We've been keeping tabs on the Formula Zero racing series since we first heard about it in 2006. Using hydrogen to generate electricity which then powers electric motors to propel these small Formula 1-esque cars around a track, there will be no emissions coming from the vehicles taking part in this race. The first leg of the inaugural 2008 Championship this year will be taking place on August 22 in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Really, the timing of this event could not possibly be better as the entire world is looking for ways to reduce its oil consumption and even the pinnacle of road racing, Formula 1, is looking to lower its environmental impact.

Six teams are taking part including the U.S.-based team from Lawrence Technical University in Michigan with their Element One and the U.K.- based team from The Imperial College of London. We'll be naturally keeping an eye out for the results. Stay tuned.

[Source: Formula Zero]

Click on picture for high-resolution picture

One of Europe's sexiest sedans, the Peugeot 407, has gotten a mid-life boost. Besides some aesthetic tweaks, Peugeot has updated the 2.0-liter HDi 140 engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox which develops 140hp - an increase of 4hp over the previous HDi 136. It also benefits from lower fuel consumption, at 49.5 mpg imperial (41 mpg U.S. or 5.7 l/100 km) and CO₂ emissions have been reduced to 150 g/km. It also gets a Diesel Particulate Filter (nicknamed FAP at Peugeot) as standard. The FAP is also available on the 1.6-liter 110hp base diesel model. Two additional diesels, a 170hp and a V6, remain available. All PSA diesel engines built after 1998 are certified to use biodiesel blends up to 30 percent. For flex-fuel lovers, Peugeot is offering a new 2.0-litre 'Bioflex' engine that can burn E85 fuel starting in November. Full UK press release after the jump.



[Source: Peugeot]

Spain was one of the first countries to tax cars, at least when they're purchased, depending on their CO₂ emission levels. What's good for four wheels is good for two, apparently, and a very similar tax system has been adopted for motorbikes, which will be put into effect at the start of 2009. This means that the amount of tax paid when a buyer registers a two-wheeler, called "Impuesto de matriculación," will be as follows:

• Two-wheelers that emit less than 80 g/km of CO₂ will be exempt from the registration tax.
• Two-wheelers that emit between 80 and 100 g/km of CO₂ will pay 4.75 percent registration tax.
• Two-wheelers that emit between 100 and 120 g/km of CO₂ will pay 9.75 percent registration tax.
• And, finally, bikes that emit over 120 g/km of CO₂ or have more than 100hp will pay 14.75 percent registration tax.

[Source: Europa Press via Econoticias]

We heard that MDI, the creators of the AirCar - excuse us, the "Compressed Air Vehicle" - broke off all commercial relations with Miguel Celades, who had been carrying its commercial operations for a while. We tried multiple times to contact Mr. Celades for further explanations, but couldn't. So, we turned to MDI's new webpage and other sources for the information.

The good news is that MDI is still working on their vehicle and has taken some steps to get it on the road. The French environmental website Ecolo-Trader has unveiled a picture of the first MiniCAT model with regular car plates, which should mean it's road-worthy and has received all the legal requirements from the French Ministry of Industry. MDI's MiniCAT has an range of 80 km while running exclusively with compressed air and, thanks to a system which heats compressed air (using fuel), the range can be extended even further. According to the website, which refers to the Southern France newspaper, MDI is planning a second factory to increase output of the MiniCAT. The model will be on display for the Paris Motor Show and on sale in France at the beginning of 2009.

[Source: Ecolo-Trader]

I've had the pleasure to visit the beautiful island of Tenerife a few times, which is the largest of the Canary Islands. Being a very mountainous island, it's a difficult place to build a railway system, but they're catching up with a new tramway line which serves the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the nearby town of La Laguna. The company that is building it just got the permission to install a very large array of photovoltaic panels to produce electricity directly from sunlight, so that most of the energy needs of this tramway will come from the sun. The 600 kW system is expected to have a lifespan of 20 years.

[Source: Energelia]

Ford is ready to start making money on small cars, and the production of Job One of the new global Fiesta marks what the company is calling a "new global small-car era for Ford." Having just spent a month in Europe and very much liking the various Kas and other small Fords running around there, this is good news to me, especially to see that the first new Fiesta rolled off the production line in Cologne, Germany today (see the gallery below). The Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant has been the birthplace of over 5m Fiestas since 1979. Sales of the new Fiesta should start soon, and production will also kick off in Asia and Spain in the next few months. In a few years (in early 2010), Ford will start building the North American Fiesta at the Cuautitlan Assembly Plant in Mexico. More details after the break.


[Source: Ford]

It seems the sales of the Vectrix electric maxi-scooter have finally caught on fire. At the beginning of the year we were somewhat saddened to report that they had only sold a disappointing 123 of their innovative machines. Since then, the price has been chopped from just under $12,000 to a much more reasonable $8,795 for the 2007 model, and $9,395 for the slightly improved 2008 version. The skyrocketing price of gas may be playing a role as well, as people have been buying up scooters with a vengeance this year. The simplicity and ease of use that a Vectrix offers seems to be attractive to many newcomers to the scooter market. Of course, the company has also pursued a relentless marketing campaign to coincide with a strong effort to grow its distribution chain.

The result? Over 1,000 bikes sold and an exponential increase in dealerships. Since late spring they have gone from five retailers to 50 in the United States and are now listing another 75 dealers in other countries. They have a strong presence in Europe and can be found as far away as South Africa. They are even available in Andorra, where wookies come from wherever that is. With over 1,000 bikes shipped to date, the company expects the strong demand to continue and as the company grows they hope to offer more models. Though the company teased us with a superbike concept at the Milan motor show, they hope to launch a more modest $5,000 bike in 2009 featuring a "next-gen" NiMH battery that should boost the range by ten miles for a total of 70. We think moves like that could ensure "scootin' sales" for years to come.



[Source: Boston.com / Business First

Cities get some face lifts during summer months, when traffic is lower and most of its dwellers escape for vacations. Such is the case of Spain's capital city Madrid, which is renewing some of the asphalt on its streets with a bituminous mix called noxer that includes titanium oxide. This substance is claimed to capture the nitrogen oxides (NOx) at diesel pumps and catalyzes and stores the resulting less-polluting oxides until they're washed away by rainwater. It uses solar radiation to work and Madrid city council claims that it can capture up to 90 percent of these oxides on a sunny day. Additionally, the city is installing asphalt which used recycled tires on one of the city's main entries to reduce noise pollution.

[Source: Europa Press]

Follow the green brick road.. follow, follow... well, okay, fine. So, it's not literally green, but the Dutch town of Hengelo is at least greening up one of its roads with air-purifying bricks. The concrete was developed by the University of Twente and features a titanium dioxide-based additive which is said to soak up some of the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by car exhausts as they drive over. So far, only half of one road will be paved with bricks of this special concrete to see if any measurable improvement in air quality can be achieved. So far, no real-world testing has been done, though the creation has proven successful at binding the nitrogen oxide particles and turning them into harmless nitrates in the lab setting.

Sunlight is necessary for the reaction to take place, but afterwards, the roadway will be washed clean with the next rain. If the first trial proves the concept, more roads will soon follow. By next summer, early results will be in. Stay tuned.

[Source: Yahoo via Engadget]

Click above to enlarge the Cannonball Run-winning smart fortwo

Though the original Cannonball Run, organized in the early seventies by then Car and Driver editors Brock Yates and Steve Smith, is no longer officially run in the United States where it started, a version of the event still takes place in Europe. Amazingly, despite all of the high-power entrants into this year's race, a smart fortwo managed to take the victory after traveling some 3,000 miles. The machine was already a few years old and had been modified with a revised engine map from BRABUS along with some basic suspension goodies. Other than that, the little two-seater was basically stock. According to its drivers, David Ward and Adrian Hull, from Essex in the U.K., they were able to zoom past many of the faster moving cars due to their relatively good fuel mileage. In fact, over the course of the trip, the duo managed to average around 35 miles per gallon. Read about their trip on their blog here. Proceeds for the victory went to the NSPCC.

[Source: smart]

Suzuki already has a little experience with vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, as its Crosscage motorcycle concept has been around the block a few times already since it first debuted in Tokyo last year. That two-wheeler is now a running prototype and will again be shown off in its latest form at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Along with the Crosscage will be Suzuki's SX4 FCV, a hatchback with a fuel cell provided by General Motors.

Along with the hydrogen-powered electric machines on display, Suzuki will also debut its new Alto economy car. Built in India by the Suzuki/Maruti joint venture, the seventh-generation Alto will likely get a 1.0-liter engine which will be fully Euro V emissions compliant. While the fuel cell vehicles are likely still a ways off from regular production, the Alto will be on sale in India and in Europe shortly after the Paris Motor Show in October. We've pasted the press release after the break.


[Source: Suzuki]

A few months ago, we spoke about the Government of Cantabria, Spain, and its BioBike project to promote the use of electric bikes. The program just got an additional boost when that Government supplied 16 electric bikes to the main media of the region to promote its use and visibility. During six months, reporters will be able to use the bikes for free and report about the benefits of electric motoring. Additionally, the City Hall of Santander, the capital city of Cantabria, got 8 additional units for the local patrol and traffic sections. Other institutions such as other Region's police squads have gotten additional motorbikes as well.

[Source: Piquio]

Usually news from France about EV cars are good. The country started developing electric versions of models very early, although most projects were halted in the mid-90s when problems with battery technology arose. With the newest technologies, specifically lithium-ion batteries, the things are starting to work again and we've had quite a number of interesting projects lately, such as the Dassault/Heuliez Cleanova, Pininfarina/Bolloré BlueCar or the Nissan-Renault projects around the world.

One of the reasons behind such development is a fiscal change, pointed to us by our reader Justin. Up to 50 percent of the expenses of developing EV cars became deductible under a recent tax reform. The hopes are that France will have a competitive EV industry that could help save its auto industry.

[Source: El Mundo]

Most of us are unaware of the impact of couriers services. Yes, it's good to get everything we ordered delivered straight to our door and it's usually greener than going to the mall to look for it, but here's an idea we just saw in France: courier sharing. Imagine you have to sent a parcel from Paris to, let's say, your aunt spending her vacation in Biarritz. Then imagine that the Duponts are also going from Paris to Biarritz to spend their vacations. This courier sharing scheme will get the Duponts and you in touch so they carry the package for your aunt in their car so you not only save in courier expenses by paying a part of the Duponts' gas and toll money, but also in CO₂ emitted to the atmosphere. Up to 25,000 subscribers, from which 2,400 users have already used this system to get things sent. Interested? Check Coulis-voiturage to know more.

[Source: Autoplus]

The Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) as well as its German counterpart ADAC, have released a complete report defending the use of LPG (Liquiefied Petroleum Gas) as a viable alternative to gasoline. The complete report (which you can download following the link below) states that LPG is a reasonable solution for the following reasons:

• Reduces CO₂ emissions to diesel-car levels, 15 percent less than gasoline cars.
• Produces 96 percent less NOx than diesel cars, and 68 percent less than gasoline cars.
• Produces 99 percent less particulates than diesels.
• Reduces noise levels by 50 percent.
• Costs up to €4 per 100km less than gasoline, and €1.75 less than diesel (for Spain).
  

However, LPG has always raised the concern about safety, as the older conversions used butane and propane bottles which were known to explode. The RACE report crash tested an Opel Astra SW fitted with an LPG tank where the emergency tire is placed with positive results. Rear impact didn't affect the tank, and the valves installed allowed discreet release of the gas in case of fire.

[Source: RACE]