General Motors is brewing up more electric vehicles; a pesky fungus may prove its worth in biofuel production; and American Idol embraces renewables. It’s the Monday Daily Five:

GM already working on second E-Flex vehicle for Opel (and Saturn?): Sure, the Chevy Volt is great. But what we’ve all really been hoping for is that some of the Volt’s electric underpinnings migrate to affordable passenger vehicles. Now Green Car Congress reports GM is eyeing the Volt’s E-Flex architecture for its German Opel line. Opel showed-off a diesel E-Flex concept car at last year’s Frankfurt auto show. (Green Car Congress)

Audi promises electric car within 10 years: Another German carmaker seems to be casting its lot with the plug-in crowd. Audi’s chairman and CEO, Rupert Stadler, says he believes automotive storage batteries will be the dominant technology in 10 year. By that time, Stadler adds, Audi will offer emissions-free vehicles. (CNET News.com)

Turning Fungus Into Fuel: Organism With Taste For Olive Drab Shows Promise For Greener Energy: A pesky fungus with a taste for military tents and uniforms could be useful in biofuel production. The U.S. military first encountered the voracious fungus, known as T. reesei, during WWII’s Pacific Campaign. Now scientists wonder if the fungus might be useful for breaking up cellulose and hemicellulose plant fibers for biofuel production. (Science Daily)

Charcoal’s green image blackened: Researchers have long hoped charcoal might provide a stable way to trap carbon — while increasing agricultural yields. But ecologists with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have some bad news: it looks as if humus somehow speeds up the degradation of charcoal, spoiling the whole concept. The process still isn’t well understood, so more experiments are underway. (Nature News)

American Idol Finale Running on Renewables: You may be relieved to know it’s now “green” to watch American Idol. This season’s finale episodes — May 20th and 21st — will all be on renewables: solar, wind and hydropower. No word on what’s recently been powering Paula Abdul. (Maria Energia)