Transportation

Wired Reviews Greenmobiles

- Adam Clare

Wired magazine has a short look at what green cars one can buy now. Specifically the technology behind the autos.

“You’re ready to kick carbon to the curb, but you’re not sure which kind of car will work best for you. With oil prices spiking, temperatures rising, and the public crying for relief, automakers are scrambling to offer consumers alternatives to pollution-spewing gas-guzzlers. Here are the specs on the best available technologies – flex-fuel, diesel, and hybrid.”

They are also reporting that hybrid technology may safe SUVs, but probably not for Londoners.

Congestion Charging

- Adam Clare 3 Comments

“Complete idiots” will be charged more in London. To be more exact, the city of London has decided to charge a higher congestion fee for SUVs. According to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, SUV drivers are “complete idiots”.

The reasoning behind this move to charge SUVs more is rather elaborate. One of the reasons is that it was recently found that in the US 11.5% of pedestrians hit by SUVs are killed, smaller vehicles kill only 4.5% of pedestrians hit. Londoners also are fans of SUVS, 14.9% of car sales are SUVS, which is much higher than other English cities. Drivers of vehicles more friendly to the environment will have a reduced congestion fee.

London’s congestion fee has been wildly successful and hopefully this addition to it will be too.

Wind Powered Boats

- Adam Clare 2 Comments

It looks like the more things change the more they stay the same. A German company, SkySails, is going to start selling a new style of sail to help large freighters move through the ocean faster.

“SkySails’ system consists of an enormous towing kite and navigation software that can map the best route between two points for maximum wind efficiency. In development for more than four years, the system costs from roughly $380,000 to $3.2 million, depending on the size of the ship it’s pulling. SkySails claims it will save one third of fuel costs.”

Fun GM Hy-wire Video

- Adam Clare

The GM Hy-wire is a leap forward for a car manufacture insofar that it is a total rethink of the automobile. The main factor is that the engine is non internal combustion and can power half a block of houses with its hydrogen engine.

Here’s a video of the fun auto show Top Gear describing the neatness of the car (fast forward to the 1 min mark).

Crazy Wheeliechairs

- Adam Clare 2 Comments

When most people think of transportation we think of cars, trucks, boats, planes and other forms of popular transit. There are other ways to get around that are necessities for some people too, like wheelchairs.

These might be the coolest wheelchairs ever made.

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