“Premium … (adjective): finest, exceptional; premium quality.” So says Chambers Dictionary anyway. For me it usually translates to “bloody expensive”.

Come to think of it, that’s also a good description of the Lexus range: priced between $32,000 and $106,000, “cheap” is not the first word which springs to mind.

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Japanese luxury car-maker Lexus has announced plans to launch a five-door compact hybrid hatchback. The new model looks set to be a major competitor to the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 in the hot-hatch segment.

The new model will be showcased in September at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and is due to go on sale in the UK by autumn 2010.

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>>UPDATE #1 2/4/2009 12:15 pm PST: CNN is now reporting that a bomb WAS found. It appears that police have changed their story. We’ll see how this plays out…

>>UPDATE #2 2/4/2009 2:30 pm PST: Local and federal officials are urging anyone with information to contact law enforcement agencies. The ATF tip line is 888-ATF-BOMB.

>>UPDATE #3 2/5/2009 8:00 am PST: Dr. Trent Pierce has lost his left eye in the blast and is undergoing multiple surgeries to save his right eye as well as remove shrapnel from his neck and abdomen. Investigators are still not sure if the bomb was placed on or near Dr. Pierce’s car. Apparently, the doctor was outside his car when the blast occurred.

Initially a local bomb squad was called in to investigate, but was sent away after no bomb was found. At the time, speculation revolved around a malfunction with the car itself. Since that time, the FBI and ATF have found evidence of explosives. There are no current leads in the case and no one can come up with a reason why a doctor in a smallish town may have been the target of an attack like this.

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Lexus and Scholastic announce the launch of the second annual Lexus Eco Challenge. The Challenge is open to middle and high school students with a focus on learning about the environment and taking action to improve it. One million dollars in grants and scholarships will be awarded to winning students, teachers and schools.

This year, The Challenge will be joined by Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau currently works with his father, Jean-Michel Cousteau for the environmental organization, Ocean Futures Society. Cousteau’s role with the challenge will be to help inspire more students to participate in The Challenge.

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In a perfect example of why Cliff’s Notes don’t substitute for reading the whole book, the method by which Paul McCartney’s new luxury hybrid was delivered to him has ruined any environmental gains that might have been made by driving a hybrid in the first place. Indeed… his brand new Lexus LS 600h hybrid was flown to him by cargo plane. Questions of whether or not a 5.0-liter, V-8, 19 mile per gallon luxury behemoth really exemplifies the spirit of a “hybrid” aside, the judgment involved in shipping cars by airplane is enough to cringe at.

Doing some of my own napkin calculations (below) I came up with a fuel efficiency for the 5,966 mile trip from Tokyo to London of 4 mpg. That’s assuming the cargo plane burned 5 gallons of fuel per mile and there were 19 other cars in the plane. I’m not so sure there were 20 cars on that cargo plane, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. What this means is that the former Beatle’s new Lexus hybrid got 4 mpg for the first 5,966 miles of its life without ever starting up or even getting the chance to enjoy its V-8 glory on the open road. What a shame.

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Lately, I’ve been hearing about a lot of investment going into green companies and technology, which has me wondering: Is “green” the new tech boom? GE is “doubling down” on clean tech investments. According to Cleantech Network, last year’s 4th quarter saw $600 million in venture capital investments. So, if the opportunities are ripe for budding entrepreneurs and you have a great idea, how do you get started? The 2nd annual California Clean Tech Open might just be your ticket to success.

Sponsored by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a non-profit based in Palo Alto, the competition seeks to solicit business plans from new clean tech companies. According to Acterra, the competition serves to, “…create economic growth and environmental sustainability by sparking a clean technology cluster in California. By giving winners early-stage capital and expertise, the competition speeds clean technologies from lab to market. The goal is to foster innovative new businesses.”

The best of these new businesses will each win prize packages valued at $100,000. These “startup in a box” packages include business essentials, designed to help the winners take their ideas from the planning phase into operation. For starters, winners in each of the competition’s six categories will receive $50,000 in cash from their category’s sponsor:

• Transportation, sponsored by Lexus
• Smart Power, sponsored by AMD
• Green Building, sponsored by Google
• Air, Water and Waste, sponsored by ENVIRON Foundation
• Renewables, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E
• Energy Efficiency, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E

Winners will also receive one year of free office space, as well as a range of free services, including legal, accounting, and public relations. Additional prizes will also be awarded to all finalists.

Last year’s Open garnered 156 entries, but this year the competition is expected to be tougher, with double the number of entries received by the June 30th deadline. Winners will be announced in October.

To help you fine tune your entries, an Executive Summary Workshop will be held on June 14th at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). This event will provide information about the application requirements and judging criteria for the required three-page executive summary. It will also include an overview of the sustainability judging criteria, and some sustainability best practices.

With all of this support and incentive, what are you waiting for?

There is one part of travelling that is starting to get greener, however - green taxis. Now available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York through two different companies, if you must take a taxi you can at least make it a green one.

Of course, the cars are not actually painted green. Ozocar, out of New York City, has a fleet of Toyota Prius's for regular trips and Lexus RX400h's for the occasions when extra space is necessary. Inside the car, you'll find a laptop connected to high speed wifi and Sirius satellite radio. In LA & San Fran, you'll find the service provided by Eco-Limo, who has a varied fleet of hybrids, natural gas vehicles, and biodiesel running Mercedes.

Now sure, if you can, use public or shared transit instead of taxis on your business trip. But sometimes, we have no choice. Schedules are too tight or distances are super inconvenient for mass transit. The choice, however, lies in choosing this "green taxi". Like we said earlier, this is going to take some planning. You can't step out to the street corner and hail down a Prius…not yet, anyway. Plan ahead and make a reservation. It may cost a bit more, but hey, the company is paying for it, right? Anyway, it's worth it.

Rebecca says: I just had the pleasure of receiving a (complimentary) ride to the airport from Ozocar. The experience was incredible. A laptop on the internet in the back of a fuel efficient Prius? Incredible.

By the way, remember the Car Diary Project? If you participated, please send me a message with your information ASAP!

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