Transportation Technology

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. View 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. View 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. View 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. View 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. View 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. View 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. View Comments

When necessary and conducive atmosphere is being created for research in alternative energy field we are getting so many diverse projects in many fields that sometimes it seems mind boggling. When we pay attention to a vehicles’ tire its mostly when it is flat and we have to change it in most unlikely places. But scientists are trying to develop tires that change shapes according to the conditions of the road. Imagine a tire which can change its shape to that best suited for the conditions of the road. This shape of tire contains green benefits too in the form of reduced travel times to increased fuel efficiency. Farmers often have to traverse in rough terrain and there tires can help them in combating the problem attached with soil compaction caused by current wheel designs. This problem has another add on too. Soil compaction leads towards the losses in production nearing 20%. These tires can also be helpful in roads that are facing the problem of flooding or have mud, rocks, holes, or sand. The re-mold-able wheels can easily adjust themselves to newer height and width on command. What else one needs while sitting behind a wheel! View Comments

We are registering good progress in the field of alternative energy. Scientists and researchers are working tirelessly to come up with newer and better alternatives to fossil fuels. Scientists are also trying to apprehend the future problems related with clean and green fuels, for example, cleaning of windows and solar panels and expanded battery storage capacities for the next electric car. Nature Nanotechnology has just published the New Tel Aviv University research. The research findings deal with a breakthrough in assembling peptides at the nano-scale level that could make these futuristic luxuries come true in the coming years. View Comments

In close association with sister company Jaguar, Land Rover has been working a hybrid system to improve the brand’s eco-conscious image. Land Rover has recently declared that they are going for a new Range Rover Sports Hybrid. They are taking care of the carbon emissions. According to them this car will emit just 100g/km of CO2 and will have an all-electric range of 20 miles. If it can be achieved, the low CO2 figure will be a noteworthy breakthrough for the luxury brand. This low carbon emission will put the Range Rover Sport’s carbon emissions in an equal category with those of smaller, lighter vehicles like the Citroën C1 and Ford Focus Econetic which emits 148g/km of CO2. Land Rover is planning to launch five prototypes of the vehicle next year ahead of a 2012 sales launch. View Comments

Industrial designers are dreaming of a project like this for a long time. They wanted a solar powered parking lot which can sustain itself and light up its own lights. They also want future electric vehicles to be charged at the same place too. The spirit of Isla Vistans can be imitated. They turned out in large number for the inaugural ceremony of a new parking space at 881 Embarcadero del Mar. What was so special about a parking lot? The parking lot was constructed on a half-acre site. The interesting part is the same location used to house a Chevron gas station. Isla Vista, Santa Barbara County, California, has registered its presence in the field of clean and green energy. They established their first solar-powered car parking lot. View Comments

Sometimes slight modifications in existing machines do wonders for fuel saving. A simple attachment of a tapering protrusion at the back of a truck can save up to 7.5% in fuel consumption. This is a significant amount of fuel saving with a simple alteration. This fuel saving is possible due to dramatically-improved aerodynamics. It has been verified by road tests conducted by the Dutch PART (Platform for Aerodynamic Road Transport) public-private partnership platform. View Comments

Now the prestigious and successful business units are competing to become green in their operations. FedEx Express which is a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation expressed its commitment to purchase 51 extra gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles from Azure Dynamics Corporation. Scott Harrison, CEO of Azure Dynamics says, "We applaud FedEx for its continuous effort to conserve resources and minimize its environmental impact and we are delighted that FedEx has again chosen to use Azure’s Balance Hybrid Electric gasoline drive train." View Comments

Two things are certain for the future: electric cars will become more popular and solar power will continue to grow as a viable source of energy. Because of this, the world is looking to industry leaders not only in the energy business, but to other major corporations that can have a major impact on the world’s power usage. Dell has stepped up to the plate and hopefully the Dell solar trees parking lot is a sign of greater things to come. The Dell solar parking lot by Envision Solar is a very innovative way that Dell has implemented solar powered lights and it is something that is immediately making an impact. The solar trees serve not only the purpose of gathering the suns energy as a viable energy source, but even provides shade over about 50 parking spaces as well! The lot was made viewable from the highway so Dell can let everyone know that solar power is the way to go. View Comments

It seemed like it would only be a matter of time before Toyota would jump into the market of using renewable energy to charge a car and they have done so in a big way. The solar charging station by Toyota will be put on display at the Tokyo Motor Show 2009. While there are other charging stations on the market for electric cars, the fact that this one is solar powered has the industry abuzz in anticipation. The solar charging station by Toyota almost looks like something that you would have seen in one of the old sci-fi movies, but this is the real deal. It works by collecting the suns energy through solar panels and then stores the energy in a battery that is later used to charge and power the vehicle. This is just another great innovation that is pushing our world to a 'greener' lifestyle and will use renewable energy in yet another every day application. View Comments

When people thought about telephones in underdeveloped countries it was like they would have to invest a huge sum in infrastructure in the form of poles, wires and equipments. No one imagined about cell phones at that time. They transcend most of the infrastructures. In this hour of impending depletion of fossil fuels we have to think differently. The steps may seem small today but they might leave a huge impact in future. Today we can’t be a bystander and watch the energy scene passively. View Comments

CSIRO is an Australian research organization. CSIRO is working in collaboration with Victorian energy distributor SP AusNet. They both are aiming to evaluate the impact and benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the electricity network. They are also trying to figure out how this low emission transport option could be incorporated into our homes and cities in the future. They are opting out for a three-month trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The staff of the energy distributor SP AusNet will use a modified PHEV for their daily commute and other leisurely journeys. View Comments

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) wants to reduce its carbon footprints. That’s why they announced their quest to find a biofuel by 2010 for its commercial flights. Paul Steele was in New Delhi, India. He said to the reporters that IATA is serious about biofuels for commercial flights and it would be certified "by the end of next year". Paul Steele is the head of the environmental initiatives of IATA. As we are all familiar that certification is broadly regarded as a primary technical step that could do away with some of the investment uncertainties plugging the use of high quality biofuels in aviation. IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani reaffirms what Paul Steele was saying. Giovanni Bisignani claims, "For the first time, air transport has the possibility of an alternative to traditional jet fuel." View Comments

Surveillance and communication are the lifeline of the armed forces. These days they are utilizing small UAVs for naval missions. If the armed forces are using electric UAVs, they have the additional advantage. Electric UAVs can’t be detected from the ground. The Ion Tiger has just demonstrated the likelihood of a long endurance missions with an electric UAV. Naval forces can get a larger cruise range. Naval forces can reduce the number of daily launches and landings too. This increases the capability and yet naval crew can save on the time and effort fronts. View Comments

This can be achieved by using piezoelectric materials under busy roads. The property is aptly known as piezoelectricity and it's the ability to produce electric power in response to applied mechanical stress, and in this case this stress is the movement of vehicles on the roads. The concept was originally developed by Innowattech and now the company is laying down a sort of test road in Israel. Is it a solution to the global energy and environment crisis? It could very well be. View Comments