It's ingenuity like this that will save us all from ourselves
Showing posts with label Vehicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vehicles. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
We are still burning crops to move vehicles
No surprise here, Electric vehicles are more efficient than burning fuel in a conventional engine. According to a California Professor we should be using the energy we get from crops and use it to generate electricity for electric vehicles.
Excerpt:
"Bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a range of feedstocks, conversion technologies, and vehicle classes. Bioelectricity produces an average 81% more transportation kilometers and 108% more emissions offsets per unit area cropland than cellulosic ethanol. These results suggest that alternative bioenergy pathways have large differences in how efficiently they use the available land to achieve transportation and climate goals.
This is hardly a surprise, though it has seemed startling enough to the media that it's gone mainstream. After all, conventional car engines of the sort used to burn ethanol put out barely 20 per cent of their fuel's energy at the drive shaft. By contrast, an electric motor can beat 80 per cent without trouble."
But wait:
"Are you sure there's enough land, Professor?
Let's hope that Campbell never bumps into Dr Richard Pike, head of the Royal Society of Chemistry here in the UK. Pike is deeply scathing about the idea of using plants to power transportation by any means - electric or ethanol. He notes that you get 2,000 per cent more energy per acre by covering land with solar cells, making Campbell's measly 80 per cent improvement look pretty rubbish"
Read the full article here
Excerpt:
"Bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a range of feedstocks, conversion technologies, and vehicle classes. Bioelectricity produces an average 81% more transportation kilometers and 108% more emissions offsets per unit area cropland than cellulosic ethanol. These results suggest that alternative bioenergy pathways have large differences in how efficiently they use the available land to achieve transportation and climate goals.
This is hardly a surprise, though it has seemed startling enough to the media that it's gone mainstream. After all, conventional car engines of the sort used to burn ethanol put out barely 20 per cent of their fuel's energy at the drive shaft. By contrast, an electric motor can beat 80 per cent without trouble."
But wait:
"Are you sure there's enough land, Professor?
Let's hope that Campbell never bumps into Dr Richard Pike, head of the Royal Society of Chemistry here in the UK. Pike is deeply scathing about the idea of using plants to power transportation by any means - electric or ethanol. He notes that you get 2,000 per cent more energy per acre by covering land with solar cells, making Campbell's measly 80 per cent improvement look pretty rubbish"
Read the full article here
Monday, December 1, 2008
So You Want Bail Out Money?
This good folks over at TreeHugger.com have a great article on making sure there are strong strings, no ropes, attached to any money used to Bailout the Big 3 Auto Makers in the US.
When I saw the Heads of those companies sitting there telling us that it was not their products or the business plan, but rather the Economy, that caused the issues for them I knew right then and there we need those ropes... If they can't see it, then we must mandate it. Hey, and I am for less government. But some times you just have to.
Read the Article Now - Click Here
When I saw the Heads of those companies sitting there telling us that it was not their products or the business plan, but rather the Economy, that caused the issues for them I knew right then and there we need those ropes... If they can't see it, then we must mandate it. Hey, and I am for less government. But some times you just have to.
Read the Article Now - Click Here
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Cars Running On Compressed Air!
I got excited when I read this. Then I really got excited when I saw the video. Both are great ideas and I really love the Aussie rotary version!
Imagine how we can change the level of pollution in cities and even travel long distances with this technology coupled with biodiesel or other fuels. If "air stations" where everywhere we could use nothing but air!
This video is less than 9 minutes long and well worth it. I plan on tracking this technology and will bring you any news I find out.
US Company Site - Click Here
French Company Official Site - Click Here
Australian Rotary Engine Air Car Site - Click Here
Imagine how we can change the level of pollution in cities and even travel long distances with this technology coupled with biodiesel or other fuels. If "air stations" where everywhere we could use nothing but air!
This video is less than 9 minutes long and well worth it. I plan on tracking this technology and will bring you any news I find out.
US Company Site - Click Here
French Company Official Site - Click Here
Australian Rotary Engine Air Car Site - Click Here
Friday, June 6, 2008
300 MPG Vehicle
This car caught my attention yesterday while surfing the web. 300mpg highway and the possibility to got 1000 miles on one gallon at lower speeds.
Aptera comes in a Hybrid or all Electric versions. Sleek, modern and a car that makes sense.
Oh, and the price... Under $30K expected! Right now you can reserve one if you live in Southern California for support and maintenance reasons. My hope is this car company will be able to expand rapidly across the US. Personally, I want one. I could drive around Sedona on all electric and when I need to go further, I can. The price point puts this car in the budget of a large portion of American families too. Not just a car for the wealthy...
Aptera comes in a Hybrid or all Electric versions. Sleek, modern and a car that makes sense.
Oh, and the price... Under $30K expected! Right now you can reserve one if you live in Southern California for support and maintenance reasons. My hope is this car company will be able to expand rapidly across the US. Personally, I want one. I could drive around Sedona on all electric and when I need to go further, I can. The price point puts this car in the budget of a large portion of American families too. Not just a car for the wealthy...
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