Green Education: Energy

Even though it's just a set of renderings at this point, I believe in this side-by-side Beachtrike concept that promises ecologically sustainable bamboo construction along with its human-powered and "couples-friendly" design. It's not vaporware. It will happen. I believe - because one of my bonkers, bike nutter heroes is behind it! The post Bike Nutters, Rejoice! Your King is Back With the Beachtrike! appeared first on Gas 2.

Porsche's initial claims for the 400+ hp 2014 Panamera S E Hybrid were hard to believe. Here we are, though – a little more than a month later and Porsche’s tests have confirmed it: the 2014 Panamera hybrid burns just 4.4L of fuel per 100 km of road traveled. That’s 53 mpg, kids! The post Porsche Panamera Hybrid Tests Confirm: 416 HP, 53 MPG! appeared first on Gas 2.

With the next wave of electric vehicles ready to roll out this year, a stiff pricing war is starting to take place. The latest shot comes from General Motors, which revealed this week that the 2014 Chevy Spark EV will have a starting price of $27,495. With the $7,500 government tax rebate, that means you could get the Spark EV for under $20,000, or lease it for just $199 a month. The post Chevy Spark EV Priced At $27,495, Offered With $199 Lease appeared first on Gas 2.

In 1991 the US Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The goal; authorize $650 million to be spent over the course of six years to develop the technology for driverless cars running on automated highways. The post Flashback Friday: The Self-Driving Car Of The 1990s appeared first on Gas 2.

With recent high-profile failures of government-backed alt-fuel projects including Fisker Automotive and the Vehicle Production Group, one wouldn’t be blamed for thinking the green energy loan program was a flop. But a well-written analysis of the program finds that, despite incessant criticisms, the program did better than some people would have you think. The post Despite Failures, DOE Green Loan Program Not Such A Flop appeared first on Gas 2.

High-performance hybrid supercars are all the rage among the wealthy right now, despite the failure of companies like Fisker Automotive. One particular car design that caught my eye is the BXR Motors Bailey Blade EVR, a performance plug-in hybrid with some serious potential. Is this the Fisker 2.0? The post BXR Motors Building Custom Hybrid Supercar appeared first on Gas 2.

The number of plug-in vehicles in the United States has finally exceeded 100,000 units, according to Plug In America. Next step; one million plug-in cars! The post U.S Attains 100,000 Plug-In Vehicle Milestone! appeared first on Gas 2.

In anticipation of the Sustainable Brands Conference which BMW is sponsoring, I spoke with BMW's Head of Marketing, Uwe Dreher about the future of sustainable cars and transportation. Megacities are the market they're most interested in serving, a massive challenge for any automaker. How to sell cars to the people who need them the least? By not selling them, actually... The post Interview with BMW’s Uwe Dreher on Sustainable Cars appeared first on Gas 2.

I feel like I was a pretty cool kid in high school, but Thinmint? Thinmint races stand-up jet skis, owns his own CAD/laser cutting business, and built this 900 hp, 1500 lb-ft electric Honda S2000 supercar in his parents' garage. Thinmint is amazing. The post Video: High-School Student Builds 900 HP Electric Honda S2000 appeared first on Gas 2.

There's significant demand for the Bob Lutz-backed Fisker Karma V8 conversions, especially now that Fisker, the company, doesn't look particularly suited to provide parts and/or technical support for their existing hybrid powertrains. So his interest in Fisker getting bailed out makes sense. That said, it's specifically because of Lutz' involvement that I hope the whole enterprise crashes and burns. The post Bob Lutz Wants to Reanimate Fisker’s Sexy Corpse w/ V8 Power appeared first on Gas 2.

There have been plenty of doubters, haters, and detractors from Elon Musk’s electric car dream. For a while there his baby, Tesla Motors, was a political football punted between Democrats and Republicans. But with the full repayment of the $465 million Tesla borrowed from the U.S. government, Tesla has not just defied the odds, but proven the viability of a pure electric automaker. The post Tesla Motors Repays $465 Million Government Loan appeared first on Gas 2.

This blog is about gas, ultimately. How to use less gas, what to use instead of gas, and all that jazz. The usual suspects are ethanol, bio-diesel, electrons, and hydrogen-peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide? Watch this death-defying 160 mph rocket bike shame a Subaru STi and you'll be a believer. The post Video: You Had Me At Rocket Bike appeared first on Gas 2.

The search for an alternative fuel source other than oil should leave no idea untested. Still, there are some ideas with more potential than others, and some alt-fuel concepts are just plain strange. Compressed air vehicles have been around for around 150 years, but the technology has never caught on with automakers. There’s a reason for that, and it’s called torque, or the lack thereof. The post Weird Ride Wednesday: Compressed Air Cars appeared first on Gas 2.

For electric racing fans, there is no event more anticipated than the inaugural Formula E season, which kicks off next year. Several world-class cities have already been selected to host these contests of speed, and most of the schedule is already determined. This week though Bangkok was added as a host city, and Formula E also revealed what the Renault-designed race cars will look like. The post Formula E Adds Bangkok Venue, Reveals Latest Race Car Design appeared first on Gas 2.

Can the power of social media literally propel a car halfway across the country? That’s the hope of a group of high school students who converted a Karmann Ghia into an EV, with plans to drive it from Kansas City to Washington D.C., but with a twist. The car will only go when it gets mentioned on social media. So you know what we have to do. The post Student-Built Karmann Ghia EV Driving From Kansas To D.C. On Tweets appeared first on Gas 2.