New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- Electric Garbage Trucks Coming to French Streets
- IEA Says Oil Prices to Rise 30% the Next Three Years
- Uno 3, the Transforming Scooter, Available for Pre-Order
| Electric Garbage Trucks Coming to French Streets Posted: 06 May 2011 02:00 PM PDT
French electric company PVI joined with garbage truck designer and built Semat to build this electric garbage truck. And while the whole no-emissions-unless-you-count-electricity-production is neat, what gets me really excited is the prospect of not being woken up at 5:30 in the morning by a loud, lumbering garbage truck snatching up cans and bellowing smoke into my window. While some French municipalities have played with electric garbage trucks before, moving a multi-ton vehicle like that required a lot of power, meaning limited traveling range and low speeds on existing battery technology. New lithium-ion batteries from Dow Kokam, provides eight hours of operation, and since garbage trucks typically don't travel fast, or far, and they're so quiet, an electric solution to garbage collection sounds pretty good. They’ve tried EV garbage trucks in England before, and as far as I know they’re still going strong. Then again, I'm rather keen on using garbage itself to power garbage trucks, but those engines are still pretty damn loud. Really, they got to turn down the volume on those things. Plans are to roll out 11 EV garbage grabbers by the end of the year, with the first hitting streets next week. I’m curious about the charging methods myself (how long, how many volts, etc.) and it’ll be interesting to see if these trucks can succeed where their successors failed. Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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| IEA Says Oil Prices to Rise 30% the Next Three Years Posted: 06 May 2011 09:56 AM PDT
The goal of the IEA organization is to monitor oil production and the international market for oil and other energy sectors. The IEA is a multi-government and independent monitoring agency based in Paris. Five years ago IEA stated that oil production will rise to 120 million barrels a day by the year 2030. Now the IEA is predicting the price of oil will increase by 30% over the following three years. IEA chief economist Dr. Fatih Birol says the world’s crude oil production peaked back in 2006 and the price of oil will continue to rise. “The existing fields are declining so sharply that in order to stay where we are in terms of production levels in the next 25 years, we have to find and develop four new Saudi Arabias,” he said. For reference, Saudi Arabia has claimed (as it has for the past 25 years) to be sitting on 267 billion barrels of oil. Dr. Birol is quick to point out that oil reserves are out there. Yet, the ability to access some of these oil reserves is not. Compounding this issue is the fact that from a business standpoint it is not in the best interest of oil producers to flood the market with their product. There is also the rising tide of demand from China for oil, and India is gaining ground as well. More demand plus less supply will lead to higher prices. In the short term the price if oil is dropping; the June crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped $2.61 to $106.63 a barrel down from a 2½-year high that was above $114 just last week. In comparison at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008 oil prices were at $148 a barrel. Time will tell if the IEA's prediction about oil prices will come to pass, though this quick reversal of attitudes is sure to raise a few eyebrows. When the oil does run out, our global economy needs to be ready. The way to prepare is for nations to transition to alternative fuel sources sooner rather than later. Dr. Birol sees potential in liquid natural gases, and while that might be an option for some, there are a wide variety of potential solutions that need to be vetted for different circumstances and geographic locations. A larger, global, effort needs to be made to seek out alternative fuels that will work in all of the world's unique environments and civilizations. Source: ABC News Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor's Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master's Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.
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| Uno 3, the Transforming Scooter, Available for Pre-Order Posted: 06 May 2011 06:20 AM PDT
BPG Motors has just announced that the Uno 3, their wicked little 3-wheeled transformer, is finally available for pre-order. Just $250 USD will get you on the pre-order list for this compact, city-perfect vehicle. Is your inner nerd yelping yet, Jo? Why you should care: It’s a zero emissions dicycle that transforms into a motorcycle while you ride it. So, not only is it “green”, but you also look cool while being environmentally-conscientious. Of course, you’re only as cool as how well you ride, and falling ain’t no fun. Trust in Newton’s First Law of Motion- the Uno 3 is quite stable in its “Uno” or scooter mode, using 2 parallel wheels with a gyroscopic control system to give you nimbleness and a tight turning radius. You’ll be able to go forward, backward, and turn in tight circles without putting your feet down. At higher speeds, a middle wheel deploys forward at the push of a button, and the two wheels shift back to create a street bike, rendering the Uno 3 even more stable, more nimble, and affording better acceleration. The UNO 3: Better than a hoverboard! The practical stuff: The Uno 3 is designed to be licensed as a scooter-class vehicle, and indeed, in Uno (or scooter) mode, the Uno 3 has a city-suitable topspeed of about 15mph. Once in motorcycle mode, riders can reach a breezy 30mph. Breathe a sigh of relief- the company hopes to increase the performance of the bike. The Uno transforms between a rider’s legs, and has a futurrrific look to it, but it still features conventional motorcycle controls, such as handle bars, traditional foot accelerator, and a hand brake for both modes. There will be no further interfering with muscle memory in that respect, making the transition from bike to UNO that much smoother. The details: Source: Inhabitat
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