The U.S. House passes a controversial energy bill; the Chevy Volt is officially unveiled; and use your iPhone to find or share a ride.

Fierce debate as House votes to lift ban on offshore drilling: The U.S. House of Representatives approved an energy bill late Tuesday which would open a large swath of the nation’s coastline to offshore drilling. But the bill faces a dim future, opposed one one hand by Republicans — who want drilling closer to shore, incentives for host states, and lower taxes for oil companies — and by environmentalists, who content drilling is dirty and won’t lower gasoline prices. The House measure would extend tax incentives for renewable energy development set to expire at the end of the year. The White House has already hinted at a veto, and the Senate is set to take up three energy bills very different from the House proposal. (SF Gate)

GM charges up the Chevy Volt : General Motors has finally unwrapped its highly anticipated Chevy Volt electric vehicle — and, yes, it’s a family car. GM actually showed its hand last week, releasing (by accident, it was claimed) a series of external shots showing the 4-door plug-in, which is capable of running 40 miles on its internal batteries before a gas-fired generator engages. The Volt is a 4-passenger car, with its lithium ion battery pack running through the middle of the cabin where one might expect a transmission tunnel. It features a sharply modern interior, with a dual cockpit design reminiscent of the Corvette. At least 10,000 copies of the 2011 model will start hitting showroom floors about 18 months from now. (CNN/Money)

GM to build their own batteries, seeks new employee: It appears that General Motors plans to get into the lithium ion battery business. Autoblog Green notes a job ad on the LinkedIn website seeking a battery project manager. The idea of GM building its own batteries certainly makes sense: the company has long said the Volt powertrain would find its way into a variety of other models. Producing its own lithium ion batteries would control costs and remove GM’s dependence on foreign suppliers. (Autoblog Green)

Carticipate iPhone Mobile Social Network Ride Sharing Application: Here’s an interesting techie twist on ride sharing. Carticipate is a location-aware social network designed for the iPhone. It utilizes the iPhone’s built-in maps and GPS to hook up riders and drivers in what Carticipate hope will become a Craigslist-style ride exchange. The network is new, and will become more useful as people download the iPhone application. But it’s fresh thinking. (Treehugger)

Lenovo Offers Free Electronics Recycling, Sets Emissions Reduction Target: Chinese-owned Lenovo is the latest computer manufacturer to commit to greener practices. The company has signed on with ECO International, which will provide free recycling services for Lenovo and select IBM customers. Lenovo has also set a 10 percent carbon reduction goal for its operations. They’re also exploring more environmentally friendly ways to move its products, matching HP’s recent certification as a SmartWay shipper. (Environmental Leader)