New posts from Gas 2.0!

Recycled Hawtness: Architect’s Airstream RV is a DIY Dream
50 cc of Moped-flavored Awesome: Satan Since 2003
Deliver-E Trike is Ready for the Rough Stuff

Recycled Hawtness: Architect’s Airstream RV is a DIY Dream

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 03:00 PM PDT

Gas 2.0 editor Chris DeMorro has said that the greenest car is the one that’s already been built. That’s a claim that’s open to some debate, I’m sure, but it’s a claim that’s based on proven ideas and methods like conservation of resources and recycling. With something like an RV camper, however (which is 100% on its tow rig for mpg numbers) there can be little doubt that a recycled / renovated RV leaves a smaller footprint than a new-from-the-ground-up approach – and that’s where Santa Barbara architect Matt Hoffman comes in.

Hoffman is making a strong case for recycled RV’s, who lovingly restored a 1970s Airstream towable … which looked like this when he found it.

The new interior features slick hardwood flooring, a beyond-stylish bathroom that would look at home in an upscale apartment, space-saving kitchenette, and a tiny home office that goes significantly beyond slick and into a new dimension of space-efficient sexy all its own. You can get a sense of Hoffman’s extreme packaging skills (any maybe pick up a few ideas) with the floorplan, below.

There’s a full gallery of photos here (all by the architect/builder), but be careful about flipping through the photo gallery. It is all-too “inspiring” and you may find yourself getting way too motivated to start scouring the classifieds for an old RV of your own … you’ve been warned.

Source: Hoffman Architecture.

50 cc of Moped-flavored Awesome: Satan Since 2003

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Before you click play: there is some probably NSFW language in the video (lower the volume).

As a fan of oddball things in general and scooters and mopeds in particular, I’ve been to my share of scooter rallies and moped rides, and this short trailer for the Sundance indie film “Satan Since 2003” is definitely going on my “must-watch” list. The film itself is described as a “mockumentary” that follows Richmond Virginia’s “Hell’s Satans” moped gang (extra points to you if you get the reference), giving film-maker Carlos Puga and gives him “not only an eye-popping peek into this otherwise reclusive society, but also a satirical jab at the process of documentary film-making.”

I’m not sure I’d call a group of guys who flips mopeds into lakes and uses Molotov cocktails to fire-bomb rival moped gangs “reclusive”, but I wouldn’t know anything about all that.

What I do know is that mopeds are generally enough transportation to reliably get you around most major and minor American cities, and – with about 100 mpg average fuel economy and nearly eternal re-build-ability – mopeds have a pretty minimal impact on the environment compared to say, an old Honda Civic or Ford Escort. Movies like this one and “the Wild One” a generation (or two) ago which may glamorize some violence now and again do a very good job of creating a sort of “mystique” around two-wheeled vehicles, which (in my opinion) can only be a good thing.

So, watch the video, enjoy the movie, and don’t try anything you see there at home. Those people are ~~trained professionals~~ lining up for Darwin Awards. All good fun, then – if not exactly news. Still, enjoy!

Source: IMDb, via random web search for moped goodies.

Deliver-E Trike is Ready for the Rough Stuff

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 06:00 AM PDT

With twin electric motors powering this new-age delivery trike to a top speed of 50 mph and nearly 40 miles of range, Simon Williams’ Deliver-E concept is ready to – um – deliver the goods.

Williams is aiming his Deliver-E specifically at letter carriers (posties!) in his native Australia, to replace the CT110 Hondas currently in use there. The Deliver-E is more stable at a stop where carriers will have to support not only the weight of the stationary bike, but also shift heavy letterbags and parcels. The Deliver-E’s 3 wheels allow the bike to stay up on its own, for greater safety and comfort. A reverse gear is included, so riders don’t have to walk the thing backwards.

The most notable thing about the Deliver-E trike, however, is not its improvement over a relatively old-tech 110, but the pivoting rear swing arms that can articulate over obstacles and potholes, as well as lock in place. These rear swingarms let the bike carve through corners “naturally”, and help the rear get over curbs more smoothly. “The tilting mechanism was the thing I spent a long time thinking about,” Williams says. “Along the way I came up with all sorts of complex details on how I would get it to tilt. In the end, the tilting mechanism couldn’t be more simple.”