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Three-wheelers. Strangely different? Maybe weird? Not a motorcycle nor an automobile? Or do they have hidden potential because they manage to combine what’s best in a motorcycle – maneuverability and flexibility – and what’s best in a car, which is comfort, practicality and safety.

Since Nicholas Negroponte first came up with his landmark teething ring visualization of the coming together of communication, computing and content, the term convergence has become the uber buzzword. Now there’s convergence going on in the personal transport industry, with the car and the motorcycle morphing as car makers attempt to downsize their vehicles to make them better suited to the world’s increasingly crowded roads.

Japan’s Tokai Challenger solar vehicle has taken victory against a strong international field in the 2009 Global Green Challenge. After covering almost 1860 miles (3000km) in four days across Australia’s baking red center, the entry from Japan’s Tokai University crossed the finish line at 3.39pm local time. The team’s run was nearly flawless, reporting only a single flat tire with just over 100 miles of the course to race and the win breaks a string of four consecutive victories by the Dutch Nuon team, which is currently battling it out for second place against University of Michigan Solar Car Team.

Three wheeled vehicles may have just gotten the boost they need to get off of the drawing board and onto US roads: Congress just approved a bill that will allow three wheelers to get funding from the Dept. of Energy. Which means we might be sharing the commuter lane with three-wheelers like the XR3, or the Aptera 2e a lot sooner than anyone thought.

“Solar Flowers” reaching up to 18 feet high are blossoming in Boston’s Prudential Plaza and not only are they good for reviving spirits, they’re good for reviving computers and cell phones too.

Ohio-based Myers Motors’ NmG (“No More Gas”) is a single passenger, highway-legal vehicle with a fully enclosed cockpit, two front wheels and a single back drive wheel. According to spokesman John Dages, in designing the NmG, the company “took out everything people hated” about the colossally hideous Corbin Sparrow, leaving some (meaning us) to wonder what could possibly remain behind in that equation.

Mercedes-Benz reckons it won’t be just one technology that paves the way to sustainable mobility. After showing the 200 km range all-electric BlueZERO E‑CELL at the NAIAS in January, the German giant is to create a family of modularly-constructed, liquid-cooled Lithium-ion electric cars by adding two more derivatives of the close-to-production vehicle in Frankfurt next week. The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS extends the range to 600 km using a turbocharged petrol engine as a range extender generator, while the BlueZERO F-CELL is fuel-cell-powered with a range of about 400 km.

“Ecofriendly family vacation” may sound like an oxymoron, what with the gas your thirsty car will devour, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these steps to streamline waste and tread lightly, even on a long jaunt.