Green car insurance sells 25,000 policies
by David Masters
The Green Insurance Company (GIC) this week celebrated writing its 25,000th policy since it was founded 19 months ago. The eco-conscious car insurance intermediary said it reached the milestone ahead of schedule following 'a very successful year's trading'. The company started as a team of three, but has now expanded to employ 60 and is looking to recruit more in the near future. Environmental credentials have been key to the company's success. GIC pledges ...
Wheego Whip EV set for US release
by David Masters
Urban electric vehicle (EV) the Wheego Whip is set to be launched in the US this summer, with the manufacturer's website already taking direct orders. The $19,000 Wheego Whip is similar in size to a two-seater Smart car. It can travel up to 60 miles on a single charge. Fuel costs average out at $0.03 per mile. Top speed is currently limited to 35mph until the US government tests the ...
Google maps ‘500% greener’ in 12 months
by David Masters
Google's map service is 500% greener than it was 12 months ago, according to the Internet giant's blog. Green improvements include detailed and accurate walking directions (users are no longer directed to swim across rivers) and a 250-500% increase in the number of cities where Google Maps can be used to plan public transport journeys. "A year ago, we had 'walking directions' that simply consisted of an as-the-crow-flies arrow across buildings - ...
American Airlines, first to join Climate Leaders
by Alan Harten
American Airlines said that it will become part of the Climate Leaders scheme to commit to conscientious environmental business methods, making it the first big passenger airline to join the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) program. The Climate Leaders programme is collaboration between government and industry, to create wide reaching plans against global warming for the future. Members pledge reductions in their effect on the world’s environment. They fix bold ...
Mayor Boris wants fleet of electric vehicles
by Alan Harten
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, plans to introduce an electric car project to the city, similar to a French scheme in Paris. This follows his initiative for public bicycles. The scheme would enable drivers to collect an electric battery driven car belonging to the city, from one place, and leave it at another when they wish. Mr. Johnson said today that he has created a team to look into charging ...
Toyota unveils 2010 Prius
by David Masters
Toyota today unveiled the third generation Prius hybrid car at Geneva motor show. A 90% redesign of the hybrid system gives the updated Prius 22% more power and 7% more fuel efficiency - up to 74mpg compared to 69mpg on the previous model. Its new larger 1.8 litre engine makes it more efficient for motorway cruising because it runs on a lower rpm at high speeds. Carbon dioxide emissions have been cut to ...
Trekking across India in solar powered cars
by David Masters
A group of Indian young people have trekked 3,500km across their country in electric Reva cars part-powered with solar panels. The Indian Youth Climate Network organised the five week expedition to raise awareness of climate change whilst highlighting potential global warming solutions. The group's three electric Reva cars were charged each night for their daily 150km journey. Solar panels on the cars' roofs provided a 10% energy boost. A caravan of eco-vehicles joined ...
Liftshare.com drivers share 100 million miles per year
by David Masters
Members of UK car-sharing network lifeshare.com are clocking up one hundred million miles of road travel every year, the website revealed this week. The Norfolk based company calculated the figure using the current level of sharing by website members and the journeys registered on the system. Ali Clabburn, lifeshare.com founder, said: "One hundred million miles is a phenomenal figure – almost too large to comprehend. "The financial and environmental implications for this are ...
Green travel is cheaper
by David Masters
Businesses looking to green up their travel will save money, the WWF has claimed. There is 'almost a direct correlation' between reducing emissions from transport and saving money on transport costs, said Jean Leston, WWF transport policy officer. "A lot of different companies tell us we have a policy of trying to reduce our CO2 and travel by 20 per cent and we have achieved cuts in our travel budget by 30 ...
Dairy powers milk lorries with cow manure
by David Masters
A dairy in California has converted two of its milk delivery lorries to run on biomethane produced from cow manure. Hilarides' Dairy plans to use the manure from its 10,000 cows to produce 226,000 cubic feet of biomethane every day. That's enough to reduce its daily diesel consumption by nearly 3,000 litres. Rob Hilarides, dairy owner, said: "For us it made sense to invest in this technology. "Now we can utilize the dairy's ...
Bioplastic Toyota Camry Concept Car
by Alan Harten
Toyota is studying the materials used in its hybrid vehicles, including bioplastics. These are now in use for biodegradable items, but can be made so that they will not break down, which is obviously necessary in cars. Of major importance is that they incorporate fewer derivatives from oil and are more environmentally friendly. However, these materials may not be available for some years, maybe 15 or more. A concept model has ...
Make any bicycle electric with GreenWheel
by David Masters
Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are testing a new electric wheel hub that can be attached to almost any bicycle. The GreenWheel is a self-contained electric wheel that turns a standard bike into a fully functional electric bicycle, complete with motor and battery. All motor parts other than the throttle are encased in the wheel. According to MIT researchers, the GreenWheel gives up to 25 miles of pedal free riding, or ...
Solar powered car at Florida University
by David Masters
The University of Florida has purchased a solar powered car to be used by its Department of Sustainability and Energy Management. The Zenn car is a standard plug-in electric vehicle with three solar panels attached to the roof. It runs entirely on solar power, and can travel around 20 miles per day - not a huge distance, but enough for getting around campus. Because it runs entirely on the sun's power, the day ...
Should you walk or wait if your bus is late?
by David Masters
There's nothing more annoying than waiting so long for a bus that you could have walked to your destination. Equally frustrating is to start walking because you're fed up waiting, only to be passed by your bus two minutes later. In an effort to minimise these annoyances, three US students have come up with the 'bus-wait formula' to calculate whether you'll be best waiting or walking. The student's formula is featured in the ...
Jumbo Jet recycled as hostel
by David Masters
A retired Boeing 747-200 Jumbo has been transformed into a 74-bed hostel at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden. General manager Oscar Dios hopes the hostel will attract aviation enthusiasts, budget travellers, charter tourists and even day visitors. Each of the Jumbo's 25 rooms features a flat screen TV, and wireless internet. Bathrooms are shared, apart from in the en suite luxury room. An onboard restaurant - formerly the lounge bar - boasts garish orange ...
China Backs Green Motoring
by Alan Harten
As the number of car owners increases in China, it is becoming more difficult to reduce the effect on the environment and achieve figures set for saving energy. The Chinese government has therefore promised to make $146 billion, approximately 10 billion Yuan, available over the coming three years to car manufacturers, in order for them to design vehicles which will consume alternative fuels. In addition, car buyers in China will be ...
World’s first hydrogen powered breakdown service
by David Masters
German breakdown service ADAC has purchased its first hydrogen powered vehicle for its roadside assistance agents in the Berlin region. The HydroGen4, manufactured by Opel (General Motors in the US, and Vauxhall in the UK) will be the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle used by a breakdown service. The only emission of hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles is water. Eight other Opel partners in Germany (Allianz, Axel Springer, Coca Cola, Hilton, Linde, Schindler, ...
New discovery reduces fuel cell cost
by David Masters
Scientists have discovered a way to drastically reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel cells, potentially making the technology affordable for mainstream production. Traditionally, fuel cells have used platinum as a catalyst. Platinum is expensive, preventing hydrogen fuel cells from gaining widespread support. Now, scientists believe that carbon nanotubes could be used instead of platinum. As well as being cheaper than platinum, carbon nanotubes have a longer life-span. Carbon nanotubes are used ...
Rubbish powered rubbish collection
by David Masters
A new breed of dustbin lorry has been spotted in West Yorkshire. Kirklees Council's latest rubbish collection vehicle runs on power generated using the rubbish it collects. The 3.5-tonne transit van is powered by a 40kWh lithium-ion battery, with a top speed of 50mph and a 100 mile range. The battery has a lifetime of five years, and is fully recyclable. Charge time is 6-8 hours, and the electricity used comes direct from ...
BMW reveals ‘eco’ petrol supercar
by David Masters
BMW has unveiled plans for an eco supercar. The two-seater BMW Z10 ED will be BMW's flagship green model featuring hybrid power and BMW's suite of Efficient Dynamics fuel-saving technologies. Designers of the 400 horsepower supercar are focusing on reduced carbon emissions instead of an electric motor. BMW said new technologies allow petrol engines to run far more efficiently whilst providing the same amount of power as a conventional engine. "The idea is to ...