IRVINE, Calif. — When it comes to new-car purchases, consumers who are concerned with environmental responsibility and economic stability believe they can meet their needs with the purchase of a green car, according to Autobytel’s recent “What’s Hot Now” report.

Autobytel said in the wake of the Gulf oil spill and concerns about the environment and the economy, consumers are interested in vehicles that can contribute to a greener earth as well as lessen the impact on their pocketbook.

Fifty-seven percent of consumer surveyed revealed an interest in purchasing an alternative fuel vehicle in the next 12 months. Economics was a leading factor in the purchase of an alternative fuel vehicle with over 50 percent reporting “economics, better gas mileage”, but being “environmentally responsible” and “reducing dependence on foreign oil” were two other reasons cited by 39 percent of the respondents.

Autobytel’s report reveals strong green vehicle purchasing trends – and more susceptibility to environmental concerns – in the next generation of car buyers. One out of four respondents under 25 years of age report they are definitely considering purchasing an alternative fuel or high mpg vehicle in the next 12 months. Over half of those surveyed said that environmental factors impacted their likelihood to buy a green vehicle.

“Consumers are interested in being fiscally and environmentally responsible when considering their next vehicle purchase,” said Jeff Coats, president and CEO, Autobytel. “Our latest ‘What’s Hot Now’ report reveals good news for the makers of alternative energy and high mpg vehicles.”

Over 2,000 consumers responded to Autobytel’s survey in July. Key results of the study revealed the following:

Green Potential High in Next 12 Months, Two to Five Years

• Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they are likely to consider purchasing a green (electric, hybrid, high mpg) vehicle in the next 12 months. Nine percent said “definitely” considering, 17 percent said “seriously” considering and 31 percent said “maybe.”
• A total of 75 percent of respondents said they either “intend” (19 percent) or “might consider” (56 percent) purchasing an alternative fuel vehicle in the next two to five years.

Economy Impacts Buying Choices

• “Economics, better gas mileage” is the No. 1 reason cited by respondents for purchasing a green vehicle (51 percent).
• Gas prices impact vehicle purchase choices for 80 percent of the respondents.
• $3.50 a gallon is the gas pump price point at which most respondents (34 percent) would be more likely to purchase an alternative fuel vehicle.

Under 25s: Generation Green

• Seventy-three percent of respondents under the age of 25 are actively considering a green vehicle purchase within the next 12 months, compared to 56 percent of those in the over-25 demographic.
• Environmental factors (such as pollution levels and global warming) impact their likelihood to purchase a green vehicle (53 percent), compared to the over-25 demographic (44 percent).
• Over 80 percent “intend to purchase” or “might consider buying” a green vehicle in the next two to five years, compared to 75 percent in the over-25 demographic.

Hybrid Still Tops

• Gas/electric hybrid is the fuel-efficient technology most likely to be considered (38 percent), while small, high MPG gas vehicles are second (14 percent) and electric plug-ins and fuel cells come in at 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

WASHINGTON – Millions of electric-powered vehicles that would slash America’s dependence on foreign oil and cut carbon emissions would be put on the road under legislation approved by a Senate committee on Wednesday, reported Reuters.

The legislation, passed 19-4 in favor, was one of several bills cleared by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that might be folded into a broader energy and climate bill Democrats are struggling to bring to the Senate floor.

The bill approved by the committee would pour nearly $3.9 billion over 10 years into selected communities to build infrastructure to charge electric cars, conduct research and provide incentives for consumers to buy plug-in vehicles.

The goal is to put the United States on a path to electrify half the country’s cars and trucks by 2030, which would cut U.S. demand for oil by about one-third.

“Passing this legislation will strengthen our national security and improve the air we breathe, while relying on our abundant and diverse electricity supply to fuel our cars,” said Senator Byron Dorgan, the bill’s chief sponsor.

A new bill that addresses climate change and renewable energy is a key priority for the Obama administration but time is running short on the congressional calendar with a scheduled August recess and congressional elections looming in November.

Senator Jeff Bingaman, who chairs the energy panel, said he was not sure if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would unveil his encompassing energy and climate legislation next week. The bill would be in trouble if the Senate does not pass it before the August break, according to Bingaman.

“It will be difficult to get a final bill to the president for signature,” Bingaman told reporters. “The earlier that the full Senate would act the better position we’ll be to actually get a bill to the president.”

Congress is scheduled to work through the first or second of week of August, and then recess until after Labor Day in early September.

Reid said on Tuesday he was still grappling for consensus among Democrats to forge a new climate and energy bill.

Toyota Motor Corp. and its Silicon Valley partner, Tesla Motors Inc., will develop an electric version of Toyota’s RAV4 SUV, reported The Detroit News.

The two companies will work on prototypes combining the popular RAV4 with a Tesla electric powertrain. They expect to sell the SUVs in the United States in 2012, the two companies said.

A first prototype already has been produced.

“Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars for mainstream buyers — relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs,” the Palo Alto-based firm said in a statement.

Tesla now sells an electric roadster priced at just over $100,000, while Toyota is a leader in gas-electric hybrid vehicles. It has said it was planning to start selling electric cars in the United States in 2012.

The two companies announced in May that they would team up to develop electric cars.

Toyota invested $50 million in Tesla, in a side deal to the firm’s initial public offering. Tesla bought a factory in Fremont, near San Francisco, where Toyota and General Motors Co. had produced vehicles in the joint North American Motor Manufacturing Inc. venture for 25 years until its closure this year.

Tesla did not say where the electric RAV4 SUVs will be assembled, but the prototypes are being built at its facilities.

WASHINGTON – As President Barack Obama heads to Michigan this week to tout the opening of a $303 million advanced battery plant in Holland, White House officials are fanning across the country to promote other electric vehicle developments, The Detroit News reported.

While Obama is in Michigan on Thursday, Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, will stop in at a General Motors plant in White Marsh, Md. That facility received a $105 million grant to help the Detroit-based automaker build a second-generation electric drivetrain system.

GM is receiving about $241 million in federal grants, including $106 million for its battery pack assembly factory in Brownstown Township, which is the first such facility in the U.S. operated by a major automaker. The plant is assembling battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, which debuts late this year.

GM is holding an event at the Brownstown Township plant Wednesday to announce a consumer initiative and provide an update on validation and testing of the lithium-ion battery. Executives also will provide details on the start of regular battery-pack production.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will visit Charlotte, N.C.-based Celgard on Thursday to promote a $49 million stimulus grant that’ll help the battery company hire 100 employees and begin manufacturing. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit a company in Richmond, Va., that converts traditional internal combustion engines to run on propane.

On Wednesday, an administration official will join New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to unveil a system of new electric vehicle charging stations. Using a $15 million stimulus grant, Coulomb Technologies plans to add 4,600 such stations in nine U.S. cities by Sept. 2011.

Three additional auto-related announcements will be made by White House officials Friday, including one at Delphi Automotive Systems’ plant in Kokomo, Ind. There, Energy Secretary Steven Chu will visit the facility where an $89 million battery manufacturing grant is helping the former GM subsidiary create electric drivetrain components for cars and trucks.

The grants come as the Department of Energy plans to release Thursday a new report on how stimulus funds have helped quickly develop viable battery and electric vehicle manufacturing processes.

Before the grants were awarded last year, it was estimated a 100-mile range battery would cost $33,000, White House officials said. Now, that cost is estimated to lower to $16,000 by the end of 2013, and $10,000 two years after that.

Stimulus funds have also helped spur the development of charging stations, as well, with around 500 expected to grow to more than 20,000 by 2012.

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc. increased the size of its initial public offering and priced it at $17 a share, above the proposed price range, on Monday night, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The offering, expected to appeal to both clean-energy investors and car geeks, bucks a recent trend of companies cutting the size of IPO plans because of stock-market volatility. Others haven’t been able to complete efforts and shelved deals.

Tesla and existing shareholders will offer a combined 13.3 million shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. At $17 a share, it could raise as much as $226.1 million in the sale. The proposed price range had been $14 to $16 a share.

The company previously had said it could sell as many as 11.1 million shares, putting the IPO’s value at as much as $178 million, prior to any use of the overallotment option, which would add nearly 1.7 million shares, or more than $27 million at the top price.

In the event of strong demand, the enlarged offering could be increased by nearly two million shares, according to the filing. The additional shares would come from the selling shareholders.

Under the new terms, there will be 11.9 million shares coming from the company and the rest from current owners. Tesla had projected selling up to 10.6 million shares.

Teslais still the only company selling highway-capable electric vehicles to consumers in volume. It said it has sold 1,063 Roadsters as of March 31 and has unfilled reservations for 110.The Roadster sells for $109,000, or $101,500 after federal tax credits. The Roadster Sport edition costs an extra $19,500. Some states offer additional consumer-tax breaks for buying an electric car, topping out as much as $42,000 in Colorado.

Last month, Tesla said its first-quarter loss widened to $29.5 million from $16 million a year earlier. Revenue was roughly flat at $20.8 million.