Gadget guide Gearlog has put together an excellent postabout the Top 10 green cars shown at the New York auto show.
The by far most extravaganz concept is the GM/Segway PUMA.
The Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility & Asscessiblity) seated-not-standing vehicle is a self-balancing, two-person rickshaw with an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries replacing the coolie.
Check out the article for a picture of the PUMA and 9 other fine automobiles that will hopefully change the world.
The Swiss auto powerhouse Rinspeed presented the ‘iChange’ at the Geneva Motor Show 2009. It is the world’s first car whose body adapts to the number of passengers on board. For Rinspeed boss Rinderknecht the vehicle is more than just a clever concept car. “The „iChange“ is a symbol for the fundamental changes the auto industry undergoes worldwide. And it is clear that only those companies will survive that have innovative answers for the demands of a new automotive era.”
The visionary Rinderknecht is convinced that the days of gas-guzzling behemoths are coming to an end: “The „iChange“ is a signal for the coming global changes to individual mobility. We need to be ready to meet these challenges with new ideas.” In seconds a streamlined one-seater sports car transforms into a comfortable car with ample room for
three. The trick: At the push of a button the rear end of the teardrop-shaped car magically pops up. “We have designed and built an extremely flexible vehicle. In it we have brought the themes of versatility and continually changing energy demands to their logical conclusions.” The result is a streamlined, lightweight zero-emission car with dramatically reduced energy consumption.
The all new third-generation 2010 Prius Hybrid automobile is a continuous development of its predecessors based on the Hybrid Synergy Drive. Its estimated EPA rating is 50 mpg/combined with the new 1.8L Atkinson-cycle engine that has no efficiency-robbing accessory-drive belts. Its performance is significantly improved. A smaller battery-control module and other space-saving strategies gives passengers more space for themselves and for luggage. Drivers can select four driving modes: Normal, EV, Eco and Power. In “EV” mode the car usually runs on battery power only. “Eco” restricts the throttle and reduces acceleration with an aim toward increasing fuel economy. “Power” enhances engine responsiveness, which helps drivers merge onto freeways.
You can get solar roof panels fpr your 2010 Prius which power a ventilation fan that reduces interior temperatures. You can activate the air-conditioning system as you approach your Prius so that the interior isn’t scorching hot when you get to your Prius.
An optional Pre-Collision Safety System determines you are heading for a collision that is unavoidable. The system retracts seatbelts, prepares brake assist and readies air bags. An optional Lane-keeping-Assist system can alert you if the car is drifting out of your lane. An optional Intelligent Parking Assist system allows the Prius to virtually parallel-park itself with minimal driver intervention.
All the system and assistants sound a bit like the future. I hope the hybrid technology will become the future very soon. It makes totally sense and if you are thinking about getting a new car consider one with a MPG of at least 45 miles!
A project by one of the SAP founders aims to make the world a better place by building a network of recharge stations for electric cars. You subscribe to a plan to exchange your car’s batteries at any of their stations. Better Place is the electric car’s way of a petrol station and also replaces other infrastructure needed for personal mobility. See the video for more information.
Ironically racing cars with a terrible mileage are called jet cars. What I am writing about today is a new kind of car where the recent model (Jetcar 2.5) consumes only 2.5 liter of fuel per 100 km. That’s around 1 gallone per 100 miles. It is a hand-built and custom made car from a German company called Jetcar Zukunftsfahrzeug GmbH.
I first read about this company and its products in an article (German) in my favorite daily newspaper. Two brothers are running the company. They also own a company which does wind energy solutions which cross finances the Jetcar company. What a smart move!
Their engineers are already working on a convertible and the Jetcar 1.5 which will only need 1.5 liter per 100 km.
The investments are made by the RecharcheIT initiative. The companies receiving the funds are Aptera Motors and ActaCell. Read the entry in the official google.org blog for the whole story.
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