If the country is to truly get away from fossil fuels to run its automobiles it’s yet to be determined what alternative energy source will take its place. But if hydrogen is the way of the future it’s likely that New Jersey will lead the way.

According to Jim Henry, writing for Examiner.com, the home of BMW North America is in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey where the company is in the process of building the first hydrogen refueling stations in the U.S. which will service the company’s test fleet of hydrogen-powered cars.

The proponents of hydrogen say it’s the cleanest of all the alternatives, producing only water as a byproduct. But critics say the technology is not yet feasible and question the safety of the fuel.

Iceland is already working towards using the product as the main fuel in the country. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Iceland had hoped to convert the entire country to hydrogen by 2040, but delays in car manufacturers producing hydrogen-powered cars has placed them behind schedule.

“If somebody were to say to me today, ‘I’ll bring 20,000 hydrogen cars to Iceland every year for the next five years at the same cost as a conventional car,’ it would not be a problem for us,” Jon Bjorn Skulason, general manager of Icelandic New Energy told the news provider.

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto.

Recent reports show that the number of people turning to used cars instead of new is up as people try to get more for their money. But when making a used car purchase, there are some good cars and some bad cars to keep in mind.

Consumer Reports recently released its list of the best and worst used cars from 1998 to 2007 and one thing the magazine noted is the increase in reliability of used vehicles.

This is a result of the rise in reliability of new cars which should make consumers more comfortable buying a used car than they would have a few years ago.

The magazine says that it did not say that any particular carmaker is better than others, with some making the best and worst lists.

“We have the Buick Lacrosse as a good bet, but we have the Buick Rendezvous and Terraza as bad bets,” Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor online for Consumer Reports told AOL Auto. “And with Nissan, some good bets are the Altima, Maxima and Murano, but we have the Armada and Titan listed as bad bets.”

It should be a good time for most people to look into purchasing a used car as Edmunds reported last week that more than half a million people bought used cars last year who would have normally bought new.

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto.

The influx of quality used cars on the market makes it a good time for people to purchase a used car at a reasonable price, but there are some things to look for before handing over the cash.

According to Car and Driver, there are some telltale signs of a bad used car that every car buyer should know.

The first tip from the magazine is to avoid any car without a service history. It’s very easy these days to get the background history on a used car, but if a car doesn’t have one it should raise a red flag.

“Look for a long service history in any used car, with most of the servicing done by the same mechanic or dealership over time,” suggest the magazine. “There are simply too many good used cars out there with such a background to settle for anything less.”

Another thing to look for, according to the magazine, is brush strokes on the paint. If a car looks like it hasn’t been maintained well on the outside, that’s probably a sign of the same on the inside, says Car and Driver.

It appears that now is a good time to make a used car purchase with the Dow Jones recently reporting that used car prices dropped 8 percent across the board in 2008.

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto.