In an era where gas prices at the pump spiking as high as we have seen lately, a low-carbon car that shatters preconceived notions of electric vehicles – may be the solution. Tesla Motors seemed to be working on this dream for many years – a quixotic dream.

Tesla is totally electric, goes from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and can travel nearly 250 miles (400 km)  on a single charge, says Tesla Motors Company’s home page. Of course, a skeptic might wonder where all of that electricity - during peak acceleration, enough to power 2,000 incandescent light bulbs - is coming from and how clean it is to produce. But at the speeds a Tesla can travel, you might tend to overlook such issues.

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Given the vehicles dependent lifestyle, what are the prospects of a low carbon economy in the future. Bleak, to say the least. But we have the choice.

Culture in all societies are auto dependent. As per empirical observation, given chance, very few people want to use public transport to and from work or for other usual commutes. People who use public transport are much more likely than other to be from lower rungs of the society. Read the rest of this article »

Those who are familiar with Tai Chiem of Melbourne Australia might be aware about the in-wheel electric motor - which helps reduce emissions and frees up space, allowing for a lighter, more efficient frame- that won the coveted prize. The Create the Future contest winners were chosen by an independent panel of design engineers and managers.

The design for an eco-friendly Movito scooter looks good and it is best for short trips. Movito is an electric scooter that will have people attracted to it, and not just because it is electric, but because it is so functional. It is expected that the two tone colors and beautiful lines will make this scooter in high demand; particularly in female population and urban consumers. Different body configurations are part of the plan to make this more marketable. Read the rest of this article »

Fujitsu – one of the leading manufacturer – is setting another example of highly responsible eco-consciousness. The company is selling a laptop that runs on wind power. How? Fujitsu is purchasing wind power green energy credits for each of the FMV Loox laptops sold that are equivalent to the amount of electricity estimated to be used by the machine over a four year lifespan. Read the rest of this article »

Using a proprietary chemical reactant to devulcanize rubber, Green Rubber has found a way to recycle old auto tires. The company process the shredded tires to yield a 100% recycled form or a 50/50 blend of recycled plus virgin material. Soon, the blend is being used by Timberland to make soles for the shoes.

Putting trashed tires back in use (other than burning them during demonstrations on roads) is a big achievement on more than one account. Many rubber products will be made of vulcanized rubber, which is created by adding sulfur and heat to virgin rubber in order to make a tougher, more durable material. Read the rest of this article »

Those who are aware of scarce energy resources and also those who are conscious of what most human activities are doing to planet Earth say that the world need solar power – abundant energy resource. Many savvy concerns are offering products, large and small, that need solar power to function. Scosche has recently unveiled the SolChat Bluetooth Speaker Phone - a new solar powered gadget. Safely use it in it in a car while driving. What is more, it has a pairing capability with your mobile phone, which automatically connects when you enter your car. That means you don’t have to bother about connecting every time you come out to drive. Read the rest of this article »

Those interested in Solar Energy might already be familiar with the 64MW Nevada Solar One - world's third largest concentrated solar power plant. Located about 25 miles south of Las Vegas, the Plant spans 400 acres and generates approximately 129 million kWh of solar electricity annually, enough to provide power to more than 14000 homes, while emitting near zero carbon dioxide. Read the rest of this article »

Techno Station is eco friendly portal. We always advocate use of applications that do not contribute to greenhouse emission, acid rain or ozone depletion.

It is in this milieu that we are looking hydrogen and its potentials as a source of energy. Presently, hydrogen – found in abundance on earth - is already being used as primary feedstock in industrial sectors, including petroleum refining, petrochemical manufacturing, glass purification and in fertilizers. Hydrogen is also used in the semiconductor industry and for the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats in vegetable oil. About 90 per cent of the hydrogen produced per year worldwide is from fossil fuels, mainly by steam reforming of natural gas and petroleum derivatives. Read the rest of this article »

Our future is green. I say this because I see eco-awareness exponentially growing, among consumers as well as manufacturers. Look around and you will note increasing use of eco-friendly materials at many places from eco-friendly Olympic village in China to use of weeds in building cars. And this awareness is a encouraging sign and hope for the for the greener future. Imagine what you will feel while riding a Lotus - the British sports-car company - two seater Eco Elise made from eco-friendly materials. I will feel that I am contributing in collective eco friendly efforts for a collective cause. Read the rest of this article »

The technological trend in vehicle technology is so clearly heading in the direction of low emission sources. After eclectic cars, now we are seeing production of motorbikes with eclectic power. One of the most promising example is KTM’s work on a sports enduro with electric drive. The company has been successfully testing a fully functional electric, zero local emissions enduro prototype motorcycle since mid 2008 and has now announced that mass production is set to begin in 2010. This is one of the biggest welcome steps towards greener Earth that will surely make a difference in more than one ways. Read the rest of this article »

Environmentally friendly companies are going long way to protect the planet Earth and reduce all sorts of emissions by using alternative sources of energy. Lately, Solar powered mobile phones have come up and are gaining attention of the users. Samsung – one of the leading mobile phone handsets manufacturers - has recently launched a new phone known as Blue-Earth. The full touch screen mobile phone is powered by solar panels placed on the back of the phone. Samsung’s eco-friendly product will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2009 for the first time. Read the rest of this article »

You want to see a unique convergence of luxury, beauty and style with an environmental conscience? Have a closer look at Fisker Karma. Joint project of Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Technologies has developed a plug-in hybrid sportscar. The company's sole existing product is the Fisker Karma that was first shown at the North American International Auto Show in January 2008. Fisker intends to sell its Karma late this year in the US and in early 2010 in Europe.

The Karma claims a top speed of 125 mph and goes 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. Fisker Automotive is calling it the "world's first true premium plug-in hybrid sports sedan." The Karma features two operating modes - Stealth Mode and Sport Mode. In electric only Stealth Mode, drivers can travel emission-free for up to 50 miles on a full electric charge. For distances of up to 300 miles, they can choose Sport Mode, which relies on a small gasoline engine to turn the generator that charges the lithium ion battery pack. Karmas are scheduled to ship late 2009. Read the rest of this article »

Saving the planet Earth is a collective responsibility of all businesses and individuals. Best thing is that awareness is increasing and most people are doing their best to slow (if not possible to stop) the environmental degradation and saving the mother Earth. Even consumers supplementing corporate efforts by using and adopting green technologies’ products.

I came across iLinc Green Meter lately. This is a wonderful software that measures carbon emission. Based on the information business and individuals can resort to collaborative technologies to reduce physical travel. Result: it will reduce business travel and save environment. What is the iLinc Green Meter? It is an automatic calculator inside iLinc web conferencing software that tracks CO2, cost and travel reductions accrued by meeting online rather than traveling. Read the rest of this article »

The Ford F-150 with its 320 HP V-8 may be one idea of a 'muscle' pickup truck. But a small UK electric motor company did some innovative rethinking of this American icon. It yanked the drivetrain, gearbox, transmission, engine, exhaust, gas tank, and the differential. Then it installed 66 lb (30 kg) 'Hi-Pa Drive' pancake motors on each wheel and a 40 kW battery. The result: a screaming 600 HP vehicle that can go 100 miles (160 km) on one charge. Each wheel is a generator that recaptures the kinetic energy lost during braking. Read the rest of this article »

Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks. Their study has been published online in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the new study, Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, and Narasimharao Kondamudi note that the major barrier to wider use of biodiesel fuel is lack of a low-cost, high quality source, or feedstock, for producing that new energy source. Spent coffee grounds contain between 11 and 20 percent oil by weight. That’s about as much as traditional biodiesel feedstocks such as rapeseed, palm, and soybean oil. Read the rest of this article »