Go Green Gadgets: 3 Apps to Save Money and the Environment

Looking for a ways to save money and go green now? Well here are three apps for the iPhone (or smart-phone) you can download and use anywhere, anytime, to make your car greener and your wallet fatter.

1. GasBag


This iPhone app lets you find the cheapest gas nearest you. It tracks gas prices and delivers real time updates to your phone. It also has a log book to help you keep track of time, location, and current mileage at each fill-up.


2. EcoDriverEd


Learn how to drive greener. Green driving techniques can significantly improve fuel economy, reduce CO2 emissions, and save you money at the pump. This app teaches you those techniques using real-time training programs and feedback to help you adjust while driving.


3. PrimoSpot

If you are ever in the New York City or Boston metro areas, this app is invaluable. Like many geo-based apps, it figures out your location and let's you know where and when it's OK to park on the street. PrimoSpot also lists parking garages and includes rates, so you can get the best deal. Stop driving around aimlessly wasting gas and money. Use this app to search intelligently and find a parking spot quickly.

For a guide to other iPhone/Smartphone apps that can help you go green and save money visit earthgarage.com.

Car Sharing by the People, for the People

Let's say you have a car you only use on weekends. What do you do with it during the week? Well, California may have an answer for you. The State Legislature passed a bill allowing personal car sharing. (Read it at this site). The bill states that personal insurance cannot be dropped as long as earnings don't exceed the monthly costs of operating the vehicle, (if the car-sharing company covers insurance when it is being shared.)

Organizations like Spride Share (who work with City CarShare) are taking advantage of this change in law. They provide hardware and services so that members can sign up their car and make it available for sharing. The location, availability, and rates of the car can be set online by the owner. (More info here.)

A few questions remain - if the car is abandoned or stranded who arranges and pays for it to be retrieved? If the car is stolen who is responsible? Can you choose who can share your car? Still, it is potentially a great way to offset or even negate the costs of owning a car, especially if it is simply sitting in your driveway Monday to Friday.

Sources: Yahoo Green, City CarShare, Spride, New York Times.

Solar Roadways

Imagine a renewable energy source that you could drive on. This is the basic concept behind Solar Roadways. The project seeks to replace our current asphalt roads with solar panels that are capable of carrying traffic. Not only would the roads generate clean renewable energy, but they would also transmit it.

The team hopes these roadways would replace the existing power grid, and also carry phone lines, internet cables, and TV. If all the roads in the U.S. were replaced with solar panels the energy generated would be enough to cover the annual U.S. consumption three times over.

While questions over the concept's viability remain, the Solar Roadways received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to build its first prototype in 2009. It is also a participant in GE's Ecomagination Challenge. You can vote for Solar Roadways here.

Earthgarage Interviews an X Prize Contestant

Earthgarage's Sam Rubinoff interviewed Brad Jaegar, Director of Research for Edison2's Very Light Car, a strong contestant in the X Prize competition. Brad spoke about the design and development of the Very Light Car and gave his own personal insight on fuel efficient vehicles.

What is your background? What sparked your interest in creating an ultra efficient car?

Honestly, the entire background of Edison2 comes from motorsports and auto racing industry. The founder, Oliver Kuttner , was a fellow racer and a classic car collector, seller and manager. It was really Oliver that had the dream, he was working on lightweight parts for racing and when X Prize got his attention he wanted to go for the 10 million dollar prize. So, he created Edison2 and pulled a lot of us from the motorsports community and put us to work on this.

How many people were involved in this project?

About 100 people total, that includes contract employees all over the U.S. that we’ve hired for certain tasks. The main group of personal is about 15 in the shop, but the people that have their fingerprints on this vehicle is at or over 100.

Can you tell me a little bit about the philosophy behind the Very Light Car?

It’s pursuing efficiency through lightweight and low aerodynamic drag, which are the only two virtues of platform efficiency. When we designed this we tried to look at the problem holistically. The best answer for any form of powertrain, whether it’s electric, gas, diesel, compressed natural gas, is to have an efficient platform, which is to be lightweight, low aerodynamic drag and little rolling resistance. The energy required to accelerate the vehicle and maintain a speed is what it all comes down to. We started analyzing the EPA city cycle with a range of different platforms, different weights and coefficient of drag with cars that are already out there and we plugged in numbers that we thought we could hit and then saw how it compared to the rest of the vehicles.

This car was submitted as part of the X Prize, a competition that encourages independent breakthroughs in fuel efficiency, what do you think are the obstacles that major car companies have faced in creating a very efficient car?

There are a couple of issues. One is that, in the car industry the companies have become so large and in order to make a profit they rely heavily on different parts from already existing vehicles. So, they may be launching the new 2011 Chevy Malibu. It draws from parts from a previous vehicle or it might have the same air conditioner as a GM SUV and it makes sense from a business perspective, but when you’re really trying to break the mold and come out with an ultra-efficient vehicle it’s hard to do. Another reason is political and some laws and getting caught up in the whole bureaucracy.

Are consumers going to see the Very Light Car in the future?

We hope so. We are talking to a few companies in helping us to carry this forward and we’ll need to wait and see how everything unfolds. We need to see how we do in the X Prize and how some of the business deals go forward.

Where do you see the future of fuel-efficient vehicles? Is it gas, diesel, electric, lightweight or a combination of these things?

I think it’s a combination, what this country needs is energy diversification. So, you’re not going to see the entire fleet of vehicles in the U.S. move to electric. That being said you're going to see electric vehicles becoming more popular. You’re going to see alternative vehicles becoming more popular, running on E85 and biodiesel and compressed natural gas. We are definitely in some interesting times seeing the auto industry being shaken up…there is definitely going to be a transition.

Do you mind if I ask, what do you personally drive?

On the street I drive a 2001 Audi S4. It gets decent mileage, has the six cylinder engine, but it’s a sporty vehicle. You can put the pedal to the metal and have fun with it.

I wish you the best of luck at the X Prize

Thank you.

Very Light Car is Rocking the Xprize

Edison2 is an automotive design company from Lynchburg, Virginia. They are currently in the final stage of the Progressive Automotive X prize, a competition to create a 100mpg vehicle that is safe, well-performing and production capable. The name of their car, The Very Light Car, explains their design. It is a gas and ethanol powered car that is very aerodynamic and weighs only 700 pounds! I had the chance to interview the Director of Research and Development, Brad Jaegar this morning. Stay tuned for the post!

I'm On The Highway To...Canada?

Yes, Canada. Washington state has a plan, and that plan is to build electric vehicle charging stations. By this fall the State of Washington plans to turn a 275 mile section of Interstate 5 (runs from Oregon to Canada) into an electric-highway. In time to meet the next generation of electric vehicles being released later this year.

Sign Posts for the stations might look something like this. (nissan-leaf.net)

With a $1.32 million federal grant it plans to build both level-2 charging stations and level-3 stations (in partnership with private firms for the latter). Level-3 charging stations mean that it will only take about 30 minutes to recharge an electric vehicle's battery to 80%. The maximum between each of the level-3 stations is set at 80 miles apart, and with the level-2 stations also available, most electric-vehicles should always be within range of a charging station. That would be a big step in reducing "range anxiety," a key barrier for wider acceptance of EV's.

Greenfrastructure

Greenfrastructure (my combination of green and infrastructure) is an area with a lot of activity recently. The ParkGreen by AAbast Energia (greendiary.com).

The ParkGreen Parking Lot

A concept called a micro park by Sara Ruzomberka and Tiffany Jimene.

Micro Park

  The Ev Island which we covered in an earlier post.

EV Island

Or going in the opposite direction, areas previously devoted to transportation have been converted into green spaces. Like High Line Park in Manhattan. (architectureweek.com)

High Line Park.

The first electric car charging station was opened at a private parking lot earlier this month and plans were made to open 100 more by September 2011. The City of New York currently uses 10 electric vehicles, and plans to add another 40 for its park and transportation departments. (latimes.com)

New York is an ideal place to start the transition to electric vehicles, as most city drivers go no more than 40 miles a day. The spread of electric vehicles outside of the city poses problems. Viable electric vehicles require charging infrastructure because many people feel anxious about the reduced range. The project in New York, happily, takes a step towards the solution of that problem.

Biodiesel on the Rocks

Biodiesel, an emerging source of alternative energy, could be in danger if an expired tax credit is not renewed.

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of animal or plant products; even algae is being studied as a possible source. Biodiesel is renewable, creates less pollutants and a great way to decrease the environmental impact of a diesel vehicle without having to make drastic changes. Most diesel engines can use biodiesel blends and pure biodiesel with minor engine modifications.

The tax-credit responsible for much of the growth in the industry expired six months ago, and has yet to be renewed. Concerns over the deficit, and the November elections, mean politicians are wary of giving their opponents anything that can be seen as fiscally irresponsible. Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, says he is determined to get the tax credit reinstated. Yet, despite the professed commitment of many in both parties to alternative energy, it looks as if the issue may be tabled until after the elections.

Diesel fuel is significant. It's used in tractor-trailer trucks, barges, trains, and other heavy equipment. For these applications, biodiesel is often the only feasible alternative energy source.

Quantum Dots Capture 'Hot' Electrons in Solar Cell

Something previously exclusive to science fiction, may be entering center stage. Quantum dots (or semi-conductor nanocrystals) could lead to the next big breakthrough for solar technology. Xiaoyang Zhu (a chemist at the University of Texas) is studying quantum dots, which could increase maximum theoretical efficiency of solar cells from about 31 percent to as high as 66 percent. Quantum dots can capture high energy or "hot" electrons that are normally lost as heat in traditional silicon solar cells.

A solar panel with the higher efficiency this technology promises has myriad applications. Solar panels on a conventional car roof could run accessories, like air conditioning, eliminating the need to tap engine power and increasing fuel efficiency. For hybrids, it could be used to help charge the battery or with EVs, extending range on the fly and making them much more practical.

A Greener Gas Engine

Bill Gates has invested $23.5 million in order to “complete the engineering and testing” of Ecomotors’ Opoc engine. From the green car prospective, this engine has a lot to offer. For starters it has 50% fewer parts and is less expensive to repair than competing engines. This means that car owners may be more inclined to hold on to a vehicle knowing that it won’t cost them as much to repair when it’s out warrantee. The Opoc design may also be available in a diesel option, which offers significant fuel savings. This engine could be the answer to ease emissions and lesson fossil dependence while electric vehicles and thier required infrastructure are developed over the next decade.

Never, Ever Change Your Oil Again?

Someday, you may never have to change your oil. Imagine that? No hassle every five thousand miles, less consumption of petroleum products, and a greener vehicle.

Electro-Lube Refiners are currently only available for fleet vehicles. Constant use and heavy wear mean fleet managers need every advantage they can get, and the number of vehicles in a fleet multiplies any advantage. Electro-Lube relies on this to stay economically viable. Making it a sound investment for fleets, not individuals. However, many technologies started out this way, and in time, the price dropped, the technology improved, and they eventually reached the general public.


Motor oil never wears out, it only loses additives, gains impurities such dirt, water, fuel, and other contaminates. Electro-Lube manufactures what is basically a mini refinery, and installs it in a vehicle. The refiner vastly improves the purity of the oil (removing the contaminates), which is why you don't have to change the oil. But all this is only a future possibility for the individual car owner.

For solution you can use today check out this oil filter on earthgarage.com.

Chicago Car Show Celebrates Small, Mini and Micro Cars

Small cars are back in style, thanks to gas prices that peaked at $4 per gallon last year, and the additional power, style and comfort manufacturers have been able to pack into new models like the Ford Fiesta and Audi A3 TDI clean diesel, named Green Car of the Year by the Detroit News.  Perhaps these will be tomorrow’s classics.  Yesterday’s icons are on display at a very small car show in Chicago, the Tres Petite Concours: An Exhibition of Micro & Minicars.

The car show takes over the 900 block of West Armitage Avenue, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, the weekend of July 17 and 18, 2010.   The show features microcars and minicars from the 1950s and 1960s including the iconic BMW Isetta, a three-wheel vehicle with a single door that opened in the front, in front of the driver and passenger.  Another car being featured is the Fiat Cinquecento, the inspiration for the Luigi character in the wonderful animated film Cars.  And the Citroen Deux Chevaux, also known as the 2CV.

Fiat Cinquecento, inspiration for Luigi in "Cars" Movie

The Tres Petite Concours will also exhibit current small cars, including the Smartfortwo and the Mini Cooper, as well as a  car of the future, an electric small car called the X-Car.  Cars can be viewed around-the-clock from a sneak preview beginng 6 p.m. Friday, July 16 through 4 p.m. Sunday, July 18.  Best of all, you can view the cars for free, since they are parked on public streets.

The Tres Petite Concours is sponsored by The LeMay – America’s Car Museum and Vintage Microcar Club and Clean Tools. The event producer has the absolutely perfect name of Teeny Tiny Productions.  Visitors will be invited to vote for their favorite car. Voting makes you eligible for a raffle drawing.  The prize is a microcar and a driver for 4-6 hours.  Sounds like fun. There’s also a best in show award, as there always is in car shows.

Just so you know — The definition of a microcar is a passenger car with a 500cc or smaller engine.  Minicars are 501cc to 999cc.

BMW just announced it will manufacture an all-electric city car, the 21st century version of the Isetta, called Megacity.  The BMW plug-in EV Megacity is scheduled to arrive in 2013.

Guest Blogger: Evelyn Kanter

Colin Powell: Secretary of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Yes, Colin Powell, is a board member of Bloom Energy, an exciting fuel cell technology company. Founded in 2001 by KR Sridhar, Ph.D, a former professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona, and Director of its Space Technologies Laboratory. Bloom Energy is claiming to have produced the next generation fuel cell with its Energy Servers, a type of solid oxide fuel cell.

The Energy Servers can use natural gas, fossil fuels, or other renewable sources. The Servers are about the size of a parking space, and the first commercial (100kW) Energy Server was shipped to Google in 2008. Other customers include eBay, FedEx, Walmart, Staples, Bank of America, and the Coca-Cola Company. The commercial Energy Servers are priced around $7-800,000.00 per unit, but (especially considering government incentives) most customers expect to recoup the initial cost in 3 to 5 years.

Bloom Energy's next step is likely home-sized units, which when mass-produced, should cost under $3,000.00. If all goes well, and the technology is as feasible, then it could herald a revolutionary change in the way we power our homes and businesses.

EarthSmart: FedEx Trades Purple and Orange for Green

Ever seen a FedEx truck with this logo on it and wondered what it meant?

Earthsmart is a FedEx program developed with Etsy Enviromental Partners, a sustainability management consultancy founded by Yale professor Dan Esty, author of Green to Gold. The program has three main branches, business solutions, workplace culture, and community outreach. The most interesting changes are in the business branch, which includes trucks, planes, and facilities.

Some of the ways the Earthsmart program reduces environmental impact is the use of solar power, a new type of fuel cell called a Bloom Energy Server, and eco-friendly vehicles. The Express Hybrid Delivery Vehicle was introduced in 2008. In 2009 FedEx retrofitted 92 old trucks with hybrid technology and particulate filters. Hopefully FedEx will continue to reduce its environmental impact and in the process encourage other corporations to do the same.

If you feel like following suit, check out these green oil and exhaust filters on our website earthgarage.com.

Air Purifying Concrete, It Actually Exists

Yes its real. The concrete paving stones were shown to reduce nitrogen oxides by 25% to 45%, by converting it into nitrates. The concrete also breaks down algae and dirt, and uses titanium dioxide that reacts with sunlight, to produce its effects. The Eindhoven University of Technology confirmed these results last fall when they tested it on a busy road in Hengelo, an area of the Netherlands. It is made by Struyk Verwo Infra and is already available for purchase.

The concrete can be mixed with asphalt for use on roads, or used for self-cleaning and air-purifying building walls. While the concrete stones cost 50% more than regular concrete, road building costs are only 10% higher. The building material of the future, self-cleaning and detoxifying concrete. It almost sounds like science fiction.

For more info check out gizmag.

Avoid Gulf Coast Oil Spill Charity Frauds

The good guys are volunteering and working overtime to undo the damage of the BP oil spill, the worst environmental disaster US history.   Beware of  frauds.  The bad guys are out there scamming instead of skimming.

Job Scams - One fraud is asking you to pay up front for a job helping clean up the mess.  Jobs available directly with BP are posted on BP’s website. For jobs through the state, such as Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, you can visit the states’ own job websites. If you have been recruited by a company that claims to have a contract with BP, The Better Business Bureau recommends that you research the business fully and try to confirm with BP that they are a legitimate employer for the oil spill clean up. Simply —  be wary of companies that require you  to pay an upfront fee.

Claim Scam - The FTC warns against phony adjusters who ask for fees to expedite services.  The toll-free BP claims line is 1-800-440-0858. The line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or you can file a claim online through BP’s website. Additionally, there are many claims offices along the Gulf Coast. More information is available through the Deepwater Horizon Response website and on BP’s website.

Charity frauds - It always happens.  After any disaster, the creeps come out of the woodwork to take advantage by setting up phony charities, including with names that sound like — oh, so close — to legitimate, reputable charities.  Before you give, check with charity watchdogs like Charity Navigator and The Better Business Bureau.  Here is a list  of charities that meet BBB Wise Giving standards and are working in the Gulf Coast to help the people, the wildlife and the land itself.  You certainly can find a charity you like on this A-List of good guys.

American Bird Conservancy

Defenders of Wildlife

Ducks Unlimited

EarthShare

Environmental Defense Fund

Friends of the Earth

Greenpeace Fund

International Fund for Animal Welfare

National Audubon Society

National Wildlife Federation

Natural Resources Defense Council

Nature Conservancy

Oceana

Give with your heart — but use your head.  Make sure your hard-earned money goes to a reputable, honest charity.

Guest Blogger: Evelyn Kanter

SUV King Passes Away

British automotive legend Charles Spencer King, age 85, died in late June.

King developed the first passenger friendly Range Rover in the 1960's, and ushered in the SUV market, much to his dismay. King was critical of what the SUV became, saying, "Sadly, the 4x4 has become an acceptable alternative to Mercedes or BMW for the pompous, self-important driver. To use them for the school run, or even in cities or towns at all, is completely stupid."(nytimes)

King later developed a series of experimental ECVs (Energy Conservation Vehicles) which included features later used in production vehicles. Something he might prefer to be remembered by.

I'm Not a Rock, I'm an Island

The EV Island looks like some kind of futuristic streetlight, and oddly that's not far from the truth. The EV Island is a electric/hybrid charging system. A 23 ft. pole hooked into the electric grid with a charging station, and either a wind turbine, solar panel array, or both. The charging station is a ChargePoint CT2100 EV Charger 120v and 240v Dual Port “Smartlet" made by Coulomb Technologies, which has integrated ChargePoint Network access. Customers create an account online and access it from any of these charging stations with a ChargePoint card.

The EV Island will use renewable sources of energy to offset the electricity drawn from the grid. More and more electric vehicles are scheduled to hit the road in the next few years, and support infrastructure will need to grow. Hopefully, the EV Island will support this growth.

Check out the EV Island website here.

Mad Men's Jon Hamm is New Voice of Mercedes-Benz

The new voice of Mercedes-Benz is Jon Hamm, the Golden Globe winning star of the hit series Mad Men.  Hamm made his debut — or at least his voice — on the Academy Award Oscars  show, in a commercial featuring the new Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid luxury sedan.

Here’s the TV commercial, in case you missed it on Oscar night:



The 2010 Mercedes-Benz 2010 S400 Hybrid luxury sedan is the world’s first production vehicle powered by sophisticated new lithium-ion battery technology that is more compact and more energy efficient than conventional batteries.  Mercedes has a second hybrid model, the hybrid version of the ML SUV, plus three clean diesel BlueTEC models.   And a fleet of vehicles powered by fuel cells is in the works.

Print versions of the green message — without Jon Hamm’s voice, of course — will be appearing in April issues of magazines,  and in top newspapers on April 22, which is Earth Day.

Mercedes is spending piles of green to give us the green message on top TV shows, including ”American Idol,” “CSI Miami,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Today” and “24.” Plus, such cable outlets as Bravo, CNN, Discovery, HGTV, National Geographic, USA and on ESPN’s “SportsCenter”.

Hamm’s new association with Mercedes-Benz could cost AMC’s Mad Men one of its major sponsors.  For the last couple of seasons, Mercedes arch-rival BMW has been a primary sponsor of the hit show.  Will it continue?  I’m predicting no.  I’m predicting Mercedes will replace BMW.

Guest Blogger: Evelyn Kanter

'Less is More': The Maxim of the Only Team Left in the X-Prize's Mainstream Division

The team's Edison 2 relies on a single cylinder 40hp engine and a lightweight aerodynamic construction to achieve its goals. The result is a vehicle with a range of over 600 miles per tank (6.5 gallons), top speed of over 100mph, 22 cubic ft. of storage capacity, and four seats.

A major concern in a car this light is safety, but the team points to a few aspects of the design (many of them adopted from racing) that make the car safe. The first is the diamond shaped steel cage enclosing the passenger compartment, which deflects the force of most impacts. The second is collapsible space, an effective method of protection incorporated into the design of many contemporary cars. The exterior wheels of the Edison 2 also provide collapsible space that most cars lack. The third aspect is maneuverability and short stopping distances.

One of the major criticisms of super-efficient lightweight vehicles is the lack of safety. If the safety features in the Edison 2 become widely utilized it could have an incredible impact on the American market, as near 100mpg vehicles might become available in the U.S.

Check out the Team's Home Page

Nissan LEAF plug-in electric car is one of top inventions of 2009

Time magazine is justifiably famous for its annual “Person of the Year” awards.  But that’s not the only award it bestows each year.  I was delighted to find an electric car, the plug-in Nissan LEAF on the list of Time’s  top inventions of 2009.   It is the only vehicle on the 2009 list.

What makes the Nissan LEAF so special?  Top of the list is that it is is the world’s first EV built for mass production, not just a few hundred here and there like the electric versions of the Smartfortwo and MINI Cooper.  The car’s top speed is more than 90 mph, and it has a range of 100 miles on a full charge, more than enough for the average daily commute or supermarket run.

The Nissan LEAF is on a North American tour right now, before it goes on sale in spring 2010 for delivery in fall 2010.  The tour schedule for January and February 2010 for test drives includes Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, D. C., Houston and New York City.



Guest Blogger: Evelyn Kanter