Chevy has two new TV ads for its Tahoe hybrid. First a little background. The Chevy Tahoe hybrid won Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year award last year. A full-size SUV winning a green car award supplied much comedic fodder for Top Gear (see first video below the fold). Okay, the first new Tahoe hybrid ad (see second video below the fold) begins with a riddle: Which is heaver, a hundred pounds of bricks or a hundred pounds of feathers? If you figured out they are the same weight, then according the ad, you are just as smart as the Chevy Tahoe hybrid, winner of Green Car of the Year award.

The second ad (see third video below the fold) begins with children wearing paper car costumes. The small paper cars are uncomfortable and have no room for their "stuff." Just around the corner, however, is a giant paper SUV and when the children see it, they are ecstatic. They throw off their small paper cars and run to the paper SUV. The teacher character in the commercial explains the paper SUV has the same fuel economy of small cars (like the Camry), room for your friends and most importantly, room for all that "stuff" the children are carrying around for some reason. "I guess they like it" the commercial's teacher character concludes.

I have to admit, I really like these ads. I think they're the best hybrid ads out there. I might not agree with the message that hybrid SUVs are green but at least these ads have a message. Recent hybrid ads from GM and Lexus are too vague for my taste. These Chevy actually persuade with facts about the Tahoe's fuel efficiency or the CotY award. Besides, SUVs are the only vehicles large enough to carry all my "stuff."

[Source: YouTube]

New Zealand's Aquaflow Bionomic announced late last week that they have successfully produced a sample of biodiesel from wild algae in sewage ponds. This announcement means Aquaflow Bionomic is the first to get the fuel from algae that were not specially grown in the laboratory. The algae clean the sewage water (or industrial waste streams from farmers or food processors) while making the biofuel. A company spokesman said, "The market potential for this product is almost unlimited in the peak-oil environment we are in."

Aquaflow Bionomic processes the algae into a pulp and then extracts liquid oils and turns it into biodiesel. The company expects to be producing a million liters of biodiesel a year once the program gets up and running next April.

[Source: Stuff New Zealand]