With the passage of strict new auto emission and air pollution standards, California has again demonstrated its role as the U.S.’s environmental pacesetter. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, explains how her state is helping drive a clean-car revolution.
Category:
Clean Transportation
Trucking has become the most common mode for transporting goods across the land. However, all those trucks on the road burning diesel fuel can create a great deal of air pollution. Plus, higher gas prices cause increases in the prices of goods. Now is the time to consider the next era of trucking, the electric truck. At the moment, they cost about three times
U.S. researchers have designed a wireless charging system for electric vehicles they say could ultimately lead to all-electric highways capable of charging cars and trucks as they drive down the road.
The system, developed by a team at Stanford University, uses magnetic fields to transmit large
General Motors, more commonly known as GM to the public, is an American multinational automotive corporation with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. In 2010, it was listed as the second largest automaker in the world, and for the first half of 2011, GM was actually listed as the first largest. GM is known for its numerous divisions and brands, including Buick, Chevrolet,
In the 19th century, Texas became well known for its longhorns and the Alamo. The 20th century saw the oil boom, the Cowboys, and an infamous Dallas afternoon in November, 1963. In the 21st century, the state is becoming defined by its surprisingly progressive stand on energy through its wind farms and embracing of electric vehicles.
California ‘Clean Car’ Rules Mandate Boost in Electric Vehicle Sales
written by Yale Environment 360
California regulators are expected to pass new rules today requiring that 15 percent of all new cars sold by 2025 be powered by electricity, hydrogen, or other reduced-emission sources.
The new rules proposed by the California Air Resources Board would also require a 75-percent
Transportation has always presented significant design challenges. And no mode of transportation is more fraught with potential hurdles than the automobile.
How can we improve fuel efficiency without affecting performance? Are there ways to reduce weight while maintaining strength and safety? How can we increase recyclability of components at end of life?
Given that the number of cars and trucks on the road is expected to more than double in the next 20 years; and that the Obama Administration raised CAFE Standards to 54.5 MPG for light cars and trucks by 2025, how we approach vehicle design will greatly affect the environmental impact of how we get around.
And in this year, having just passed the 125th anniversary of the internal combustion engine, new pioneers are already starting to make a difference in the way we approach transportation.
• For example, Green Lite Motors has built a hybrid-electric two-person vehicle that gets 100 MPG. This innovative vehicle delivers the safety and comfort of a car with a small footprint and energy efficiency similar to a motorcycle.
• KOR Ecologic’s “Urbee” is a three-wheel, two-seat, next-generation hybrid vehicle that is capable of achieving up to 200 MPG. And many of the car’s components are designed to be 3D printed, making production as local and low-waste as it can get.
• Not to be outshone on the roads, PiMobility is developing an electric bicycle called the PiCycle. The PiCycle’s single, arch-like tube of recycled aluminum is the key to its strength, and unlike plastic parts prone to breakage, provides a durability that ensures the bike will last over the long haul, a key sustainable design strategy.
The essence of design is people thinking through problems to create solutions. With the right tools, clean tech companies can design cleaner, cooler transportation for all and then bring those ideas to market faster and more cost effectively. Thanks to these companies and many others, the wheels are already in motion.
When one thinks of cruise ships, one thinks of grand luxury, solitude, safety, and big. The January 13 capsizing of the Concordia off the coast of Italy, in which at least 11 people died, caught the world — including the cruise ship industry and its passengers — off guard and is shining a spotlight on cruise ship safety and environmental issues. The cruise ship hit
Joachim Buse, Lufthansa airline’s head of aviation biofuel, last week said at an industry event in Washington, D.C. that biofuels could be the industry’s standard fuel in five to seven years.
According to Air Transport World, the airline executive said his company’s burnFAIR project has
Nissan Motors Ltd., commonly known as just Nissan, is a multinational automobile manufacturer located in Japan. Like all other global automobile manufacturers, Nissan Motors has quickly realized the importance of environmental stewardship and environmental sustainability. Knowing that automobiles are the primary cause for much of the
The United States has implemented a variety of policies in the effort to cut back gasoline use. For example, the Obama Administration has invested federal dollars into GM’s electric vehicles. The EPA has introduced new fuel economy standards which are to be implemented over time, gradually becoming stricter. The government has also promoted
Using NASA-Patented technology, designer Francesco Codicè has designed a new concept for purifying air on trains.
Trains provide a greener alternative to transportation than driving or flying, but US trains could definitely use a design update. Codicè’s AirTrain is a modern and elegant solution to the often stuffy and stale air of the indoors. AirTrain purifies air with live plants and recycled rain water.
It must be pretty damaging for any industry’s reputation to be labeled Dinosaur of the Year. And that’s what the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) has called the cruise ship industry. NABU, which is based in Germany, singled out cruise lines AIDA and TUI to get their yearly trophy, which goes to people or companies with “the most ridiculous statement or
The year 2015 is the deadline that a number of automakers have set for themselves to introduce commercially viable fuel cell cars. The leaders in this effort are Daimler, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota, with GM continuing to push forward as well. While 2015 may seem a long way off – and indeed battery and plug-in