DailyDirt: Greener Cars
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
The debates over the best energy technologies will likely exist for a long time to come -- perhaps to the detriment of making actual progress in replacing fossil fuels with renewable or cleaner energy sources. The transportation sector makes a pretty big dent in total energy usage, so it's always nice to see cars getting more efficient and greener. Here are a few quick links on some efforts to improve personal transportation (but that may not really be that green in the big picture).- GM's Volt is going to use recycled plastic from the oil booms that helped to clean up the Gulf oil spill. By doing so, over 45,000 kilograms of polypropylene will be saved from going (directly) into a landfill. [url]
- For those of us who can't quite afford to buy a new hybrid or electric car, there are some companies working on retrofit kits that could turn your car into a "partial hybrid" -- for less cost than a new full hybrid car. Too bad the car's performance takes a hit in the process. [url]
- Another approach to a partial hybrid just tacks on an electric motor to the rear differential -- without replacing any of the original parts. But so far, it's only available for Lincoln Town Cars. [url]
- For all the efforts to drive more fuel efficient cars, there's also the "backfire effect" to watch out for -- where people will just end up using more energy, no matter how efficient their vehicle is. Take it from the Swedes. [url]
- Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads. Maybe with NASA's help, we'll be able to trade in our SUVs for Suburban Air Vehicles (SAVs). [url]
- To discover more interesting car-related content, check out what's driving around StumbleUpon. [url]
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: backfire effect, partial hybrids, suburban air vehicles
Companies: gm, xlhybrids
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Someday we may only need air to make something move, but for today how about your own electric generator powered by air?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: But where does the compressed air come from?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car
And I think the Amish are also quite fond of using compressed air appliances in lieu of the electrically-powered ones most people use....
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: But where does the compressed air come from?
Still I'm longing for the days where when your "gas" runs out you just need a hand crank to generate more :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
YES! Finally, Jetsons-style flying cars for everyone!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Greener is greater... for the environment
There's no question creating more efficient transportation is good for the environment but it is rare that this sells cars.
A car being more efficient doesn't feel very much like a new feature when I get in and test drive. So make my car greener, thats great for the environment, but if you want to increase your business, you need to add features.
I've been complaining for far too long that my car doesn't have a usable computer in it that can wirelessly sync to my wifi and download music and movies, maps and directions while parked in my driveway. Some new cars are adding mounted ipads in the dash, which is a step in the right direction. I think the best thing for us all would be if Google would partner up with a car company.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Greener == cheaper
Who the hell need a "usable computer" built-in to the car? Have you ever heard about laptops? What about cellphones?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Wave Disk Generator that promises to combust any type of fuel and increase the output 3.5x and have fewer parts then a conventional combustion motor.
Some people already realized that there is no one solution that can handle the future, people are starting to realize they will need all of the solutions available, the future will be a mix of all we have right now and some new things to come to get out of fossil fuels dependency.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]