Although the Peugout BB1’s styling may be some of the funkiest design work we’ve seen, it’s causing quiet a stir in the Electric Vehicle world, and for good reason. The BB1 is part scooter, part car, and features two in-wheel electric motors and a solar panel equipped roof.
A person who drives 60 miles to work every day has different needs than someone who drives across town. So instead of designing electric cars to match the performance of petroleum-powered vehicles, researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s ChargeCar initiative think that EVs should be designed for individual commuting needs. To that end, ChargeCar hopes to create a so-called “commute ecology” based on crowdsourced data to develop EVs for different types of commutes.
What if you could drive onto the highway, take your hands off the wheel, and sit back and read a book? That might not be as far-fetched as you might think if an EU-financed research project is successful. The project, dubbed SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) wants to link vehicles together in eight-car “road trains” led by a professional driver. The project, which is aimed at commuters traveling long distances, could drastically cut travel time, congestion, and fuel consumption.
Hydrogen peroxide is best known for its properties as a hair dye and disinfectant, but it might just power the next generation of drag racers as well. Unlike expensive hydrogen fuel cell and electric-powered cars, h202-powered vehicles are both cheap (hydrogen peroxide is just water with an extra oxygen molecule) and fast — drag racers powered by the stuff can quickly reach speeds of 450 mph!
We’ve covered plenty of plug-in hybrid electric cars, and now Norfolk Southern Corp. is extending the same technology to locomotives with its prototype battery-powered train, the NS 999. The 1,500 horsepower switching train is powered exclusively by a series of 1,080 lead-acid 12-volt batteries. The best part – since the NS 999 doesn’t have a diesel engine, it releases zero emissions.
Not since Tesla electrified the auto world with its lean green supercars has an all-electric vehicle gotten pulses pounding this quickly. Germany-based auto manufacturer E-Wolf recently unveiled images and specs of their new e2, a 537 horsepower plug-in sports car that boasts slick Italian styling and a 0-60 speed of under 4 seconds.
Mission Motors‘ emission-free superbike recently shattered the world land speed record for electric motorcycles as it clocked in a series of scorching 150mph runs at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. Designed in collaboration with Fuse Project, we knew that the superbike had great things in store when Yves Béhar unveiled it earlier this year, and we’re thrilled to see it deliver on its promise!
When it comes to the future of automotive technology, electric cars get the lion’s share of the attention. But hydrogen-powered vehicles are slowly gaining traction, first with an announcement last week that auto companies are spending billions on fuel cell vehicles, and now with news that Germany is planning to launch a countrywide hydrogen fueling network by 2015!
Outside of Israel and Shai Agassi’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure company Better Place, the Middle East doesn’t have much of an electric car industry. That might change soon now that a team of Iranian scientists from Tehran’s Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology have developed the country’s first EV, a mini two-seater called “Qasedak-e Nasir”, or the dandelion of Nasir.
Belgium recently took the lead among a set of top university teams vying for “zeroth place” in the Formula Zero European Championship of hydrogen fuel cell cars. This carbon-free Grand Prix injects ingenuity and sustainability back into the races, starring get-up-and-go “karts” with a little H2O in their tailpipes.
Nissan recently unveiled an all-electric vehicle that stands to break ground as the company’s opening foray into the EV fray. Rather than aiming to create a high-end supercar, Nissan has decided to target an altogether different market. Enter the Nissan Leaf, an economical fully-electric vehicle designed with the family in mind.
Lots of kids wish they could build an airplane and fly away, but Dutch teenager Jesse van Kuijk has become one of the rare few to make it happen with his pedal-powered plane made out of balsa wood, polyurethane, and rip-resistant foil. The most impressive part? Van Kuijk built his plane without ever having flown in one before!
In a converted warehouse on the outskirts of Ann Arbor (Michigan’s other city), swarms of brilliant students harness conceptual, terrestrial and solar power for unusually racy, million-dollar road trips. Enter the Infinium 2009 solar car. Strips of photovoltaic panels (the space-age, gallium-arsenide kind) absorb the sun’s energy along a sleek and light carbon-fiber shell, and a 16-hp electric motor in one of its three wheels propels the 600-lb coupe up to 90 miles per hour and 98 percent efficiency. Awesome aerodynamics and innovative innards apparently allow the Infinium a driving range of 200 to 300 miles without any sunlight at all.
In the wake of the United State’s recently terminated Car Allowance Rebate System, Russia has announced that it will be implementing a “Cash for Clunkers” program of its own early next year. The plan aims to encourage domestic vehicle sales while emphasizing the environmental benefits of purchasing more energy-efficient vehicles by offering 50,000 rubles (approximately $1,500) for the trade-in of vehicles that are more than 10-years-old towards the purchase of a Russian-made car.
Hybrid-electric vehicles are expected to explode in popularity over the next decade thanks to their gasoline-saving abilities. But Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) thinks that battery-powered cars aren’t the answer to our energy crisis. Instead, KAIST has developed a new kind of electric vehicle that forgoes batteries entirely and instead relies on power from cables buried beneath the road.
Ever since the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang came out, fans across the country have awaited a flying vehicle that doesn’t produce CO2 emissions. While a flying car powered by magic really isn’t feasible (unfortunately), members of the Human-Powered Flight Club of the University College London’s Student Union (HPFC UCLU) are in the process of developing the next best thing: a hovercraft powered by pedaling. Dubbed the Steam Boat Willy, the craft recently completed a test run across the Thames River, and was even displayed at the UK Hovershow this July.
The next frontier in green transportation is bound to be flight travel, which is why it is not surprising to see that NASA just announced the Green Flight Challenge. The competition will be awarding a prize of $1.5 million to the first plane to achieve 100 miles per hour, for 200 miles. That may not sound that impressive until you realize that the plane must achieve an efficiency of 200 passenger miles per gallon – not an easy feat!
We talk about green cars all the time, but this is ridiculous! It seems that quite a number of people have taken to covering their cars in astroturf, sod and actual grass – but why? And is there any actual environmental benefit to this bizarre practice? If you know, please enlighten us!
With major auto manufactures rushing to green their upcoming vehicle lines as quickly as possible, Ford Motor Company has announced that it is researching an innovative material that may one day become as ubiquitous as plastic – liquid wood! The material is derived from waste wood, can be molded into different shapes, and the best news is that according to Ford, it is almost carbon neutral.
Do you enjoy cars, but feel it’s a bit tedious to actually hold the wheel, step on the gas and shift the gears? No sweat – industrial design studio, Mike and Maaike, has just thing thing – the ATNMBL, a car that drives itself! Did we mention that it comes with a bar?
“How do you grow your own food in the big city if you ain’t got no land?” Easy – do what these Brooklynites did and start a Truck Farm! True, you don’t usually think “1986 Dodge Ram when you think “green vehicle“, but this pickup with ripe rows of arugula, lettuce, broccoli, herbs, tomatoes and habaneros thriving right in its flatbed, is definitely an exception. To make matters even more awesome, “four-wheel farmer” Ian Cheney and his partner Curt Ellis of Wicked Delicate, have even been documenting their automofarm in a series of musical, lyric-accompanied, video shorts (”The recession was upon me, my health was slipping away. I decided what I needed, was more vegetables everyday.”) resulting in both hilarity and a cult-like following as they spread love (and broccoli) around New York City.
Students at MIT recently announced that they are developing an extended range electric vehicle capable of achieving the same performance as its gasoline-powered counterparts. Dubbed the elEVen, the electric dream ride is capable of achieving a top speed of over 100 mph, a range of 320km (200 miles) and can completely charge in 10 minutes flat!
We’ve made no secret of our never-ending love for bikes here at Inhabitat – as one of the world’s most efficient modes of transportation they’re also an emission free, healthy, and enjoyable way to get around. There’s no better season to ride a bike than in the summer, so we figured the time is right to bring you a collection of our favorite pedal-powered rides. Without further delay we present to you our picks for the sexiest cycles around!
Mercedes has confirmed the rumors that have been flying about – they will revive the classic Gullwing Mercedes as an all electric dynamo car. It’s exactly the kind of car James Bond would drive in his next movie if it were available. Not only is it a beautiful update to the classic model, but it’s got the horsepower to back it up – 526 horsepower to be exact. This ain’t your grandpa’s Gullwing – this is the SLS AMG Supercar and is the “exciting future of the super sportscar” if we’ve ever seen it.
What could be more fun than gliding along on an eco-chic bicycle? How about shooting through the skies in a pedal-powered monorail capsule! A bunch of entrepreneuring New Zealanders has created just such a human-powered monorail system, known as the Shweeb. Their creation does double duty, acting not just as an innovative transportation system, but also an amusement ride. Are our cities the next step?
The U.S. postal service currently owns of one of the largest vehicle fleets on the planet, and they recently announced a monumental measure to replace 6,500 aging gas guzzling vehicles with more fuel efficient vehicles. The plan includes 900 hybrids and 1,000 alternative fuel vehicles purchased by the U.S. General Services Administration as part of a $210 million dollar plan to green the government’s fleet. Since these vehicles see heavy use and are essential for many of the USPS’ operations, their introduction stands to create a massive reduction in carbon emissions and fuel costs.
London’s iconic double-decker buses recently received an eco update as six highly efficient hybrid Volvo vehicles hit the streets for the first time. The new B5L two-story buses retain their classic red color, but under the hood a hybrid drivetrain saves 25% on fuel consumption while significantly reducing emissions and noise. The buses have entered service in the city as part of a trial run, and if all goes according to plan they will be joined by additional vehicles in the future.
Engineering students at UC Berkeley recently showcased a slick solar race car clad in photovoltaic panels that looks for all the world like UFO hovering a few feet over the earth. Dubbed the GoldRush, the vehicle is completely powered by the sun’s rays and is capable of hitting an impressive top speed of 50 miles per hour without using a single drop of gas. I recently had a chance to catch up with the sleek solar vehicle at the Marin County Fair and was able to snap some first hand photos – hit the jump for more!
Students from Turkey’s Sakarya University have unveiled a remarkable attempt at creating Europe’s most fuel efficient vehicle. The SAHİMO is a hydrogen powered vehicle that is capable of traveling 568 kilometers on 1 liter of fuel (about 353 miles on a quarter gallon). The students’ ultimate goal is to trek SAHİMO across 3,000 kilometers of the Australian Outback on just 3 liters of fuel in the inaugural 2009 Global Green Challenge. And you thought you were getting good mileage out of your Prius!
In the search for a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly alternative to motorcycles, the mayor of a city in the Philippines recently rolled out two incredible taxis crafted from one of our favorite renewable materials – bamboo! Rustico Balderian, mayor of Tabontabon, has commissioned the construction of two taxis made from 90% bamboo that are powered by coconut biodiesel – take that steel-based cars!
Flight pioneer Bertrand Piccard, an aeronaut who made the first nonstop round the world balloon flight, recently unveiled a prototype of an incredible solar-powered airplane that will one day circle the globe. Dubbed the Solar Impulse, the plane first caught our attention when it was being developed, and we’re thrilled to see a working prototype of the vehicle. Is the age of the solar powered airplane upon us?
Delft University recently unveiled a sleek solar-powered vehicle that they hope will score them their fifth trophy in the World Solar Challenge race. Dubbed the Nuna5, the vehicle is entirely propelled by the sun’s rays, and is designed to cross one of the most difficult terrains on the planet, the Australian outback. Think that your fossil fuel vehicle is up to the task? These students know that theirs is!
If you’re an eco-minded cyclist looking to tote your tots alongside groceries or library books on your next jaunt, a ride aboard Madsen’s kg271 Bucket bike may be just the ticket. Ideal transportation for parents, this cargo bike enables bicyclists to make errand running with small kids in tow a green undertaking. Or, on solo ventures …
After a successful series of trials in London, Daimler has just announced that the Smart Fortwo Electric is officially ready for small series production! The all-electric version of everyone’s favorite ultra-efficient minicar will feature a 41 hp Zytek electric motor capable of propelling it up to zippy top speed of 60mph with a range of 72 miles, making it perfect for inner-city driving and daily commutes. Now that seems like a smart <sorry> idea to us!
Recently supercar company Koenigsegg revealed that it has obtained a controlling interest in Saab, and according to a Swedish website, their plan is to not just keep Saab running, but to use its facilities to manufacture the solar powered Quant supercar in the near future. The Koenigsegg Quant is a fully-electric four person solar powered vehicle with a top speed of 170 mph, and a 0 to 60 speed of around 5.2 seconds. The entire body is covered in a photovoltaic thin-film solar coating designed by NLV that powers the vehicle.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
Greentea Design sells
exclusive Asian-inspired
contemporary
furniture, kitchen
cabinets and antique pieces from China, Korea and Japan.
Their furniture is crafted
from salvaged woods
that were reclaimed from
throughout Asia.
