Gizmag is reporting that the Air Car is going to be made by India’s largest automotive manufacturer, Tata.
It costs less than one Euro per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 68 mph.
Some Austrialian show did a report on the Air Car:
Some research in the USA that examined intersections that switched from stoplights to a roundabout proves that roundabouts are greener.
Intersections with roundabouts generated between 55% and 61% less carbon dioxide, depending on the time of day. Emissions of hydrocarbons, also greenhouse gases, dropped by between 62% and 68%. His paper, which is admittedly a bit of tough read, is here.
Bike riding is great for your health, the environment, and all sorts of wonderful adventures. I’m sure there are lots of adventures to be had when riding a bamboo bike!
Flavio Deslandes is the man behind the development of a bicycle made of bamboo. He is Brazilian and he is an industrial designer from the PUC-Rio University. I met him in his small workshop next to The Smithy.
– The bicycle is one of the worlds most brilliant inventions. It is hard to find a disadvantage (to the bicycle) – except the material it is made from. Light bicycles are made from aluminum, which is one of the most resource demanding materials that exist. My bicycles are made of grass, he says.
But Flavio makes me see things differently: Bamboo is a resource of immense potential. And it is strong too. What makes it possible to build bicycles from it is that it is stronger than steel when strained in the longitudinal direction, 17% to be exact.
Honda’s F1 team has announced it’s 2007 driver line-up: Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello & Mother Earth.
The team’s 2007 Formula One race car, named the RA107, will feature no commercial logos at all, replacing the former Tobacco sponsorship with a giant image of the Earth.
By using planet earth as the car’s livery Honda hopes to raise awareness about climate change in the world’s second most viewed sport (150+ million viewers for each race) and welcome the proposed 2009 addition of devices for energy recovery to all F1 cars.
By passing on messages about simple tips for reducing CO2 output and making carbon positive changes to the team’s factory Honda hopes to raise their image a manufacturer of sporty low emissions vehicles.
The Honda F1 Team’s press release has more details.
Not surprisingly, Europeans are still concerned about fuel consumption in their autos. This evidence comes from the the Harris Interactive AutoTECHCAST Europe poll, and just like this year, Europeans chose fuel economy as their biggest concern last year.
Spanish adults show the highest likelihood of choosing enhanced-fuel economy as the top automotive technology that they are very or extremely likely to purchase for their next new vehicle (63%), followed by Italian and German respondents (45% and 36% respectively).