This unusually named bike is sure to draw your attention with its unusual style and curve. The bicycle, called the Bonobo, was created by Warsaw designer Stanilav Ploski, who explains that the bicycle “is built to serve urban cyclists who wish to ride comfortably and with style. The frame utilizes natural properties of plywood – a natural composite material that is light, strong, and absorbs vibrations. Geometry of the bike ensures a relaxed riding position and lets the user experience the pure pleasure of cycling. Components were selected with simplicity and easy maintenance in mind. A single gear drive train and reliable hydraulic disc brakes require minimum attention from the user. It is also possible to install an internal gear hub or a belt drive train.”

The fact that the bicycle frame is composed primarily of plywood held together with metal fixtures makes it versatile and unique. Considering that plywood is one of the weakest wooden materials available, I question why the designer didn’t go for a sturdier choice. Nonetheless, the bicycle looks pretty cool and I’d be proud to ride it around.

Inhabitat

The MEV HUMMER HX is the only proportionally correct licensed resort vehicle currently on the market. Its design matches the infamous Humvee and includes the characteristic louver grille, custom wheels, door sills, styled seats, and floor mats.

MEV, or My Electric Vehicle, was formed in 2006; initially trading as Mini Hummer Europe and achieved year on year growth because of its introduction of luxury golf cars manufactured by others to the European market. As a result of poor growth and lack of sales from third party suppliers, a decision was made in 2009 for the company to design and develop their own products.

The greatest thing about this new Hummer is that it is not a gas guzzler like its predecessors. This Hummer is electric and can be charged from a 12V charging point. Despite the fact that General Moters closed the Hummer automotive plant in 2010, it is believed that the little HX model could have saved the brand.

Just before closing the factory, MEV managed to sign the worldwide exclusive rights to manufacture the HUMMER HX as a mini electric vehicle.

Source: My Electric Vehicle

The tunnel was originally designed to protect the region’s forests by diverting trains through the mountains, rather than felling ancient trees. Now, the tunnel is playing an even larger environmental role.

The two miles of solar panels will produce enough energy to power all the trains in Belgium for one day per year, in addition to powering up the Antwerp station. This totals approximately 3.5Mw/hour of energy each year. Total estimates for the project is believed to have reached $20.1 million.

Bart Van Renterghem, UK head of Belgian renewable energy company Enfinity, which installed the panels, believes, “For train operators, it is the perfect way to cut their carbon footprints because you can use spaces that have no other economic value and the projects can be delivered within a year because they don’t attract the protests that wind power does.”

Renterghem adds, “We had a couple of projects lined up around London with train operators and water utilities, but they have been put on hold.”

Enfinity via Inhabitat

While GM planned on closing the Orion plant, it decided to manufacture the Sonic there as part of a labor agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW). When workers were laid off in fall 2009, the plant was retooled as GM invested $145 million to make the plant more efficient and prepare for its manufacturing of the Sonic.

Now, the plant contains an upgraded lighting system, which saves over 5,988 megawatts (MW) of electricity a year and $430,000 and 3,676 metric tons of CO2. Plant workers will be provided with software to track energy use.

The paint shop within the plant was also upgraded, and is heated by natural and landfill gas. The new paint shop uses half the energy per vehicle that the old one consumed. A press release also commented on the reworking of the production lines at the plant, “creating more space to house material onsite that once took up space in other buildings.”

Eric Stevens, GM vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering, said, “As we converted the facility to support the small car program, we took every opportunity to engineer in flexibility and lean manufacturing concepts.”

The Orion plant received a Neighborhood Environmental Partners Program Award for its commitment to community environmental projects. The plant has been noted for testing water quality around the plant and taking environmental education measures. The plant works with local students to monitor its water quality. The plant has also received the Clean Corporate Citizen design by the State of Michigan.

The Emotion NEO comes equipped with a 250-watt brushless motor backed up by a removable Samsung 324-watt hour lithium ion battery powered by regenerative braking. With the motor integrated into the real wheel, the bike has a greater depth which ensures smoothness of the engine and completely eliminates the noise levels. Furthermore, the brushless motor allows a 3:1 gear ratio, which means that it multiplies by there the force applied to the pedals. The bike weighs just 53 pounds and has a 56-mile electronic range.

A BH Marketing Manager claims that, “New features start right on the control panel, which doubles as a key to start the vehicle, that is, the bike won’t work without it. The motor is much more powerful, allowing for more comfortable assistance and achieving great power peaks at specific times, on steep inclines for instance. Moreover, the torque sensor and the 27-gear real derailleur ensure optimal power transfer without any special chainrings or cranksets.”

The bike is scheduled to arrive June 2011.

BH Bikes

The creators of the bicycle believe that their design is capable of setting a speed record for wooden bicycles. The only hitch in this plan is that known of the designers have actually ridden the bicycle. Apparently, they have been unable to hind a surface smooth enough to make the record attempt.

Via Gizmodo and Inhabitat

Janice Frias, a graduate student who earned her doctorate this past January, discovered how to use a protein to transform fatty acids produced by the bacteria into ketones, which can be cracked to make hydrocarbon fuels.

The research was published in the April 1st issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Frias’ advisor, Larry Wackett, a Distinguished McKnight Professor of Biochemistry, is the lead author of the publishing.

Aditya Bhan and Lanny Schmidt, chemical engineering professors in the College of Science and Engineering, are turning the ketones into diesel fuel by using a catalytic technology which they developed. This ability to produce ketones allows the researches to make petroleum-like hydrocarbon fuels using only bacteria, sunlight, and carbon dioxinde.

Wackett says, “There is enormous interest in using carbon dioxide to make hydrocarbon fuels. Co2 is the major greenhouse gas mediating global climate change, so removing it from the atmosphere is good for the environment. It’s also free. And we can use the same infrastructure to process nd transport his new hydrocarbon fuel that we use for fossil fuels.”

The research is funded by a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-energy program, created to stimulate American leadership in renewable energy technology.

The researchers use Synechococcus, a bacterium that fixes carbon dioxide in sunlight and converts CO2 into sugars. These sugars are then fed to Shewanella, a bacterium that produces hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons (made form carbon and hydrogen) are the main component of fossil fuels. It has taken hundreds of millions of years of heat and compression to produce fossil fuels, which many experts believe will be largely depleted within the next 50 years.

The Blue2-also known as “Blue Squared”-is driven by the hydrogen technology to produce only water and heat as by-products. Plus, the hydrogen fuel stack produces 90kW (1.65 kW/L of power, and the hybrid is able to get 34.9 kilometers per liter- the equivalent of 82 mpg.

The Blue2 uses low-resistant tires and allow wheels to increase its aerodynamics. The car also includes LED screen panels located on both the front and rear of the car, acting as license plates. On top of having an automatic door opening system, the Blue2 has side cameras which replace conventional side mirrors.

While it is uncertain whether the Blue2 will make it to the streets, this kind of future-forward technology will most likely be available to the public within the coming years.

Hyundai via Green Optimistic

A study released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on March 21, 2011, predicts that as the gasoline prices continue to increase, Americans will turn to public transportation in record numbers.

The report claimed that if gas prices reach $4 a gallon across the nation, public transportation sectors can expect an additional 670 million passenger trips a year, resulting in more than 10.8 billion trips in a year. Furthermore, if pump prices climb to $5 a gallon, experts believe an additional 1.5 billion passenger trips can be expected, resulting in more than 11.6 billion trips per year. And finally, if the gas prices reach up to $6 a gallon, experts foresee an additional 2.7 billion passenger trips, resulting in 12.9 billion trips per year.

With this report in hand, the APTA has begun encouraging riders to tell Congress they need more transportation options.

William Millar, the APTA President, states that, “The volatility of the price at the pump is another wake up call for our nation to address the increasing demand for public transportation services. We must make significant, long-term investments in public transportation or we will leave our fellow Americans with limited travel options, or in many cases stranded without travel options. Public transit is the quickest way for people to beat high gas prices if it is available.

Riders can visit publictransportation.org or text TRANSIT to 86677 to get in contact with Congress about the need for more transportation options.

TreeHugger

One major critic of electric cars is the lack of locations to charge the vehicle. However, with the i MiEV, the vehicle can use an on-board charger to be charged with a 100V or 200V power source in the home. Furthermore, quick-chargers are being developed by power companies, and if these come into use, it will be possible to charge the vehicle in a short amount of time. And because the vehicle uses an electric motor free engine, it runs extremely quietly, especially compared with the vertical vibration associated with gasoline engines.

Mitsubishi’s i MiEV can seat up to 4 and reaches a top speed of nearly 82 mph. The car’s power is 63 hp and goes from 0-60 time in less than 9 seconds. The strong acceleration is achieved through a compact and highly efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor which is able to generate high torque from a low speed. The i Miev’s range is between 70-100 miles. The car, which is already available in Japan, will be available in the U.S. in 2011 for $30,000.