| Monday, December 5, 2005 |  |
| The Ecomobile | 1 comment |
  5 Dec 2005 @ 01:28The Ecomobile is the brainchild of former airline pilot Arnold Wagner. He took the old idea of an enclosed motorcycle and applied his aviation expertise and glider manufacturing facilities to develop the Ecomobile. In the last twenty years, he has built and sold over a hundred of the fuel-efficient road rockets. The use of extremely light materials such as Kevlar for the housing keeps efficiency high. The aerodynamics of a high performance aircraft and the power of the BMW K1200RS engine ensure a fun ride. And the full enclosure provides safety and comfort, as well as noise damping, so your roadtrip CD (...er, ah...I mean stimulating conversation with your spouse) rounds out the pleasure. The real break-through though, is achieving stability on two wheels when you can't put your feet down. The trick is the "training wheels" that automatically deploy at low speeds and retract upon acceleration. The Ecomobile does require a motorcycle license, but no helmet. They are now approved and distributed in the USA in addition to the original Swiss headquarters for European sales. And a hand-operated version with special door geometry and wheel-chair stowage is available for drivers with special needs. More > |
| CLEVER Car Milestone: Crash Test | 4 comments |
 5 Dec 2005 @ 01:20CLEVER Car Milestone: Crash Test December 3, 2005 12:04 AM - Christine Lepisto, Berlin In Europe, where automobile producers have committed to reduce the CO2 emissions of their fleets from today's average of 200 grams/km to 140, this EU-wide project has been on the radar since the CLEVER press release in April 2004. Now, CLEVER--for Compact Low-Emission VEhicle for uRban transport--has passed its first big test. In a head-on crash test, the innovative three-wheeler demonstrated very satisfactory performance, similar to a normal small car. Side-crash tests are planned. Further novelties include a natural gas engine with fuel-cartridge concept so the car can be used where a NatGas network is not yet complete. And unique software will manage the roll in the one-wheel passenger compartment while the two-wheeled luggage and motor compartment keeps both wheels on the ground; this should ensure CLEVER is FUN (see image on next page). The project goal is to create a production vehicle for under 10,000 euros (12,000 US$). A project report is due in March 2006, but big questions remain about the CLEVER's future. BMW, one of the main partners in the development of the prototype, is still silent about whether they will take the vehicle into production. Speculation that the vehicle will be authorized as a motorcycle, requiring special driver licensing, could scare BMW away after the experience with the C1, which failed quickly after annual sales couldn't top 10,000 of the unique caged bikes in spite of the helmet-free approval. Which is the Big Question: will the consumer find the CLEVER clever? If fun-to-drive meets green, it could be the answer many a lead-blooded sports driver with a conscience has been looking for, and expand the niche for mod city minis that Daimler-Chrysler opened with its smartcar. More >  |
| EcoDesignz: Bamboo Furniture for a Sustainable Future | 1 comment |
 5 Dec 2005 @ 01:18EcoDesignz: Bamboo Furniture for a Sustainable Future December 4, 2005 07:26 AM - Lloyd Alter, Toronto We have been expecting this- bamboo as lumber replacement. "Due to recent technological advancements, it is now possible to convert raw bamboo culms into more conventional lumber and plywood such that it can be used to build virtually anything that traditionally has been made from wood." Ecodesignz produces tables, chairs and doors out of bamboo, using it like regular wood- there now appear to be no limitations to where and how bamboo can be used. More > |
| SmartWay: EPA Updates Green Vehicle Guide | 0 comments |
| 5 Dec 2005 @ 01:14 SmartWay: EPA Updates Green Vehicle Guide December 4, 2005 06:51 PM - Michael G. Richard, Ottawa The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated its Green Vehicle Guide (which is actually a guide of all vehicles, and not just the greener ones) with new categories they call SmartWay and SmartWay Elite. "SmartWay is earned by those vehicles that score 6 or better on both the Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Scores and achieve a combined score of at least 13 when added together [...] SmartWay Elite is given to those vehicles that score 9 or better on both the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Scores." You can see a list of all the SmartWay rated vehicles here. Not surprisingly, at the top are the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid. We're not quite sure where the EPA is going with this branding-wise, but at least it makes it a bit easier to find less polluting cars. Thanks to Ben McCarthy for the tip |