Transportation Technology

The entrepreneurial Audi is planning to take advantage of changes portended in the automobile market with an eye towards emission-free vehicles. Until now Audi has not shown any interest in electric car production but now that there is a growing demand for small and electronically-driven cars, Audi is keen to join the race. 1 Comment

In strict adherence to guidelines released by the Department of Energy, the United States Postal Service gets on a fast track to reach the goal for energy reduction. Green roofs, green buildings and an optimally efficient management system of energy consumption form part of the energy-reduction strategy. 5 Comments

The Chevrolet Volt is giving its extended range electric vehicle customers a great deal with an eight year/100,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty for its lithium-ion battery. The battery pack has some 161 components, nine modules and 288 cells. The warranty is offering coverage for all the parts. The battery is basically made up of Chem. cells by LG but almost 95% of other battery components have been designed and are manufactured by GM. The thermal management system, electric drive system and the charging system also come under the warranty coverage. 5 Comments

A trip around the eCRP plant headquarters at Modena: The eCRP is the first of its kind of purpose-built electric superbikes, and today it is pitting against the legendary gas-powered Ducati, MV Agusta et al in the Italian TTXGP. With classic gorgeous looks and efficiently designed high performing parts, Moto2 bikes are packed with top-notch specifications. Agni 95 DC twin motors, battery packs from 7.4KWh, Marzocchi D.43 Superbike forks, CRP-built aluminum cast alloy Chassis and other features make the eCRP 1.2 a great bike. CRP has strictly adhered to the TTXGP rules and specifications in the making of eCRP 1.2. 3 Comments

This can very well happen in the near future with billboards advertising - bold and strong, beckoning electric vehicles for recharging. Already in Berlin-Adlershof, this is happening. The largest independently functioning solar charging station is offering high-quality, computerized and completely safe kind of solar charging to electrical cars. Electric-power cars' handicap - finding a place for recharging on the run - is now being conquered by this power refill station. Precise calculated billing, electronic identification for access and automatic safety flaps are added attractions. And no queues to bug you! At a time, eight vehicles can be recharged! Components of solar station: What makes this station so unique? Three great components - a mover to generate electricity, a battery to store the power efficiently and an intelligent and totally computerized connector system -for charging and billing - add to up to ... 17 Comments

Mira EV has created a world record with completing 1000 km run on a single battery charge non-stop, powered by Sanyo's lithium-ion battery systems. This experiment took place on the world’s longest race course in Japan, in Shimotsuma. Organized by Japan Electric Vehicle Club, this long marathon driving was accomplished by a relay team of 17 auto-racers from a training school in Ibraki, Japan. 5 Comments

This summer, piloted by Captain Allan Judd, Bullet 580 will usher in the return of inflatable giant airships. The 235 ft long and 65ft diameter ship is covered with a type of Kevlar, a material 10 times-stronger than steel but only one sixteenth of an inch thick. An E-green design special costing £5.5million, this giant runs on algae - latest bio-fuel that can be developed from brackish and waste water. 9 Comments

The NASA Research Program 'N+3' has thrown open a challenge for exploring the potential to develop quieter subsonic commercial planes as well as supersonic commercial aircraft that burn less fuel and pollute less. The team led by MIT are working on developing two models to meet the NASA criteria as well to accommodate the demands created by increased air traffic by 2035 A.D. 1 Comment

EU's 'Clean Sky' - the 1-6 billion euro research project - with 86 participating partners from 16 nations - has goals like developing unique application-specific technologies and evaluation and advancement of the entire aeronautic system. Aviation experts from ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) are expecting to achieve 50% reduction of noise and carbon dioxide emission and 80% reduction of nitrogen oxide output by 2020. Thanks to better drive concepts and better adapted logistical designs and innovative and newer manufacturing of structural concepts and aerodynamic profiles, European aviation history will be rewritten under ACARE's new guidelines. Air travel will soon get more environmental-friendly, quieter and cleaner. 1 Comment

Mark Moore, an aerospace engineer, is the person who dreamed about the Puffin. Puffin is a single seated electric powered airplane. Moore conceptualized the idea of electric aircraft for his doctoral degree. Operating it from your house is as simple as taking out your car from the garage. You can launch this aircraft from your own home because of vertical take-off and landing. Mark Moore is trying to combine the best feature of a plane and a helicopter into a hybrid known as the Puffin. The Puffin is not some abstract reality that is not going to take a concrete shape. 17 Comments

If a car is running smoothly on the road and its consuming carbon dioxide from air as fuel instead of petrol, what a dream world that would be. Researchers from the South West are working on a £1.4 million project to turn the above dream into a reality. This car of future will consume one of the root causes of greenhouse effect. What a greener world that would be. Scientists and engineers from many universities will combine their efforts to produce that dream car running on carbon dioxide. The University of Bath is leading the research. They are joined by the University of the West of England and members from the University of Bristol. 15 Comments

Sunpods Inc. is California-based manufacturing company. They produce modular, fully integrated and tested solar power generation systems. Recently they have come out with an idea of the first solar power-assist system for buses. They should be applauded for developing it in a mere six weeks. Their partner is Bauer Intelligent Transportation. The system developed by Sunpods will help Bauer to meet strict anti-pollution standards laid down by the State of California. California state law since 2008 has disallowed diesel vehicles to remain idle for more than five minutes. Now more than 25 states across the United States have anti-idling laws. 1 Comment

PlanetSolar enjoys the distinction of being the largest solar-powered boat in the world, and it's ready to take on the world. This beauty’s vital stats are: weight: 60-ton, a 470-square-meter are covered by 38,000 solar cells to generate 103.4 kW of energy. 18 million euro ($24.4 million) was spent to adorn this beauty in environmentally friendly way. SunPower Corporation has provided the all vital 38,000 black photovoltaic cells to generate power for this catamaran. These solar panels have a pretty decent conversion rate of 22%. This solar powered ship will be launched this month to get the real taste of water from the Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel, Germany. 2 Comments

Remember when Kia first hit the market and other car manufacturers were laughing at them? Well, they haven’t been laughing in quite some time as Kia continues to put out attractive looking vehicles for far less money than anyone else. They have now unleashed their latest entry into the hybrid market at the new Kia hybrid car would appear to be something special. Before we get into anything else, let’s just talk about the design for a second. While the new BMW is hot, Kia is doing a pretty nice job for a lot less money. While it may not have the go power of the BMW, it has a look that will surely turn some heads. This is just a flat out sharp looking ride and it is not hard at all to see this car catching on rather quickly with the younger generation. 8 Comments

We all know that sooner or later all automobiles are going to be either hybrid, electric or hydrogen powered. The one drawback that many of us look at is the overall appeal of the cars. Very few models that are being put out are really all that attractive. For those of us that like to put the pedal down every now and again, there are very few options to consider. That is about to change in a big way. BMW has recently hit the board with their prototype that is just flat out sexy. 9 Comments

People are getting more and more excited about green automobiles, so it was kind of surprising to see such a neutral reaction to the Fuel Cell Car by Riversimple. While this project has a very interesting slant from other cars that we have seen in this niche, it was met with a very lukewarm reception and things have not really heated up on in yet. However, the Riversimple Fuel Cell Car continues on and will hopefully be available for release in the next few years. 4 Comments

Few people that are ripping around the streets in today’s gas guzzlers will remember wood-powered cars, but if things continue the way they are, they may be lucky enough to see one pull up next to them at the light. Wood-powered cars are starting to pop up again as yet another means of saving our fossil fuels. Wood-powered cars made their first big appearance in Europe during WWII. A wood gas generator was attached to the vehicle so that the drivers could save fuel, yet still keep their cars operational. Looking at some of the pictures from back then, the cars literally look like they have a wood-burning furnace attached to the hood or trunk. It may have looked funny, but it was actually very efficient. 16 Comments

Consumers surely remember the days of seeing pictures off all the funny looking electric cars. They looked like something out of the Jetson’s and were hardly something any of us would be caught dead in. Say goodbye to those old stereo types because the Volkswagon E-Up is raising the bar in electric car technology. 6 Comments

The carbon footprint that automobiles leave is about to change, and that change is going to happen much sooner than we think. While it is unlikely that the Micron will replace every car on the road, it will present a very interesting alternative to daily travel. This unique design is eye catching and more importantly, totally emissions free. Make no mistake about it, the Micron is the future of the automobile. 42 Comments

If UAVs starts running on the solar system, then it will save lots of expensive fossil fuel and the add-ons in the form of greenhouse effects. Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are working on a model of a solar-powered unmanned flight system for round-the-clock surveillance. They have christened their baby as the Green Falcon. This solar UAV aspires not only to save lives but millions of dollars too by using the most up-to-date green technology. Queensland University of Technology is aiming to make the services of this unmanned air vehicle commercially available within 24 months following successful flight tests. 2 Comments