Paggio is coming out with the first two-wheeled hyprid called the USB (Urban Sport Bike). And its not your typical dorky looking scooter! You will be proud to ride this one!
It has a 30 mile radius on only electric or with the hybrid motor switched on it can get a whopping 156 MPG.
The bike is lighter than it looks they say.
Via GizMag.
The Eco 7 folds up to fit in your luggage. Ever wanted to go far away on an airplane or train but couldn’t take your bike because it was too bulky to store it in the cargo hold? Well with the Eco 7 bike you won’t have a problem.
The parts are easy to assemble and dissemble. Even the wheels fold up! There are other folding bikes on the market, but they are not as compact because the wheels do not fold. Here you can see the spokes of the wheel folding into the rim.
The frame folds onto itself too. The brakes, crank, handlebars and chain are also removable and collapsible.
I can really use something like this as I have no storage space in my condo!!
Its designed by Victor Aleman in Mexico. There is no word on when its going to be produced for market. See more of at Behance Network.
Let’s turn our ugly un eco friendly parking lots into something more pretty and functional. Check this design and inspiration by designer Neville Mars. He envisions these solar panels charging our electric cars while they are parked. The solar panel leaves actually rotate in the direction of the most sun. Also the leaves add shading for the cars beneath.
Via Inhabitat.
The new Nissan Leaf is due out in 2010 in the U.S. This energy efficient vehicle is zero emission electric! The battery powered LEAF will travel 100 miles on a full charge and can get a top speed of 90 mph. If you are in a rush in can get 80% power capacity in just 30 minutes!
It will only cost you $0.90 to fill the gas tank, making it 3x less to travel the same distance on gas! It really should not make for much higher utility bills on the house.
Even the headlights are energy efficient. They use 10 percent of the energy produced by the typical headlamp of today.
The price tag is competitive to the Chevy Volt that is also do out in 2010. The Leaf will be around $30,000 U.S. Dollars, which is well below of what the Volt is anticipated to be. Once again Detroit is being out done by the Japanese auto makers!
The Nissan Leaf will also be available in China, Israel, Singapore, and Europe but no timetable is set.
Visit Nissan USA for more.
The only problem for most of us is that its $2700. Not exactly budget friendly in these times, but its the future now. The company, Calfee Design, is working to improve their production process. For instance, it wants to grow the bamboo stalks in the right size for the bike frame components. That way they can go directly assembled into the bike. It would be like having “a factory in the field.”
Bamboo is underrated and none as a “poor man’s timber”. But in actuality it has a greater tensile strength (resistance to being pulled apart) than steel. It can withstand compression better than concrete too. Bamboo grows up to 60 feet tall and it has the same width from bottom to top. As a result all the compression strength is needed to hold its own weight and tensile strength to bend in the wind without breaking.
Calfee Design who started making bikes with carbon fiber is gambling bamboo will be the next hot bike material. Its eco friendly as bamboo grows fast like a weed and can easily be sustainably harvested.
Calfee Design is also working with the people of Ghana to help them grow their own bamboo bikes! Perhaps if we give them the knowledge then they can mass produce them for the masses and make them affordable for everyone! The project is called the Village Bicycle Project (VBP). Training on construction, repair, and maintenance is given to Ghanans. The metal components are derived from used bike parts in Ghana.
See Calfee Design
BMW is finally making progress on a hybrid sedan. Its still in concept though so you will have to wait another 2 years? We need more hybrid selections for the masses with only the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, and Ford Escape being about the only options out there.
This BMW sedan has an electric motor system that helps add to the thrust and the engine stops completely when the the car is stopped, adding 15% to fuel economy. The battery back also gets charged through the breaking system, and also powers the car’s on board electronics. Every little innovation helps!
This hybrid will feature ample power with a 4.4 liter V8 when running on gas, but the final result will still be MPG in the low 20’s! Do we really need that much power! I guess its only about 5 mpg better than a regular 7 series. It will sell because someone who can already afford this vehicle surely has more to afford the hybrid.
The Toyota Prius would deliver 40 mpg if it were not a hybrid because of its aerodynamic design and small motor. So at 50 mpg its not a vast improvement, but its very significant.
Via Autoblog.com
The new Honda hybrid, with the revived name Insight resembles the Toyota Prious. The Honda Insight will make its debut this year at the Paris International Auto show.
The Honda Insight will start at a base price of $18,000 making it the most affordable hybrid on the market. Even cheaper than Honda’s own Civic hybrid. At least the hybrid still looks different from other models. Unlike the Honda Civic Hybrid which looks like a regular civic.
Via Gas2.org
First time I have heard of a bio-hybrid car. Its only a concept car, but the future is not too far away. The engine runs on 85% bioethanol and delivers a very ample 200 hp and promises 48 mpg.
This sleek vehicle will appeal to those with style. Notice there are no rear view mirrors on the side. This is to maintain aerodynamics and thus fuel efficiency. Instead cameras are used with screens on the dashboard to show what is behind. The roof spoiler actually extends over 43 mph to lengthen the roof line for more aerodynamics.
Another cool feature is the solar cell on top of the roof. It adds a charge to the battery at all times.
On another note this car even though Scandinavian in design for the body, the engine hybrid technology is by General Motors. The chassis is built on a new global chassis designed by GM too.
Check the Saab website for more
Invented by an 18 year old from Canada - Ben Gulak , the UNO is a one wheel motorcycle that truly balances out. Right now there are 3 working prototypes. It only has one switch which is the power switch! To go forward you push your body weight forward to tilt the machine. To back up, just lean back. The farther you lean the faster it goes. Whats more is that this bike is electric so its more eco friendly.
Check out this article on the design of it on Motorcylcemojo. Ben had some help from a few companies after selling his idea to them, but all they really did is give him some of the necessary components like the body, wheels, and the complex gyros to balance the cycle…
Suzuki is working on a sleek modern transport as seen in the last Tokyo Auto Show. The Suzuki SSC + PIXY is 2 vehicles actually. The SSC is a “SUzuki Sharing Coach”, which is a mini car that can actually fit 2 PIXY’s. So I suppose this invention will be for 2 people.
Anyways the PIXY is like a Segway, where a person rides alone in an almost upright position. It seems the person can actually sit in it and be protected from the elements with the canopy, in contrast to the Segway.
You will be able to charge up the PIXY inside the SSC which is fuel cell powered.
No word on when its coming to a dealership near you.
Via GreenThinkers.
