AutoblogGreen presents: Top ten most promising green technologies
Each day we cover the green sector of the automotive industry, and we see news coming from every direction touting some sort of new technology that is intended to reduce the effect our transportation has on the environment. Some of these technologies are easy to disregard as mere pipe-dreams, while others take a little more time to digest. For that reason, we've decided to take the opportunity on Earth Day to highlight some of the most promising green technologies that are either currently hitting the market or are just over the horizon. Follow along as we cover what we consider to be the top ten most promising green technologies. The ride starts here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris 6:43AM (4/23/2008)
You just had to spread it out on ten pages didn't ya.
Thank goodness for ad blocking software
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James Bowe 8:59AM (4/23/2008)
for real, the multi-page posts are getting annoying. are we almost done with them jeremy?
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rgseidl 11:46AM (4/23/2008)
Multi-page posts are a fact of life for a web site that depends on advertising. It's incredibly annoying, but less so than having to pay for content.
As for the technologies, note that flywheels are being considered not only for F1 race cars but also for buses, e.g. the Fraunhofer Autotram. Note that they use a gimbal mount to avoid excessive gyroscopic loads on the bearings and undesirable interactions with directional control. An even bigger issue is adequate containment in the event of an uncontrolled energy release, e.g. during a collision.
http://www.ivi.fraunhofer.de/frames/images/autotram/Autotram_RollOut.pdf
This brings up a fair question: is building a better car really the answer to God, the Universe and everything? Sure, it will address criteria emissions and fuel economy, but an electric motor powered by fancy Li-ion batteries is going to have exactly zero effect on traffic congestion.
To tackle that issue, you need mass transit, i.e. various types of trains and buses, preferably grid-connected or battery electric. Bicycles - optionally battery electric - would also greatly increase the capacity of existing roads and parking lots. Note that BEV technology would also be much more affordable in those vehicles than in personal motor cars.
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Glenn 12:29PM (4/23/2008)
The number one should have been the development of plug-in capable vehicles. This still not available technology has the most potential to dramatically change the transportation environment.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 2:08AM (4/24/2008)
rgseidl, nice hitchhiker reference.
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