Alternative means of transport are still pulling tricks out of the bag.
A fleet of hydrogen buses at the Vancouver Olympic Games
A welcome initiative: at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games (from the 12th to the 28th February), a fleet of 20 hydrogen buses has been put in place to transport the public to Whistler (where various events are taking place).
These green buses were designed by a consortium, one of which is the Canadian company Ballard. They are fitted with a hydrogen engine, a fuel cell (housed on the roof) and an electric battery. The Canadian federal government and the province of British Colombia financed this $89.5m project. The fleet will remain in circulation after the Olympic Games.
Soft transport, clean transport
Soft means of transport are riding high in Switzerland.
According to Caradisiac, more than 11,600 power-assisted bicycles were sold in Geneva in 2008, which is twice as many as in 2007. The canton, which has around 3,000 power-assisted bicycle users, asked the Swiss University Mobility Observatory (OUM) to carry out a study on the profile and behaviour of power-assisted bicycle users. According to the study, by 2030, 10% of Genevans will be travelling by power-assisted bicycle. They will adopt the bicycle for their home-work commute and for leisure activities.
After a testing period in 4 French cities, Peugeot is going to launch and roll out its mobility service in Europe. According to Avem , this service, which is called Mu, offers bicycle, scooter, car and commercial vehicle hire. In order to use the service, the user must create an Internet account, choose the type of vehicle required, and then come and collect it from one of the sites in the relevant town. For the time being, the service is only offering power-assisted bicycle hire for €9/day but, in early 2011, should have the Peugeot iOn (a 100%-electric car, built in partnership with the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi) and the e-Vivacity electric scooter. In the meantime, the European roll out of the service will continue in Berlin, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona et Brussels.
A surprising vehicle is currently being tested in Scotland. Shown to us here by Caradisiac, it is an amphibious bus called the "amfibus". Tested by transport company Stagecoach in Glasgow, the vehicle rests on a bus chassis and has a hull, which allows it to carry up to 50 passengers both on road (up to 95 km/h [about 60 mph]) and on water (up to 8 knots). The aim of this new kind of bus is to replace the ferry that currently connects Renfrew to Roker. Its retail price is £700,000.
Another original initiative: Africa is going to have bikes made from sustainable bamboo. In fact, the «Bamboo Bike Project» team, a collective of designers and engineers from the University of Columbia, had the great idea of making bikes from bamboo in order to reduce production costs. The collective has also taken the time to teach their production methods to the local community, thereby also creating job opportunities there, emphasises Green Launches.
From commercial vehicles to London taxis: the EV spawns imitators
Traditional delivery transport in urban zones represents only 12% of the journeys made, yet generates 25% of the greenhouse gas waste produced... Electric technology therefore represents an efficient solution in the framework of sustainable mobility. It is for this very reason that the Ford Transit Connect is going electric, explains Caradisiac. According to Green Launches, this commercial vehicle, which will arrive on the market in its 100%-electric form in 2010, will have a range of nearly 130 km (about 80 miles). It will be fitted with Lithium-ion batteries intended for the Force Drive drivetrain (supplied by the company Azure Dynamics. It will take between six and eight hours to charge, depending on the power outlet (120V or 240V).
London’s legendary black cabs are also going green soon! In fact, Mercedes is going to launch its electric eVito Taxi. This vehicle, which will use Lithium-ion batteries, will deliver a performance similar to its diesel equivalent, adds Green Launches .
First London taxis, now a saloon: engineers at Kia Motors America (KMA) are launching the Kia Ray, that some have labelled the «rechargeable hybrid of the future.» Green Launches describes it for us as an elegant and compact four-seat saloon that has been designed from light, recycled materials. It has hexagonal roof-top solar panels which power the vehicle’s extra lighting and climate control. It is also insulated by specially coated glass and nanostratified film, which help keep energy consumption down.
New superlight materials
A British consortium, led by scientists at the University of Manchester, has obtained a £5.7m grant to develop new superlight materials. The aim is to build more fuel-efficient vehicles.
According to Green Car Congress, a team of eight multi-disciplinary academics will study and investigate specific alloys, while maintaining low cost and recyclability. The declared objective is to contribute to substantially reducing the environmental impact of these means of transport by lowering fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
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