There are 10 cars which are eligible for the grant for plug-in cars. Five of these cars are available since 2011 while the other half will be rolling out to showrooms this year. During the its first year of implementation, there were 1,052 registrations of vehicles eligible for the purchase assistance. The manufacturers of the vehicles are the one applying for the grant so there will be a lag between the registration and the application for the grant.

The purpose of the program is to help consumers purchase vehicles with ultra-low CO2 emissions which without the grant might not be affordable. The owner will also make most of the vehicle as these green vehicles have lower running cost.

The grant for plug-in vans qualify vehicles which pass certain and strict criteria with regard to emissions, safety, and performance. The application for the grant has been opened and manufacturers are encouraged to send in applications so their vans will be part of the assistance scheme. The government expects to release a list of vans which qualify for the grant in the near future.

The government of UK allocated around $614 million to push for the purchase of green cars and vans with very low emission. The funding includes around $123 million which will be used for research and vehicle development, roughly $46 million for infrastructures, and around $460 million for consumer incentives.

The UK has around 2,500 charging points installed thru efforts of the government and other private institutions. The private sector plants to put up 4,000 more charging stations around the United Kingdom by this year.

Mazda will make use of the 2.0L 4-cylinder SkyActiv G gasoline engine. The direct-injected powerplant has an initial numbers of 40 miles per gallon while crusing on the highway under the hood of the Mazda3. The engine gives out 155 horsepower and has a torque of 148 lb-ft.

The next SkyActiv technology that will be utilized for the Mazda3 will come as a choice between two transmissions. Consumers will have a choice between a 6-speed automatic or manual gearbox. The automatic transmissin is call the SkyActiv-Drive which combines CVT or continuously variable transmission with DCT or dual clutch transmission. The manual gearbox is labeled as the SkyActiv MT that follows the conventional gearbox design.

The new Mazda3, with the fuel saving technologies in place, will be 30% more efficient in terms of fuel economy than its older sibling, the 2011 Mazda3. Mazda fans will only have several months more to wait for the 2012 Mazda3 to hit the showrooms in the US and of course see if Mazda will try a bit of electrification.

SkyActive refers to the next gen of technologies by Mazda that may refer to their new design for the body, chassis, transmissions, and engines. These advancements give the new Mazda vehicles improvements in terms of aerodynamics, safety, and environmental performance.

Ernst and Young’s survey covered the globe with China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan as its respondents. For this survey, Young asked 1,000 vehicle owners about their willingness to purchase an alternative fuel vehicle within the next three years.

These surveys were done to help out Ernst and Young’s powertrain initiatives. The company plans to focus on business opportunities and issues which companies may face due to the development of eco-friendly alternative transportation solutions. The survey was also specifically designed to measure consumers’ interest and certain decision factors regarding the purchase of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

The survey also revealed important factors which displayed China’s purchasing attitude. For one, the lead factor that influences their purchase is saving money. This was followed by the car’s environmental impact (86%), the safety features (69%) and government incentives (60%). All seven countries who participated in the survey chose to buy EVs because of fuel saving opportunities.

According to the survey, consumers were also concerned about several things regarding the EV’s power supply (they’re not sports cars, are they?). The vehicle’s driving range was the top concern in China (73%), followed by the visibility of charging stations (69%), and the serviceability and reliability of the vehicle (64%) tied with safety (also at 64%).

The Obama government has cleared a path to take so the goals will be achieved to meet the deadline. The plan will require carmakers to improve the fuel economy of their fleet by as much as 5% every year, just like what is being done in several states and in California. The stricter government requirements on fuel mileage standardize the rule from the east coast to the west coast.

The target for the 2012 to 2015 models was not yet clear for the auto makers until the suggested framework came out. The 5% increase with the 2011 models translates to 27.3 mpg on average according to the EPA and the Transportation Department.

The levels of improvement for the production cars of 2012 to 2016 will be leveled up from 33.6mpg to approximately 38 mpg. Light trucks are expected to have fuel mileage figures jump to 28.33 from 25.0 mpg.

The 2016 models will also need to meet the emission standards that will be in effect. The law dictates that the average carbon dioxide emission should have a combined figure of 250 grams per mile.

Consumers are on a win-win situation, aside from the cleaner air, they can get as much as $3000 savings in fuel spending over the expected years of their vehicles. According to government studies, it will take three years for consumers to recover the higher cost of spending for the new vehicles that will meet the stricter fuel economy and emission standards.

The total economy of the U.S. is also looking at an equivalent savings of taking about 58 million cars off their roads. The air will also be 900 metric tons of emissions cleaner.