Southwest Airlines has unveiled a prototype that will help the skies go greener. Until now, little progress has been made in making the aircrafts environment friendly, and the new prototype aircraft Southwest displayed appears to be a step in the right direction. The new aircraft does not have any ground breaking technology as such, but a healthy dose of innovativeness is what makes this flier eco friendly.

They have used environmentally friendly materials for a number of functions on the aircraft, and have also put weight saving methods in place. The aircraft has InterfaceFlor carpet that is completely recyclable, and can withstand wear. Similarly, aluminum seat rub strips on the Boeing 737-700 have been replaced with plastic ones.

They have also replaced the leather seat covers with IZIT leather, changed the material on the life vest pouch, and used lighter foam for the seats. All these additions collectively add up to nearly 472 pounds of weight savings on the aircraft. These weight savings in turn translate to savings of 9,500 gallons of fuel. There is no word on when and if Southwest will put this bird at work.

Source: CleanTechnica

The Volkswagen Pholeum concept from designer Alexei Mikhailov is inspired by the living plant cell tissue system. It is designed as a personal mobility unit, with room for just one person. The concept offers mobility and motorcycle-like travel, while taking a chariot form for seating. Wheels placed out of the body add to its looks and allow it to maneuver in any direction.

Sustainability is a highlight of the concept which features wheels made from bio-degradable rubber, the chassis is an aluminum alloy with honeycomb structure that makes it lighter and stronger, and the body panels are made of recyclable memory plastic. Use of memory plastic also has an added advantage of making repairs of the body easier in case of scratchs, dents or even major damage.

Safety is mainly handled by external airbag systems, with two airbags in the doorpod and others in each wheel. If the sensors detect an imminent collision, the airbags get into action to save the driver. Moving each wheel of the concept are in-wheel motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells. These motors also function as brakes, generating energy through a regenerative system at the same time.

Source: Industrial Design Served

For people who would love to take a bicycle to work or to move around town, but are discouraged by the long distances involved, this electric bicycle could be a great option. Developed by Philippines based company Innovatronix, the Tronix Ebike Exceed is a package suitable for a medium distance commute, and even for those who love to travel.

This bicycle has 16-inch wheels and electric assist for pedaling. Once fully charged, the battery is good for a top speed of 30kph and a maximum distance of 20km. The range of the Tronix makes it suitable for the everyday commute, and additions like headlamp and a tail light ensure safety in poor daylight or night.

The electric assist comes from a 300W, 24V motor, drawing juice from the onboard batteries. These batteries can be completely recharged in about 5 hours. Another advantage of the bicycle is that it is foldable, making it easy to carry around on trips and outings. This makes it easier for the environmentally conscious to carry their own zero-emission ride along.

Source: Ecofriend

Bicycles are obviously a green solution that do the world no harm, but designers still haven’t managed to create something that will convince people to choose as a daily commuter for short distances (instead of a car). However, the Contortionist Folding Bike from Dominic Hargreaves is set to break the jinx for it is a full size bike with 26-inch wheels and can all be rolled up without being too clunky.

The design student from Royal College of Art London has succeeded in creating a design that could soon be on the production floor for such is the appeal of his innovation. He used pivots in the frame and a lockable universal joint in the front fork which together let the bicycle roll up to the width of a single wheel thus making it ultra-compact.

The material usage is high quality as Dominic has used aluminum frames with chunky mountain bike tires and a unique design scheme where the front and rear wheel are slightly misaligned to make folding easier. Even when folded up the wheels rotate freely making it easy to be carried around.

Another very unique feature is the deduction of chains for an internal hydraulic system that uses oil pumped through tubes in the frame to spin the back wheel.

This design has been shortlisted for the Dyson award and could be soon rolled off the production floor with a $675 price tag as Dominic is already in talks with production partners.

[via Guardian]

For the future, Ford is advocating the use of a dry clutch system over the wet clutch option. The experts at Ford believe that the dry clutch is far more efficient when used on existing DCTs-which currently use the wet clutch system.

It is expected that the transformation will yield seven to nine percent efficiency improvement over existing automatics. Like the existing V6 EcoBoost, the 2.0 uses direct fuel injection and turbocharging to achieve its ideal output.

A novel incorporation is the twin independent variable cam timing. This means that both-intake and exhaust cams-are adjustable independently of each other.

The probable models which will get the new EcoBoost are the Fusion/Milan and the Escape/Mariner. The latest uni-boy Explorer might also get the engine. There are talks about the Mustang incorporating it as well but, we will have to wait and see.

Note: pictures of the Ford Explorer America Concept
[via Autoblog]

This limited edition has been designed to celebrate the New York bike culture and the heritage of local manufacturing. The Dutch Master Bike adores a range of fixations that belong to the top bracket.Beginning with the frame, it has the Worksman cruiser, a workhorse foundation offering that has been manufactured in Queens, NY for over 110 years.

Adding to the frame is the Core 77 customization that involves a set of components, each depicting a different motive.

The stem and pedals hail from the Brooklyn Machine Works territory, while the crank bears a BMX moniker. The crank-set is assisted by front and rear drum breaks from Sturmey Archer and ‘Fat Frank’ Cruiser Tires that ensure traction and durability.

Only 25 Ducth Master bikes have been hand-crafted in Brooklyn by KT Higgins, so better hurry!

Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman of General Motors, said in an interview that that the company also could consider launching an all-electric small car for crowded cities. This plan will, according to Stephens, mark GM’s return to a technology that it had abandoned in 2003.

GM said that, aided by the US-government’s turnaround funding, the company will launch 14 new, fuel-saving hybrid models by 2012.  The focus is on the Volt, an electric-drive car that GM is aiming to present in late 2010. The Volt also has a small gas-engine for extended-range driving.

The Volt will have a 40-mile driving range on a single battery charge – a distance that the company claims to cover a round-trip for most urban commuters.  However, the consumer will have to pay over $30,000 for the Volt, even after a federal rebate.

In 2008, General Motors also announced its plans for a plug-in version of its Saturn Vue sport-utility vehicle which would carry a lithium-ion battery pack rechargeable at a standard outlet – thus lessening the need for using gas from its 3.6-liter engine.

The Saturn Vue plug-in SUV was being designed with the capability to be driven 10 miles on electric power only. However, the company’s plans to launch the rechargeable Saturn Vue plug-in SUV were complicated by a decision in 2009 to abandon the Saturn brand.

According to Tom Stephens, work on the plug-in technology behind the Saturn Vue SUV “remained on track” and the vehicle that would replace the cancelled Saturn will be an SUV from one of General Motors’ four remaining brands – Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

Green Speed Air Powered Motorcycle by designer Edwin Yi Yuan

Edwin Yi Yuan has succeeded in designing a concept air-fueled bike dubbed the Green Speed Air Powered Motorcycle. It is not an utterly novel concept for we have heard of compressed air powered vehicles before, but this motorcycle has overcome a couple of problems faced by previous concepts — short range and low speed.

Edwin combined with his lecturer and a team of design students to give it a form. He chucked the guts of a Suzuki GP100 from the 1970s into the bin and just used its frame, wheels and brakes.

The engine used to grind this machine is an invention of a Melbourne based engineer, Angelo Di Pietro. It is lightweight and runs on air compressed from two compressed air tanks on the bike. It revs up 10,000 RPM thereby eliminating the need of a gearbox, bringing only a single gear (sprocket bolted directly to the axis of the engine and chained to the rear wheel) into use.

The mass produced units of the Green Speed Air bike would also use solar panels to compress the air. With zero-carbon emissions and a very inexpensive fuel option,  it definitely looks like the bike of the future. One that we’d love to hop on for a quick spin.

[Via Ecofriend]

Most bicyclists have a dream place in mind when it comes to enjoying their rides. What about an open (dug) plain-where you can try all possible antics that come to mind whilst riding a bicycle For the ones who’ve always wanted an opportunity such as this, the Slovenian Hydro Pumped Storage Power Plant is an ideal place. But only when it is empty, of course!

The bikers will think of it as heaven but paradise is not the real purpose behind the empty hydro pumped storage power plant. In reality it acts like a giant capacitor to which the water can be pumped when there is a surplus of energy elsewhere.

One example, say for instance this power plant was connected to a wind power unit. In such a situation it will store energy when there is a surplus of wind power from blowing at its peak. However, when the wind is not blowing, energy could be produced using the stored water. This process will eventually reduce the impact of the wind’s non availability at times.

A definite green option but we for one are more inclined towards the favor to cyclists.

[via Treehugger]

The trailer is still good enough for a family tour as blogger Marcos Morales is using it for a family vacation through Spain. Waskman Design Studio constructed it with white polyethylene panels and transparent polycarbonate.

The structure has two floors and measures 6m in length, 2.5m in width and 3.85m in height. The design chooses a loft format with a second floor bedroom and office and kitchen space on the first floor. To power the doodads-it is quite obvious that the solar panels atop furnish the energy.

The problem with the apparent form is the openness of the exposed space. For a longer term it is advisable to choose some other material to entertain more privacy.

[via Inhabitat]