In the state of California, vehicles that meet certain fuel economy and tailpipe emission criteria have been given special access to the high occupancy vehicle lanes, also known as HOV or carpool lane. In cities that are swamped with cars, this is a major advantage to hybrid and other green car owners.

The rumbles of trouble  arising in this system have been happening since the number of vehicles that qualify for this access are growing rapidly. Recently, the California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill (SB 535) into law which extends HOV-lane access, starting 2012, to 40,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles that qualify for access.

This could mean that the HOV lane is choked with traffic. Cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid, which qualify for HOV access have has huge numbers coming out – 85,000 to be precise.

The question is – should plug-in hybrids and more electric vehicle be given preference for qualifying for the HOV sticker? Is it not fair that regular hybrids be progressively phased out from the HOV lanes in order to ensure that the most fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles are encouraged?

Even though it not a move that is required with immediate effect, maybe authorities can consider this option to be implemented by 2015, by which time there will be more PHEVs and EVs available.

(Via Treehugger)

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After debuting the world’s first hybrid tugboat in 2009, the Port of Long Beach is partnering again with Foss Maritime Company to retrofit an existing tugboat with hybrid technology.

The ship called the Campbell Foss is a conventional dolphin tugboat assisting ships in the San Pedro Bay. It will be fitted with motor generators, batteries and control systems by Foss at one of their shipyards.  The retrofit should cut 1,340 tons of CO2 emissions and save 100,000 gallons of fuel per year.  Foss and the Port plan to introduce more hybrid tugs over the coming years and see more retrofits in the future.

The Port of Long Beach received a $1 million grant from the California Air Resources Board for the retrofit project.

via Press Release

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Eco Factor: Rooftop solar array to generate about 2.6MW of renewable electric power.

NexGen Energy and Bella Energy have announced that the two companies will built a gigantic 2.6MW solar array on the roof to the Calvin L Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The new solar array will supply around 25 percent of the building’s electricity demand by generating more than 3.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

(more…)

The new G-Bike is out. Cost effective, without compromising on style, the bike is fully electric and can be used for 35 miles on a 4-8 hour charge, at a speed of 20 mph.

The eco friendly battery powered electric bike is available in two models – the City and the Chopper – which intend to give a totally new travel option to commuters who were waiting for a green, stress free alternative to their usual commute.

Available at Santa Monica’s Fred Segal Fun, the bikes boast of operating at a mere 29 cents per charge. Other features include pedals that can be removed, remote control alarm, rear-view mirrors and ample storage space.

Adding immensely to its appeal is the fact that the bike requires no license, insurance or registration. Both models are available in seven standard color combinations, and the company also gives the customer the option of getting a custom color job.

Based in Los Angeles, California, G-Bike is an electric transportation company started by an entrepreneur Travis Morphew who saw the immense potential that alternative transport solution held.

The company wanted to provide users with a ravel option that would deliver them from the stress associated with driving a car.

The City model of the G-Bike looks like a motor scooter – it has an integrated footrest and a step-through frame. The Chopper looks like the chopper motorbike – with an elongated front end, with a low riding position.

Both the models of the G-Bike are competitively priced – on par with the mid-range road and mountain bikes. The Chopper is available for $1000 and the City comes for $1100. This could be the vehicle that revolutionizes inter-city and cross-city travel while caring for the planet as well.
(Via G-Bike)

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It sounds like a good idea: Use electricity to compress air, stuff it in a tank and use the power expelled by the air’s release to power a vehicle. Seems like a good idea, certainly a lot easier to understand than nano-constructed cathodes on a lithium ion cell. And several companies have been actively attempting to build cars powered by conpressed air for quite some time. We at EcoGeek have been excited about them. The two biggest of these companies are MDI, a French company and Tata Motors, India’s largest car company.

But I have bad news. Today, here at EcoGeek, we are declaring the air car dead. It’s a question of physics, every conversion from one type of energy to another decreases efficiency. With battery electric vehicles, energy is converted into electricity and electricity is converted to motion. With air cars, energy is converted into electricity, electricity into compressed air and then compressed air into motion. Because of this, compressed air cars will always be less efficient than electric vehicles.

Even more problematic, no air car has ever been developed that can reach highway speeds and no air car has even been demonstrated to have a range of more than 10 kilometers. Promises were made, and with the entrance of Tata Motors to the fray, we thought there might be some truth to the claims.

But Tata’s goal of a 2008 release of an air car has, obviously, not been met. In 2009, Tata stated that the short range of the cars and issues with keeping them from freezing up (when compressed air is decompressed, temperatures drop dramatically) were proving them impractical.

So, I’m sorry my friends, we’re all going to have to be happy with the much more technologically confusing (though also much more efficient) battery electric vehicles. The good news is, with the Leaf and the Volt already hitting the road, that’s one technology that definitely isn’t vaporware.

More on the disadvantages of air cars.

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Eco Factor: San Ysidro U.S. Land Port of entry uses sustainable design to reduce energy usage.

Award winning architectural firm, The Miller Hull Partnership would be constructing the San Ysidro U.S. Land Port of Entry as a high performance building with sustainable features enabling it to achieve LEED Platinum certification. One of the largest land port entries on US soil the project integrates energy efficient design features along with water conservation strategies. (more…)

Handmade toy company Blabla has been recognized for their excellence in design and product through numerous awards throughout the years. Families who buy Blabla once usually become fans for life.

The company is all set to unleash their new range of handmade toys, clothes and dolls at Masion & Objet in Paris. The show will run from September 3-7, 2010. The Blabla booth at Masion & Objet will be designed by set designer Frank Vesser.

The new collection is based on the inner world of a child and his/her search for laughter, beauty and authenticity. The range has been designed by Florence Wetterwald.

Blabla is known for being an eco friendly company and sell their products, especially the handmade dolls, across the world in 35 countries ranging from Australia to Zimbabwe. The new Fall collections named ‘Lucky’ and ‘Perchance’ have a series of whimsical animals.

There is also a collection of cards and notebooks available from Blabla which have been designed in collaboration with Rachel Ortas.

(Via ChildMode)

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