#Biofuel

Will battery-electric vehicles rule the road or is the hydrogen fuel cell a more sensible propulsion system? The answer, at least according to one executive at Hyundai, is yes.

There’s a way to power your car with something that you probably throw away every day.

Despite a push by some members of the U.S. military to find gasoline alternatives, it looks like the Republican-lead House Armed Services Committee is putting the kibosh on biofuel in military applications.

Ferrari has confirmed that a hybrid model is in the works and that a concept car will debut as early as the LA Auto Show this December. The news comes directly from Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa just weeks after a patent application for a hybrid system by Ferrari was uncovered.

In an ambitions new emissions reduction strategy Lamborghini has just unveiled, the Italian exotic car maker says it will look to hybrid powertrains (among other things) to cut vehicle emissions by 30 percent by 2015. The company has already made a significant step in that direction with the launch of the LP560-4. Due to the use of direct-injection, that new vehicle emits 18 percent less CO2.

As for the other engineering initiatives Lamborghini will make to hit its target, the company said in a press release that it will also look at biofuels. This shouldn’t be too difficult considering Bentley (which, like Lamborghini, is owned by Volkswagen) has already made significant progress in this field.

Start-stop systems, which turn off the engine when at a light or in traffic, are also a possibility and would no doubt be a part of any hybrid powertrain.

More conventional practices will also be employed, with the company promising to cut the weight of its vehicles while further enhancing aerodynamic efficiency.

The company also cites “improved combustion” in its list of green initiatives and we are no doubt likely to see direct-injection on the successor of the Murciélago – if not sooner.

But Lamborghini’s green plan isn’t just limited to its cars. The company aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent at its factory.

To do this it will transform the roof of its factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy into an energy generator using solar panels. The company says the system will produce 20 percent of the power the factory uses. At the same time, the roof will undergo a massive overhaul with better insulation, lighting and heating that will reduce energy consumption by an additional 10 percent.

“Despite the difficult situation in today’s global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great opportunities that derive from it,” said  Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as modifications to our factory.  This is an important action for Lamborghini and a central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development.”

The move has been applauded by the European community, with Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission on Climate Change saying the company was “on the right path.”

“We have been particularly satisfied with the actions it [Lamborghini] has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company’s desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and performance with social responsibility,”  Sacconi said.

Official release after the jump:

It’s really all just speculation at this point but there are reports the Bentley’s new supercar will make as much as 630hp and hit 62 mpg in just 4 seconds. And as ridiculous as that sounds, it might be an understatement.

We already told you about the BioFuel (or FlexFuel) model that Bentley hinted at at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Now the British marque is calling it a supercar and says it will unveil the new vehicle at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

For starters, Bentley aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 15 percent by applying new technologies to the current vehicles as well as using new transmissions and drivelines. Also, the company plans to begin reducing the weight of its cars – an area where Bentley certainly has a lot of room to work with.