Sanyo Eneloop electric bike YouTube video from CES 2010

For the summertime commute or for year-round transportation for those living in balmy climes, the Eneloop Bike by Sanyo could just be one of the biggest money and energy-saving devices you could ever buy. Forget about trading in your SUV for a hybrid vehicle! If you’re interested in truly low-cost driving, then check out this electric bike.

The Sanyo Eneloop electric bicycle is a very low-energy, cost effective means of getting from point A to point B, with little in the way of greenhouse gas emissions along the way. With a rack on the back, you can carry your work bag, groceries, or your child as you run errands, head to the office, or make a trip to a friend’s house. Plus you have the advantage of getting fresh air in the meantime!

When you pedal, it goes—the faster you pedal, the faster you move, up to 15 miles per hour. And by adjusting the built-in Power-Up mode, the bike automatically gives you assistance from the motor while you pedal so that you can ride comfortably uphill with very little energy (they state that it will increase your riding distance by 1.8 times).

Using “Loop charging” the bike circulates energy, charging the battery while you ride. When you apply the brakes, the rear brake acts like a generator that charges the battery. It can also be plugged in to charge it in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

It is available at a variety of retailers for about $2,300, including Best Buy (limited distribution) in their Personal Transportation department.  It’s only available in the white color and one size, but they believe the frame fits about 80% of the people in the market. The seat is adjustable up and down. You can also customize the graphics package for the bicycle (much like your iPhone), so you can personalize your vehicle for an extra charge.

Sanyo Eneloop electric bike

Obama administration recently announced a new clean energy REDI program

The Obama administration announced a new program on December 14: The Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI), which will offer $350 million in funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. As both a domestic and global initiative, some of the funds ($85 million) will go into a joint coffer (supported by other countries such as Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, the UK, and France) to be used to develop and deploy clean energy tech around the world.

The program will operate in several industries, including advanced vehicles, bioenergy, building and industrial efficiencies, smart grid technologies, carbon capture, high-efficiency coal,  and of course, solar, wind, and marine energy. The official REDI website outlines the following programs that will receive this funding:

• The Solar and LED Energy Access Program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.  This program will yield immediate economic and public health benefits by providing households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
• The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve efficiency for appliances traded throughout the world.  A number of MEF countries have implemented, or are exploring, incentive programs for energy-efficient appliances. Coordinating incentives, standards and labeling systems can create unprecedented economies of scale for these appliances.

• The Clean Energy Information Platform will establish an online platform for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience and the infrastructure to coordinate various activities in deploying clean energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable energy strategies and underwrite additional capital costs associated with renewable energy investments.  Funding through Climate REDI will accelerate the launch of S-REP.

Further, it states that REDI will use the following tools to disseminate the new technologies:

1. Quality assurance to guard developing country consumers against sub-standard renewable energy products;
2. Minimum efficiency standards to remove the lowest efficiency appliances from the market;
3. Labeling to guide consumers to quality-assured and high-efficiency products;
4. Financing for scale up of early-stage low-carbon products, to bring down costs and remove barriers to deployment and to catalyze investment by the private sector;
5. Information sharing that enables all energy stakeholders to access state-of-the art information on technology and best practices.

Image: Zipcar

Lower monthly transportation bills and environmentally-friendly driving has been possible for quite some time for those using Zipcar’s car sharing program. With over 325,000 members and 6,500 vehicles throughout North American states and provinces, as well as in London, England, Zipcar boasts an impressive community of members committed to energy conservation and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

But sharing cars just got a whole lot easier for iPhone users. Zipcar recently announced the release of their new iPhone application, available for download for free from the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch users. This new applications offers a variety of great features that make it easier for people to save energy by finding and use a Zipcar:

1. Find available Zipcars on a map using your current location, a favorite location, or any location

2. Reserve a Zipcar anytime, anywhere

3. Sort cars by time available, car type and model

4. View upcoming reservations

5. Get directions to your Zipcar

6. Easily locate your reserved Zipcar by telling it to honk its horn

7. Unlock and lock your Zipcar after scanning your Zipcard at the start of each reservation

8. Tap to contact Zipcar if help is needed during a reservation

9. Extend or cancel reservations on the go

10. Play around with the virtual key fob and make sounds even when you’re not in a reservation

This app makes finding a great car for much less totally fun and very sustainable. In fact, according to Austin CarShare, the average consumer can save approximately $6,500 every single year by joining a car share program!

VW 1-Litre Concept Car

Volkswagen has been showing off its 1-Liter (also known as the L1) concept car this past week at the car show at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This full-hybrid vehicle, which weighs in at about 838 pounds, hopes to achieve a one liter per 100 kilometers (235 mpg) fuel efficiency.

This full-hybrid vehicle, weighing just 380 kilograms, offers an initial glimpse at how a production version might appear. The CFRP body is a masterful achievement in car making, both technically and visually. Unique on this car are its proportions. While the length of the L1 at 3,813 millimetres is still similar to that of a Volkswagen Fox, and its height of 1,143 millimetres nearly matches that of a Lamborghini Murciélago, the car’s aerodynamically optimised width (1,200 millimetres) has no comparisons in the world of today’s production cars.

Currently, the L1 combines several technologies to achieve such grand fuel savings. It’s got a 10 kW motor, a 7-speed rear-installed DSG, and a 0.8L TDI engine, which is the smallest diesel engine intended for production ever built by Volswagen. It’s also got incredible aerodynamicity and can reach top speeds of 99 mph (160 kph).

CO2 emissions of the 160 km/h L1 are 36 g/km. The TDI, E-motor and 7-speed DSG are installed at the rear; as a unit they represent the most fuel efficient hybrid drive in the world. In the standard “ECO” mode, the 800 cm3 TDI develops a power of 20 kW / 27 PS (at 4,000 rpm); in “Sport” mode – used to reach the car’s top speed, for example – the car’s power increases to 29 kW / 39 PS (at 4,000 rpm). The maximum torque of the TDI is 100 Newton-meter (at 1,900 rpm).

The two-seat monocoque is composed of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and is accessed not through doors, but by climbing into the L1 from the top. Other interesting features include:

• LED technology for headlights and taillights.
• Completely enclosed underbody.
• Cooling provided via adaptive air channels integrated into the side of the car body which open and close automatically based on the vehicle speed and the hybrid unit’s operating state.
• Completely covered wheels.

VW 1-Litre Concept Car

Toyota Auris HSA Full Hybrid Concept

With 3^rd generation Prius technology under the hood (Hybrid Syndergy Drive), the Toyota Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept Car, which will be shown off in Frankfurt at the Motor Show, is the “logical first step in deploying full hybrid technology across Toyota’s entire European model line-up.” The “full hybrid” means that there will be four driving modes; the vehicle can be operated either completely on petroleum fuel, solely on the electric motor, or on a combination of the two. The mode of preference can be selected on-demand by the driver. The fourth mode—ECO mode—will help to maximize fuel efficiency.

Here are some of the highlights:

*  Concept previews new Auris HSD Full Hybrid, Toyota’s first full hybrid mainstream model in Europe

* World debut at the Frankfurt motor show

* Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, shared with latest generation Prius

* Sub-100g/km CO2 emissions, class-leading combined cycle fuel consumption and 0-62mph acceleration in around 10 seconds

* Detailed exterior styling changes to improve aerodynamic performance

* Extension of on-board solar power technology

* Auris HSD Full Hybrid production model to be built at TMUK’s Burnaston factory

With this new model, Toyota hopes to “shift customer perceptions of hybrid technology” by selling them on the advantages of exceptional fuel efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and the smooth, practical stylings of this family hatchback.

Toyota Auris HSA Full Hybrid Concept - solar roof panels

The roof will be entirely covered with solar panels that will provide energy for the ventilation system. More solar panels will be installed on the dashboard of the vehicle which should provide enough energy to recharge mobile phones or portable music players in on-board charging trays. Toyota hopes to use solar to also power the battery in future models.

The Auris is scheduled to go on sale in the UK in the second half of 2010.

Peugeot iOn. From Peugeot

Peugeot has recently announced that it will be launching the iOn vehicle—a small car based on Mitsubishi’s iMiEV— by the end of 2010. It is expected to use a lithium-ion battery system that should give it 130 km (80.8 miles) range.

It’s a four-door car that has a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) with a max power output of 47 kW (64 bhp). The batteries are rechargeable in six hours with a conventional 220 V socket. It can also reach 80 percent charged capacity within thirty minutes with their quick charge option.

With the ion, which will be presented to the world for the 1st time at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Peugeot is incorporating the latest automotive edition into its model range.

It also offers an onboard “localized communication unit” that will authorize the emergency call system and transfer data such as distance covered, battery status, and time before maintenance, making it well suited to businesses looking for options for their fleets.

Mitsubishi's i MiEV electric car. From Mitsubishi

Peugeot is a pioneer in the electric vehicle world, having produced 106 EVs between 1995 and 2003 (the most “zero-emissions” cars in the world, they claim). They also plan to produce the Hybrid4, a crossover hybrid that’s set to be released in 2011 (which was showcased at the Paris Motor Show earlier in 2009). It has 4-wheel drive and will have 147 kW (200 bhp) of power. Running in electric only mode from start-up to speeds of 50 kph (31 mph), it will switch to the diesel engine only mode at stable speeds on open roads or highways.

Traffic Jam Via Flickr - Hamed Saber

Best Workplaces for Commuters estimates that the daily commute wastes 2.3 billion gallons of fuel as people idle in traffic waiting for the way to clear. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, the cost in wasted time and fuel per commuter was approximately $750 in 2007, a total that amounted to $87.2 billion for the US as a whole.

While we like to encourage people to use alternate modes of transportation as much as possible (telecommuting, public transit, bicycling, waling, carpooling, etc.), it’s good news when we find ways to reduce the congestion and get people moving again. We’ve always assumed that GPS is one of those technologies that will cut down on fuel waste and time.

GPS Via Flickr - Jimmy_Joe

And now, according to a new NAVTEQ study published in August of this year (NAVTEQ is in the business of navigation, so these results should be taken with that in mind), traffic-enabled navigation systems will not only save people time, they’ll cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and wasted money. They estimate that portable, wireless navigation systems equipped with real-time traffic information could save the average US driver the equivalent of four days-worth of time (UK drivers save only 2.5 days). That’s because they can avoid traffic jams and therefore spend about 18 percent less time driving than those without navigation systems.

Greenhouse gas emissions also dropped by about 21 percent, or 0.79 metric tons (about 1,700 pounds) according to the study, which was conducted in Germany. In all, the research totalled data from 2,100 individual trips, logging over 20,000 kilometres (12,427 miles) over nearly 500 hours.

Google Maps for mobile

Systems like Google Maps for mobile are also helping, making real-time traffic information for all US cities available on GPS-enabled phones. The easier the daily commute, the better for us all.