Most people are under the impression that trains are a reasonably green sort of transportation. When used in a city to move people about, the environmental benefits seem pretty obvious. Fewer cars are needed on the roads, decreasing congestion and electric trains are more efficient and create less air pollution than their automotive brethren. But apparently that's not good enough for some folks in Kagoshima, Japan. They realized if they placed some midori (green) around and under the train tracks, not only could they improve the appearance of their town but also reduce the heat island effect caused by acres of concrete and pavement. In the newscast discussing this development a reporter takes a temperature reading while standing on the asphalt street of 62.6 degrees Celsius (143.96 Fahrenheit). Moving over to the grass, the temperature drops to a much more reasonable 35 degrees C (95 F). So far they've done just under 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) but hope to green about 9 Km (5.5 miles) by 2012. The effect on the people of the city seemed positive. The one comment the reporter received from a woman about the improvement that we could understand without an interpreter said it looked beautiful. We agree. Thanks to B.T. for the tip!

[Source: Japan Probe]

In preparation for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games scheduled to begin on August 8, the city of Beijing in China has now begun limiting traffic through its busy streets. Due to the heavy smog and polluted air in Beijing, cars will be allowed to drive only on alternating days based on the license plate of the vehicle. This means that only half of the 3.3 million vehicles currently registered in the city will be allowed to drive each day, theoretically cutting emissions in half.

In addition to the automobile traffic measures, the city has begun limiting manufacturing plants to 70-percent of the emissions they had previously been allowed. These new programs are in addition to the ban on heavy trucks in the city which took place starting on July 1. To offset the problems that inhabitants would likely have with their daily transportation needs, the city has beefed up its public transportation systems by adding additional buses and subway routes. What effect, if any, these measures will have on air quality will be seen come August.

[Source: CNN]

Who's to blame for the current spike in oil prices and who exactly is benefiting? It seems everyone has an answer to these questions lately. Regardless of whether one believes that we should drill the ANWR region, end oil speculation, boost refinery capability, or pressure automakers to deliver fuel-efficient or electric vehicles, it still doesn't take away the current sting of paying more for gas than we've ever experienced.

That sting has been aptly called "nozzlerage." Some creative filmmakers decided to channel their nozzlerage into an entertaining video on youtube.

Many in the green transportation field see high gas prices as the ultimate motivator to shift the transportation paradigm on a mass scale. Not only are Americans starting to think differently about fossil fuel usage, but they are also acting differently. Current prices have led to the greatest change in driving behavior since the 1970s. While this change is still only a 1% drop in average miles driven over a six month period, it is considered a "historic" phenomenon.

Perhaps nozzlerage can be good thing?

Typically automakers focus on trying to put customers behind the wheel of their products. SEAT, the Spanish branch of the Volkswagen Group has just received an award for reducing road traffic. Thanks to a new rail line from SEAT's Martorell plant to the port of Barcelona, the company has reduced road traffic from shipping new cars by 76 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Rail transport of new cars is both cheaper and environmentally cleaner than sending them by truck. SEAT has sent 32,500 cars on 210 train trips since the rail line started. The same number of cars by truck would have required over 7,300 trips. The SEAT press release is after the jump.

[Source: SEAT]

Allied Vehicles has announced they will debut their electric E7 taxi at the upcoming British International Motor Show (BIMS). The company has been building taxis for some time now and are already quite familiar with the Peugeot E7 platform. They also build wheelchair accessible vehicles and have incorporated this ability into their taxi as well. It will join other electric vehicles in the increasingly crowded "Electric Vehicle Village" at BIMS and stay on display for the length of the show.

Currently there is some kind of red-tape technicality with Transport for London's taxi licensing division, the Public Carriage Office, keeping it from the capitol-city streets. However, it should be available for other municipalities by October of this year. The lithium-ion batteries are being supplied by Axeon and should give the cab a 100 mile range and a 60 mph top speed. That's a little faster top end than the TX4E hack that is planned for the UK for 2009. The price tag should read £39,450 ($78,759.51). Considering it comes with a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty on the base vehicle from Peugeot and a 6-year warranty on the battery, comparatively negligible fuel costs and wheelchair accessibility, we think this is one amazing deal.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

A couple of Cincinnati-area men believe they may have solved mankind's transportation problems by combining the strengths of an ultralight electric car with those of a monorail. The plan, developed by Jay Andress and Andy Webster, is to use the small electric cars for short distances about town. When you need to go out to the exurbs or to another city, using the wheels attached to your roof, you connect yourself to the monorail. While you're autonomously whisked away to your predetermined destination at speeds of up to 200 mph, your car uses the rail to charge its battery.

While the pair has spent only $2500 preparing a CityEl, now dubbed the "Liberator Car.", to demonstrate the scheme, they are now trying to attract an additional $10 million for a 1 mile test section of monorail. They expect it would cost upwards of $500 billion to add a MonoMobile infrastructure to the existing interstate highway system but say the increase in transportation efficiency and productivity would save almost an equal amount of money each year. For all the details on this innovative "dual mode" system, check out the MonoMobile website.

[Source: Cincinnati.com]

While airlines and automakers struggle to minimize their losses as fuel prices keep climbing, at least one transportation company is thriving. French rail operator, SNCF, scored a profit of over $1.7 billion in 2007 and expects to do even better this year. SNCF operates the TGV trains that routinely travel at speeds up to 200 mph in commercial service. Unlike here in the US, rail companies in Europe and Asia have actually invested in the infrastructure and equipment to make train travel fast and reliable. Admittedly, in the days of cheap fuel, Americans had little interest in trains, but maybe they need to reconsider.

Air travel in the age of the TSA and $145/barrel oil is anything but fast and efficient. And flyers are getting squeezed more and more. For example, US Airways announced that it will remove in-flight entertainment systems from domestic aircraft to save 500lbs. Furthermore, every airline is now charging fees for checked bags and just about everything else. As a result, European travelers are hopping on the train in ever greater numbers, with SNCF expecting an increase of 8 percent this year to 80 million passenger trips. Too bad we have no such viable option here in the US. Unless you live in the Northeast, where the the Amtrak Acela runs between Boston and Washington, D.C., train travel really isn't an alternative to flying or driving on short or medium distance trips for most Americans. For longer distances, trains make no sense in the U.S. from a time and cost standpoint, particularly for business travelers, for whom those two factors are critically important.

[Source: The Guardian]

The late, great "Body by Fisher" tag is about to begin showing up again, though on totally new and different vehicles than ever before. While the company had previously been a division of General Motors and created every single body for the automaker, it's now focusing on a new and radically different kind of hybrid bus. The Michigan-based company has invented a new stainless steel unibody platform which greatly reduces overall vehicle weight. When combined with a series hybrid drive system using a diesel engine and regenerative braking to charge the batteries, a 300% fuel savings can be realized, according to the company. Fisher Coachworks LLC is led by President and CEO Gregory Fisher, a grandson of one of Fisher Body's foundering members.

Considering the fact that GM's latest 2-Mode hybrid system was originally developed by Allison for bus use, Fisher's intentions to market its technology in the future for other commercial vans and even passenger cars seems distinctly possible.

[Source: MLive.com]

As high fuel prices make it more expensive for people to run their cars, services that specialize in replacing those cars, full-time or part-time, are seeing their businesses grow along with the pump price. Earlier, we told you about Zipcar's improved performance of late, and now we can tell you that at least one Vanpool service is also reaping the benefits of a public fed up with expensive gas. VPSI, Inc. of Troy, MI runs vanpools in the U.S. and the Netherlands and told the Detroit Free Press that it's on pace to add 1,100 new vans to its fleet before this year is out. That fleet is already 15% larger than it was at this time last year, and there's no sign of things slowing down, as people look for ways to save a few bucks on their daily commute. Customers pay, on average, around $100/month plus gas to participate in one of VPSI's pools. The company certainly has staying power. It was formed after the 1970s oil crunch and has stayed afloat ever since, surviving a few ownership changes along the way. Once again, people are changing their habits in response to oil prices, and VPSI's ready to give them a ride, just as it has been for the last 30 years or so.

[Source: Freep]

High gas prices have us all feeling the pinch ($65 bucks last night for me), and as you're all well aware, many folks are changing their driving style, the amount of driving they do, or, in some cases, saying good-bye to their cars or trucks entirely. One beneficiary of people's changes of heart is Zipcar. The car-sharing service announced this week that its average monthly signups are triple what they were a year ago, with 40% of its new members citing fuel prices as the reason they've decided to join. Services like Zipcar allow people to use cars by the hour or by the day, and the vehicles are generally situated in urban areas where car ownership can be inconvenient, expensive, or, in many cases, both.

According to Zipcar (their announcement is pasted after the jump), members who opted to participate in the company's latest survey are saving as much as $600 per month by choosing the service instead of owning a car of their own. Figure in a car payment, insurance, gas budget, and garage/parking costs, and that number gets believable in a hurry, especially for someplace like Manhattan. The company also says that its members are more likely to also use public transportation as they settle into their car-free (or "car-reduced", so to speak) lifestyles, and that the environmental benefits of the service are myriad. If any readers are current Zipcar users or patrons of a similar car-share service, we'd like to know your experiences and hear how well (or badly) it has worked out for you in the comments below.

[Source: Zipcar | Photo: akseabird]

Click on the image above to enlarge

Trek Bicycle Corporation, makers of machines under their own name along with the Gary Fischer and Klein brands, has just put up its first "Trek Stop", a vending machine for basic bike parts. The outpost includes everything necessary to fix a flat tire with patch kits, spare tubes and an air pump. Also included are items for the rider, such as water bottles and energy bars. The kiosk sits outside a local bike shop called Machinery Row Bicycles deep in Badger territory -- Madison, Wisconsin. This location makes sense, considering it's one of the larger major cities located near Trek's headquarters in Waterloo and is a major college town where bicycle commuting is sure to be hot.

We think that bike-part vending machines such as this would prove very popular near major bike routes and trail heads. Hopefully, the nearest local bike shop is involved and gets to share in some of the sales and service.

[Source: Bicycle Design via Treehugger]

While we've featured many alternatively-powered cars on AutoblogGreen, this may be the first one that is fueled by the imagination. If you've been perusing the iMiEV microsite we told you about the other day you may have noticed a paper craft section. It's a special place that fans of the Mitsubishi iMiEV (other Mitsu models are also there) can go to and download a PDF file containing a magical pattern that was conjured up by Akira Mizorogi. This can then be printed out, cut out, folded and glued to become a mini version of the micro electric car. Although the cutting may be achieved with scissors, an exacto knife and cutting mat is recommended. Small, childlike fingers and a grandparent's patience may also come in handy.

Because of the inexpensive properties of paper automobiles, we were able to get our hands on three of these little beauties, instead of the usual single model, to put through their paces. The cars were pretty much identical with each having unlimited amounts of power and speed. A few runs through the cones revealed handling that was superb as long as you kept a gentle grip. One car had a little better fit and finish which was chalked up to assembly by a different team. We expect the electric versions to be more uniform and also more silent, since the vehicles we had were for some reason equipped with some sort of sound effects device that reproduced the noises of a gas-powered car.

The trio were driven across varying terrain including a redwood forest (pictured above), a grassy savanna, as well as the usual concrete and asphalt. A word of caution. It's a dangerous world out there for paper cars so beware of puddles and large furry beasts who might mistake your iMiEV for a mouse. Check out the gallery of our paper iMiEV adventures below. Many thanks to Yanquetino for the tip!


[Source: Mitsubishi]

When imagining the future of carbon-free air travel it seems strange that so many of us overlook the obvious; super speedy solar-powered flying turtles. No, not like that famous flying turtle from Japanese cinema (Gamera doesn't sport solar panels, silly), but rather an airship with a rigid hull that derives power from the sun by day and burns biodiesel by night. Think this is just some flight of fancy? Maybe so, but Darrell Campbell, the man behind the concept, says the Turtle Airships company is building a prototype right now and may soon be flying in a sky near you. In fact, he says it will make an "around-the-world flight" sometime next year.

Mr. Campbell has an ambitious list of duties he believes his airship is well suited for. In addition to carrying travelers to and fro, he envisions a flying hospital version that travels to where its needed. It could also be used as a military troop carrier, and, of course, an effective means of combating the scourge of "pirates in the waters off of Somalia, Indonesia, and Nigeria." Sounds nifty to us. You can keep up with the advancement of the flying turtle by bookmarking their blog. Read the entire press release after the break.

[Source: Turtle Airships via Environmental Graffiti]

Click above for more images of the electric bike train

Recently, while searching the net for the most interesting forward-thinking ideas around, we stumbled across a design for an electric bicycle which works sort of like a train. Sure, that sounds confusing, but a quick glance at the pictures below will likely make the concept easier to understand. While we in no way believe that a device such as this would make any real dent in global emissions or congestion, we do think that the idea has some merit for cyclists. Consider, for example, how expensive tandem bicycles are. With a vehicle such as this, a single rider can go his merry way alone or attach extra helpers bikes as needed. Additionally, the electric machine is collapsible, which should make it easier to store when not needed. Pretty cool stuff from designer Jiang Qian in China. A quick glance at his accomplishments makes us believe we're not the only ones impressed by his work.


[Source: Coroflot.com]

Considering that the legacy left behind by American car companies has little to do with being clean, there seems to be an increased sense of urgency by some U.S. states to replace the older fleet of vehicles with newer, and therefore cleaner, vehicles. The states with the two largest vehicle fleets, Texas and California, have both implemented new programs which offer cash-based incentives to owners of older vehicles which fail current emissions testing. In Texas, up to $3,500 is offered towards a vehicle three-years old or newer, though income restrictions do apply. In California, there is no maximum income number, though the far-left state is a bit less generous, offering $1,500 towards the purchase of a replacement vehicle.

Canada is also getting in on the act with a program slated to begin on January 1 of next year. In a move close to our hearts, the incentive is applicable to new vehicles, new bicycles or even bus passes. Sadly, the value is a rather low $300. Way to go Canada; perhaps upping the ante a bit would make the program a bit more meaningful.

[Source: The Detroit News]