"Simply dock your iPod for a fun, cutting edge way to start up. Exclusive software designed exclusively for Peapod turns your iPod into a key. Both options are interchangeable and secure," reads the car manual.

Gimmicky? Sure, but it's a first, and is yet another example of everything and anything converging into one futuristic single mass communications device. The Singularity is near, indeed. Who knew it would look so adorable? [Autoblog Green]

Eleanor, with her flying saucer-esque lines and solar panel skin, was constructed by students in MIT's Solar Electric Vehicle Team. The cutting edge electric vehicle tech contained inside comes with an unsurprising $243,000 price tag.

Later this month, the tri-wheeled electric vehicle will compete in the World Solar Challenge, a 2,000 mile, seven-day race across the Australian outback that's as much about battery charging strategies as it is keeping the accelerator pinned to the floor.

Related trivia: Even without ample sunlight charging the batteries, the car could go from Boston to New York City on a single charge at an average 55 mph. That's not bad, and beats the hell out of taking a white knuckle ride on the Fung-Wah bus. [Wired]

For your money, you'll be getting one of the fastest all electric vehicles around. The 2009MY can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, has a top speed of 125 mph, and can go 227 miles on a 3.5 hour charge. If you're especially opulent, you can add sweet extras like a painted carbon fiber top for $3,200 or a premium leather interior for $1,800.

Want to think a little more before you let this sweet lil' ride burn a hole through your bank account? Here's a couple of reviews to help you make your decision. Or if you're in California, scuttle over to their dealership in LA. [Tesla Motors]

Update: Jalopnik says it's going to have 225 miles per charge. Wowzers!

Update 2: Tesla head Elon Musk also made statements that they want to get prices down to $30,000 within four years, but Jalopnik says take that with a grain of salt. It doesn't seem like a $60k to $30k drop in four years is out of the question if you strip out some luxury items, but we'll see.

The kit isn't cheap—it's $9995 with three-year warranty and installation—but it is slightly cheaper than the 2006 $10-$12k price of the EDrive (we haven't been able to find a more current price). Most of us probably wouldn't pay an extra $10k on top of the $20k or so you paid for a Prius in the first place, so you might want to sit tight for factory Plugin EVs in the next few years unless you really, really need to smell your own farts now. [Hymotion]

The Twike will be able to reach speeds of up to 53 mph; it accelerates from 0 - 40 mph in 9 seconds and the range of the car will be increased by 50% if you can convince Barney, who'd be sitting in the passenger seat, to pedal along with you. The power output produced between a passenger and the main driver would be 500W, which may not be enough to get you back to 1985, but it will be enough to allow the Twike to travel 80 miles on a single charge. Running on standard gas, for which there is an option, the EV hybrid will be able to achieve 565 miles per gallon. That means the Twike could take you from East to West coast on four gallons of fuel! Eat your non-efficient heart out. Just to add to the bizarre factor, the vehicle uses a joystick for steering. Given all that, if you have fallen for the Twike's kooky outlook on life—get in line; the EV has sold out this year and there's a waiting list for next year's batch. [Born Rich]

When are the first hack-shops coming together for the mechanically simple electric cars? And when will Tesla tackle the minivan segment? All that torque has to be useful for hauling around today's McNugget-fed preteens.–Brian Lam

Tesla EV [Treehugger and Dvorak]