> Sounds like a traffic engineering problem, solvable with some common sense. But public works don't always involve common sense solutions! Which is why we need to implement the real solution to driving to work. Simply live at work! (actually this is often the case in California, where the commute can be 2 hours one-way)

 

Doing research it makes hardly any difference which way I go in the morning/evening, although I prefer the slightly shorter country-lane route because i'm not wasting fuel stopping & starting for traffic lights

Doing research it makes hardly any difference which way I go in the morning/evening, although I prefer the slightly shorter country-lane route because i'm not wasting fuel stopping & starting for traffic lights

> All roads lead to Rome! (or is it Roam? :laugh3:) You could invest in a personal helicopter, and generally there's less air traffic...

Let's see - there's this Mosquito one, which looks like fun :Mosquito Aviation - Home of the Ultimate Ultralight Helicopter : Index

Or one made by RotorWay: RotorWay International - Premiere Kit Helicopters

These are both kit builds, but I think that saves some money..

Or, how about an Enstrom Helicopter, built near here: Enstrom Helicopter Corporation

Or just enjoy the country-lane route.. ;)

> All roads lead to Rome! (or is it Roam? :laugh3:) You could invest in a personal helicopter, and generally there's less air traffic...

Let's see - there's this Mosquito one, which looks like fun :Mosquito Aviation - Home of the Ultimate Ultralight Helicopter : Index

Or one made by RotorWay: RotorWay International - Premiere Kit Helicopters

These are both kit builds, but I think that saves some money..

Or, how about an Enstrom Helicopter, built near here: Enstrom Helicopter Corporation

Or just enjoy the country-lane route.. ;)

 

The helicopter pad at work normally has a helicopter on it :(

The helicopter pad at work normally has a helicopter on it :(

:stunned: A helicopter pad at work? Must be an interesting place to work at then!:)

Is there sufficient lawn to land another one on? Maybe they would add another pad, if they knew you needed a "parking" spot?;)

:stunned: A helicopter pad at work? Must be an interesting place to work at then!:)

Is there sufficient lawn to land another one on? Maybe they would add another pad, if they knew you needed a "parking" spot?;)

 

It's the bomb squad's helicopter, in case of bomb scare the helicopter can get to the location faster than the heavy trucks with the robots in (and those robots look so cool to play with)

 

I could probably park on the outdoor football pitch :P

It's the bomb squad's helicopter, in case of bomb scare the helicopter can get to the location faster than the heavy trucks with the robots in (and those robots look so cool to play with)

 

I could probably park on the outdoor football pitch :P

:stunned: OOOOKAY. Sounds like some pretty serious place then. Quite the environment to work in it sounds!

Yes, there you go - just tow the helicopter off the field a little ways, that sounds acceptable. Paint it with the team logo, and you're set!:laugh3:

But we're getting a little off topic, as green cars go...

 

Interesting news from the Green Car Congress! Green Car Congress

The inductive charging system looks neat - just park your car on a pad, let the system charge, pay for the power, and off you go! I like it - no need to plug into anything, and I would imagine a home and work version could be made commonplace - have one installed, and every night when you park the car, it gets recharged on schedule - really care-free!:)

Green Car Congress[/url]

The inductive charging system looks neat - just park your car on a pad, let the system charge, pay for the power, and off you go! I like it - no need to plug into anything, and I would imagine a home and work version could be made commonplace - have one installed, and every night when you park the car, it gets recharged on schedule - really care-free!:)

 

 

That system sounds really promising - easy and green / environmentally friendly. I hope that this system will gain ground and be a successful. :)

That system sounds really promising - easy and green / environmentally friendly. I hope that this system will gain ground and be a successful. :)

I hope so too Nancy! Basically it's an electromagnet with an AC pulse, the car has the opposing winding and core to pick up the magnetic flux and convert that changing field to Ac electricity, then rectify it to DC and charge the batteries. Simple, and I have seen a few common appliances that already have inductive chargers (electric tooth brush, electric shavers) .

I wonder:bulb2:, maybe they could use the same technology for those scooter chairs? Then the elderly wouldn't need to worry about plugging in the cord to charge the batteries, as long as they park it over the charging coil at night..

I hope so too Nancy! Basically it's an electromagnet with an AC pulse, the car has the opposing winding and core to pick up the magnetic flux and convert that changing field to Ac electricity, then rectify it to DC and charge the batteries. Simple, and I have seen a few common appliances that already have inductive chargers (electric tooth brush, electric shavers) .

I wonder:bulb2:, maybe they could use the same technology for those scooter chairs? Then the elderly wouldn't need to worry about plugging in the cord to charge the batteries, as long as they park it over the charging coil at night..

 

 

That sounds like a very good idea / brilliant thinking. I think that you should put forward that idea to the right authority, really.

That sounds like a very good idea / brilliant thinking. I think that you should put forward that idea to the right authority, really.

I might do that! It would make it better for a lot of people who have trouble remembering, or just no hand strength, and give them a greater sense of security and independence.

Although, it might take some installation, be a bit bulky, and who knows what it would add to the price of a scooter / electric chair. Although, like any new technology, those with the means will be early adopters, then the price usually comes down with mass manufacturing...

I still cling to the idea of putting a thin film photovoltaic layer on car finishes, another automatic recharge thing, and even if it only adds maybe 1/4 of the power required per car per day sitting in the sun, that would be a good start!

What other innovations could be made more common?

Green Car Congress[/url]

The inductive charging system looks neat - just park your car on a pad, let the system charge, pay for the power, and off you go! I like it - no need to plug into anything, and I would imagine a home and work version could be made commonplace - have one installed, and every night when you park the car, it gets recharged on schedule - really care-free!:)

 

Isn't that what the electric rolls royce uses?

Isn't that what the electric rolls royce uses?

That could be the case - although strange then that it is being talked about as some new, yet-to-be applied technology with cars? Hm, maybe Rolls Royce is way ahead of the rest of us! I'm guessing David might know though.. :toff:

Well, it's a prototype they're showing around, to get feelers on whether or not there's a market for high end electrics.

No Wires, Sire: Rolls-Royce Electric Uses Induction Charging – Cell Phones & Mobile Device Technology News & Updates | Geek.com

Nice to see Rolls taking a lead in the inductive charging arena!

pvprius.jpg (JPEG Image, 370x278 pixels)[/url]

Toyota to sell solar panel equipped Prius « from the inside, looking in

 

It's great... i hope they sell it soon

It's great... i hope they sell it soon

Pretty Cool!:cool::cool::cool: Thanks Jony!

I think it makes good sense - more power on a sunny day than the current Prius batteries can hold from a recharge! >.75 KWh would certainly be worth it, even if that's just a quarter of the car's daily energy needs.

..Seems to me the missing ingredient is bringing disparate fields together. Parking lot engineers could install solar canopies to both help shade the vehicles (hence a lot less air-conditioning requirements), and at the same time provide a significant amount of electricity to charge the autos parked beneath. Then instead of using the solar to cool the interior, it could mainly be used to power the cars down the road.

 

To the person whom was thinking of getting a Citreon, watch last week's Watchdog for a shocking story in how you can activate the brakes from the passenger foot-well.

Hey, that could be useful! How many times have you been riding with someone, and you wished you could apply the brakes! That's an innovation it seems to me!:laugh3:

Consider if you will the three-wheeler: (JPEG Image, 194x259 pixels)

Perhaps as common as 4-wheelers in the late 1800's, now may be the way of the future!

Back to Basics: Engines, Efficiency, and where the Future may be:

An article on the Scuderi design: Scuderi Engine Builds Digital Car That Gets 50 MPG - Driver's Seat - WSJ

And EcoMotors design - similar lines of logic:EcoMotors

And Achates Power - several options: Achates Power :: Fundamentally Better Engines

 

There are those who say all-electric is the future - they could be right, but given the power density of liquid fuels, the use of biofuels holds a lot of promise as well.

check it out, if you like!

To the person whom was thinking of getting a Citreon, watch last week's Watchdog for a shocking story in how you can activate the brakes from the passenger foot-well.

 

I'm going to keep my car another year anyway, I can't be bothered with the hassle.

Citroen is going electric, with lithium batteries! :bulb::sunny:

Citroen expects 4,000 electric vehicle sales in 2011 — Autoblog Green

 

So there you go - get one of those, and you can skip the congestion charge in London!

Citroen is going electric, with lithium batteries![/color] :bulb::sunny:

Citroen expects 4,000 electric vehicle sales in 2011 — Autoblog Green

 

So there you go - get one of those, and you can skip the congestion charge in London!

 

 

Great news. :sunny:

Great news, I agree, but I suppose 4,000 vehicle sales for citroen isn't much.. :laugh3: Maybe the answer is: drive the old autos with the gas chugger engines maybe once a week, the rest of the time bicycle? Sure would help out the American public - less heart attacks if everyone exercised like that! Probably not gonna happen either, although, driving here is in sharp decline (relatively speaking, that is).

I like the idea of the pedal car option, where a little of the power comes from pedaling, plus the exercise is great and it's pretty safe compared to being defenseless on a bike. The Swiss have a vehicle like this offered..

 

4,000 vehicle sales for citroen isn't much[/color].. :laugh3: Maybe the answer is: drive the old autos with the gas chugger engines maybe once a week, the rest of the time bicycle? Sure would help out the American public - less heart attacks if everyone exercised like that! Probably not gonna happen either, although, driving here is in sharp decline (relatively speaking, that is).

I like the idea of the pedal car option, where a little of the power comes from pedaling, plus the exercise is great and it's pretty safe compared to being defenseless on a bike. The Swiss have a vehicle like this offered..

 

[/color]

 

 

4,000 vehicle sales for citroën in 2011 might not sound of much - but it is always a start. Always look on the bright side of life or Viva la Vida!

4,000 vehicle sales for citroën in 2011 might not sound of much - but it is always a start. Always look on the bright side of life or Viva la Vida!

:laugh3: I see that is true too- it is a good thing to see them start production of electrics. Maybe then the future will be of many options - some lining up errands in a row = less vehicle use that way, some opting to bicycle most good weather days, autos on the iffy days, some taking electric commuter rail and electric buses, some true hybrids (mostly electric, engine backup), better auto efficiency overall, and more use of two feet (walking!).

I just think we are behind and need to make changes rather quickly, or deal with some very difficult climate issues in the near future, where we already face difficult ones. If we get back to honest government and respecting the results of the scientific research, as well as incorporate the externalities that are starkly visible, then the economic forces can propel us in the right direction!

*Need to get that bike back in shape - to be the change I wish to see. :cyclist::sunny:*