We’ve been advocating the use of solar energy to power up our world since years now and we do think that the world could, if given a chance, turn completely dependent on cleaner sources of energy that are renewable, clean and do not destroy the environment. Giving solar energy yet another application, a team of engineering students at the University of Virginia came up with a solar-powered wheelchair that won the design competition for World Cerebral Palsy Day.
The United States welcomed home the nation’s largest bike-sharing program called the Citi Bike, begun in the city of New York. The program will enable thousands of residents to hop on to rented bicycles and travel around the city in a more energy efficient and a less environmentally-hazardous way. Most city residents find it difficult to own a bicycle due to storage space crunches and this bike-sharing program could indeed work wonders for them!
The world is in dire need of greener and more energy efficient ways of powering up modes of transport and electric vehicles are quickly catching on in recent times. We’ve spotted one such effort to turn the automobile industry greener, taken up by a bunch of students, as part of the MindDrive initiative. The initiative, based in Kansas City, has been focusing on electric car design and students have been working on several electric car concepts.
Retail giant Wal-Mart has been pulled up yet again and has found itself in troubled waters with the Los Angeles and San Francisco municipalities. The company was recently slapped with a total of $110 million US federal and state fines and has pleaded guilty to criminal charges of mishandling hazardous waste as well as pesticides!
Google has stepped on the green road and is busy making its way towards a more environmentally-responsible future. The company has recently stepped behind the wheel of Makani Power, a United States-based company that generates energy from wind turbines hooked on to tethered kites. The company is now part of Google X, the research and development wing of Google that has been known to keep its operations hushed up.
We’ve been keeping a keen eye on the solar powered Solar Impulse plane and its energy efficient exploits since quite a while now. An extraordinary aircraft powered by solar energy that has been crowned as the flag-bearer for a cleaner aviation industry in the future, the Solar Impulse has made headlines yet again! The Solar Impulse and its pilot André Borschberg have recently broken a world record, completing a 950 mile flight on solar energy alone!
The east has always been forward in terms of technology. Recently, we’ve heard tidings from China, where electric taxis will soon begin doing the rounds. With the initiative kicking off in Hong Kong, these flaming red taxis will keep a substantial amount of pollutants away from the Chinese atmosphere. The fleet currently boasts 45 BYD e6 models. These cars sport a 300 mile range on a single charge.
Tired of that conventional digital camera that you’ve been using all along? Well, you can now satisfy your shutterbug-needs in a greener and more energy efficient way! Termed as the world’s first camera with a retro-shooting ability, the Sun and Cloud Self-Generating Digital Camera sports a solar panel and a hand crank, both of which can be used to power up this cheerful little device.
Toyota seems to storm ahead with its green plans and has found a fantastic way to boost the eco-friendliness of the eco-district built in Toyota City. The company has installed several charging stations designed to cater to single-passenger electro-mobility vehicles. Called the Smart Mobility Park charging station, this one’s located in Toyota Ecoful Town.
While car manufacturers around the world agree that green cars are the need of the hour, Italian sports car manufacturer, Ferrari, thinks otherwise! Recently, the chairman of the company, Luca di Montezemolo, said, “We will never manufacture an electric car as long as I’m chairman.” Well, that surely doesn’t mean the company isn’t “trying” to clean up its carbon footprint.
