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Transportation

Koenigsegg 'Quant' - Electric and solar power combined

What is better than using electricity to power a car? Using the sun.  Swedish luxury car maker, Koenigsegg, has collaborated with the photovaltaics pioneer, NLV Solar AG, to create a propotype that changes the way we think about running a multi-person vehicle. A high powered four seater, the Koenigsegg Quant is an electric sportscar with the ability to recharge on-the-go using state of the art solar cells integrated into the paint job.

100+ mpg Hummer

It's the monster of commercial vehicles: The Hummer.  And not exactly what you would consider the exemplar of fuel economy.   Yet, the prototype hybrid Hummer H3 gets 100+ mpg demonstrats an unimaginable efficiency for SUVs and offers hope that utility vehicles don't have to be environmental villains.  At its core is the breakthrough Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (R-REV) power-train developed by Raser Technologies of Provo Utah in partnership with FEV Inc.

Honda FCX Clarity - Hydrogen Fuel Car

Will hydrogen power the future?  We won't know for sometime, but Honda's FCX Clarity is a bet in that direction.  The FCX Clarity is America's first production model vehicle designed expressly to accomodate power by a fuel cell.  The car also happens to be the first vehicle to meet California’s low emission vehicle standards, well in advance of regulatory requirements.

Gone With the Wind

The future of vehicle design is always influenced by extreme prototypes that push the boundaries - either of speed, efficiency, power, or endurance.  Recently, just such a prototype set a new precedent for what is possible with wind powered vehicles and in doing so is helping to advance transportation technology.  Dubbed "Greenbird", this high-tech marvel is two vehicles in one: a land craft and an ice craft, powered only by the wind.  Its breakthrough design allows it to travel up to 5 times the real wind speed in ideal conditions.

Better Place - Electric Car Sharing Scheme

Taking car sharing to next level, Better Place is an network specifically for electronic vehicles.    Their vision is to improve the supportive infrastructure necessary to enable electric cars to become main stream through the use of their subscription-style services.  In an effort to make this happen, Better Place is installing driver services, systems, and stations.  Aside from physical construction, Better Place is also working to build consumer support of electric vehicles.  The program introduces electric cars to users who may not be willing to take the risk of ownership, but are ready

Scuderi Engine - "Air Hybrid"

New England isn't known as a center of automotive breakthroughs, but a new development suggests that's about to change.

Bixi System - Digital Age Bike Sharing

Automated public bike systems have been implemented in several cities, but BIXI has taken it one step further.  BIXI has designed a system with features like bike to bike docking to automated pay stations that can be easily integrated into any city.  The system includes a portable modular bike dock which allows easy installation at any location without excavation.  A solar-powered pay station accepting credit cards or BIXI cards wirelessly relays the number of bikes present and records bike usage.  The bikes are even specially equipped with front and tail lights, chain covers to improve int

Green Flight International

Algae can take us from coast to coast with the new introduction of biofuels derived from algae into planes.  Green Flight International is a research and development firm committed to making economically viable biofuels derived from algae a reality.  The company takes a hands on approach to biofuels promotion by pioneering its introduction to aviation.

Seqway Car - Personal Urban Mobility

By taking an already useful and unique technology in the self-balancing gyroscope associated with the standing Segway, the P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) is combining clean, emission free electric power with a sit-down, driving vehicle.  The car's small size means it can fit into any and every parking space in the city as well as cause less over-all driving congestion in the city due to maneuverability. If mass-produced, the P.U.M.A. could become a cost effective way that any city could change the layout of its city scape.

Metro in the Sky - Cable Car Mass Transit

No, those aren't tourist gondolas.  Those are commuter cable cars, and they're redefining the concept of mass transit for mountainous urban areas.  In a bold initiative to link the central districts of Caracas, Venezuela with it's many populous barrios in the surrounding hills, the regional government has built a cable car commuter system unlike any in the world.  It is creating a transportation link between communities which would otherwise have been unthinkable.  The first line connecting the city center with the San Augustin district opened in 2008 and supports 40,000 riders a day.  A se