It's Friday: is a cat bus green?

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Recently, Korean scientists created glow in the dark cats and scientists have created glow in the dark rabbits and pigs in the past. Glowing animals are novelties but GMO or Genetically Modified Organisms are actually quite common in our food supply and you often see these foods bannned because of concerns over safety. While not technically possible currently, the creation of genetically engineered vehicles is imagined in science fiction and fantasy (like the cat bus in the anime My Neighbor Totoro, which you can seen in the videos above and below the fold).

A living car would mean efficient production, repair, energy collection and disposal because living systems are much more efficient than traditional technologies. However, the impact on the eco-system is unknown and possibly detrimental. For example, a cat bus might escape, grow wild, change the eco-system and endanger the survival of some species. So, while it would be really cute and furry to ride in a giant cat bus, it's probably not a good idea to create these things until we have a much better idea of their impact on the environment.

[Source: YouTube]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Videos: Switchbike transforms into a recumbent, the Hour drives a Velomobile

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Transportation Alternatives, On Two Wheels

The video above is the Switchbike, which looks like a regular bike but can transform into a recumbent, lay-back seating type of bike. There is only one and creator Ron de Jong is still looking for someone to bring this concept to production. Below the fold is a video of the CBC show's look at the VeloMobile, a covered, three-wheeled, human-powered vehicle. Hilary Doyle is really funny in the segment with odd observations like "this is a sex toy." Velomobiles are not new vehicles but they are getting a lot press attention recently with our new focus on green forms of transport.

[Source: YouTube]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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A look at Kei cars, those tiny Japanese cars

Filed under: MPG, Transportation Alternatives, Japan

Kei cars are a class of small cars in Japan which have a length limit of 3.4 meters, a width limit of 1.48 meters and height limit of 2 meters. The Kei car class was created (and given tax breaks) as a way to beef up the domestic auto industry after the second world war. According to the kei-cars.com FAQ, mileage of 40-60 MPG, which you would expect from such a tiny car, is common for these vehicles.

Kei cars are popular in Japan today and, as you can see in the video below the fold, the cars are even popular in Canada where Japanoid Imports are allowed to import them after 15 years. They look like toys and are right hand drive but no one seems to mind. The equivalent car to American or Europe would be the micro or city cars.

I though the cars might be powered by a large metal wind-up key or possibly rolling it backwards storing energy in a spring. Turns out they use 660 cc engine or 47 KW electric engines in a variety of drive trains including gas, full electrics and hybrids.

[Source: New York Times, YouTube]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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It's Friday: radioactive headlights, nuclear powered cars

Filed under: Emerging Technologies

The company MPK has created Litrospheres, a new material that's inexpensive and stays lit, with the power equivalent to a 20 watt incandescent bulb, for 12 years without any energy input. As you can see in the above photo, this could be the perfect solution for lighting vehicles, maybe even car head lights. The only problem? It's radioactive. Still, it's just "soft" radiation and the radioactive gases are in tiny sphere so it won't kill you.

This is not the first time the power of the atom was considered for transport. The Ford Nucleon concept had a small nuclear reactor with a easily interchangeable nuclear core. The Nucleon could travel 5,000 miles, much further than any existing battery today.

I think it's time we take a second look at nuclear power.

[Source: Treehugger via Gizmodo]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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It's Friday: New York to Japan in 42 minutes by gliding through the hollow Earth

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

The video above describes the idea of a gravity train, which imagines drilling a hole through the Earth to travel to different locations on the surface of the Earth. The gravity train would mean travel times of about 42 minutes from any two locations on the Earth's surface. Of course, digging a hole to China is really hard. Just ask any third grader. But what if the Earth is hollow?

Below the fold is a video of a guy who actually thinks the Earth is hollow. If he is right and all of all of geological science is wrong, then we won't have to drill a very deep hole. Traveling from one point on the surface of the hollow Earth to the another would only require the creation of a giant glider, that would fall through the Earth. So, as soon at the hollow earth theory is proven (don't hold your breath), we should see proposals for transport systems soon after.

[Source: YouTube, Neatorama]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Opec sees possible lower oil prices soon

Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy

Earlier this year when we spoke to Dr. David Cole, one of the risks that he mentioned of relying solely on fuel economy standards as a way to reduce oil consumption was the threat of oil prices dropping. If nothing is done to help create demand for more efficient vehicles, lower oil prices could keep drivers in their thirstier vehicles. Today OPEC released a report where they estimate slower world economic growth in 2008 easing pressure on demand for crude oil. The organization expects oil demand growth to be steady at an extra 1.3 million barrels per day compared to the 2.1 million barrel per day increase projected by the International Energy Agency.

While this may not be enough to dramatically reduce oil prices, the possibility of that happening at some point remains if OPEC feels threatened. In order to minimize the impact of such volatility on consumers and carmakers, Dr. Cole recommended setting a floor price for crude oil of $40-45 per barrel. If crude prices drop below that level taxes would be imposed to maintain that minimum. Given the recent run up to the $100 per barrel range, the floor could probably be reasonably set at at $75-80 a barrel without imposing too much pain on consumers. The tax provisions that were stripped out the energy bill to ensure passage would have had some of this effect. Of the $21 billion in increases, $13 would have come from repealing tax breaks for oil companies. This would surely have been passed along to consumers which would have the desired effect of raising fuel prices and promoting demand for more efficient vehicles.

[Source: Reuters, via Winding Road]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Zipcar-Flexcar merger update

Filed under: Transportation Alternatives

At the end of October, news came that the two biggest car sharing services in the U.S., Flexcar and Zipcar, would merge (and keeping the name Zipcar). In an email update to Flexcar members the other day, Flexcar included a few more details on the merger. Let's take a look at the timeline for the switch:

The first cities to transition over to Zipcar will be San Francisco and Columbus (Ohio). If you are in one of these cities, your welcome packet and new Zipcard should be arriving within a week. In January, Washington, DC, and many of the college towns will make the switch, followed by Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, and San Diego. The final group, Atlanta and Seattle, will transition over in February.

Flexcar says (with good reason) that this merger is a benefit to members, as there will be "more markets, more vehicles, and enhanced technology" available. If you are a Flexcar member and didn't get the email shout-out, you might want to contact Zipcar/Flexcar and make sure they have your correct information on file. Times like these are when errors can happen, and it's good to be proactive and avoid them.

[Source: Flexcar]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

[via] AutoblogGreen