Video: Hybrids, Electric Cars, and Flywheels at the Detroit Auto Show

We've been following the announcements and various green car "reveals" from the North American International Auto Show (better known as the Detroit Auto Show) from afar, and so were happy to find Inhabitat's video of the plug-in and electric highlights.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4gVMTiahx8

Inhabitat founder Jill Fehrenbacher didn't have a hard time finding green cars in the mix. Bill Perkins, co-chair of the show, estimated that "of the 30-40 worldwide reveals that we're going to have today, I would say at least half have something to do with electric, hybrid, or some type of eco-friendly vehicle is being introduced."

There are lots of hybrid and plug-in electric offerings. Obviously, the Chevy Volt winning car of the year honors was the story of the whole week. (Though I do personally think that Ford's plug-in hybrid minivan might be an even bigger deal.)

Pay special attention to Porsche's flywheel energy storage systems. It could well be a gimmick that would be prohibitively expensive for the mass market, but it's still pretty interesting to see a new solution to the energy storage problem.

And, yes, I know I've been a little heavy on the car coverage lately. But it's not every week that the world's biggest auto exhibition—so long the pinnacle of all that was wrong and dangerous in American transportation ideals—is absolutely awash in forward thinking, efficient vehicles that could actually be a part of the energy and climate solution.