Cars & Transportation

Here at talkgreen, we like to showcase eco friendly things that are “Rockin”. People don’t like boring stuff and boring doesn’t bring change. The car you see in the pictures is called the Vermot AG Veritas RS III Roadster Hybrid and it’s nothing close to boring. This little thing looks like it can literally rip pieces out of the pavement and it’s powered by a V10 delivering 507-horsepower. But wait a minute… this blog is supposed to be about the environment… and you’re probably asking yourself how can a big V10 be anywhere close to environmentally friendly. The answer lies in between the front axles. Continue reading…

Here at Talkgreen, we strongly believe in riding your bike as often as possible to get to your destinations. Since we are such big fans of city biking, we though it would be very appropriate to show you the following videos. It features riders competing in the Valparaíso Downhill in Chile. If you thought the downhill races in the mountains were crazy, just wait until you see this one.

More videos after the jump. Continue reading…

Although I was never a big fan of the car-sharing companies such as the one featured in this video, I’m more and more keen on the idea and I have to admit that if well organized and structured it can be very useful. This is specially true for people living in downtown urban areas. The main concern is accessibility. What I mean by this is if you have to walk half an hour to get to one of theses car, it takes away from the functionality aspect. On the other hand, if you can get to one in less then 5 or 10 minutes and you don’t need a car to go to work, then it becomes a plausible idea to not have a car and to use one from the car-sharing business whenever you need it.

As a guy who likes to go outside of the city on a regular basis for outdoors activities such as Snowboarding or cross-country skiing, owning a car is not even a question. But sharing one car for the household (girlfriend and I) and using one from the car-sharing company whenever the extra car is needed would be something to consider.

When it comes to being green on the roads, Canadians seems to be ahead of Americans. My friend Michael Graham Richard form treehugger wrote an article yesterday about this. In Canada 7 of the top 10 selling cars are small/compact cars the top 3 being the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla and the Mazda 3.

Michael noted that according to data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants: “In 2008, 51.5 per cent of all light vehicles sold in Canada were entry-level — i.e. small — cars.” But what are the reasons of such a difference between Canadians and our southern neighbors. Some may say it’s a financial issue. Americans maybe have more money then Canadians and for this reason they seem to buy bigger cars. Another financial factor could be the fact that gas is more taxed in Canada.

Gas prices have shown to be a big factor in choosing a vehicle. We can take a look at Europe for a good example of this.

This is why many treehuggers think that a revenue-neutral carbon tax is the best way to make things change, and as long as you reduce other taxes (f.ex. the income tax) by a similar amount, you are not adding to people’s tax burden, and you are not trying to pick winners (like those corn ethanol subsidies from a few years ago that will be almost impossible to repeal, or the preference for hydrogen fuel cells that made CARB axe battery electric car programs like the GM EV1).

The Best-Selling Small Cars in Canada
From the Globe and Mail, all dollar amounts in Canadian dollars:

1. Honda Civic
2008 sales: 72,463
Base price: $16,9902. Toyota Corolla
2008 sales: 57,736
Base price: $14,835

3. Mazda3
2008 Sales: 50,317
Base price (sedan): $15,995

4. Toyota Yaris
2008 sales: 40,602
Base price (four-door sedan): $13,999

5. Chevrolet Cobalt
2008 sales: 33,754
Base price (sedan): $15,325

6. Hyundai Accent
2008 sales: 29,751
Base price (sedan): $14,295

7. Pontiac G5
2008 sales: 26,436
Base price (sedan): $15,745

8. Ford Focus
2008 sales: 23,654
Base price (sedan): $17,099

9. 2009 Toyota Matrix
2008 sales: 23,549
Base price: $15,975

10. Nissan Versa
2008 sales: 21,845
Base price (sedan): $12,498

Via Treehugger

Photo: Flickr, CC

If you look at gas prices these days you may tell yourself that its time to buy a big SUV or pick up truck since you can pay less then 60 cents per litre at the pump in some places. If you are one of those people you might want to think again. If you ask me I’m pretty sure that as soon as we start to go out of this recession gas prices will go skyrocketting again. Not only that but you still got to consider the impact on the environment. Things were going very good with eco friendly cars before the recession and it should stay the same now and after.

At the Paris auto show a bunch of new futuristic cars were featured. One of them was the Renault Ondelios which I personally love. The reason being that its a very eco friendly car on the construction portion. Its mostly covered in glass and features a fuel efficient diesel engine.

Now I’ll let the video give you more details on this cars.

This video from watchmojo.com attends the Paris Auto Show to discover the Hyundai i-Blue which is still a concept, for now and the company has declared it to be one of its “advanced low emission concepts.”

Here is a part of the press release from Hyundai on their blue drive technology:

Hyundai´s First U.S. Hybrid System Uses Breakthrough Lithium Polymer Batteries and Leapfrogs Existing Nickel–Metal Hydride and Lithium–Ion Technology

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2008 – Hyundai Motor America announced today the launch of Blue Drive an environmental initiative which will bring to market a family of eco–friendly Blue Drive products and establish Hyundai as an environmental leader. With Blue Drive products and technologies, Hyundai will be able to achieve a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of government requirements. During a news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the company revealed plans for its first U.S.–market gas–electric full hybrid (to be offered in the next–generation Sonata), introduced a sleek crossover concept powered by a turbocharged gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, and announced future high–mileage editions of the Accent and Elantra, underscoring its global commitment to sustainable transportation.

Blue Drive At–a–Glance
– Hyundai plans to lead all automotive brands in the U.S. in fuel economy by achieving a fleet average of    35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration´s    (NHTSA) deadline, powered by the Hyundai Blue Drive global product strategy.
– Hyundai will begin building a gas–electric full hybrid edition of the next–generation Sonata for the North
American market in 2010. This Sonata will use a parallel hybrid drive system and lithium polymer
battery technology – leapfrogging competitive in–market nickel–metal hydride and planned lithium–ion    applications.
– Near–term, high mileage “Blue” editions of Accent and Elantra will join the Hyundai Blue Drive family in    2009.
– An all–new crossover, shown in concept form with a 2.0–liter Theta turbocharged GDI four–cylinder
engine, is green lighted for the U.S. market. The engine will appear in various Hyundai models in the
future.
– Long–term, the Hyundai Blue Drive family will be expanded to include Plug–in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
(PHEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

“Hyundai aims to be the most fuel–efficient automaker on the planet,” said John Krafcik, vice president, Product Development and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “We´re aligning our global R&D resources in Michigan, California, Nam Yang, and Frankfurt to develop the Blue Drive technologies we need to achieve our goal – a 35 mpg U.S. fleet average by 2015.”

Hitchsters is an easy-to-use website that conveniently connects travelers going to and from airports so that they can share a ride (and thus split the fare). The Hitchsters.com matching system makes riding in a car to the airport more affordable, more convenient, safer, and more environmentally-friendly.

This idea is especially great because of the fact that traveling by airplane is nothing close to eco-friendly. Hitchsters.com launched this week in the San Francisco Bay Area and they plan to expand to other cities in the near future.

Hitchsters.com helps match people looking to ride-share on the way to or from the airport (SFO, OAK & SJC) and hooks them up with a high-quality, yet inexpensive car service. By doing so a person saves on average $21/ride and reduces their carbon footprint by 30 lbs compared to taking a cab alone.

Hitchsters.com are trying to get the word out to help people save some money and save the environment a bit too. They’ve already launched in NYC and were honored last year by Time Magazine when they were named one of the “50 Best Websites of 2007″.

How it works (form Hitchsters.com website):

Log in to your MyHitchsters account, enter your trip itinerary, and select your saved location. (Not there? Add a new one to your MyHitchsters profile).

When matched, you will be notified with a text message and e-mail containing the first name and cell phone of your co-rider (nothing else is shared). As an additional safety feature, we preserve the phone numbers of all of the successful matches.

A partnering car service calls each party to arrange the ride.

If you are sharing a ride to the airport, then you will only be matched with someone else who is leaving from your area to go to the same airport. If you are sharing a ride from the airport, you will only be matched with someone who is on the same flight (no worries about late flights) and going to the same area you are.

After your trip, you will have an opportunity to evaluate your co-rider, and the limo company, with a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” rating.

Apparently owning a big boat and being eco-friendly at the same time are now possible. Making it’s debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the DSe Hybrid 12m from Island Pilot is powered using a combination of diesel, solar, electric power and when the production model comes out it will also have wind turbines to top everything.

Using only solar power the boat can cruise at speeds of six knots with absolutely no emissions which is great for a Sunday afternoon in the sun. On the other side if you need to get somewhere in a hurry you can always switch to diesel and get it gliding at 13 knots. Without the diesel engine running, this sea marvel is almost silent.

The bad side is the $600,000 price tag that comes with it. If your a true greenie and you have the money, Island Pilot is taking pre-orders for a 2009 delivery but be prepared to lay down another $5,000 just to reserve one.

Via: Gizmag and Engadet