Do you worry about the environment and the ways in which you can help reduce your carbon footprint?
Are you under the impression that taking public transport over driving your car lowers the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that you create?
You may be surprised to find that taking public transport has a lot of hidden emissions that increase the ‘tailpipe tally’ which is calculated by the amount of fossil fuels used on a journey.
A study was undertaken by Environmental Engineers, Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath at the University of California at Davis in which they calculated the ‘tailpipe tally’ to get a clear view of the environmental costs of transport.
Their paper is published in the Environmental Research Letters, of Britain’s Institute of Physics Journal. They based their research on United States lifestyles and technologies.
To test automobile performance they used a Toyota Camry Saloon, Chevrolet trailblazer SUV and the Ford F-150. For aircraft testing they tested the Boeing 747 and 737 and the Embraer 147 for different aircraft benchmarks.
It may be more environmentally sound to drive a SUV into a city rather then take the train, you need to factor into the journey the amount of occupied seats and the carbon cost of the train or SUV.
The use of fuels to generate energy to power trains can change the carbon output dramatically. The Boston metro system uses 82% of fossil fuels to power their trains, whereas the San Francisco metro system only gains 49% of their electricity from fossil fuels. The ‘tailpipe tally’ does not take into account the emissions released from transport buildings or their maintenance.
Another factor not considered when adding up the numbers to see which mode of transport releases the higher amount of gas emissions, is the seat occupancy. A saloon or four-wheel-drive that is fully occupied releases less gas emissions per travelled kilometre then a train that is only occupied at a quarter.
Once you have a full understanding of the environmental cost of each different transport you should be able to make an environmentally sound decision on which type of transport you should invest in at which time.
The M4 in South Wales will soon become known as a ‘hydrogen highway’ with work beginning on a network of alternative fuelling stops that will be stretched out between Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport.
Under the new scheme, the region will be one of the first to premier a greener way to travel by vehicle. The idea behind the transportation concept is to have only hydrogen fuel powered cars on the M4 by the close of 2015, which will only emit water vapour instead of carbon emissions.
In fact, Wales has already been chosen as a LCEA or Low Carbon Economic Area for low-carbon fuel and hydrogen technologies that are under development, such as bio-methane and natural gas.
Soon with the new link, South Wales will bring alternative fuel to many other routes that are among some of the most driven in the UK, such as Swindon, the Midlands, Bristol, and London. Along the routes will be hydrogen, bio-methane, and compressed natural gas filling points, as well as plenty of electric plug in facilities.
The reason for this is because while hydrogen is the most available element in the atmosphere, in order to propel an engine, electricity must be used to separate it from other elements like oxygen.
Cardiff director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gordon James stated that the scheme is a wonderful idea, but that only renewable energy should be converted into hydrogen fuel.
Wales Assembly Environment Secretary, Jane Davidson, stated that Wales will be the trailblazer in propelling the use of hydrogen technology.
Bikes for sale are set to change dramatically. The new buzz word in the industry is e-motorbikes. For the last year or so electric superbikes have become big news. The launch of the impressive Mission One, made by Mission Motors, has created a realisation in the industry that motorbikes are well suited to embrace electric motor technology. However a new manufacturer has launched a bike that could surpass the Mission One.
The Mission One, run completely from electric batteries, clocked an impressive 161 mph on a speed test and showed the world that electric motorbikes can be powerful and sexy. The problem with the mission one is that it has very expensive price tag to go with the cutting edge technology. At $69,000 you have to be very wealthy to move into the new era of motorbike technology. However Roehr Motorcycles has just announced the eRoehr. An electric motorbike made for the mass-market. Prices start from $14,995 for the eSupersport. The eSupersport gives 48 horsepower at 8000 rpm with a 105 pound-feet of torque. The eSuperbike is the same bike but with twice the motors, twice the power, for twice the price. In a great idea by the Roehr team you can upgrade the eSupersport to the eSuperbike specifications after you have tested out the electric bike and decided whether you need more power. The Roehr team have also gone further with a promise that the bike 100% maintenance free and the company claim that it ran for 10 years non-stop. If true this means that finding and haggling for motorcycle spares will be a thing of the past.
This week sees the launch of the first ever pan-European eco-driving challenge – the Peugeot Eco Cup – which will follow a 1000 kilometre course from Paris to Geneva, with the winners being those arriving at the finish within set time targets having used the least fuel.
Entry to the Peugeot Eco Cup is open to any qualified driver. Would-be competitors can sign up at the dedicated website http://ecocup.peugeot.com by 15 February 2010.
The website features a range of eco-driving tips, an online eco-driving test and details of the four different Peugeot cars available for the event. Applicants select the car category they prefer to compete in, enter their details and submit a 140 word description of what makes a good eco driver.
Peugeot will select 72 competitors from the online entries and then randomly draw entrants to be invited to take the challenge, with four each representing the 18 European countries (and accompanied by a team-mate of their choice), to compete in four different Peugeot cars: Peugeot 207 HDi 90, 308 HDi 110, 3008 HDi 110 and 5008 HDi 110. Each vehicle is a diesel powered practical family car recognised for its excellent fuel economy and low carbon emissions.
The 72 vehicles will all set off from Paris on Sunday, 28th February 2010 towards Geneva via a compulsory 1,000 kilometre route to be covered within the 30-36 hour permitted period.
For each model, the candidate having consumed the least fuel at the end of the course will win a new car. Winners will be announced and the keys to the vehicles will be handed over on Tuesday 2nd March 2010 on the Peugeot stand at the Geneva Motor Show.
The M4 in South Wales will soon become known as a ‘hydrogen highway’ with work beginning on a network of alternative fuelling stops that will be stretched out between Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport.