The Tesla Roadster needs no introduction as it is the first electric commuter to be dubbed a sportscar. The speed devils admire it as much as the green fanatics do, but the ones who bought it may not be happy with a recall.

Tesla Roadster - the electric supercar

It looks like 345 of the roadsters sold have been recalled by the company over a suspected suspension problem of the rear chassis.

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The terminator attitude is showing in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s determination to make California a state that embraces hydrogen power like none other.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the SAE in April 2009

He believes that the government keeps changing its policies related to alternative fuels depending on the prices of gasoline. California on the other hand is only moving in one direction with the hydrogen plans and that is forward, irrespective of what Washington does.

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The General Motors-owned Hummer (a notoriously gas-guzzling vehicle) is going eco-friendly. The company has produced a near-zero emission hybrid that is powered by electricity and claiming to have a fuel efficiency of 100 miles a gallon. Compare this with Toyota’s Prius hybrid, which gives only 50 miles a gallon…

Eco-friendly Electric Powered Hummer

Hummer had started collaborating with Raser Technologies, an energy-technology company focusing on geothermal power development and technology licensing, about 15 months ago to create a “green” vehicle with as much as 600 pounds of lithium-ion battery packs.

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By waggling a wing, aircrafts could save up to 20% fuel – thus saving on costs significantly and also cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from aviation.

An Airbus A380 on San Francisco Airport

The surprise discovery was made by researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry, West Midlands, England, who were “playing with” a model aircraft-wing in a wind tunnel.

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The Green Eye Candy and the Orange Tequila Sunrise are two revolutionary ideas by Jason Battersby.

Certainly a class apart from the crowd, the two maverick machines are hand-made from fibreglass to give out a look of well-oiled fluidity. Fast, supple and streamlined with strong rims, the Green Eye Candy and the Orange Tequila Sunrise resemble motorcycles more than bicycles.

A ground-breaking design exercise, both machines are widely expected to excite and attract biking fans who would like to exercise. Comfortable with a seat area that is relaxed and squat (champion in the 2007 Toronto Speedorama), it’s the sleek design that makes them the perfect commuter for your daily activities.

Great additions. Thanks Jason![via Behance]

Not many would be aware why the Mercedes Benz ML450 is creating such hype at the 2009 New York Auto Show until you tell them that it is a hybrid variant.

Meant for both the green minded and the adrenaline junkies, the new ML450 gas-electric hybrid uses a specially designed 3.5-liter V6 Atkinson cycle engine that is doubled up with a 288V NM battery pack for a total output of 335 hp.

Based on a Two-Mode hybrid powertrain (co-developed with General Motors and Chrysler ) the hybrid SUV gets 21mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highways, while the battery pack helps it add an extra 34 miles range. And that’s a great option even against a Prius …

But can you afford it? Mercedes will let us know soon! [via Autobloggreen]

For those who wish to make exercise more fun than labor and also for those who are in the habit of making excuses to shun exercise, here is a tempting idea from the Dutch that combines taking your baby/babies along with you while you exercise.

The makers of the Taga — which is a combination of a stroller and a bicycle, claim that the device is “a feat of engineering genius”. It’s an unique design that easily converts (in only 20seconds) from a regular stroller to a bicycle-carrier and even to a double-seat stroller, thus making it easy for the mother to exercise with her children.

The Taga weighs 44 pounds to 64 pounds, depending on the configuration. It has an aluminum-alloy frame, an internal Shimano gear system as well as front, rear, and parking brakes.

The Taga will, in addition to the existing ‘trike’ and stroller models, soon have options for a double-child seat, a car seat, shopping basket, and a wooden double-seat trailer. At present, the Taga is available only in Europe, at a price of £1,695, but the contraption is hoped to make its debut in the United States sooner than later.

[via TreeHugger]

NYPD boys in blue will be driving green.

The Big Apple has bought 40 Nissan Altima hybrid cars to be used as patrol cars for the city’s finest. Instead of patrolling the streets at 16mpg in Impalas (hey GM! Are you still wondering why you are having financial problems?) the boys and girls will be getting 35mpg in their hybrids.

Of course, the city had to pay about $1500 more for each of the hybrid cars. It’ll take 2-3 years for the city to get its money back in gas savings depending on actual mileage and gas prices.

Nissan Altima for the NYPD

NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said:

“Through savings in fuel, these Altimas can quickly cover their additional cost, from then they will save taxpayers money – another example of how going green is good for our environment and our pocketbooks.”

So, Mike, why stop at 40 cars?

Nissan? Why not give the city a break and ask them to pay you back in 2-3 years once the money has been saved?

[via TreeHugger]

With pollution levels hitting record highs these days, the Obama administration decided that a nationwide high-speed rail system is a broad and strategic solution that will boost regional economies, and help reduce highway congestion and U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

And, if you think of it, that could generate thousands of construction jobs over several years, as well as permanent jobs for rail employees.

A very good solution to air or car traveling, Obama is trying to push an $8 billion stimulus package through Congress to improve existing rail lines (where trains could “fly” at 100 mph or faster) and to develop at least six high-speed corridors— which have already been identified, with Chicago the main hub.

1. California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)
2. Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)
3. South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)
4. Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)
5. Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville)
6. Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)
7. Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)
8. Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)
9. Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)
10. Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

Although the $8 billion stimulus is not enough to get everything done, Obama considers it a downpayment on the future if they can just get the program started.

Of course, the biggest problem might not be getting the money. In California, one environmental group wants the rail line to cut back on dependence on fossil fuels, whereas other environmental groups do NOT want the rail line because of the ‘cost’ to the environment to get it installed. Now what do we do ?

Image by Shi Yali

Powered by a hot-swappable lithium battery pack, the E1pc Electric Motorcycle by MotoCzysz will race in the TTXGP competition using its latest green technology that makes it completely emission-free.

The sexy bike is a great combination of brilliant aerodynamics and a low weight (carbon fiber and aluminum) chassis, that allows it to carry 125 kg of lithium batteries and still manage to output some 115 hp of power and as much as 300-ft-lbs of torque. Reaching a max speed of 150 mph on a single speed gear box and 175 mph on a multi-speed gear system, the lightweight E1pc is definitely competitive on track.

While designed keeping the requirements of the TTXGP races in mind, a road version of the E1pc could easily be one of the very best electric bikes on offer in the market today. The designers also claim that you could cut down the weight of the hot-swap battery pack to as much as just 30 kilos to create a light and efficient urban commuting vehicle.

That is indeed versatility at its best, don’t you think? [via EcoFriend]