As difficult as it may be to believe, interest in alternative fuel vehicles actually pre-dates the launch of AutoblogGreen a little more than two years ago. Another fact that may be tough to swallow is that the BBC's Top Gear was not always the hour of silliness we see today with Clarkson, Hammond and May. In fact Top Gear's current format only began in 2002. Going back in time it had a more staid magazine style format with hosts such as William Woollard. Way back in 1990, Woollard did a pair of segments on alternative fuels and the threat of Global Warming from increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Watching these 18 year old segments, it seems not a lot has changed. Woollard looked at hydrogen with an early prototype of the BMW Hydrogen 7, methanol, CNG, solar powered EVs and even hybrids. The GM Impact, the precursor to the EV1, even makes a brief appearance while discussing battery electric vehicles. In that pre-lithium ion era, sodium sulfur batteries seemed to be one possible solution to range and weight problem of storing electrons. Although such batteries were tested by automakers, the high operating temperatures (up to 350 °C) limited their usefulness. Nonetheless, the similar Zebra batteries are still being evaluated today and used in some applications. Check out the videos after the jump. Thanks to Joseph for the tip!

[Source: YouTube]

After evaluating supercars to see which could go furthest on a gallon of gasoline, the crew of Top Gear decided to try again. What they apparently set out to do was demonstrate the impact of driving behavior on fuel economy. All hypermiling enthusiasts will gladly expound on how modifying your driving style can take you above and beyond the EPA mileage ratings. Of course, Jeremy Clarkson had to demonstrate this by taking the negative approach. He pitted a Toyota Prius against a new BMW M3. No one would ever expect the 414hp V8 powered M3 to get better mileage than a Prius. Unless, of course, you pushed a Prius around a test track as fast it would possibly go and then pacing the hybrid with the M3. Not surprisingly, thrashing a Prius around a track for ten laps provides less than stellar mileage results. Check out the video after the jump to see if the Prius or M3 won this HYPO-miling contest.

[Source: YouTube]

With the new series of Top Gear having started recently over in England, the team decided that it was again time to look at fuel economy. A few years back, the show made the round trip from London to Edinburgh and back in an Audi A8 TDI on a single tankful of diesel fuel. Now, with fuel prices above $9 a gallon, they have decided to see which cars provide solid fuel economy numbers. This time around they are working on the premise that even those with lots of money to spend on a car might still want to get better mileage. Sure the premise is thin but we're talking about Jeremy Clarkson here. Rather than the usual Prius vs, everybody else routine, Clarkson and Crew decided it would be better to test some of the fastest cars in the world to see which could go the furthest on a gallon of gasoline. Literally a single gallon of gas. They took a Ferrari 599, Audi R8, Lamborghini Murcielago, Mercedes Benz SLR and an Aston Martin DBS and put in a gallon of fuel each. Then they raced them around the Top Gear track until they were empty. You can watch the video after the jump to see which was the thriftiest with its gas allotment. Be forewarned however, that none made it into double digits.

[Source: YouTube]

We can think of a few electric cars which have gotten less-than-stellar reviews, probably deservedly so. The first reviewer that we know of to tackle the smart ED, though, was rather in favor of the diminutive electric machine, enjoying the 60 mile-per-hour top speed and 72-mile range. Top Gear, though, was less than impressed, citing a distinct lack of range and suggesting that "the Smart looks less appealing than a bike." Granted, smart thinks that the review unit provided to Top Gear must have had some ailments, but perhaps the system still has some growing-pains to overcome before it's truly ready for the mainstream market. It's likely that the Zebra battery would be replaced with lithium ion's in any real production version, in any case. Still, we remain wanting to get a crack at the smart ED ourselves. Thanks for the tip, Forrest!

[Source: Top Gear]

In what is easily the funniest car review Top Gear has ever done, the above video shows Jeremy Clarkson trying out the Peel P50, the smallest production car in the world. I don't want to give away too much but when I saw someone else in the elevator, I could not stop laughing. Below the fold is a video with a better look at the Peel sports car.

[Source: YouTube]

In the video above, Jeremy Clarkson, host of the popular English car show Top Gear, removes all the four by fours from the cool part of the Top Gear cool board. His reason? Cars are all about getting women and socialist women, who he claims are better in bed, don't like four by fours. Here are his exact words:

We're beginning by moving all the four wheel drive cars down. All of them are doing down... Times have moved on, Richard, 21st century and all that. ... No, listen, I agree with you, I agree, I am sure with most people here, that four by fours are not killing polar bears but. ... cars are all about pulling women, for us obviously, yes, do you know what I mean, for blokes, it's what it's all about. You are not going to pull socialist women with these because they don't like them. ... socialist women are better in bed than Tory women. ...They're not cool anymore, driving around in them, They're just not.

Jeremy also compares Vanessa Redgrave to another woman I did not recognize. He may be kidding because he says he is going to celebrate moving 4X4s down the board by getting a Range Rover. Also, in the video he uses a chainsaw on the board and describes a very strange kind of meter. Anyway, I guess green's (or, apparently, socialist green women's) disdain for 4X4 vehicles has reached even Jeremy Clarkson. Wonder what Clarkson thinks of these.

[Source: Google Video]

In the video above, Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear, says the Porsche 911 Turbo cleans the air in polluted cities like LA. While, I have seen concept cars that can clean the air, I seriously doubt any existing car, especially the Porsche 911 Turbo, emits exhaust that is cleaner than air, even air in the most polluted cities. Here is exactly what Clarkson says:

When you drive this car through a really polluted city; Los Angeles, Calcutta, Harrogate(?), something like that; the gas coming out of the exhaust pipe is less toxic than the air going into the engine. And I am not joking, that's true. This then is like a small, efficient, easy to use vacuum cleaner. They should have called it the Porsche Dyson.

So, here's the question for a Sunday afternoon. What do you think? Is he wrong or does he have a definition of toxic that I don't understand?

[Source: YouTube]

Below the fold is a video of Jeremy Clarkson, of the TV show Top Gear, reviewing the all electric G-Wiz. The review of the G-Wiz starts at 2 minutes 45 seconds after Jeremy makes fun of French sport cars. Highlights from the review of the G-Wiz include a race between the G-Wiz and a table, which ends very much like Top Gear's race between Jason and the Th!nk electric car.

Jeremy says the G-Wiz has no redeeming features and that God has not created a creature that can fit in the back seat. You drive the G-Wiz to save the world, Jeremy explains, because we used to have such nice weather. He, of course, is being sarcastic because British weather sucks. He then suggests people "buy a Range Rover and warm this country up." I doubt the results of the crash test between the table and G-Wiz because the table never moved.

The review ends at 7 minutes with Jeremy, for the second time, suggesting you get a table instead of a G-Wiz. After 7 minutes Jeremy goes back to insulting the French. Watch it after the jump.

This isn't a new video, and you can buy the DVD from Amazon UK.

[Source: Gametrailers]

Many TV shows about cars have embraced the fact cars are becoming greener. Not Top Gear. In the video below the fold, Top Gear challenges the Think electric car to a race with a guy named Jason. I won't spoil the ending but I will say I don't think what happens is representative of the Think's actual performance. We'll just add this race to the growing list of things Top Gear has done to make fun of green cars.

Related:

• VIDEO: Top Gear takes on British green driving guidelines
• 5,000 miles on a gram of fuel
• Jeremy Clarkson takes on the Reva G-Wiz

[Source: YouTube]

Recently, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson wrote a rather scathing review of the G-Wiz electric vehicle sold in Europe and popular in London. Clarkson is not one to hold back his opinion, which we respect - even when we disagree, and hold back he did not. He hated the G-Wiz and cited its' lackluster safety when rammed head on into an immovable object. He also said it was slow and cramped, except he used more lively words to say it.

GoinGreen is the company which distributes the G-Wiz in London, and they have responded to Clarkson's review. I have copied the entire response past the break, if you are interested. They mention the fact that as a "quadricycle", the machine does not need to be tested by ramming it into large immovable objects, and that the machine has a stellar safety record. One might think that the low-speed of the vehicle would be a boon for its safety record.

The real question might be whether the quadricycle should be exempt from safety tests; and if not, what safety tests should it have to pass?

Related:

• Jeremy Clarkson takes on the Reva G-Wiz

[Source: GoinGreen via Treehugger]

Jeremy Clarkson and his team at the BBC car show Top Gear did a green episode. One of the segments had co-host Richard Hammond evaluating a Saab 9-3 while trying to follow the British government's guidelines for greener driving. Of course Jeremy and Richard take on green driving in their usual snarky and sarcastic style. They particularly like to poke fun at the bus lanes that exist on many London roads which seem to mainly sit empty while traffic crawls along in the adjacent lanes. The video is after the jump.

[Source: Top Gear via Hugg, thanks to Linton for the tip]

How do you take a completely carbon free form of transportation and mess it all up? By strapping a jet engine onto a kayak, and then proceeding to race it against a 4X4 Land Rover... thing! Richard Hammond from Top Gear says that the kayak is rubbish without an engine. The inventor of the machine has kayak'ed down a 65 foot vertical drop, so he is probably the perfect person to pilot a machine such as this one, especially considering that this little race takes place in, get this... an ice filled lake in Iceland.

I'm not entirely sure why this race took place, but it fits in just right on Top Gear. They are always pulling off crazy stunts like this one. I have gone kayaking before, and the whole point is to enjoy the scenery while getting in some good upper-body exercise. This defeats the point. If I'm gonna jet ski, I want a jet ski; if I'm gonna kayak, I want to row. As a side note, Hammond has not exactly had the best luck when it comes to vehicles powered by jet engines. This would be better if it was powered by biodiesel! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video!

[Source: Youtube via Engadget]

The Fiat Punto with the 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine was already the leading fuel-economy king in Australia. Now it's available with the DuaLogic transmission. The Punto JTD DuaLogic makes its debut at the Australian International Motor Show and will be seen with its classic forefather, the Fiat 500. The 500, which was voted by Top Gear readers in England as the sexiest car in the world, may draw the crowds, but the Punto 1.3 JTD DuaLogic is the country's most fuel-efficient car at 62mpg. At $25,000 Aussie dollars, which converts to around $18,400 Yankee bucks, the Punto diesel is more expensive than a typical gas subcompact. But if you drive it enough, it should pay for itself.

[Source: car.co.nz]

GM's hydrogen-powered HyWire is not your typical car. All controls are in the steering "wheel" and the chassis is easily changeable. It's only a concept car, but the BBC Prime show Top Gear took the only HyWire in existence for a bit of a test drive recently. The test drive is kind of cool to watch (which you can do over on YouTube). Top Gear correspondent James May takes the car out about a minute into the video (the first minute is dedicated to the Mazda RX 8). The HyWire is not a new concept (it was introduced to the public a few years ago. Here's a write up from the 2002 Paris Motor Show.), but it's cool to see one driving around. Of course, no mention of hydrogen cars would be complete without the standard "the hydrogen economy is 15-20 years away" disclaimer, which May admits at the end of the clip. Sigh.

[Source: BBC Prime via Top Gear. Hat tip to Martijn]