Now here is an exceptional air-powered bike designed by a team of engineering students from India. In an attempt to combat the ever-rising pollution levels in the atmosphere, they have designed a working model of a motorcycle that runs on air and not gasoline. So what if it can only cover 18km/h only. At least such a green bike can boost the purity of the air as it emits nothing but Oxygen. A bike that runs on eco-friendly source and gives out eco-friendly emissions too! Source
Apache Junction man Richard Gryzch has invented a solar powered motor bike. He has been working on for more than two years and believes it’s the first solar charged electric motorcycle in the world. He calls it The Solar Flyer named after the Radio Flyer, the popular red wagon from his childhood. The bike tops 90 mph and can travel up to 50 miles at a time and plans to take it up to 300 miles. To build this bike, he has sold his house and other motorcycles to finance the project.
Aurora begins testing SunLight Eagle, the unmanned solar powered aircraft
2012 may be the end of the world, but people are not wasting time trying to get their lives accustomed to alternative energy. Aurora Flight Sciences will begin testing solar-powered unmanned aircraft within the national irspace. The tests will be conducted at Las Cruces, New Mexico, under the auspices of New Mexico State University (NMSU). The Aurora plane named SunLight Eagle has a wingspan of 114 feet. To convert it to fly on sunlight, its wings have been covered with solar cells.
I want to live in this place! It’s amazing! Imagine having to go to your home on a cycle in this century! Ok, maybe that’s not as appealing to most of you, but what about going underground and ride to your home or friend’s home or wherever at Abu Dhabi’s eco-friendly 50,000 one mile square Masdar City in a personal transit vehicle or PRT or in normal layman language – a robot or electric taxi! These vehicles are electrically-powered, centrally-controlled pods and can carry four to six people and go in speeds of up to 25 mph, following magnets embedded in the pathways. The really neat thing is that no cars will be allowed in this zero-carbon, zero-waste city.
Renault has unveiled the E0 concept car which will be eco-friendly with zero emissions. The design was based on a particular style of Renault, inspired by the architecture of Frank Gary. The car has four seats and is deigned in two different platforms: one contains an electric charging mechanism and other one includes an electric combustion piles which is fueled by liquid hydrogen. The main component of the body work is aluminum and few other light materials. The battery is charged by the solar panel whenever it is possible.
The European Union is pulling harder at forcing all force European automakers to find a new refrigerant to use in their vehicle’s air conditioners which will be more eco-friendly. Their latest ruling will ban the current R-134a coolant starting in 2011 for both new vehicles and aftermarket solutions. At present, there isn’t a commercially available alternative that’s ready to use in our current A/C systems, but there are a number of new chemical formulations currently being tested. One alternative is carbon dioxide, the same greenhouse gas that internal combustion engines emit when burning fuels. If used in car A/C units, the CO2 would need to be stored at extremely high pressures to be effective. Although CO2 does contribute to global warming, conventional hydrofluorocarbons are considerably worse.
John Rowley of Humber Boats took a classic 70’s boat design and modified it to run on a Torqeedo electric outboard motor, two batteries and an array of solar panels… a perfect way to sail and be considerate of the environment. It will run 1.5 hours at full speed on a full charge, and will recharge in about eight hours and on a lesser speed it can even go on for an entire day of fishing. The electric outboard motor is powered by two 12 volt deep cycle marine batteries which are connected together in series, making one 24 volt battery. The batteries are recharged by two 90 watt Sun Power solar panels which are also connected together in series, making 24 volts.
Bright Automotive unveiled the world’s first purpose-built 100 MPG light truck vehicle, Idea, aimed at commercial and government fleets. The company plans to produce 50,000 vehicles annually by 2013, providing businesses and government agencies with a highly durable, cost-saving and eco-friendly new vehicle. The car will be 5 to 10 times more efficient than current commercial fleets. The vehicle will save more than 1,500 gallons of gasoline and thousands of dollars in fuel costs annually. For the 100 largest fleets in the U.S., each having on average over 1,000 vehicles like the IDEA in their fleet, the savings would average over $3 million a year. It will also reduce emissions and C02 output by up to 16 tons each year over competing vehicles. Key reasons for such high efficiency are vehicle weight and aerodynamics: the curb weight target for the IDEA is 3200 pounds.
Why didn’t anyone think of this earlier? All you had to do was go out for some fresh air to get inspiration from your surroundings especially if you have grazing cows and you see them poop. Cow dung used for propulsion. Yamaha has uncovered a bovine-speckled Golf Cart that harnesses the power of poop as a means of propulsion. The vehicle, which was recently tested at a golf course in Japan, is not powered by cow dung directly – it is in fact powered by methane.
Automakers and energy firms the world over have reportedly agreed to a single standard when it comes to electric vehicle plugs. Germany’s RWE has announced that automakers and energy firms have finally come together on a standard for these plugs. This standardization will ensure that a car can be charged in France exactly in the same way it is being charged in Germany, Italy, and Greece etc. General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi have signed off on the global plug design along with a number of energy firms around the world. This move not only minimizes headaches on recharging for consumers but also cuts costs for automobile makers’ world over.
