

What’s dandy (if I may say the word “dandy”) about this system is that it takes only 30-minutes for a full recharge. Add to this 2,000 recharge lifecycles and its longer lasting that most other electric bike batteries and it doesn’t have to charge overnight for one to use it.

With consumers becoming ever so more energy conscious now days, eBikes have proven to be a viable alternative for those who wish to keep their cars in the garage as long as possible, get some exercise and have the added security of a little electric boost as needed.

The rickshaws carry batteries and electrical motor assist onboard (designed by Crompton Greaves) and will need to pull into an off-board solar charging station as needed. The 36-volt battery can run for about 45 miles before recharging is necessary.

The Soleckshaw seats three and has a maximum top end speed of around 12.5 mph. India’s state run Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research is now figuring out how to rollout the solar-electric rickshaws nationwide.

In a melding of old cultures and new it is refreshing to see that rickshaws are now getting upgraded using renewable energy methods. What could be next, solar-powered paddle boats? Anyone? Anyone?

Powered by lithium-ion battery pack the Nissan Denki Cube is kind of a dinky cube as it has one row less seating than the standard vehicle in order to accommodate the batteries. The Denki mini Cube is also a city car with a top speed of 45 mph.

Besides the unique AC power charging port, the most notable feature of the Denki is the replacement of the 4-cylinder, 1.3-liter engine of the standard model with electric motor and Li-ion batteries. The lithium-ion batteries were dually designed by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation and NEC Corporation in order to reduce size and enhance performance.

With funky grille and fun interior based on the concept of a “moving social hub” the Nissan Denki is sure to find a market, which may be a mashup between Scion fans and electric car buffs. While this sugar-cube-on-wheels may at first glance provoke a “what were they thinking” reaction, the benefits of an all-electric vehicle outweigh the personal visual appeal. Now, if we can just get California CARB not to kill it off, that will be the next trick.

The California Highway Patrol helped design the bike in commemoration of fellow officer Thomas Joel Steiner, and other male and female police offers who have been killed in the line of duty. The CHP Chopper can go from 0 – 30 mph in 5.2 seconds and has a 40 mile range with its 42 lithium-ion batteries.

The prototype was unveiled in 2005, but lives on today not only to commemorate the fallen, but to show the possibilities of the future as well. Green motorcycles are an underdeveloped market segment right now.

There are a few electric motorcycles hitting the consumer market right now such as the Enertia, Lectra and Zero, but the high price and lack of range still tend to be a barrier for many looking for a gasoline-burning alternative. A lower cost alternative would be electric bikes for those who want to go this route.

The CHP Chopper though gives a glimpse of what the future will hold a few years down the road. Green and mean, the motorcycle gang of the future may just be one that is spewing zero emissions.

The Aptera Typ-1e is an all-electric vehicle with a 10 kw battery pack and capable of going 120 mile per charge. To recharge the vehicle takes 2 to 4 hours.

The Aptera Typ-1h is a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid vehicle that uses a water-cooled EFI engine and is coupled with a 12 kw starter / generator. This vehicle can travel 40 – 60 miles on all electric alone and with gasoline engine assist can achieve over 300 mpg.

Both Aptera vehicles are technically classified as motorcycles according to the U. S. Department of Transportation and the California DMV. Many of the safety requirements, however, exceed those for standard passenger vehicles including rollover strength.

The top speed of both Aptera vehicles will be over 85 mph with 0 – 60 mph acceleration at around 10 seconds. The vehicle is set to rollout in California only first beginning in late 2008.

The word Aptera means “wingless flight” so if you would like to take charge and soar the highways of the Golden State, it will cost a little under $30,000 and the company is now taking deposits of $500 to secure a vehicle when they become available.

The zero emissions Smith Newton weighs in at 24,000 lbs. and is capable of hauling up to 15,800 lbs. of payload. The Tanfield Smith Newton uses four suitcase-sized Zebra 278v batteries and a 120 kw motor to achieve a 50 mph top speed and a range of 150 miles. The electric truck also uses regenerative braking to recharge the battery bank.

The Smith Newton is particularly suited to use in urban areas by both commercial and government operations. Some of the current clients include DHL, Starbucks and Marks & Spencer. According to Tanfield, drivers prefer operating the Smith Newton electric truck over comparable diesel vehicles since the Newton has no gears to shift (only four moving parts in its electric motor), no cabin rattle, less noise and no diesel smell.

In Fresno, California there is currently a manufacturing plant for Smith Electric Vehicles and the Tanfield Group also intends to open a larger U. S. facility by 2010 that will produce up to 10,000 EV’s per year.

It doesn’t take Isaac Newton to figure out the gravity of the situation when it comes to the Smith Newton. For zero emissions urban driving and hauling heavy payloads within a limited range, the Smith Newton is sure to give its diesel counterparts a run for their money. Going green is sure to put the Tanfield Group’s bottom line in the black.

But, the Toyota i-Real appears to be the more intimidating vehicle. The Dale Earnhardt progeny many years from now, will be driving the Toyota i-real and bumping the likes of the Pixy and other vehicle aside in the airport terminals and shopping malls.

The Toyota i-Real has been compared to a large plastic killer whale that the likes of Stephen Hawking may covet. This three-wheeler can scoot around at around 18.6 mph and corners like a motorcycle. The Toyota i-Real is an all-electric vehicle, so it is environmentally friendly and has the personality of which your son’s Transformer would be jealous.

The Toyota i-Real also has a number of safety features for driver and pedestrians. For instance, when the Toyota i-Real senses an upcoming collision with a passenger, its lights start flashing and sirens go off. This is the polite way of saying, “Get the heck out of my way!” Probably more suited for the shopping mall that a walk on Wall Street, the Toyota i-Real is the real thing. See it soon in the future near you.