Archive for the ‘Autos & Transport’ Category
May 14th, 2008
Make Your Own Ethanol with a MicroFueler
Sick of paying $4+ per gallon for gas and also concerned about your carbon emissions? But perhaps you also feel that making your own biodiesel at home may be a chemistry experiment beyond your scientific abilities. Well we may have the answer for you.
A few times a year an eco-gadget comes along that gets us pretty excited. Enter the new E-Fuel100 MicroFueler. This machine has just been launched and it seems to allow you to make ethanol at home with very little hassle. (We say “seems” because we haven’t tried it yet– it’s available for pre-order but ships in Q4 this year.) This new device is both a an ethanol-distiller and a pump in one box. Check the photo out below to see the device in action.
According to E-Fuel, ”Our technological breakthrough significantly reduces the size and weight of traditional fermentation and distillation systems needed to produce ethanol.”
How it works: You simply load “feedstock” (sugar with ethanol yeast mix) into the fermentation tank and select the fermentation option on the control panel to begin the process. It will take between 10lbs to 14lbs of sugar to produce 1 gallon of ethanol. (Okay– that’s a lot of sugar!) The MicroFueler is capable of producing 5 gallons of ethanol per day once fermentation is complete.
You can also use booze! You can convert discarded beer, wine or distilled drinks into ethanol–any combination of discarded alcohol can be poured directly into the MicroFueler. Hook up with your local bar and get their leftovers. Heck, at the price of gas these days, buy some cheap beer and you may still save money.
The MicroFueler ain’t cheap– it’s $9995 now to get on their “priority pre-order” list, or you can put $3000 down now and get on the standard wait-list.
But hey, if you got everyone in your neighborhood together to invest in this device, you could save big bucks over time– especially as gas prices continue to rise. Or what if companies bought a machine for their employees? That would be a pretty great office perk. And just think of the emissions reduction your company could brag about!
And yet we remain a bit skeptical….here are a few questions we have about this device that we hope we can get the company to answer:
+ Distillation of sugar into ethyl alcohol is regulated by the ATF. Why isn’t this, or what do you have to do so it isn’t?
+ You’re not supposed to burn ethanol in non-FFV (flex fuel vehicles). Won’t this void my warranty?
+ Sugar costs around $0.50 / pound. Each gal of ethanol requires 10-14 pounds of sugar – how can this be cost-effective? They don’t explain much about their “carbon credit coupons”, which sound like a gimmick.
+ They are talking about shipping complex, $10K units in Q4 08, yet they’ve seemingly raised no outside capital. How can this be? Where’s their manufacturing?
Stay tuned for more on this interesting story…
April 8th, 2008
Carbon Blob Eats US!
Chances are that when you see a picture related to global warming in the US, you see one of two images: a traffic jam in California or a large coal-fired power plant in the Midwest. These are big sources of carbon dioxide to be sure, but our work in putting our Environmental Impact Calculator together suggested that this wasn’t all fair. On average, Californians drive fewer miles per year than many other parts of the country (but at much slower speeds unfortunately), while there are dirty power plants and industries all over the place, not just in the Midwest. Without resorting to lots of charts and graphs, though, it’s tough to see all of this … until now.
A just-released study produced by the Vulcan Project at Purdue University shows US carbon emissions trends in a truly compelling (and scarily beautiful) way. The team has built some amazing graphical simulations that literally show the US “exhaling” carbon dioxide each hour of each day of the year. Huge clouds of CO2 are emitted each day, and much smaller amounts each night. The carbon cloud hovering over the US looks like a living, breathing organism that covers the map like a huge blob when energy use is the highest (make sure you watch the video beginning at the 2:30 mark to see this effect).
What’s it all say? Well, for one, certain areas stand out. California and the West have a few hotspots, but the map is dominated by the emissions coming from the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast. This makes sense, since the density of development (and thus population) in the eastern US is much higher, the use of dirty fuels such as heating oil and coal is greater, and the number of petrochemical and manufacturing plants is higher.
Two, it really brings home the point that we all have a role to play in cutting carbon emissions - regardless of where you live, we’re all contributing in a pretty significant way. So, have a few minutes of fun (and learning) watching the carbon blob eat the US, and then try our Environmental Impact Calculator to figure out what you can do. It happens to take many of these same factors into account, so you get a truly regional estimate of your carbon footprint.
March 16th, 2008
Prozac and Polar Bears
The past couple of weeks have brought all kinds of news about the environmental impacts of our daily lives. From taking medicine to turning on a light bulb to driving a Prius, it seems that every way we turn there’s some consequence of our daily life.
Unfortunately, this isn’t constrained to just animals. A recent AP study found these chemicals in drinking water in 24 major US metropolitan areas (see list at bottom of link). How did THOSE get there? Well, the same story as above - treated wastewater is discharged into groundwater, rivers and lakes, where it is then pumped back into the drinking water supply after some period of time. Today’s treatment standards once again don’t touch these difficult chemicals. Will we start to see the same kinds of effects in people as we’re seeing in aquatic animals? The short answer is no, for you’d have to drink 100-200 Olympic size pools of water a day to get the same amount of these chemicals as you get in a daily pill. But over the long haul, who knows?
Another interesting report and associated articles last week brought up how electric cars might be the solution to our global warming woes, but at the same time might really stress our already stressed fresh water supply. Why? It’s another classic case of unintended consequences. Power plants use water to cool their equipment - LOTS of water. According to the US Geological Survey, almost 40% of US fresh water withdrawals go to cooling power plants, almost exactly the same amount that goes to irrigation. We discussed this here way back when we launched, but tying this to electric cars is a new spin. This could be a big problem down the road in areas where water is already in short supply.
Last but not least, NPR did a piece on the global effects of global warming last week (it’s an audio report, but well worth listening to). We hear about the Artic and Antarctic impacts all the time, but some of the earliest major consequences will be on the opposite end of the world: tropical mountain ranges near the equator. Many communities in South America in the Andes depend on equatorial glaciers for their water supply. These glaciers are melting as fast or faster than any others on the planet, and may disappear all together before 2050. With them will go the water supply of millions of people already struggling to get by. This is one of the sad parts of global warming: polar bears are certainly in trouble, and our low-lying cities and beaches will be some day too, but the people feeling the first effects of climate change are primarily those who can least afford it: the poorer residents of our plant in equatorial South America, low-lying south Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Global warming is here for them already.
All of this might lead you to think “it’s hopeless”, but here at Low Impact Living we completely disagree! Instead, we think that a little knowledge about the hidden consequences of our everyday lives, coupled with the curiosity to figure out how to do things a little better each day, really can make a difference. Each light bulb you change, each showerhead you replace and each mile less you drive means lower carbon emissions, less wastewater to treat, and less need for any kind of vehicle regardless of the type. So, take the first (or tenth step), and not only the polar bears but the flatfish will thank you for it!
February 28th, 2008
Hot Wheels: Electric Scooters and More!
Several hot green two-wheelers have come to our attention of late, and we want to share them with you. That’s how we roll.
Vectrix
This is a serious road machine. The Vectrix is the first 100% electric, zero emissions, highway-legal motorcycle. This puppy can move: zero to 50 MPH in 6.8 seconds. You don’t have to be green to want one of these! And they are coming out with a very cool three-wheel version soon. Check out the Vectrix.
GreenEMotors E-Cruiser
If the Vectrix is a bit much for you, then take a look at the E-Cruiser. This is a plug-in scooter that will get you where you’re going. It’s zero-emissions, street legal and cute as a bug. A $1 charge will get you 450 miles! GreenEmotor offers 2 styles, 5 colors, and 2 motor sizes to choose from. They also offer a 1-year warranty. Check out the Cruisers from GreenEMotors.
Bamboo Bikes from CalfeeDesign
If you want to go sooooper energy-efficient, how about a bamboo bike? Yes, we’re serious. CalfeeDesign is making bikes from bamboo. The bike is made from Bamboo that has been smoked and heat treated to prevent splitting. Lugs are available in carbon fiber or hemp fiber, for the all-natural look. The chainstays are available in carbon fiber for extra stiffness in the drivetrain. They coat the bamboo in tung oil as a sealant. It comes in road, mountain, recumbent, tandem and other styles. Do you have bike envy yet? I do.
February 27th, 2008
U.S. Cities Pedaling in the Right Direction
Will 2008 be the Year of the Bike? Washington D.C, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Arlington and Portland all have low cost bike-sharing programs in the works – with several set to launch in 2008.
Most U.S. bike-share plans will be modeled after Paris’ successful Velib program that is funded by advertising behemoth JCDecaux, who purchased the bikes as partial payment for Paris billboard advertising rights. On similar terms, Clear Channel Outdoor will run the bike-sharing programs in D.C. and San Francisco, according to the AP.
About 120 bicycles will be deployed in the first phase of the Washington D.C. program at 10 locations around the city. Details on membership pricing have not been announced yet. Apparently the bikes will be stored in user stations around the city and members can get access to the bikes using a special card. The launch date is not official yet but should be in in the late spring of 2008. (We hope!)
The simple efficiency of the bicycle, as a short distance mode of transportation, is amazing. If automobiles advanced to a place where they were soundless and ran on pollution-free, rapidly renewable fuel, they would still pale in comparison to a bike that offers low-impact exercise and is made with significantly less material. Ironically, the first widely popular “high wheel” bicycle came along in the late 19th century at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
Many turn of the century innovations were a catalysts to our current climate crisis, yet excellent solutions, such as the bicycle, were invented at the same time. When discussing tactical solutions to global warming, noted environmentalist Paul Hawken says, “The technological solutions are here. I’m not saying that stunning new things aren’t being invented all the time, but that’s not the obstacle. The obstacle, of course, is ourselves”.
Well, it looks like we may be stepping out of the way when it comes to utilizing the time tested efficiency of the bike. Kudos to modern cities for jumping on the bike-sharing bandwagon and getting big business to pay for it!
February 21st, 2008
Greenest Cars of 2008 from ACEEE
The ACEEE (the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy) has released their annual Green Book for 2008 which scores cars on their environmental friendliness. They give a green score for every model and select both the “greenest” and the “meanest” vehicles. It’s a very useful consumer guide to lowering your contribution to global warming via smart auto choices.
The Greenest Cars for 2008
Think the Prius wins? Think again. For the fifth year in a row, the Honda Civic GX is the overall winner with a green score of 57. This is a natural gas vehicle and gets 24 MPG in the city and 36 on the freeway. It’s MPG may be lower than its hybrid counterparts, but because it is a natural gas vehicle, it has super low emissions.
The Toyota Prius wins 2nd place with a green score of 53, and 48 MPG in the city and 45 on the freeway. Honda garners two out of the top three, with its Honda Civic Hybrid coming in 3rd place. The Civic is strong but doesn’t quite match the Prius on the mileage front: it gets 40 MPG in the city and 45 on the highway.
Number four is the zippy convertible Smart Car. The Smart Fortwo gets 33 MPG in the city and 41 on the freeway. You’ll look swanky in it and it starts at under $14,000! 5th place goes to the Toyota Yaris, which is also reasonably priced at less than $13,000. It gets 29 MPG in the city and 36 on the freeway.
To see more of the greenest cars, click here.
The Meanest Cars for 2008
Now the fun part— naming the worst offenders! The worst of the eco-worst is the Volkswagen Touareg, with a green score of 14. It gets 15 MPG in the city and 20 on the highway. Yes, it is actually worse than a Hummer– in fact the Hummer is the 10th worst with a score of 18 (but don’t think that means it’s okay to buy one!!).
Several Mercedes models are in the bottom ten: the GL320 is number 3, the ML320 is number 8 and the G55 AMG is number 9. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is the 4th worst, with 17 MPG in the city and 22 MPG on the freeway. The GMC Yukon is the 11th worst and gets 12 MPG in the city and 16 on the freeway.
In case you were thinking of putting down the clams for a Bentley, let us assure you that you’ll be an eco-foe. The Bentley Azure and the Arnage both get 9 (NINE!!!) MPG in the city and 15 on the freeway. You may look cool, but you’ll really be a fool.
To see the rest of the worst, click here.
