Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler, said that Chrysler plans to introduce a Fiat in the U.S. powered by natural gas. Bloomberg/Businessweek quotes Marchionne: "Natural gas engines offer a better way to cut emissions because they are cheaper than competing technologies."

Fiat is the leader in Europe in natural gas engines with 80% share of methane powered cars and 55% of light commercial vehicles. Alfredo Altavilla, quoted in Bloomberg/Businessweek said natural gas is a "more affordable solution" as it is less expensive to produce transport and distribute compared with other fuel sources.

The Chinese automobile market has been rapidly growing, and the growth of the auto modified plastic space is growing at an even faster rate. Between 2005 and 2009, automobile production volume has gone from 5.7 million to 13.8 million, which implies a CAGR of 25%, and the growth of this sector's sales volume has an estimated CAGR of 27%. One company which benefits from these trends is China XD Plastics Co. (CXDC).

On July 21st, the company signed an exclusive product development agreement with Hafei Dongyang, which is one of the leading automotive parts suppliers in Northeast China, to deliver 3 tons of specialized plastic compounds. These compounds will be used in the battery casing during a pilot production for electric vehicles. According to the press release, China XD Plastics will have the opportunity to receive additional exclusive product development rights for a period of five years upon the successful design of new specialized plastic products to be used in HD's plastics parts in electric vehicles.

The widely anticipated IPO for Tesla Motors is finally here. Based in Silicon Valley, the company designs and manufactures high-performance, fully electric cars. The investors include the co-founders of Google (GOOG), Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the founder is Elon Musk, who helped create PayPal.

The company's first car, which came on the market in 2008, is the Tesla Roadster. It can go from zero to 60 MHP in 3.9 seconds -- without any tailpipe emissions. On a single charge, the car can also go 236 miles. However, the price tag comes to a hefty $109,000.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

Technology expert Gregg Early looks to AeroVironment (AVAV) as his top pick for the coming year.

The editor of The New Tech Investor -- and the soon-to-be-launched Portfolio 2020 -- he explains, "Although the firm's military aerospace business should be strong, it is the firm's new 'clean technology' and energy efficiency projects that should be the real growth kicker."

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) struck gold when it entered the breakfast market decades ago. Today it's fighting for Starbucks' boutique coffee business. Where will it turn next to expand its business? How about electricity?

According to our sister blog, Engadget, a new North Carolina McDonald's will include electric vehicle (EV) recharging stations, part of the ChargePoint network. While you stuff your face, your car could be stuffing its battery.

You knew it had to happen at some point: the neighborhood street becoming dotted with whizzing golf carts.

With monthly gasoline bills exceeding car payments in some areas of the country, Americans have started to substitute tiny electric cars -- including golf carts and smaller electric vehicles -- for their local transportation needs, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported Thursday.

People are using them for local errands, to visit friends, even for trips to work if the destination is short, The Journal reported. And the habit may turn into a trend if cart use in challenging regions is any indicator: people in the nation of Texas are using them, as well!

Sees robust cart sales

Economist Glen Langan told BloggingStocks Thursday he's not surprised. "The previous rises in gasoline prices this decade, one [Hurricane] Katrina-related, one refinery-related, were viewed by the public as temporary. Not this time," Langan said. "Americans are convinced that four buck [$4] gas is here to stay, and oil use patterns around the world suggest they're not deluded in that assumption. Golf cart and mini-cart sales should increase at double-digit rates through the end of this decade, and most likely, longer."

Toyota (NYSE: TM) is upping its bet on ion lithium-battery cars. It has set up a joint-venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial to start mass production of the power sources by 2010.

According to Reuters, "Toyota, the world's top maker of gasoline-electric hybrids, is keen to bring such vehicles into the mainstream by lowering their cost premium." Consumers can plug-in their cars before turning in for the night.

The news is another example of why Toyota stays more competitive than most other large car companies. Who would have seen the mass demand for alternative energy cars as oil doubled? Even Toyota could not have predicted that, but the firm was willing to make a significant investment that customers would continue to move away from gas even if prices did not spike up.

In Detroit, the last one to leave the building can pull the plug on the lights. At the US car companies, that is all electricity is good for.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com and author of the Ten Stocks Under $10 letter.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), after seeing sales plummet for larger cars and SUVs over the past 18 months because of higher energy prices, is now doing a major about-face. It's no secret that a large part of GM's future strategy is tied up in alternative fuels and electric vehicles for the consumer market. Translation: inflation and energy prices are changing consumer gas price attitudes.

Robert Lutz, GM's product design expert extraordinaire (oh, and Vice Chairman), is placing a large bet on the Chevrolet Volt, a 100% electric vehicle that GM hopes will capture the imaginations -- and wallets -- of energy-conscious consumers. Lutz even calls the Volt GM's "moon shot" in a reference to a once-in-a-lifetime NASA goal to place a man on the moon in the 1960s. GM has a once-in-a-product-cycle chance to get a mass-produced, well-liked electric vehicle into dealer showrooms before any other global auto manufacturer.

Lutz, who speaks the best geek-speak there is concerning vehicle dynamics and drag coefficients, seems certain that GM can outfox Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) by getting a popular, 100% electric vehicle into mass production first. Toyota's existing Prius is a hybrid (gas and electric), and the race is on to get a completely electric car onto the showroom floor. Since there is no gas engine, which provides power for air conditioners and many other components, all systems from entertainment to windshield wipers had to be created from the ground up for the new Volt. From reading this Lutz interview, the Volt has the potential to place GM on top of the auto world again. That is, if done right and before the competition beats it to the electric vehicle game.