Mobility is a strange thing that everyone takes for granted.

Everyone has two vehicles, everyone drives their personal car to work, the only way to survive is to own 2-3 cars!

But is that true? Well no it isn't! In many dense urban areas like NYC, Washington DC and Chicago it is actually possible to live without one all together. At lease a vehicle you own and cover the expenses for that is. So it should be possible to live with - One vehicle.



Did you know it costs between $19-$25 per day to own a vehicle. That's whether you use it or not; the price goes up if you need to buy fuel.

In a place like NYC the costs are higher because of parking and higher insurance costs. In the suburbs this $19-$25 per day is true as well, but the fuel cost is likely to be higher due to usage.

There are options and we have talked about them here, but they need to be adapted and integrated so people know how to access them.

What do you think, does everyone need a 2nd or 3rd vehicle to survive.

Let me know!

Thegreenguy

EN-V and Urban Vehicles

Do you think the world is ready for networked electric vehicles in large cities? No more crazy taxi drivers! Just step into an EN-V and input your destination and sit back and play with your iPhone safety for a change! I am ready to give it a try.

Take a look

What do you think?

Green Transportation Mind-Shift

Hello All,

It has been a few months, but we have lots to talk about so hang on.

I have been doing a lot of things over the last few months involving green transportation. If you have been following the blog up to this point you know we like electric or zero emission vehicles. Or anything that reduces CO2 for that matter.

I know this industry very well and have been working on it a long time. I have seen more activity on EVs in the last few months than I have seen in 13-15 years. This situation started me thinking we could really make it this time. Individual zero emission transportation is almost here!!

Wow! It is all most here, well OK the bigger impact will be 10-12 months from now when the Leaf and Volt are available. But still Wow!

Then something really strange happened; instead of continued joy, there was dread. I started remembering the 90's and the pitfalls. I started thinking, what can I do to ensure, we make it across the finish line this time. Infrastructure is always key, it can be E85, CNG, BioDiesel, Electricity or Hydrogen. All new vehicle platforms need available fueling infrastructure. So that is what I spend most of 2009 doing, helping with infrastructure development.

OK, everything should be fine now right? Well no, unfortunately I started thinking again about potential pitfalls or roadblocks to zero emission vehicles hitting the road in volume.

Thats when it hit me ... the goal is not just a lot of ZEVs on the road. The goal is to cut CO2 by massive amounts (think KyotoPlus), provided people with choices for green/CO2 free transportation. Will just getting ZEVs on the road do that? I came to the conclusion that it starts the journey, but it cannot possibly finish it alone.

More is needed to compliment green vehicles. Green, smart and flexible mobility was the key. I had to know if anyone was looking at this stuff? Lucky people are in various ways. Companies like Intrago, Zipcar, Car2go and Ultra are doing it now. Furthermore many states are looking at more light rail and high speed electric trains systems to reduce their CO2 footprints.

www.car2go.com

Zipcar.com

Intrago Model www.IntragoMobility.com

The goal from here is to work on Green Mobility solutions for trips of all sizes. Let me know what you think!

TheGreenGuy

Will "Project Better Place" really take us to a better place?

Hello Everyone,

It has been a while, but I am back!

I have continued my investigation and involvement in green things, especially those involving transportation. There has been a lot of movement in alternative transportation over the last year. $150 oil helped quite a bit, but the recent economic downturn has confused things a little. As I stated a few posts ago cheap oil is gone (that was at $70), but that does not mean we won't see times when prices go down. This current low is driven by the world economy, not new reserves or cheaper refineries.

Transportation still uses the most oil and causes the most pollution. This is why I focus on it so much. Today I want to see what the web thinks of a new concept out there (OK - its almost 2yrs old) called Project Better Place.

Have you heard about this company yet and it programs? Take a look at this for a quick smart-pill on their concept:



Once you think you have the concept just place your vote for or against the concept.



Let me know what you're thinking!
TheGreenGuy

Plug-in Hybrids to the rescue!

We had battery power EVs in the 90's, traditional hybrids from 2001-08 and plans for Plug-in hybrids in the future.



Nirvana for the green-minded driver! Battery electric cars are back too with Tesla Motors and maybe Nissan. But plug-ins have a real chance of taking the country to electrified propulsion in a big way.

Hundred of thousands of Priuses have been sold. GM is definitely bringing the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid to market by 2010. Tesla has actually started delivering vehicles to customers for $100K each. Is the time right for this next step in the evolution of the car in America. I for one think it is.



Let me know what you think!

TheGreenGuy

Clean Coal

I spend sometime last week checking out the webcasts from Davos this year. There were some great sessions on Cap and Trade, Climate Change, Clean Coal technology and Solar.

See for your self: http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2007/



I also enjoyed a forum put on by CNBC on the business of green technology:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/16658527/site/14081545/

The term "Clean Coal" makes no sense to me! I can understand "cleaner" coal or "sequested" coal emissions. I know GE has technology they are selling as well as other, but the economics and environmental benefits are thin me.

What are your thoughts? Any Clean Coal experts out their? Give us the facts!!

TheGreenGuy

Solar Power

Is it time for solar? The pricing is getting closer to conventional sources and there are incentives in various states.

Japan is a big user and provider of solar energy systems. Our own Silicon Valley has more than a few start-ups working on moving this technology forward. Why there is even a solar energy company listed on the NASDAQ (Ticker: SPWR).



Most home systems deliver 3-6kW of power. I am personally looking for a system that can deliver 6-7kW, so I can sell the excess power to my local utility. I think solar's time has finally come!





Let me know your thoughts and experiences with SOLAR!



TheGreenGuy