There are a lot of different alternative energy vehicles being pushed through the market these days, but some of them just don’t have the same power and convenience of a standard gas vehicle. All that is about to change with the introduction of the Phoenix. AltairNano (NASDAQ: ALTI) has partnered with Phoenix Motorcars to create a functional, express-way ready SUT and SUV for 2008.

The real secret behind the heart and soul of the Phoenix is its new battery. The “NanoSafe” as it was called back in 2006 is now the “Altairnano’s Lithium Titanate” for 2008. There are five factors that an energy efficient alternative energy vehicle battery must address in order to be considered a safe and convenient alternative to gas.

First and foremost the battery must be able to charge quickly and efficiently. It must be safe, it must have a long lifespan, create a substantial amount of power, and be able to do all these functions within a multitude of temperature ranges.

The Lithium Titanate can receive a 95% charge within a total of 10 minutes, and even more impressive, about 80% in just one minute. This is comparable to stopping off for a fill-up at the gas station. It used to be hours were needed to get even a partial charge on the old vehicle battery sources.

The batteries are incredibly stable and resist explosion in the most demanding climates and temperatures. The lifespan of these units has been calculated at 20-plus years, which is light years ahead of the three to five years of the alternative batteries of yesteryear.

With all this technology advancement, the new 2008 Phoenix actually stands up quite well to even the most fierce competition. Not even the gas powered V-8 monster of the 2007 Cadillac Escalade is able to embarrass this marvel.

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The conclusion is that alternative energy is quickly becoming a valid solution to our growing gas powered woe’s. The best part is that they are nearing the power levels of gas powered vehicles, which leaves little excuse for consumers not to consider this as an option as the gas prices continue to escalate.

Thinking Green has finally come to also stand for Performing Mean… Hallelujah!

Photo Courtesy of MSN Autos

The Rich Evans Mustang has received a lot of attention since appearing in SEMA this winter. Unfortunately it was not the good kind of attention. More like the “ugliest Mustang ever” and “I think I’m going to lose my cookies” kind of attention. Within every mistake made is a lesson to be learned. Modification is a very delicate practice that involves both bold and subtle changes to a cars exterior, that in theory should highlight its strengths and downplay its weaknesses… here are a few points to remember when modifying your own car to escape these unfortunate mistakes.

• While some may be completely against fake scoops, others tend to ride on the fence. A fake scoop can be a nice addition, if is not played up too much. Many cars are guilty of adopting a fake hood scoop for looks, such as the Z28 Camaro, Rousch Mustang, etc. The featured Mustang here has two scoops that are practically bigger than the entire hood. The eyes are drawn here first, which makes it easy to discern that they are simply tacked on with a little glue, tape, and maybe even a screw or two (hopefully). Too many of these parts have flown off of a car during high speed maneuvering, giving even more shame to its pretend ploy.

• “Tacked on” parts are best in small numbers. It costs much less to add tacked on parts to a car than have it custom fabricated, as much as tens of thousands of dollars less. Just remember that tacked on parts look best when they are purposeful. Much of the tacked on stuff here is questionable as to what it would be actually used for. The duct looking addition on the fender appears to be something that might be used to guide this vehicle in the water… but are we sure about that? No…

• There does have to be somewhat of a theme to your creation, such as road race aerodynamics, custom scalloped, angular, etc. If we look at the design closely we see scallops in the front fascia and spoiler, circles within the grill, side mirrors, and exhaust exits, ovals in the scoops and louvers, and mesh within the wheels. There is no obvious theme that has been followed here. It does not look well planned out at all.

And of course, when in doubt, don’t do it, your first impression is usually the most honest. If you are worried as to whether something is going to look good, it probably won’t if you have to ask yourself that question again and again!

Insurance can be a wonderful thing, but beyond that, it is a necessary addition to car ownership. Liability Insurance is there to not only protect other drivers, but also yourself. However, there may come a time in your driving history where you may have a minor accident happen under your comprehensive/collision/medical at your own fault and it will be up to you to decide if you are going to call in a claim or not.

Your first reaction will of course be to call in. This is what you have been paying all of those premiums for. The chance to have the ability to repair your damage with little to no funds out of your own pocket. Now this is all fine and dandy, but what you have to keep in mind is that sometimes the insurance penalty for an admitted accident may be much worse than the damages themselves.

For example, let’s say you were paying $90 ($1,080 a year) every six months and you turn in a claim for $1,500 of damage for accidentally falling into a construction field on a dark night. Your monthly payment could easily go up to as much as $200 for a reported accident that was by default, your fault. Calculate three years of this punishment and you get ($2400 a year) for three years, which is almost $4,000 over what you would have paid hadn’t you of reported the incident to your insurance agent.

Now as of recently, some insurance programs have taken on a forgiveness program that may protect you from increased rates, but that will only help as long as you stay with that particular program. In other words, you will not be free to shop around as the accident on your record will haunt you for no less than three years by law. You say you won’t report the accident to the police, well, that is okay, because the insurance company will do it for you!

Of course in many cases the cost of such incidents would make up for your increased rates, but it sometimes pays to think carefully before you make any sudden moves. You could end up saving yourself bushels of hard earned cash!