The Peapod has been in news quite often since the day Chrysler announced that they were going to bring out a uber-cool and futuristic-styled neighborhood pod that allows you to commute across the city with ease and style.

The little green delight runs completely on electric charge and seats four in a lightweight Arion-inspired seats, sports suicide doors— saving space in the congested urban setting, a glass roof that can be removed for some open-air driving and even some decent trunk space.

The tiny wonder can go around for 30 miles on a single charge making it good enough for most people who are likely going to buy the Peapod. With complete emission-free technology and a top speed of (just) 25 mph, this has both its pros and cons. But most importantly it serves the purpose it is designed for to keep the road clean. And it does it incredibly well. Hitting the stores in this October, this will set you back for $12,000.

But it is well worth the price! [via Engadget]

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A grueling 7-day, nearly 1,900-mile race from Darwin to Adelaide across the Australian Outback, the 10th World Solar Challenge will once again test the best solar-powered vehicles from designers and race enthusiasts all across the planet. And since the race that has already attained mythical proportions with its promotion of solar energy and its testing conditions, for this year the guys from MIT will come up with a green supercharged Eleanor that will carry the fight down under.

Only driving on sun power the green supercar packs quite a punch with a top speed of just 50 mph, while adding some battery juice it will reach a good 70-80 mph. Named after the famous 1967 Ford Mustang from “Gone in 60 Seconds” (doesn’t look like “her” though), the vehicle is powered by 20 square feet of silicon solar panels that put out 1,200 watts and comes loaded with 600 lithium-ion cells from laptop batteries that helps reduce weight and improve efficiency. Dramatically!

The guys at MIT are hoping to put in some miles on the Eleanor before they get down to business in the big race. We’re with you all the way on this one …

Source: MSNBC

Green technology is not just great for the planet, but most often its the ultra-cool and futuristic solutions make for a great and stylish alternative for everyone. And General Motors in partnership with Segway try to do so. They’ve just unveiled PUMA.

PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) is a prototype for an urban two-wheeled electric scooter that is covered with an enclosed compartment which offers safety and protection from the sun and the rain.

The vehicle is not just going to be a sleek and ergonomic commuting option for urban users of tomorrow, but it will also be a pollution-free option with an in-built, electrically charged battery that gives it a mileage of 35 miles on a single charge and ensures that it cruises at a top speed of around 35 mph.

Apart from the fact that the PUMA is an extended, protected and powered-up form of Segway, it is a two-seater that makes it a lot more viable. With its price tag being projected as one-fourth of a normal commercial vehicles, it sure saves some green stuff; money and the environment. [via WSJ]

The story of Thor Heyerdahl and his now-famous Kon-Toki expedition where he sailed 4300 miles across the Pacific in a pae-pae raft made from balsa wood, seems to inspire people. And David de Rothschild is one of them. He’s planning to embark on a similar journey from California to Australia, but adds a modern twist to the whole deal.

Using discarded plastic bottles as the main building item, De Rothschild is working on a catamaran that will have 90% recycled materials. Hoping to draw attention towards recycling and waste issues that plague our planet today, the excited adventurer is set to start in San Francisco this April or May.

Known as Plastiki, the catamaran will sport hulls filled with 12,000 to 16,000 bottles and is covered with skin-like panels, also made from recycled PET bottles. Using its sails and running entirely on wind power, Plastiki will be home to a three member crew that will accompany De Rothschild, and a few scientists.

With each bottle being pressurized using dry ice powder that will sublimate into carbon dioxide gas, the catamaran is going to feature two wind turbines and an array of solar panels will charge a bank of 12-volt batteries that will power all the electronic devices on-board.

David’s effort (11,000 miles is no easy task for any boat) is to show the world that what we dispose off as waste can actually be used effectively once again if we have the time, patience and creativity to tap into its existing potential. The trip is symbolic how the tons of trash that is being discarded on a daily basis and piles up at the landfill can actually be recycled with ease.

While the detractors point out the cost and energy needs of building a boat like Plastiki, this is more of a symbolic message and is aimed at promoting awareness among people. Once the boat finishes the voyage, De Rothschild says that it will again be recycled.

Let’s just hope he actually finishes the rough voyage and reaches safely to the shores down under!

For NASA’ prestigious Create the future Design Contest, designer Tai Chiem came up with this Movito electric ccooter. Integrating clean and green technologies along with a stylish design, Movito feature sleek aerodynamics and an ability to transform itself from a scooter to a highly efficient pod-like urban vehicle.

Powered by an all-electric engine with daft rechargeable batteries and a completely detachable base, the lightweight Movito is not just a cool electric scooter for the future and today’s roads, but also an efficient and clean carrier for your daily commuting.

Although it could be improved upon and despite being just a prototype for the moment, Tai’s Movito seems to be that close to mass production. Looks like a winner all the way, isn’t it? [via Coroflot]

Bike commuting to work sounds like a great thing both for your health and the Earth’s. But when you have one of these Factor001, it’s like going on a date and driving a Ferrari. Known as the world’s most advanced bicycle, it’s been built by the F1 engineering specialists from BERU f1systems as “a ground-breaking training tool combining innovative design and advanced electronics”.

Built on a lightweight carbon fibre monocoque structure the bike integrates an on-board computer, a performance monitoring system and motorsport-grade sensors that give you all those biometric and performance details after a ride. It also packs a GPS and a radio transmitter.

Designed for professional and semi-professional athletes, the high-tech bike will sell for a whopping £20,000 (some $28,000). [via Inhabitat]

We love it when companies invest time and money to coming up with concepts that shape a better future. But what’s more interesting, is that some of these concepts actually come to life.

Swiss tuning designer and car manufacturer, Rinspeed, just announced that they’ve been working to build a solar powered vehicle dubbed iChange. The concept is actually a lightweight electric vehicle (features solar panels on the roof and sides) that is capable to change shape according to the number of passengers on board.

With no doors and a teardrop-like silhouette, the new iChange brings in three powerful li-ion batteries that take three hours to fully charge and offer a 90km range. As for how powerful it is, the engine outputs 150 kW that helps it go naught to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds and achieve a max speed of 220 km/h.

Expected to hit the floors next month at the 2009 Auto Show in Geneva, we’re pretty sure a bunch of “green eyes” will be on Rinspeed.

[Cnet & Green Car Congress]

Green commuting is something rare in most big cities, as people find it hard to integrate their own personal bicycle ride with the local transportation system. Yet, commuting over short distances on an ultra-cool and ergonomically styled modern bike is something that has plenty of appeal. And that’s what the Organik motion Bike is all about.

Aimed at encouraging modern urban commuters to start pedaling for the sake of their own health and that of their planet, the highly sleek and stylish bicycle uses a very simple Z-frame concept along with forcing the rider to get into the perfect aerodynamic position to reduce drag.

Looking more like a machine built for the Olympics rather than just for daily rides across the city, it features a fully integrated braking system, front and rear suspension systems, a shaft drive, and wheels that use a reflective material to keep you safe on a dull and foggy day.

The major problem with the bike is the obvious fact that it looks a shade too ‘contemporary’ and hence seems to be aimed purely at the younger audience. Also the fact that the riding position is so athletic, means that this will feel more like a workout rather than a gentle ride.

Either way, this is still a nice little step forward when it comes to promoting green on wheels!

[via Ecofriend]

Many people are looking these days for eco-friendly alternative for their daily commuting. With that in mind the good folks from Blue Sky Designs, came out with a DIY electric vehicle that you can afford. Dubbed BugEV, the kit for the three wheeled single-seater car/bike is made out of 72 pieces and reaches about 50mph with a maximum range of 30 miles at 30mph average speeds.

The basic kit for that little bugger starts at $3,500 (shipping not included) and gets up to $5,300 for the full version with all the extras. Looking at it again and it does make a good first impressions even though it only covers the front and the top, and forgets about the back.

Definitely not for winter commuting, but a step forward in experimenting with an electric ride. We’d definitely try it out at least once. How about you guys? [BugEV via Zoomilife]

It is no new fact that hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles are the future for automobile industry as they are both an economical and ecologically the smart option. With crude oil becoming an absolute premium with each passing day, fuel cells are becoming more of a reality.

With that in mind, Alex Bell and Andres Pacheco – engineering students at Swarthmore College, ventured into creating something that could soon become the future for bikes. It’s a fuel cell powered motorcycle that uses hydrogen.

First of its kind, the model is a basic structure that uses hydrogen and reactive metals as fuel. Hydrogen is stored at low pressure in two tanks along with reactive metals like Nickel which form hydrides that can be tapped into for power. The initial metal hydride cylinders each hold 900 std. liters of hydrogen, but that could also go up with further research.

With a salvaged Buell cyclone chassis and fitted with a new fuel cell made by Ballard, the bike has an efficiency of mere 46% and is still plagued with a few transmission problems.

Coming from college students, it’s a little step forward in the field of alternate fuels for automobiles that shows what researchers are capable of if they channel resources in the right direction. [via TreeHugger]