New Yamaha Electric Bike Goes Twice as Far Per Charge

Yamaha Motors is making a good thing even better by debuting an extended range version of the PAS Brace, an electric bike equipped with an assistance system that controls how much electrical power to send to the motor depending on what gear the bike is in. Once a top speed of about 24 km/h is reached, the electric system shuts down. An eight-speed rear hub allows shifting at any time, even from a dead stop.

In Japan, electric bikes are a common sight – you’ll see them whizzing past you in every major city, and most of the smaller cities as well. They’re also enjoying a major surge of popularity in China. They’re definitely an efficient way to get around, taking the convenience and earth-friendliness of a bicycle and giving it a big boost of extra power.

The Yamaha PAS Brace-L is expected to hit stores on July 1st at the very affordable price of roughly $1,500.

Link [EcoFriend]

Obama Administration Orders 14,105 Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

President Obama has lived up to his word on greening the federal fleet, ordering 14,105 fuel-efficient vehicles worth $210 million. The vehicles will be paid for with funds from the Recovery Act. The U.S. General Services Administration said that it ordered the vehicles from GM, Chrysler and Ford last week.

From GreenBiz.com:

“GSA is committed to spending Recovery dollars quickly and wisely,” Commissioner James A. Williams of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service said in a statement. “Simultaneously, we are focused on acquiring vehicles that will provide long-term environmental benefits and savings by increasing the fuel efficiency of the federal fleet.”

On March 30, Obama directed his administration to purchase about 17,600 commercially available, fuel efficient vehicles from American auto companies by June 1, to use funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — and to get the job done swiftly to boost the nation’s auto industry and replace aging vehicles with greener ones.

As Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement, the vehicle orders is “good for our economy, good for our workers, and good for our environment”. Way to go green and give people jobs at the same time – a fantastic way to approach both the economic and climate crises.

Link [GreenBiz.com]
Photo credit: The Huffington Post

TerraCab: Free Rides for Planet Earth

What could be better than getting around town for free – in a comfortable ride that’s entirely emissions-free? TerraCab offers pedal-powered rides around select cities, sponsored by companies so it’s entirely free to the riders. Seattle is TerraCab’s flagship location and headquarters, and more markets will be available soon.

TerraCab’s vehicles are compact and pedal-powered, with a rechargeable battery that powers the front headlights, back signal lights and helps get the vehicle up hills. They don’t need fossil fuels, and you’ll never see a cloud of nasty smoke coming out of them.

They’re also hiring right now in Seattle, so if you’ve got strong calf muscles and an urge to work outdoors – and chat with people all day – this could be a really fun job. Email jobs@terracab.com if you’re interested.

Hopefully this idea will catch on! It would be a great addition to so many cities. It would help lighten traffic and reduce air pollution – two things that most cities desperately need help with. TerraCabs is currently seeking sponsors for Portland, LA, NYC, San Francisco, Vancouver, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Atlanta – so it may be available near you before you know it.

Link [TerraCab]

NY Senator Schumer Pushes for Transit Funding in Stimulus Package

As Obama deals with his nominees’ tax problems and members of both the Democratic and Republican parties spar over details of the economic stimulus package, NY Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing to get more mass transit money added to to the Senate version of the bill. Schumer is teaming up with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who succeeded in adding an additional $3 billion for transit into the House stimulus bill.

From Grist:

“In order for our economy to get the boost it so desperately needs from the stimulus package, we have to ensure there is enough funding to upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure, particularly mass transit,” said a statement from Schumer’s office on Monday. “We are going to work night and day to make sure this stimuluspackage gives New York’s subways, buses, and rails the boost they need to keep our mass transit system on track.”

Schumer introduced an amendment to the Senate stimulus package that would increase transit funding by $6.5 billion, making for a total of $14.9 billion. Money for transit capital projects would increase from $8.4 billion to $10.4 billion, $2 billion would be added for rail modifications, and another $2.5 billion would be added for the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program.

Unfortunately, many existing transit programs are in dire need of assistance to cover the cost of fuel, maintenance and employee salaries so they can stay up and running – and neither the House nor Senate version of the stimulus package includes operations funding. Some say that keeping existing systems running is more important than building new ones.

Either way, it’s important that mass transit gets some attention. A lot of focus has been on the automobile industry lately, and while it’s really important to move forward with green vehicles, mass transit needs to play a large role in transportation in the U.S. from here on out. We need to keep these programs running, and start more – many areas of America still don’t have reliable public transit.

Link [Grist]
Photo credit: Flickr user PhotoDu.de

Bike-Sharing in the Capital

Change is coming to Washington, and it’s not just about the new Obama administration. Washington, DC is now working to incorporate bicycling into its transportation infrastructure. Much like cities across the world, DC is feeling the effects of years of dependence on cars: pollution, congestion, obesity. The documentary below takes a look at why D.C. sees bicycles as part of the solution and examines the challenges the city is facing with the increased popularity of biking.

More info about bike sharing programs at metrobike.net.

STRiDA MAS Debuts New Folding Bike

Bikes are already fairly portable, and obviously a very green way to get around.  But, imagine being able to easily fold up and carry a lightweight bicycle that you could carry around with you, easily bringing it on a train or into your office building.  Folding bike company STRiDA just released the MAS Special Signature, which does just that.  The bike, which features a Swiss engineered drive system and a rustproof aluminum frame, folds up in just 5 seconds flat.

From Inhabitat:

The MAS Special is named after its inventor Mark Sanders. Weighing in at 22 pounds, it features a lightweight collapsible bike constructed from aluminum. Its unique triangular frame allows it for to collapse quickly, while giving it great stability and making it quite comfortable to ride.

Instead of a greasy chain, the STRiDA comes equipped with a clean and quiet Kevlar Belt, while a two-speed drive system allows the rider to seamlessly shift gears with the tap of a heel.

Be prepared to drop quite a load of cash if you’re set on this bike: it’s got a $1,400 price tag.  But even for those of us who can’t afford to get one right away, this is an awesome peek into the sort of green technology we’ll be seeing in the years to come.  If, on the other hand, money is no object for you, you can pick up a MAS Special Signature of your very own next spring.

Link [Inhabitat] + [STRiDA]

Tesla Electric Car Factory Planned for Silicon Valley

Tesla Motors will be building a brand spankin’ new car factory in San Jose, California, but it won’t be any old car factory.  The $250 million facility will churn out electric vehicles expected to be on the streets by 2010. Silicon Valley has long been renowned as the epicenter of high-tech innovation in America, and now it looks like it’ll be an important setting for clean, green tech as well.

From Reuters:

Tesla Chief Executive Ze’ev Drori in a separate interview said he expects manufacturing of the five-passenger, $60,000 Model S sedan to hit a rate of over 15,000 a year by the last quarter of 2011. Tesla will build the factory on its own.

“We have enough money,” Drori said, adding that Tesla is a couple of months away from closing up to $100 million in private equity financing, and that the U.S. Department of Energy has approved $150 million in loan guarantees. The state of California also has offered significant tax breaks.

Speculation on where the factory would be located has been buzzing for months, with Californians eagerly awaiting the news that would bring hundreds of green jobs to one lucky town. Other cities on the short list were San Francisco and Vacaville.  San Jose looks set to become a boomtown for green technology, as solar companies continue to set up factories there.

Can’t wait to see the undoubtedly sporty, sexy electric cars Tesla rolls out over the next couple of years!

Link [Reuters] + [Earth2Tech]
Photo credit: Steve Puma

GM Gives Close-Up Look at New Chevy Volt Electric Car

GM CEO Rick Wagoner debuted the new Chevrolet Volt electric car to an audience of thousands on Tuesday, giving the world its first look at the vehicle set to go on sale in 2010.  The Volt is powered by electricity stored in a large T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack that runs the length of the car.  It takes a few hours to charge, costs less than 2 cents per mile to drive on electricity and runs for 40 miles per charge.  The price hasn’t been announced yet.

From CNN:

To charge the batteries, drivers will plug a cord into one of the ports just ahead of each of the side mirrors. The cord can then be attached to an ordinary home electrical outlet.

As the battery begins to run down as the car is in use, a small gasoline engine will turn on and generate enough electricity to drive the car about 300 miles.

The Volt’s battery pack goes where the “transmission tunnel” would be in a conventional rear-wheel-drive car. That means the batteries don’t take up cargo space as they do in some hybrid cars. Unlike its smoothly rounded front, the back end of the car has a sharp, angular shape. In the rear, where air flows together as it trails off from the vehicle, sharp angles help smooth air flow.

Some people are disappointed that the production version of the Chevy is far less sporty looking than the original concept vehicle, but the question that most have is, how green is it? The most environmentally friendly aspects of any electric car are lower emissions and the fact that they’re not consuming as much petroleum, but it still has to be charged with electricity, much of which currently comes from coal-fired power plants.   And, beyond the 40-mile charge, when the gasoline engine kicks in, the MPG decreases rapidly – from an estimated 100 miles per gallon in all-electric mode to 50 miles per gallon on a 100-mile trip or 35 miles per gallon on a 200-mile trip (stats via CNET).

Of course, once the day arrives that we can charge cars like this on solar or wind power and use non-food-sourced ethanol, the green score will go through the roof!

Link [CNN]
Photo credit: General Motors

Ultralight Electric Plane Makes Flying Cheaper Than Driving

If you’ve got $21,000 to spare, you can get yourself your very own ElectraFlyer C, a tiny ultralight electric plane that flies for 2 hours per charge and is virtually silent.  This kit plane, made by Electric Aircraft Corporation, could be even more eco-friendly if you charged it via solar or wind power.  The take-home kit consists of a moni motoglider and a battery pack.  The per-flight cost works out to about 60 cents!

From Dance with Shadows Aviation:

A direct drive 5 KWh electric motor carbon fiber lightweight 45 inch propeller gets the little airplane climbing at 500-600 feet per minute. The ElectraFlyer-C has a cruisng speed of 70 mph (112 kmph), a top speed of 144 kmph, and your flight time would be 1.5 to 2 hours. That is with the top end battery pack, of course. With others, your flight time would be a lesser. yes, you can carry that 110 W charger when flying cross-country. The ElectraFlyer weighs around 250 pounds.

Charging time? For that 2 hour flight, you can recharge the ElectraFlyer’s battery pack in 6 hours from a 110W  electric power socket, or in 2 hours from a 220 W socket. Neat.

It complies with FAA regulations, and you can purchase an optional ballistic parachute for emergencies.  Maintenance costs are super low, and your neighbors won’t complain about noise, though most of us don’t have runways in our yards.

The ElectraFlyer C will likely only get better with development cycles.  Pretty effing rad!

Link [Dance with Shadows]

Japanese Train Station Parking Lot Packed Full of Bikes

This is pure awesome – and we need a lot more of this in the U.S.  It’s a bicycle parking lot outside a train station in Japan, a country where this is quite a common sight.  Imagine if Americans were as gung-ho about riding bikes everywhere as the Japanese, the Chinese or the Dutch – we’d all be so much healthier and happier, and our country would be a hell of a lot cleaner.

It would be hard to remember where you parked, though.  “Remember, kids – GOOFY D!”

Link [Flickr] via [Digg]

Record Low Number of Drivers on the Road in ’08

Commuters are leaving their cars in their driveways and walking, riding bicycles or flocking toward public transit instead. This is great news to us, since it’s not only reducing vehicular pollution and lowering gas use, it’s also helping to reframe how people think about transportation. The government, however, isn’t as happy about it – specifically, the Federal Highway Administration. You see, the fewer drivers use the roads, the less tax money they get toward highways. This gives states an incentive to push driving, rather than encouraging the public to use mass transit.

From CNN Money:

As high fuel costs led many to rely on other forms of transportation, such as mass transit, and to cut back their miles on the road this year, the reduced driving also sliced tax revenue that would normally go toward highway maintenance, the FHA said.

The federal tax on gas generates 18.4 cents per gallon of regular gas sold and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel, which gets pumped in to the federal Highway Trust Fund. Some states also add a tax of their own to fund various projects.

The FHA budget totaled $42.18 billion in fiscal year 2008. The Bush Administration has requested $40.14 billion for fiscal year 2009.

As Americans drive less, new ways are needed to fund the national road system, the highway agency said. Even though fewer drivers are using the highways, funding is still critical, party [sic] because of a backlog in highway projects.

In effect, since Americans are using public transit in record numbers, they’re diverting their tax funds toward trains, subways, buses and other forms of public transportation. Deal with it. Instead of constantly working on roads and highways, we need to start putting more money into public transit, whether the Federal Highway Administration likes it or not. This is the way of the future.

Link [CNN Money]
Photo credit: Flickr user jacorbett70

Why Fly When You Can Take the Train? 21 Trains Cheaper than Airfare

Air travel is a hassle. From parking to negotiating the crowds inside to getting onboard only to find that you can barely fit into your tiny seat, it’s an uncomfortable luxury for which we pay dearly. But, there’s another option if your flight is short. Trains are often cheaper, more comfortable and less of a hassle. America’s train system is far from perfect – hopefully it will be greatly improved upon in the years to come – but it’s still a great option that many people seem to have forgotten about.

From the Traveler’s Notebook:

Consider a 5 hour train ride from Boston to Philadelphia. The equivalent flight takes over two hours; however, after adding in time spent arriving early plus waiting in baggage claim, you can easily spend close to 5 hours in transit. If you take the train instead, you’ll spend $157. The cheapest flight available is $265. That’s a 43% savings over flying, and you can get an additional 10-15% if you are a student, AAA member, or military.

Now that airlines are raising airfares and tacking on more and more fees, it’s a great time to look into whether train travel could be a good option for your next trip. The Traveler’s Notebook has compiled a list of 21 trains that are cheaper and faster than flying. Brilliant! And, taking the train is better for the environment – mile by mile, trains use 28% less fuel than planes and cars.

Link [The Travelers Notebook]
Photo credit: Flickr user Odalaigh

Mayor Bloomberg Forcing NYC Cabbies to Green Up

Amidst high gas prices, NYC cabbies are pushing for a $1 surcharge per ride on top of a recent fare increase in the city. Cabbies, like everyone else in NYC, have seen gas prices rise from about $1.80 to $4.45 per gallon in the last four years. The Taxi and Limousine Commission has quickly put the kibosh on the request, however, saying there won’t be a surcharge under any circumstances.

From Gothamist:

Eleven other cities have instituted temporary fuel surcharges to ease the impact on cabbies, but Mayor Bloomberg rebuffed calls for a surcharge yesterday, putting the onus on drivers to start using more fuel-efficient taxis. (Yesterday Bloomberg announced his plan to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the city’s municipal buildings.) Driver and organizer Bill Lindauer told the Times, “This is how the mayor treats working people? I believe the mayor is a bold, innovative and pragmatic man, but he has an Achilles’ heel; he doesn’t feel for other people.” Loubert Alexander, another owner-operator, said, “Two years ago, a fill-up cost $40; now it’s double that.”

In effect, Bloomberg is telling cabbies “Tough shit – green up or else.” London, for one, is about to get some sweet zero-emission cabs that would be awesome for NYC. Unfortunately, somebody’s gotta pay for them – can cabbies really afford to make that switch on their own? According to Gothamist, they make an average of $290.75 per day in gross earnings, not counting the cost of gas. Of course, NYC is notorious for being an expensive city to live in.

Regardless, it looks like NYC cabs are headed on the path toward eco-friendliness, and that’s definitely a good thing!

Link [Gothamist]
Photo credit: Flickr user IJsendoorn

Next Generation Toyota Prius Will Have Solar Panels

Toyota will be installing solar panels on the roof of the next generation Prius, set to begin production next year and released in 2010.  The power generated by the solar panels will be used to power the air conditioning system, which was previously putting strain on the hybrid powertrain.   The panels will only be available on high-end Prius models.

There have also been rumors that the next generation Prius will have a lithium battery and may get over 100mpg.  The body has been redesigned to be slightly larger and more aerodynamic.

I can’t wait to see how high gas prices are going to continue to spur innovation in all industries.  We should be seeing some extremely cool cars in the next few years, and the best part is they’ll be getting greener and greener!  With so many interesting new designs and concepts in the works right now, the hardest part will be choosing between them all.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Popular Mechanics

Monster Smart Car – Does it Get Any Cooler?

When we first saw this we were pretty sure it was Photoshopped, but nope – it’s real. The Smart forfun2 concept car debuted in 2005 at the Athens Motor Show, so it’s been around for a while, but this is the first time we’ve seen it. Where do I sign up? I’d love to roll up behind some pussy ass Hummer in this smart little bad boy.

From the Chrysler press release, via Serious Wheels:

DaimlerChrysler has always had an unusually large range of off-road vehicles – from the M-Class to the G-model and the Unimog. One look at the smart forfun2 (pronounced smart forfun to the second) and you see straightaway that it is based on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 series.

This is what makes it so fascinating: the combination of two vehicles, each of which has achieved cult status in its respective segment. So it’s no wonder that the smart forfun2 awakens the inner child in everyone who sees it.

Link [Serious Wheels]

VW’s Sleek ‘One-Liter Car’ Gets 235 Miles Per Gallon

This sexy looking vehicle might look like the future, but it’s going to be here sooner than you think. The best part is, it gets a stunning 235 miles per gallon. Yes, you read that right.

Volkswagen calls this baby the ‘One-Liter Car’, so named because that’s how much fuel it takes to get it 100 kilometers. It’s been on the back burner for six years now – the company’s been waiting for the material the body is made out of, carbon fiber, wasn’t expected to become affordable until 2012. Carbon fiber is a lightweight material that results in the entire car weighing only 660 pounds.

Well, lucky for car porn enthusiasts, VW has decided to start building a limited number of One-Liters in 2010 in their prototype shop, which will allow them to build about 1,000 a year to start.

From Wired’s Autopia:

VW unveiled the slick two-seater concept six years ago at a stockholder’s meeting in Hamburg. To prove it was a real car, Chairman Ferdinand Piech personally drove it from Wolfsburg to Hamburg. At the time, he said the car could see production when the cost of its carbon monocoque dropped from 35,000 Euros (about $55,000) to 5,000 Euros (about $8,000) — something he figured would happen in 2012. With carbon fiber being used in everything from airliners to laptops these days, VW’s apparently decided the cost is competitive enough to build at least a few hundred One-Liters.

VW’s engineers — who spent three years developing the car — made extensive use of magnesium, titanium and aluminum to bring it in at less than one-third the weight of a Toyota Echo. According to Canadian Driver, the front suspension assembly weighs just 18 pounds. The six-speed transmission features a magnesium case, titanium bolts and hollow gears; it weighs a tad more than 50 pounds. The 16-inch wheels are carbon fiber.

The magnesium steering wheel weighs a little more than a pound. How much of the concept car’s exotic hardware makes it to the production model remains to be seen.

Drool. The future of green cars is looking very nice. VW has really thought of every last detail with the One-Liter, which is incredibly aerodynamic and energy-efficient. Get all of the details at Wired’s Autopia blog.

Link [Wired]
Photo credit: Volkswagen

Even Suave Obama Looks Dorky in a Bicycle Helmet

Wearing a helmet while cycling kind of sucks. It’s hot, sweaty, causes that ultra-attractive ‘helmet head’ hair phenomenon and just plain looks dorky. We all know that wearing helmets is necessary in the U.S. especially because of the fact that drivers here just can’t seem to process the idea of sharing the road with bicyclists. So, it’s good to know that as we put on these ugly brain protectors, even a suave gentleman like Obama looks like a dork with a bike helmet on.

Via [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Cyclist Killed by Car During ‘Bike to Work Week’

A 22-year-old cyclist participating in ‘Bike to Work Week’ was killed on Monday when the owner of an SUV opened their car door in his path. He was riding in the bike lane. Clinton Miceli was the fifth bicyclist to die in Chicago so far this year. WTF, people. Can we really not manage sharing the road with cyclists? Is it that hard to go a little slower, avoid going around blind curves at high speeds and give these people some room?

The Chicago Sun-Times has it:

Miceli, 22, was cycling in the bike lane on La Salle around 6:45 p.m. Monday when he slammed into an open SUV door, was thrown from his bike, then struck by a second car. The driver of the Nissan Xterra who opened the door into Miceli’s path was cited for opening a car door in traffic, police said.

A second rider collided with a CTA bus around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday at Broadway and Patterson in Lake View. That cyclist was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition, a Fire Department spokesman said. The CTA driver was cited for failure to yield and suspended without pay, authorities said.

First of all, it never fails to amaze me when people throw their car doors open without checking first to see if there’s anyone coming. Second, you would think that drivers would be a little more conscious, especially during ‘Bike to Work Week’. But everyone is so preoccupied with cell phone conversations, iPods, fiddling through their purses, putting on mascara, eating Big Macs or just plain zoning out. Wake up. Bicyclists have a right to safety on our roads.

Link [Chicago Sun-Times]
Photo credit: Flickr user borkur.net

Bumper Cars as an Alternative to Electric Cars?

Imagine taking a really stupid idea, multiplying it by a few million and setting it loose on the streets of America. No, I’m not talking about hybrid SUVs (this time). A website called Low-Tech has decided that, instead of focusing on increasing the battery life of electric cars, we should just get rid of the batteries all together. How? By re-introducing the ‘bumper car’ cable system.

Treehugger has it:

“Batteries are the flaw of electric cars, and not only when considering the environment. Electric cars are not yet a reality because of the limited mileage of their ‘fuel tanks.’ At best, an electric car can drive 100 or 200 miles. After that, the car has to be plugged in for hours.” Their suggested alternative: bumper car technology, where electricity is fed to the vehicle directly from the grid.

Kris De Decker reminds us that in many countries, there are networks of trolley cars and vehicles that use overhead wires for power yet drive on the road like a conventional vehicle. ” Like electric cars, the environmental score of a trolleybus depends on the way the electricity was generated. However, a trolleybus (just like a tram or an electric train) does not face the problem of energy storage. Therefore, the problem with the electric car is not that it’s electric, but that it’s wireless.”

What a mess that would be. Aside from the obvious problems of requiring massive, expensive overhauls of our road system and being unable to pass each other on the highway, a Treehugger commenter named Ross sums up our sentiments on the issue nicely:

So they’re proposing something like one of those newfangled train machines?

Link [Treehugger]
Photo credit: Flickr user brainware3000

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