From the category archives:

Transportation

Delta Airliners Integrating Wheeltug Hybrid Motor Technology

May 6, 2009

Hybrid vehicles keep getting bigger: first there were tiny experimental cars, then hybrid SUVs began to appear on the road. And now some of Delta’s next-generation Boeing 737 aircraft (like the one pictured above) will be equipped with Wheeltug hybrid motors for taxiing on the ground. These motors will improve efficiency and safety while planes [...]

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Shai Agassi’s Plan To Get 100% Electric Cars On The Road

April 20, 2009

I’m an advocate for car-free cities (on this note, see the newly published Carfree Design Manual by J. H. Crawford). But 100% electric cars are certainly preferable to gasoline-powered cars. Therefore I found this recent presentation by Shai Agassi of Better Place to be of inspiring. He argues that hybrids won’t work, and ethnol isn’t [...]

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Boeing 787: The World’s Most Efficient Airliner

April 17, 2009

Air travel can present an efficiency dilemma. Trips that wouldn’t be possible by any other means because of time or distance are suddenly viable – though when it comes to manufacturing and fuel resources, airplanes admittedly aren’t the most efficient mode of transportation. But Boeing’s newest passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, aims to take a [...]

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GM And Segway Unveil Their Electric 2-Seater

April 8, 2009

Yesterday, GM and Segway unveiled an electric-powered urban vehicle called the Puma. The Puma seats two people, and is said to reach a top speed of 35 miles per hour. The vehicle can go 35 miles before needing a recharge.
Larry Burns, vice president of research and development for GM, said it would cost about 35 [...]

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AC Propulsion Converts Cars To Electric Power

March 16, 2009

Here’s a video from a company called AC Propulsion, showing how straightforward it is to convert your car to electric power.

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The Best Rated Car GPS Navigators

March 16, 2009

Nine years ago, GPS readings from a constellation of more than twenty satellites became available to civilians with an accuracy of about 20 meters. In the past five years or so, one of the handiest applications of GPS technology has been the development of mobile GPS devices designed to go into a car to help [...]

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New Longtail Utility Bike: The Madsen kg271

March 1, 2009

Here’s a rare find — a new longtail bike. This bike is called the kg271, and it’s made by Madsen Cycles. They describe the bike as an “urban utility bike”. It comes in two versions: one with a rack built with oversized steel tubing, and another version with a bucket that incorporates a removable seat [...]

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The Best Commuter Bikes Of 2009

February 27, 2009

The sales of commuters bikes in the U.S. have grown quickly in the last couple years. Commuter bikes are those that include features useful for commuting to work or around town — like fenders, chain guards, storage racks, comfortable seats, lights and puncture-resistant tires.
Let’s take a look at some the best commuter bikes of 2009:

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2010 Prius To Use Solar Power

November 16, 2008

“Prius,” in Latin, means roughly “to go before.” Since its first appearance in 1997, Toyota’s iconic hybrid has lived up to its name, with more than 1.5 million sold world wide. Revamped in 2003 with Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive, the Prius is now entering its third generation with the 2010 model to be available later [...]

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100% Electric Aptera Unveiled

October 21, 2008

I first mentioned the Aptera last year, when it was being test driven. This car’s eye-catching design isn’t just for show — it’s designed to be a very, very efficient vehicle. Just check out the video below you’ll see what I’m talking about:
Much like a jet, the shape of the Aptera is designed to be [...]

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Efficient: Books That Explain Train Travel In North America

October 9, 2008

Train travel is one of the most efficient forms of transportation. However, in North America, traveling by rail is not particularly systematic or comprehensive. It’s difficult to get an overview of what’s available. Thankfully, there are several good books on North American train travel, which I read recently. Here’s a brief review:

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The 2009 Jetta TDI: A Clean Diesel Car

October 2, 2008

The new 2009 Jetta TDI is an efficient vehicle– this quiet-running, diesel-powered car has a cleaner tailpipe than most cars on the road.
The Jetta uses a technology called “clean diesel” which actually lives up its name pretty well. While test driving this car, I found out that 97% of highway diesel fuel pumps [...]

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LiFePO4 Batteries: A Breakthrough For Electric Vehicles

September 21, 2008

Soon, we’ll probably be seeing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries being used in most electric cars and bikes. This new battery type is set to dominate the market. Based upon lithium ion technology, LiFePO4 batteries offer many advantages over lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2) batteries which are commonly used in laptops, mp3 players and cell phones.
In [...]

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Notes From The MetaEfficient Labs

April 20, 2008

I’ve been doing a lot of work in the MetaEfficient lab. I thought I would post an update on my experiments and research:

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Zero X Motorcycle: 100% Lithium-Ion Electric, 40 Mile Range, Weighs Only 140 Pounds

March 28, 2008

The Zero X Motorcycle was designed from the ground up to be a 100% electric bike. What makes this new bike truly different is that it contains 168 individual high-power lithium ion cells and is expected to endure six years of hard riding. Zero Motorcycle’s power grid technology has the highest power density (power storage [...]

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Danish Drivers To Fill Their Tanks With Wind Power

March 27, 2008

Denmark has a problem — it’s generating too much power from the wind. Currently, Denmark gets about 20% of its total electrical power from wind. On windy days, that percentage can double. The ups and downs of wind power can strain an electricity grid. In western Denmark, the price of electricity can drop to zero [...]

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Toyota To Release Plug-In Hybrid In 2010

January 14, 2008

Toyota has just announced that it plans on building its first plug-in hybrid by 2010. This car will be direct competition with GM’s high-profile Volt, which is set to released that year. However, many pundits believe that the Volt is “vaporware” and will not be released in 2010.

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Hybrid Gets 150 Miles Per Gallon Using Ultracapacitors

January 12, 2008

It’s a prototype hybrid car that gets 150MPG, and goes 40 miles on electricity alone, drawing its power from a combination of lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors. The ultracapacitors provide a burst of energy to the engine, when needed. They are then recharged by the lithium-ion batteries. This avoids the problem of emptying the batteries too [...]

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Aptera Test Drive A Success!

December 24, 2007

It’s the Aptera — a futuristic car that has generated a lot of buzz lately — and with good reason — the Aperta is a very, very efficient vehicle (just check out the video: you’ll see what I’m talking about). The car’s head-turning design has a purpose: the shape is highly aerodynamic (much like a [...]

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Urban Bike Sharing Coming To The U.S.

December 6, 2007

Bike sharing is an optimal method of transportation. American cities and universities, eager for greener solutions to urban congestion, are rushing to set up bicycle-sharing programs similar to those launched in Europe in recent years. Washington DC will likely be the first in the nation to offer two-wheeled transport at various locations for a nominal [...]

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