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What would be the outcome if an electric vehicle and a bicycle hooked up? The Sinclair X-1. The X-1 has an electric motor that powers the rear wheels to help out the rider as they pedal. With very little effort from the rider, the electric bike can go up to 10 miles. The dome on this bike can shield the person inside from the elements, enabling it to be ridden 365 days of the year regardless of weather (which is one of the many reasons people claim they can’t ride their bike). Priced at just under $1000, the cost is comparable to many high-end non-electric bikes. One of the great things about the X-1 is that since it is technically classified as a bicycle and not an electric vehicle, you don’t need a license to operate it. At least in the UK, anyone older that 14 can ride this on any road.

I think that I’ll still stick to using my two legs for my transportation, but this could be a much more efficient solution for many people.

via Treehugger

What do you get when you slow-jam clean energy news with Jimmy Fallon and Brian Williams? The amazing video above.

What if charging an electric car was as easy as pulling it into a parking space and simply walking away, no plugging in necessary? Well that’s exactly what Delphi and WiTricity are proposing. They’re developing a wireless charging system that would be embedded in parking spaces (such as in your garage or at your work place) that simply turn on and charge your car when you park. Wireless charging works by using an electromagnetic field to transfer the electricity between your car and the charging plate.

This technology would really need to see wide-spread adoption before it would become practical. Not only would the charging plates need to be installed in parking spots, but car makers would need to add this technology to their cars to allow for wireless charging (simply parking a regular electric car over one of this chargers won’t do anything). Still, the idea is great and could in fact go even further. What about embedding wireless charging into roads, so electric cars can charge while they drive, giving them practically limitless range? Similar systems are actually already being tested, such as in South Korea where a zoo is using magnets to power trolleys.

via Autoblog Green

Reducing our meat consumption is vital if we want to curb emissions. Although I would love if people didn’t eat any meat at all, I know this isn’t a reality. However, small dietary changes can still make a very large impact. If every American went just one day each week without eating meat, it would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road. In addition to eating less meat, people can shy away from factory farmed meat and choose more sustainably (and ethically) grown meat that has a smaller footprint.

Here is a great video from Inform showing some of the hidden costs of beef and some ways to make been production more sustainable. The main point is simple: eat less.

Riding the bus is far more efficient than driving an automobile. However, nearly all buses still run on oil, which of course is not sustainable. The Spain-based company Oprid seeks to change this. They’ve created Busbaar – “an overhead, pantograph-based rapid-charging station for buses.”

The great thing about buses when thinking of converting them to electric is they follow specific schedules and specific routes. Busbaar utilizes this by installing overhead chargers at bus stops. When buses come to the equipped stops to pick-up/drop-off passengers, an over-head charger juices up the bus in a matter of minutes. Such quick charging is enabled through the use of lithium-titanate batteries, which are known for their ability to rapidly charge. To enable such quick charging, the charge capacity has to be decreased, but this can be easily accounted for since all the buses are on planned routes and the charging stations are places accordingly.

Buses equipped with the Busbaar system are capable of operating for a full day without ever having to refuel on gas. Although switching over to electric buses is not going to be cheap (especially for already cash-strapped public transit systems), the move to electricity is bound to save money in the long run. Prices of electricity are cheaper and steadier than those of oil, and buses that run on diesel can get less than 4 miles per gallon. In addition, converting to electric buses is going to be much cheaper and require less new infrastructure than light rail or street cars.

Check out the video below for more information:

via Autoblog Green

If this isn’t sprawl, I don’t know what is.

The excellent photoblog The Big Picture has a great post with pictures of “human landscapes” in Florida. Most, but not all, of the pictures demonstrate housing layouts that put form above function. When houses are laid out in this manor, it essentially mandates a car to get anywhere, and walking/biking become practically impossible.

I’ve included my favorite pictures below, and the rest can be found here.

This post takes a break from all the high-tech stories I usually write about and instead focuses on the simple pizza box.

I’m the last person you’d ever find eating pizza, but nevertheless, this concept of a pizza box is pretty incredible. A company named Eco Incredible has decided to reinvent the pizza box to serve multiple roles, calling it the GreenBox. After the box is finished carrying the whole pizza and has arrived at its destination, it can be turned into 4 plates in addition to a storage container for leftover pizza (picture shown above). This is a great example of how design can be used to greatly reduce the impact of a product.

Check out the video below for a full rundown on the design of this box.

via Core77

At any given point, there are millions of cars (in America alone) just sitting in a parking lot unused. The vast majority of a car’s life is spent turned off, which is a consequence of there being more cars in the US than there are licensed drivers.

A new car-share service, Getaround, aims to reduce the number of cars on the road by utilizing cars more efficiently. Car owners who have their car sit in a parking lot all day (or just don’t need their car all the time) can now rent out their car to others and make some money at the same time. Car owners can register their car with Getaround, and will then be sent a keyless entry system and GPS to install in their vehicles. Once registered, those using Getaround can see your car on a map and rent it if they would like. The car owner specifies specific hours to allow rentals, to ensure that their car isn’t gone when they need it. Car owners who register their cars can earn up to $350 a week by renting their car for just 15 hours – definitely not a small amount.

Of course, there are several obstacles for Getaround to, well, get around. The main one is of course that the vehicle owners need to have a lot of trust. Cars aren’t cheap, and their aren’t many people who would lend out their car. Although, if the car owners are paid well enough, I can see them becoming much more keen on the idea of letting their car be used by others. Getaround is also “Fortune 500 insured” and screens all the drivers, to try and minimize the risk.

I think this idea has great potential, and I hope the company is successful. Any plan to reduce the number of cars is great and much needed. If you have a car just sitting around most of the time, check Getaround out and see if you can make a little money.

The Clean Air Act, which went into affect when President Nixon signed it on December 31, 1970 turns 40 this year. The Clean Air Act was (and still is) a monumental piece of environmental legislation that produced noticeable change in the United States air quality and has lead to a healthier population as well. According to Treehugger.com, it is estimated that the Clean Air Act prevented:

-205,000 premature deaths
-672,000 cases of chronic bronchitis
-21,000 cases of heart disease
-843,000 asthma attacks
-189,000 cardiovascular hospitalizations
-10.4 million lost I.Q. points in children – from lead reductions
-18 million child respiratory illnesses

Also, it is noteworthy to point out that since the Senate has been unable to pass a climate bill (and it seems that they won’t in the foreseeable future), the Clean Air Act is the legislation under which the Environmental Protection Agency will start to impose limits on carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, the EPA MUST impose limits on carbon dioxide due to a court ruling.

However, certain politicians are now wanting to take away to EPA’s authority in regulating carbon dioxide. Obviously, this would be one huge blow against reigning in CO2 emissions. What astonishes me is the full circle Republicans have gone in regards to the Clean Air Act. When it initially passed, there was bipartisan support. Now, the only Republican who even dared to work with Democrats on a climate bill (Lindsay Graham), has basically been intimidated out of working with the Democrats at all.

That being said, the Clean Air Act definitely deserves recognition for all it has done and (hopefully) what it will continue to do in the future. Happy birthday Clean Air Act!