These days are the days of environmental awareness. We really just cannot close our eyes and ears to what is happening to our planet. Otherwise, we might have really bad environmental conditions in the next several years. This is the rationale behind a recent move in Scotland, which encourages motorists to become “green drivers.” While this initiative is in effect in Scotland, I believe that even those of us who are based in other parts of the world can benefit from following their program.
BBC has a report on this:
The Energy Saving Trust said “greener” driving habits could save motorists in Glasgow £24.5m a year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 64,000 tonnes.
It will bring a driving simulator to Braehead Shopping Centre later to demonstrate eco-friendly techniques. Advisers will also visit Cumbernauld Shopping Centre.
The campaign offers four key pieces of advice for motorists:
• Shift to as high a gear as possible
• Anticipate road conditions and drive more smoothly
• Maintain a steady speed in as high a gear as possible
• Drive a little slower than your normal speed
Look at those key pieces of advice. If you think about it, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that these tips would help you save fuel, and contribute to the conservation of the environment as well. I suppose it is a matter of initiative and motivation. This, we cannot force. We have to find it in ourselves and do it of our own accord.
Photo courtesy of j_avonni
Just in case you have not noticed yet, the weather has been totally crazy this year. It has been going bonkers for quite some time now, but this year, weirdness of the weather has gone up to a whole new level. While your driving habits aren’t the only reason for the degradation of the environment, you know very well that your own little contribution can add up to the little contribution of others to make a huge impact on the planet. Here are some green driving tips that you can follow.
Buy fuel efficient tires.
Fuel efficient tires? Do those things really exist? Yes they do, but do they actually help save fuel? The good news is that there are tires that do help in saving fuel. One manufacturer, Firestone, has created a range of tires that are aimed to do exactly that. Just ask your local tire store for the details. If it is time for you to change tires, why not go for the ones that will save you money and help the environment in the long run?
Buy green batteries.
It should be pretty obvious that I am not talking about batteries that are color green. There are many chemicals found in the conventional batteries that are harmful to the environment. The good news is that there are batteries that are eco-friendly. Take a look at your options and go for the green ones.
Buy eco-friendly car polish.
If there is one thing that turns me off, it is a dirty car. A lot of people think the same way, and they go to great lengths to keep their cars clean and shiny. But car polish products can be harmful to the environment. Why not look for products that are safe in this regard?
Remember, every little bit goes a long long way.
We’ve all heard the bad rap biofuels has gotten with the increased pollution and macro-economic impact it has on society but you’ve gotta’ give credit for these engineers who have managed to come up with alternatives to our increasingly oil dependent economies in so short a time. The problem wasn’t with the fuel itself for it fulfilled all pre-set criteria for a fuel that burned with less emissions than oil-based fuel products. As it turns out, it takes more energy to produce a liter of biofuel that off-sets the gains of the said alternative. The foray of engineers into the hybrid arena was merely to fill in the gap till fully electric systems became more feasible.
Fuel cell technology today, has resulted in some of the coolest cars around. From electric compacts that run on hydrogen or compressed natural gas that has similar abilities as bio fuels used in conjunction with better fuel cell technologies and reactors they all make for a better transition from an oil-based economy to a hydrogen or LNG-based one. The benefits of these alternative fueled cars is so much that research has been pushed to the extent of breakthroughs being put into prototypes as soon as they are discovered making for some really cool cars. With some manufacturers fielding test fleets to iron out the kinks in the system, they should have a working infrastructure by 2010 when most manufacturers schedule the release of their versions of the electric vehicles to take up the slack where bio-fueled vehicles left off.
Traditionally, you would think that women would be better off in smaller vehicles mainly because it would be hard to maneuver larger ones like SUVs or vans these days. And we all know for a fact that the strength and the proper mix towards making curves and space allocations have become an issue for women who are not used to driving larger and longer vehicles. But apparently, these are all yesterday’s news.
Today, we can see women driving larger vehicles despite the hardships brought about by the oil price increases. But as far as to their reason for wanting a larger vehicle, it apparently stems from the fact that they look at cars more than being a transport machine. Some may go as far as looking at it like their mobile cabinet or even their home at times. This is particularly true for women who are always on the go or have children as well, so that things that they would need personally or for their kids is just a reach away.
For a man to hear this would really be outrageous. Vehicles are known to serve their purpose but not in this manner. But while many male drivers may be shaking their head in disbelief, it remains that if the female drivers want it and that they can afford to buy such cars, there is nothing anyone can do about it. That is their right and all you can do at the moment is respect them for it.
Source
Hybrids used to be a fad that people say was one of those things like that stubborn popcorn kernel stuck in between your teeth that you can’t seem to get out that has to fall out sooner or later. Many saw them as a waste of time and that the rule of the petrol powered vehicle was good for another 50 years or so. Gues what, we don;t have enough oil for the auto manufacturers sell more and more cars everyday adding to the already taxed supply. Oil has become a bargaining chip on the global political scene that a simple lack of production would have devastating effect for some of the most gas reliant economies like the US and many countries of Europe. Oil is the most in demand resource and scientists have been telling us that the supplies are limited and it would only be time before we ran out sending us back to the dark ages without power and cars. Then it came, gas shortages and oil wars that prevents it from flowing steadily to fuel the growth of the many booming economies.
As the problems associated with methanol, LPG, LNG and other hybrids got ever more complicated even affecting the global food shortage, PHEV cars are gaining ground. With gas prices in the US soaring above the $4.00 mark, people are desperate for better more efficient cars. Hybrids are in that can be plugged in to charge their batteries for the next day’s trips as their owners rest. The advent of more efficient batteries such as Lithium Ion types has given the electric car a boost that more prefer Plug-In Electric Hybrids over the other types. Even the stock electrical systems of the Toyota Prius have been overhauled using these revolutionary batteries that have the capability to take you over 100 miles on a single charge.
Li-Ion Batteries are found in most gadgets and gizmos such as cell phones, PDA’s and many other small ones we carry around each and every day. Traditional Lead-Acid batteries have a long charge/discharge cycle and are prone to failure due to several factors such as humidity, temperature and the battery’s previous charge which has a nasty ability to have a short life and some safety concerns about the acids they contain should you get into a crash and they spill it all over the place, you get the picture.
Green cars powered by methanol have been given the boot and plug-in hybrids have taken central stage. The food shortage we are currently experiencing is blamed on these green fuels where farmers saw the potential and stopped planting other food crops concentrating on methanol sources for their crops, the result is not enough food for many people (the Mexicans have even rioted over a shortage of tortillas somewhere) and for something to be totally sustainable, that doesn’t look good. So they throw away the keys and focus on PHEV’s which have toxic batteries but have less impact on the environment (for now or till someone blows the whistle about some hidden problem that is also counter the aim of becoming sustainable).
With the acceptance of plans for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) has been widely debated and criticized but with many city’s, manufacturers and other groups accepting and formulating their own support infrastructures for future implementation of such types of vehicles a question surfaces in the sense that would the utility companies have enough will to support such technology by 2010, the period when most car manufacturers have signified that they would begin releasing PHEV vehicles to the general public. The utilities companies are the ones who would be bearing the brunt of the strain with the advent of such technologies and proposals like the ones below can make the difference between having a greener electric car future or not. Utility companies should be able to develop smart meters that would prevent charging of such vehicles during peak times to avoid overloading infrastructure that is already in place. The Utility Company cannot simply replace and upgrade all of the transmission and management systems at so fast a pace due to costs which are also quite high. The current level of off-peak surplus energy (electricity) is so much that even today, it is possible to support a very large fleet of electric vehicles. The adoption and use of PHEV’s would or could lessen CO2 emissions by as much as 50% which is great for the environment. Time is still on the side of utilities but they should act soon if the vision of an almost fully electric vehicle market is to take shape. Even with the minor changes required, billions of dollars of commitment from utility companies is needed. These developments are indeed in debate and are being discussed in the Industrialized world but implementation of such systems in the developing world may take longer than targets set by the various environmental groups and governments for cost is still the main deterrent. Tomorrow might see the rise of the PHEV as the main form of transport, but till these issues are addressed, the fate of the move is still in question and time is running out.
There has been much talk into the ability of tomorrow’s smart cars that have the capacity of augmenting the human driver at the steering wheel of all vehicles. While the driver may not be totally eliminated form the total driving experience, there are technologies in development and use that are designed to augment the driver’s abilities with respect to vision, reaction time and collision avoidance. Technologies in development like the ones currently being researched and proven by the Japanese car manufacturer Honda, their ASV and DSSS systems are designed to lay out the future of smart cars that talk to each other and communicate with traffic computers allowing them real time data acquisition form other vehicles.
Additions of vision augmentation such as the ones used by Mercedes that have built in IR emitters that are seen by an onboard camera that allows drivers to see in front of the vehicle and at the rear when parking avoiding hidden dangers that cannot be revealed even with current HID technologies. Adaptive lighting also used by newer Mercedes cars which has servos and sensors that maintains the most amount of light on the road and out of the face of drivers in oncoming vehicles is also making roads safer and better to drive. Blind corner detection which Mazda is developing is also to take part in the development of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that would be the framework of tomorrow’s smart roads where cars and drivers are able to gain information form each other and directly form the traffic management people.
Technology has gone a long way in terms of improving the safety and ease at which we drive tomorrow’s cars but the question on how far we would allow these technologies to take over our vehicles is for us to say and many still feel uncomfortable at letting technology rule our lives. That’s why we still have pilots when planes can fly themselves without them and Ship Captains when current high-tech ships can sail on their own. The human ability to react and reason is still the best technology when it comes to risk analysis and no computer can top the intuitive human touch to date.
For almost $4,000.00 that is, the Poulsen Hybrid is a Power Assist Unit that is hailed as a simple bolt on upgrade for standard gas-powered or diesel vehicles. The device has caused a stir and is raising eyebrows for the device simply has the old car retro-fitted with rear DC motors, controllers, on-board charger and storage batteries. The move has the standard vechicle running using electric motors for propulsion on level roads and as with hybrids, switching to the gaspowered engine during high demand conditions like going up hills or when the battery is going flat. The system works by switching to the electric motors after the car has reached a pre-set speed say the cruising speed you select, after which the gas engine halts operation leaving the maintenance of the pre-set speed to the electric motors that gets power from the batteries.
Safety experts are quite concerned at the overall look of the vechile with parts that protrudes from the rear wheels to the trunk but the best part about the idea that makes it interesting is the fact that you don’t need a totally new car to get onto the path to green motoring. New hybrids cost a lot of money and the approach of offering a bolt-on upgrade to save a bit of the gas pump is nice. One European car manufacturer has offered an enticing approch by selling the Think and not the batteries which are kept on lease to eliminate the problems associated with maintenance of batteries which are costly and quite hazardous to the environment. The approach to upgrade existing cars is more realistic that telling a company that has a large fleet of vehicles to simply get rid of all thier cars and get newer hybrids for them to go green. Other options are just not that enticing due to huge investments and often lacking infrastructure limiting their effective range (only certain major cities have support for LPG, LNG and Ethanol Powered Vechiles)
The term describes a select group of driving aficionados who do out of this world driving (safely I hope) to squeeze every ounce of energy from every gallon of gasoline they have in their tanks. With gasoline hitting more than $3.00 a gallon, who wouldn’t? The trend has owners of hybrids and standard gas powered vehicles doing extreme driving practices such as trailing big-rigs (Tractor Trailers) to take advantage of their downdraft which creates suction in between the rig and your vehicle that you are actually pulled along by the rig in front of you. Another practice has people coasting as they are about to hit the stop light and many more. They have come up with unimaginable feats of getting up to or more that 100 MPG which is phenomenal with standard driving practices. Many have taken notice and many are turning into converts but many still question the safety of some of their practices or sometimes even the legality of doing such extreme maneuvers just to save every drop of gas.
They are a growing group that aims to educate people how they can lower their carbon footprints even while driving their cars. Many of these feats are possible only on hybrids but some nuts have been doing them in gas powered ones with equal results but I doubt that their lives should be placed on the line just to save on gas. Hybrids have a small gasoline engine that assists the electric motors during certain conditions that the computer can detect. Hybrids are designed or programmed to have the switching between gas and electric power under certain conditions to be automatic though most have switches that tells the car to stick with electric, gas or automatic propulsion. Hybrids have been getting reports of flat batteries and low charges due to these practices and doing some of these maneuvers on a gas powered vehicle can send you to the grave in no time due to braking power that is provided by the engine itself. It might be better to work with the designers of hybrids to have these changes to the way the car thinks included in the car’s computers rather than having to turn them off and do what you think is best for safety aspects are overlooked by some of these techniques and driving styles. And till they become standardized, I wouldn’t encourage drivers to do the same for as everybody does the same, who will you tail for everybody’s tailing everybody else, and all you’d end up with is a pile up of hybrids and trucks, you get the picture.
The drive to save on gasoline and thus lessen the dependency on oil is great. Global warming, high oil prices and many other environmental and man-made factors are having people take extreme measures just to save on gas. You might save every drop of it but endangering your life and the lives of others may not constitute such acts so do think twice about the implications.
Thanks to Mr. Luis Cruz for the suggestion!
Since the manufacturer still owns the battery maintenance and other costs such as repair and disposal are to be shouldered and handled by the manufacturer, the car owner simply brings it in, gets a fresh set then drive off. Now that’s an idea and even the American firm who would take part in he newly formed company agrees so much they call it a WINNER. The cars would be imported from Norway and then be sold in the United States for under $20,000 US (they set it there so it falls cheaper than the Prius) and they are in talks with US battery makers who would be taking care of the production of the batteries locally which would make the process of maintenance easier and faster.
They are set to begin with 50 demo units aimed at utility companies who need these types of vehicles which are small and best of all GREEN. For safety concerns, well it is considered to be one of a handful of (the Prius, Tesla Roadster being some of them of them, most of the others failed to go beyond prototype stage due to cost issues) of the world’s crash tested and highway certified fully-electric cars in the world. Speed freaks don’t fret; the manufacturer says they can raise the top speed to conform with US speed limits. It charges for three hours on a full day’s use and eight for fully drained batteries. Apparently the idea has been in use for quite sometime in Europe, just wonder why the idea hasn’t caught up in the States sooner?
