Greased Lightning: 100MPG biodiesel hybrid blasts from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds

<img src="http://dvice.com/pics/lightning_hybrid_front.jpg" width="590">Tiny car company Lightning Hybrids showed it means business at the Denver Auto Show this week, rolling out the first prototype of the LH4, a 100MPG speedster with a hydraulic-biodiesel hybrid drivetrain that can zip the tight four-seater from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds.<div class="fullpost"><br />The ambitious Colorado company with a staff of 12 says the car will be ready for production in 2011, with a three-wheeled version rolling out even sooner, in 2010. The 100MPG cars are expected to sell for between $39,000 and $59,000, and are candidates for the Automotive X-Prize, with $10 million going to the winner of a stage race of 100MPG vehicles.<br /><br />This is one wild-looking ride, with its split rear window and lift-up door hatch for easy entry. Its three-cylinder turbo biodiesel is augmented by a hydraulic pump/motor, whooshing an additional 150hp into the wheels of this pocket rocket. Amazing. Click Continue to take a look at the video. </div>

Greased Lightning: 100MPG biodiesel hybrid blasts from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds

Tiny car company Lightning Hybrids showed it means business at the Denver Auto Show this week, rolling out the first prototype of the LH4, a...

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Crazy looking Honda Zeppelin features swiveling front seats

<img src="http://dvice.com/assets_c/2009/04/Honda-Zeppelin-by-Myung-Jin-Jung-thumb-550x399-15892.jpg" width="590">Figure out which direction this thing drives yet? In the image above, the Honda Zeppelin would zip off to the left. At glance, you might be tempted to say that designer Myung Jin Jung's creation's most interesting quality is its asymmetrical design, but the real weird stuff is actually going on inside. <div class="fullpost"><br />The front seats of the Zeppelin swivel 180° (when the vehicle isn't in motion, or that's the plan), so that the occupants can interact with one another as if they were in a living room instead.<br /><br />Supposedly the glamor of air travel inspired both the curvy, crazy exterior and the more personal interior thus the Zeppelin. I don't want to sound like a downer, but when I think of flying on a plane lately, I don't think of having space to stretch my legs or wanting to talk to the folks around me. Still, pretty car.</div>

Crazy looking Honda Zeppelin features swiveling front seats

Figure out which direction this thing drives yet? In the image above, the Honda Zeppelin would zip off to the left. At glance, you might be ...

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Evolusi Sepeda Motor

<img src="http://dvice.com/assets_c/2009/04/gm_segway_main-thumb-550x367-15915.jpg" width="590">A cross between a motorized wheelchair and the back end of BMW's C1 moped, the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility machine will run on batteries and Wi-Fi, which will enable you to communicate with other vehicles and give you 25 miles on a single charge.<div class="fullpost"><br /><a href="http://dvice.com/archives/2009/04/segway-and-gms.php">More</a></div>

Evolusi Sepeda Motor

A cross between a motorized wheelchair and the back end of BMW's C1 moped, the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility machine will ru...

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Cars and environment Green cars: Genuine or a marketing tool?

<img src="http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/image-files/greencar.jpg" width="590">Are green cars in Indonesia really “green”, or just a label to get more sales? The latter seems to be the answer according to an NGO focusing on consumer protection, although car manufacturers beg to differ.<div class="fullpost"><br />“The ‘green’ tag, particularly in Indonesia, is nothing more than an effort to gain more buyers. Global environmental consciousness is providing manufacturers new excuses to market their products,” Indah Sukmaningsih, a member of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI), told a seminar Thursday.<br /><br />Some car manufacturers have promoted their “green” cars, which they say are less harmful to the environment than comparable conventional vehicles.<br /><br />Toyota for example, has recently launched its hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, which runs on two power sources, a gasoline engine and electric batteries.<br /><br />Johnny Darmawan, president director of PT Toyota Astra Motor, claimed the Toyota Prius produced very little CO2 emission and used recyclable materials.<br /><br />“Prius’ Power Split Device [PSD] makes constant automatic adjustments to the power ratio from electric motor and gasoline engine according to the situation,” he said.<br /><br />“On a flat road, for example, it uses only the electric motor to run the car at medium speeds. At an incline, it will automatically turn on the combustion engine to produce more power. So the car is also fuel-efficient,” Johnny added.<br /><br />PT Honda Prospect Motor is also planning to sell cars under the Honda Civic brand that consume less fuel and are considered environment-friendly.<br /><br />Indah, however, said that it was not enough to be called “green”.<br /><br />She cited the issue of fuel quality in Indonesia, which has yet to meet environment-friendly criteria.<br />“No matter how ‘green’ your car is, as long as the fuel still has high sulfur content, it will produce noxious, harmful emissions,” Indah said.<br /><br />“Becoming ‘green’ is supposed to be a comprehensive concept that requires everyone’s involvement, not just industry. So if the stakeholder institutions still work unilaterally, everything they call ‘green’ will be misleading.”<br /><br />Indah also criticized the government which, she said, seemed to prioritize maximizing income from vehicle taxes while neglecting environmental issues.<br /><br />In response, Panggah Susanto, the Industry Ministry’s director for land and military transportation industries, said the environment issue was not his responsibility.<br /><a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/30/cars-and-environment-green-cars-genuine-or-a-marketing-tool.html"><br />“We focus only on the industrial sectors. The automotive industry is a major employer and contributes the most to the regional budget in all regions throughout the country, so we must be sensitive when designing policy that will affect this sector.” </a><br /></div>

Cars and environment Green cars: Genuine or a marketing tool?

Are green cars in Indonesia really “green”, or just a label to get more sales? The latter seems to be the answer according to an NGO focusin...

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