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Archive for the 'Green Transportation' Category

Consider the Velomobile – Human Powered Vehicle

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

aerorider velomobile
Aerorider Velomobile

Next to walking, the Velomobile may be the greenest form of personal transportation available. This bicycle car is designed with a sleek, aerodynamic style not only will help keep the planet cooler but will add cool cache to the driver as well. Combining the brawn of Flintstone’s car with the brains of Jetson’s this bike is just what the world needs now.

If commuting with human powered vehicles becomes popular it could offer a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and also address the obesity epidemic. It is amazing that many people drive their car to the gym so they could workout on an exercise machine. Think of the money saved in gas and gym fees by just driving your Velomobile to work.

Many new models have a small battery electric assist as well as being human powered. If you live anywhere other than a very flat terrain then you could certainly use the assistance getting up hills and the like. As some of these vehicles weigh up to 70 lbs. going uphill without the assist could prove extremely difficult. You would need to research to see what the rules of the road are in your area and figure out if your terrain would be Velomobile friendly or not. One place to get this information is Velomobiling.net perhaps the ultimate place to go for all things Velomobile.
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Sport Utility Bicycle (S.U.B.)

Saturday, March 31st, 2007

S.U.B.
Sport Utility Bicycle (S.U.B.) from xtracycle.com 6 new S.U.B. models starting at $599.00
Much of urban driving is just running errands to various stores to get a few items. Why use a truck disguised as a car to carry a few groceries? More people are dumping the gas guzzling SUV’s for the clean and green S.U.B.’s. These bikes are built not only lightweight, compact and strong but can easily carry your groceries, supplies, even another passenger. Xtracycle has a photo gallery that shows images and videos of creative uses of the S.U.B. to carry an amazing amount of stuff, one photo shows a guy with a kitchen table and chairs on the back. If more people used bikes to get around not only would there be less pollution, we could see a lot more people in shape and having healthier lifestyles. Here is another link to their page on the bicycle lifestyle.

Electric Cars – Time to Tango

Friday, February 16th, 2007

Tango commuter Electric CarTango, Electric Commuter Car at CommuterCars.com

Tango T600 ($108,000 with $10,000 deposit)

Tango T200 ($39,900 with $1,000 deposit)

Automotive technology specialist Prodrive and Commuter Cars Corporation (CCC) of Spokane, Washington are producing the Tango, an electric commuter vehicle as a possible solution to commuting problems in congested cities. Only 39 inches wide and eight and a half feet long, the Tango is as tall as a conventional car but takes up only half the road width.

The Tango is more like a motorcycle by it’s ability to change lanes to gain advantage in traffic. Unlike a motorcycle, you can safely ride in comfort listening to tunes, carry most of your stuff – even your significant other, staying dry and basking in the envious stares of other stuck in traffic as you whiz past. CommuterCars states that “extremely heavy traffic a Tango or motorcycle can travel in 20 seconds the distance that cars travel in 20 minutes.”

From a CommuterCars pdf: “According to the
US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 90% of all automobile trips are single occupant, and the average round-trip commute is 20 miles. With relatively inexpensive lead-acid batteries, the Tango can travel 4 times that far on a charge. With lithium-ion batteries, 300 miles should be achievable.” “…Thus the equivalent mile per gallon cost of theTango could be over 300 mpg, based on $.05 per kWh as found in the Pacific Northwest and gasoline at $3.00 per gallon.”

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