Going ‘green’ isn’t just about hybrids, alternative fuels, or the exotic technology du jour. It’s about meeting the needs of the market in stylish and creative ways. Chevrolet’s coming 2011 Cruze compact sedan is an excellent example of how to get the job done with a model that appeals to mass-market sensibilities at an approachable price point.

Coming to American highways next fall, The Ohio-built Chevy Cruze is expected to offer rarefied fuel economy numbers – for conventional gasoline models – of up to 40 mpg on the highway. That’s better than the subcompact Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit and just a single mpg shy of the ever-so tiny two passenger smart fortwo. But with the Cruze, you get five-passenger seating and so much more than the fortwo, at an expected cost of just over fifteen grand.

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While only half of the AutoblogGreen readership said they’d invest in Tesla Motors when (if?) the company gets its IPO organized, technically, most of you technically already have. As Wired put it, “Are you a U.S. citizen? If so, congratulations – you’re officially an investor in Tesla Motors.” The reason for this is that earlier this week, Tesla announced that U.S. Department of Energy secretary Steven Chu signed the $465 million loan arrangement from June. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that:

We are honored that the US government selected Tesla to be among the first companies to participate in this visionary program. This loan will allow us to further accelerate the production of affordable, fuel-efficient electric vehicles.

So, how does it feel?

Way.

It’s like something you’d dream up when you’re eight years old and sitting around wondering what if. Buck Rogers stuff. What if cars could just draw their power from the floor? James Bond stuff.

Apparently, there is something afoot that would make the electric vehicle even more attractive from a convenience standpoint. Plugless power.

Is it real? Don’t know. Is it a real good idea? Yes. In our harried lives, we prize convenience. If the vehicle of the next age not only does not exact sacrifice from its user, but actually makes its user’s life easier, well then, that vehicle has every chance of succeeding. Never stop at a gas station, as discussed here, but wait…order now and you won’t ever need to plug in your car to recharge.

Evatran promises plugless power for the electric vehicle. They are working with Syncroness (who designedthis stuff) with the goal of having a production model by Q4 this year.

Is this too good to be true? The eight-year-old believer in me says this is real.

Photo: Better Place on flickr