If you’ve been a fan of electric motorcycles and scooters all along, you’d probably have heard of Terra Motors Corp, a Japanese developer and manufacturer of vehicles like these. Recently, Terra unveiled its latest offering, an electric scooter that can be equipped with the Apple iPhone, allowing synchronization between the vehicle and the smartphone. This obviously has loads of benefits, particularly given the fact that the connected iPhone helps users check on the scooter’s charge, record motor load and find the way ahead.
Solar energy is the way ahead and we’ve said that time and again. Proving our point once again is a Los Angeles-based architecture firm named Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA) who’ve come up with the Pure Tension concept. Inspired by the Volvo V60 car, this portable solar-powered pavilion is crafted to fit in the trunk of the car, probably the reason why the design bagged the first place at Volvo’s design competition. The Pure Tension deploys quickly and soaks in the sun’s energy, turning it all into usable electricity.
Seems like Netherlands is indeed taking its plans to go green extremely seriously, with plans being drawn to unveil the world’s largest network of electric-vehicle fast-chargers by the year 2015. Residents of Netherlands will have access to EV chargers, located not more than 50km away! For this, a new contract with Fastned and ABB has been put into place. 200 fast-charging stations will sprout up in the next two years with ABB providing its Terra fast chargers and Fastned solar-paneled stations.
Take a conventional piece of technology, add a bunch of flexible solar panels, and the result’s bound to be a lot better, like these solar powered headphones that we’ve spotted recently. These high-end headphones by OnBeat are capable of producing some of the best sounds you’d look for and is an audiophile’s tool, complete with accurate highs and lows. Besides its great sound, the OnBeat Solar Powered headphones are also comfortable to wear and use. The headphone sports small solar panels on its headband that soaks in the sun and is capable of juicing up electronics and USB-chargeable devices, like your smartphone for instance!
Trust German automobile giant, BMW, to come up with a vehicle just as astounding and yet rightly practical as the much-spoken-about i3 concept. The car was unveiled alongside the extremely futuristic i8 sports concept vehicle by BMW and was unveiled in 2011. The manufacturer is now drawing up plans to have the car finally hit production lines and could soon unveil a consumer-ready version of the i3 concept by the end of 2013.
We’ve been advocating the use of electric cars since quite a while now and for good reasons. Though these might fall heavy on pockets in the beginning, vehicles that run on electricity are known to save up quite a lot in the long run. Efficient, easy to drive around with no engine noise and lesser vibrations, electric cars also keep hazardous gases out of the atmosphere. But those aren’t the only reasons that fuel our electric-car love affair. At times, we come across rides that can very well be passed off as super cars that run on electricity, just like the 50 Bluebird DC50 electric concept.
The long spoken about Citi Bike program that kicked off a few weeks ago has indeed gained a lot of attention and has quickly become popular among the masses in New York City. A fantastic and inexpensive way to get around for those who care about the environment and their own lifestyle, the Citi Bike Program has won the favor of more than a hundred thousand annual, daily and weekly subscriptions. About half-a million trips on these bicycles have already been completed since the initiative began, proving its stance as the next best way to get around in an urban environment.
In a somewhat amusing turn of events, an Indian airline has decided to save costs by discontinue the hiring of male cabin crew! The justification for the move is the fact that male cabin crew are heavier and cause the airplanes to burn more fuel, while a female cabin crew will help the carrier save on fuel costs. Besides sounding logically correct though in a somewhat bizarre way, the initiative by GoAir has left quite a few people chuckling. Currently, GoAir has 330 cabin crew members, on its pay roll, 40% of who are men.
“Why leave sewage running down drains and pumping it all into the sea when you could transform it all into usable energy?” This very thought seems to have been running in the back of the minds of the people of Chiclana de la Frontera. Located at the southwest tip of Spain, this little town now uses its sewage to generate energy. Using wastewater and sunlight to produce algae-based bio-fuel, this is part of a $15.7 million project that will give the town a greener shade.
While solar panels work as a great way to generate alternative energy, these, combined with the right amount of innovation and a sense of fashion, could also pretty much turn into a style statement! The Wearable Solar project, begun by Christiaan Holland of Gelderland Valoriseert, goes on to prove just that. With help from fashion designer Pauline van Dongen and solar panel specialist Gertjan Jongerden and also with the students from the University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen, this solar-panel-packed coat and dress were designed and developed.
