We know you've been waiting with bated breath, but the results are finally in. For the second time in less than 10 years, Mercedes-Benz won the award for producing the greenest car in the world. Surprised? We kinda were too.

When thinking about green cars, characteristics like small, simple, and incredibly-efficient normally spring to mind. Luxury car does not. According to the judges at the World Car Awards, however, retaining performance and aesthetic appeal without polluting the planet is noteworthy as well.

These criteria led a panel of three green car experts to select the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY from an initial entry list of 23 new vehicles from all over the world. Other finalists were the Ford Focus Electric, and the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid. This is the second time in World Green Car history that a Mercedes-Benz technology has won this award.  The Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec technology was the 2007 World Green Car winner.

To be eligible for the 2012 World Green Car award, a vehicle had to be all-new, or substantially revised, in production and introduced for sale or lease to the public in quantities of at least 10 in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2011 and ending May 30th, 2012.  Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle's environmental responsibility, were all taken into consideration.

"This is the first 4-cylinder S-Class in the 60-year history of the legendary model. Powered by a 204hp diesel turbo producing 500Nm, this S-Class develops ample power from the world's cleanest diesel, while the incorporation of a start-stop system means that this car produces an outstanding 149g/km of CO2," said the expert judges regarding the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY.

Do you think the Mercedes deserved to win over the much smaller, more affordable Ford EV and Peugeot 3008 Hybrid? Tell us in a comment!

Just as word spread that Chevy would back away from the Volt for a time, Volkswagen announced that it would dip its toe into the U.S. electric vehicle market for the first time.

Beginning this month, Volkswagen will launch a pilot program to test 20 prototype E-Golf Battery Electric Vehicles in select locations in the U.S. The testing program will last for nine months, during which time a dozen of the green cars will be driven by selected Volkswagen employees.

The E-Golf is identical to the conventional four-door Golf model, with seating for five people. It includes a powerful electric motor that's sustained by a 180-cell lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 26.5 kilowatt-hours.  The E-Golf has an estimated driving range of 93 miles.

By distributing the E-Golf prototypes to drivers in Detroit Metro, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. markets, Volkswagen says it will be able to better monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance in different geographical regions. It will use the data and insights collected during the study to develop future EV technology applications.

In addition to testing the vehicle itself, users will also sample specific services designed specifically for the E-Golf. A 220-volt charging stations will be installed at each employee's home to charge the vehicles. Each E-Golf comes with an iPhone and a dedicated app that allow the user to check the battery’s charging status, regulate the car’s internal temperature, gauge how much charging time is left, or even remotely start the charging procedure. Finally, Volkswagen has set up a web portal dedicated to the fleet test to support the users 24/7 in case of specific questions and in order to allow users to share their feedback on the E-Golf.

Chevy may be scaling back it's production of the Volt, but other companies are forging full steam ahead to meet the goal of 1 million advanced technology cars on the road by 2015.

Just a few days ago, the first fully assembled CODA  to be sold to eagerly waiting consumers drove off the final assembly line. The – a silver all-electric sedan with a 31 kWh battery pack kicked-off the final assembly of CODA Automotive's first all-electric 2012 CODA five passenger sedans that will be sold in California.

If you're wondering what the heck a CODA is, you're probably not alone. The California-based company has stayed out of the major headlines, with the exception of a few auto shows and car geek blogs. But their desire to start local may be the CODA's saving grace. Rather than pushing out electric cars that people aren't ready to buy, the company amassed a significant collection of early reservations, many of whom will enjoy these first models off the assembly line.

The 2012 CODA is the first all-electric five-passenger, mid-size sedan with full rear seating and trunk space. It has an EPA rating of 88 miles per charge (making it competition for both the Focus Electric and the Nissan LEAF) and can go up to 125 miles on a single charge . The CODA also boasts an MSRP of $37,250, and federal and individual state savings and credits may bring the price down to $27,250 for California drivers.

The Fisker Karma has been called the world's most interesting car. We're not sure about how intriguing it is, but with a price tag of $100,000, this Finnish-made plug-in electric hybrid is certainly a head-turner.

Watch below as the Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil test-drives the new sedan, and tell us if you think it's worth the house-sized price tag.

Hertz, the first car-rental company to deploy EVs and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric) on three continents, is expanding its dedication to EV technologies once again. The company will participate in Plugless Power’s pilot program to test wireless charging stations at its headquarters, and possibly for customer use in the future.

Plugless Power is an inductive charging technology developed by Evatran, and is the first to offer customers a simple way to charge their EVs without having to remember to plug it in, or fight with a heavy, dirty power cord in a cluttered garage or crowded parking lot.

As one of the world’s largest airport car-rental brands, Hertz has introduced multiple groups of consumers – urban drivers, university students, travelers and corporations – to all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. They continue this trend by trialing the Plugless Power system, and will help further the industry by providing feedback on daily usage routines, user interfaces, and any additional functionality needed.

Have you ever rented an EV or hybrid through Hertz? Tell us about it in the comments!

We recently published our picks for the top 3 green cars at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. But it appears that we may have chosen too quickly! Leave it to Toyota to blast through the ho-hum reputation (and style) of the Prius with a sleek new hybrid loaded with all the latest technologies.

The NS4 advanced concept is a dedicated plug-in hybrid, separate from the Prius family, designed with future mobility requirements in mind.

“In this digital age, cars are becoming another spoke in the wheel of our electronic connectivity,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president and chief operating officer. “NS4 demonstrates Toyota’s take on the human connection to the car with technology that considers both emotional and rational relationships, person-to-car and car-to-society.”

The NS4's advanced powertrain targets a next-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in system featuring reductions in component size and weight with improved overall fuel economy, better acceleration and longer all-electric range, while maintaining a short charge time.

The car also features a next generation Pre-Collision System (PCS) with lane departure, rear-end and pedestrian collision avoidance technologies designed to predict and avoid collisions, Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlights to prevent vision-impairing glare to oncoming drivers and pedestrians, and four new glass technologies to improve driver visibility, gas mileage and electric driving mode mileage efficiency.

Take a mini-tour of the amazing NS4 by clicking on the thumbnails below!

All images used with permission via Toyota Pressroom

London's large population and heavy traffic flow mean fog isn't the only thing floating around in the air. But a new glue-like substance could be the city's secret to reducing air pollution.

If you find yourself on the streets of London after midnight, you'll probably bear witness to a strange sight: a series of trucks cleaning and spraying the roadways. Most big cities sweep and jetwash their streets at night, but it's the third set of trucks that do something out of the ordinary.

For the past few months, the City of London has been spraying a calcium-and-water-based adhesive onto the ground in areas with high rates of air pollution. Once applied to the roads, the "glue" attracts sooty particles called PM10s that can cause asthma, cardiovascular problems, lung cancer and premature death.

Although some of the UK's political leaders say the $1.4 million price tag would be better spent addressing the source of the pollution, i.e. car exhaust fumes as well as tire and brake wear, but London transportation officials say the unique program has already reduced the city's air pollution by 14 percent.

This quick fix is necessary if London is to become compliant with a set of European Union standards that require cities to have fewer than 35 "bad air" days per year. Those goals must be met by early 2012, or the city could face fines of more than $450 million.

Read more at TheAtlanticCities and BBC News.

Image Credit: Flickr - Mark Hillary