Automobiles

Tesla Roadster Pics Leaked

Hank Green

Josh Davis of Wired (the lucky bastard) was the first journalist to strap in to the long-awaited, top-secret Tesla Roadster. There was supposed to be an embargo on press for another day or so, but Wired couldn't hold back and published a story and pictures a few hours ago. And man...is it worth a look!

If you don't know about Tesla motors, it's a car company backed by the likes of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as well as a former head of Ebay and a founder of PayPal. It's Silicon Valley's first car company and they aren't messing around. The Roadster hits 60 in 3 seconds and is powered by around 7,000 small Li-ion batteries.

So, yes, I want one. And apparently it's going to be 'comparatively cheap' when it hits markets. No word on the price. Anyhow, feast your eyes and check out the excellent article and see-through image at Wired. And keep your eyes open, a video and more pictures will be released at AutoBlog later tonight.

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Tuc tuc tuc tuc - Compressed Gas Rickshaws

Hank Green

tuctuc2 Remember those little CO2 cartridges that powered the acceleration of tiny balls of paint at your hoodlum friends? Well…I do. Now a similar principle is being used to power the acceleration of entire cars. Or, in this case, entire rickshaws.

Tuctuc limited has created several rickshaws powered by compressed nitrogen gas. These vehicles will run a regular route around Brighton, England and will refuel at a proprietary fuel stop.

Refueling is basically filling the tank with compressed gas which, upon expansion, powers the car. Of course, electricity is used to compress the nitrogen, but, overall, it’s a much more efficient and less polluting use of energy than a gasoline engine.

Via Green Car Congress

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All-Electric Smart Car

Hank Green

Continuing the pattern of making electric cars tiny and peculiar, DaimlerChrysler just released their plans to sell an all-electric version of the Fortwo Smart Car. The EV version actually performs better than its gasoline brother. The rather lame standard measure of 0 to 30 mph was brought down to 6.5 seconds, no word on how fast it gets up to 60. The good news is, it does indeed get to 60, and a bit beyond.

The EV Fortwo Smart Car is slated for release in the EU in 2007 and a year later in the US.

Via Left Lane News

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Who Killed the Electric Car?

"If you want to start a revolution, don't pick up a gun. Do it with science and technology." So says Stanford R. Ovshinsky Chairman and CEO of United Solar Ovonic and President and Chief Technology Officer of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. We couldn't agree more.

Stan is a feature character in the recent movie "Who Killed the Electic Car" which EcoGeek has been entirely lax in promoting. We're not overly fond of battery-powered transit, batteries are heavy, toxic, hot and expensive, but who are we to deride any alternative to gasoline. A slew of other idealistic EcoGeeks are featured in the movie including Alan Cocconi, designer of the GM EV1 and the GM SunRaycer, Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader and the former CIA director R. James. Woolsey.

The real star of "Who Killed the Electric Car" however, is General Motors' EV1. The celebrated electric car was developed in reaction to California's Zero Emissions Mandate (ZEV) issued in 1990 by CARB (California Air Resource Board). In many ways the EV1 was revolutionary; quiet, non-polluting and fast yet requiring no gas or oil changes and a very simple maintenance routine. But before it really caught on, it all but disappeared… As the facts unfold the movie makes the case that it was a carefully planned and executed murder.

Who is guilty? Big Auto, Big Oil, Fickle Consumers, CARB, The US Government, Wimpy Batteries, Fuel Cell Technology? The creators of the film certainly have their opinions, but we at EcoGeek are firm believers in the theory of all-of-the-above. Whether you see the movie or not, whether you buy their case or not, the website is packed full of facts and definitely worth a look.

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GM Hy-Wire Video.

Hank Green

We're glad whenever we can praise GM, a company that we believe is suffering due to non-environmental reasons (though you wouldn't know it listening to some hype that's being passed around). But GM has a future...and here it is.

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They Hy-Wire is revolutionary for two reasons (three, if you include the 10 million dollars that went into developing it).  First, you have the Hy...a hydrogen fuel-cell engine with a tank big enough to carry the car fast and long.  Or, if you so choose, it could just power your house for a couple of days.

Then there's the Wire.  The fuel-cell, the hydrogen tanks, and all the motors are all housed in a six inch tall 'skateboard' configuration at the bottom of the car.  We've been hearing about the skateboard car a lot in the last few years, but it's nice to see prototypes rolling of at a pretty good rate now (see the Pivo a couple of posts down for another skateboard car.)  The vehicle's controls actually plug into the chassis via a single data wire (in the case of the Pivo, this linkage is actually wireless (scary)).

The Hi-Wire also beats its coolness into us with a revolutionary new control scheme.   No pedals, just a 'steering thingy' which you twist to accelerate and squeeze to break.  Also on the steering thingy you'll find a display showing you your rear-view, and two side view cameras take the place of external mirrors, minimizing wind resistance.

So, next time you hear someone badmouth GM, tell them about the Hy-Wire. We all see the future, and GM getting ready.

Thanks to the anonymous Aussie tipster who sent me to techeblog. And to CarShark for the YouTube post. And of course to Top Gear for filming the segment in the first place.

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Tesla Roadster Pics Leaked

Tuc tuc tuc tuc - Compressed Gas Rickshaws

All-Electric Smart Car

Who Killed the Electric Car?

GM Hy-Wire Video.

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