It requires a great deal of energy, namely fossil fuels, to power the world’s modes of transportation. Most of us realize that the pollution created by our vehicles damage the environment and cause health problems. Promising new technologies may be the cure, but for now, the world’s population can help out by using the most environmentally-friendly modes of transportation available.

Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles include:

• Cars
• Trains
• Lorries
• Boats
• Motorcycles
• Scooters

Electric vehicles that are fully powered by electricity don’t give off emissions, although emissions may be produced by the power plants producing the electricity. However, the power can come from clean and/or renewable sources such as hydroelectric, geothermal, wind turbines, or solar power.

Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars rely on electricity as well as fuel engines. Most hybrids recharge the batteries automatically by converting energy during braking. Emissions from hybrid cars can be 25 percent to 90 percent lower than a standard car. The Green Car Club reports that hybrids reduce health threatening tailpipe emissions by 90 percent. The Club also states that hybrid vehicles do contribute to greenhouse emissions, but at a reduced rate. However, hybrids aren’t perfect. There is concern about the environmental impact of the batteries. The caustic substances powering the batteries must be disposed of properly.

Green Trains

With the federal government’s increased support of the alternative energy field, trains may get greener with hybrid locomotives and other advanced technologies. The new hybrid locomotives use the same technologies utilized in hybrid cars.

Electric trains use either overhead lines, an electrified third rail, or an energy storing device such as a battery or a fuel cell. How fast can they go? France’s double-deck TGV’s electric train operates at speeds of 200 mph or higher.

The Mercedes-Benz Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus

The buses use four electrical wheel hub motors along with one of the world’s largest automotive lithium-ion batteries. The battery stores energy produced by a diesel generator and also the energy recovered during breaking.

The Mercedes-Benz Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus lowers diesel consumption, which was already low for Mercedes-Benz hybrid buses, by up to 30 percent, while also lowering CO2 emissions. The Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus cover sections of its route using only electrical power.

Bicycle

Of course, biking instead of driving greatly contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases. A good, comfortable hybrid bicycle purchased at a bicycle store costs from $300 to $600. You can purchase a bicycle for about $100 at a big box store.

Electric Bike

After you begin pedaling, turn the throttle to get a boost. Only light pedaling is required. U.S. law limits the speed of electric bikes at 20 mph, so in most states you’re not required to obtain a special license, registration, or insurance.

Electric Motorcycles

Electric motorcycles don’t produce pollution — they’re powered by batteries. However, pollution may be created by the production of the grid power used to charge the batteries.

The average electric motorcycle costs a little under $7000. Some electric motorcycles such as the Brammo Enertia have many components made from recycled materials. The Enertia Plus Electric Motorcycle, made by Brammo, gets 80+ miles per charge in urban commuting.

Several prototypes use fuel cell technology. Perhaps one day these motorcycles will be mass produced.

It’s not an easy task convincing the world’s population to change their “mobility behavior” towards environmentally-friendly modes; however, slow progress is being made.

Source: The Greenists

Also read Does it make sense to buy a hybrid car? and 12 myths about electric vehicles.  Not in the market for a new ‘green’ vehicle?  See Green Driving Tips and How to hypermile and drive green.  You don’t necessarily need a green car to drive green, see How to green your car.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems Mpumalanga offers water tank and rainwater tank installation, rainwater harvesting systems (see rainwater FAQ), grey water recycling  (see greywater FAQ) and water-saving devices for swimming pools and toilet flush systems (see product demo ).  Our WWF Award-winning water systems can be retrofitted or built into new buildings and can be adapted to small households or large business blocks, hospitals, schools, lodges & hotels.

Water Rhapsody has incorporated Yes Solar- official distributor of high quality solar water heating systems that are installed by Eskom-accredited solar installers (our solar geysers are eligible for Eskom solar energy rebates).  We are authorized JoJo Water Tank dealers and Atlas Plastics water tank suppliers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province (best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).  We are also able to supply sanitary hardware such as waterless toilets through our JoJo Tanks and Atlas Plastics dealerships.

Contact us for a FREE QUOTE on a solar water geyser, water tank or rainwater/gray water system.  South Africa now has eco-friendly insurance- another way to go green, switch to green insurance cover and reduce your carbon footprint today!  Building or renovating?  Consider using environmentally friendly bamboo products.

Ever wondered if it really makes sense to buy a hybrid car?

If you’re frustrated with the environmental impact of fossil fuel consumption, as well as paying nearly $4 a gallon at the gas pump, you may want to consider buying a hybrid electric vehicle.

What is a Hybrid?

Hybrids, like Toyota’s popular Prius model, use a combination of a small, gas-powered internal combustion engine and electric motors to power the drivetrain. Electricity is stored in your car’s batteries. A typical car has one battery, to act as a starter and power electric features in your car, such as power windows or locks. A hybrid might have an array of batteries, which do all those things, but also powers the drivetrain itself. The Prius, like many hybrids, has an acceleration and speed threshold where the battery itself can power your car, up to a certain point. When your battery power is spent, or if the car needs to accelerate faster than the battery can handle by itself, the gas engine is fired up and does the work. Many hybrids also feature regenerative braking. This means that the force of your brakes is harnessed by small generators that give your battery a small charge. Your gas engine is also used as a generator to recharge your battery.

Why Get a Hybrid Car? The Advantages:

According to this U.S. Department of Energy guide, the benefits of hybrids can be summarized as follows:

• Use less fuel, get better mileage, cost less to run
• Provide a quieter, better-quality ride
• Have more efficient engines
• Emit fewer pollutants
• Emit fewer greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming
• Reduce our dependence on foreign oil and enhance national security

Hybrids offer drastically lower emissions (about 70% less) than gas-powered cars and, since they use electric power, increased gas mileage. Hybrids tend to be more aerodynamic, and are engineered for less drag resistance. Drag increases the amount of work your engine has to do in order to move your car.

Tax incentives are also being offered for the new plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and electric cars. The tax incentives that offered rebates for non-plug-in hybrids have expired. As it stands now, consumers can get anywhere from $2,500 to $7,500 in federal rebates, for PHEVs, depending on the size of the car’s battery. The larger the battery, the more money refunded. For those who convert a gas-powered car into a PHEV will receive 10 per cent of the conversion cost back, with the maximum threshold being $4,000 for a $40,000 conversion, as part of President Obama’s stimulus bill. Lawmakers kept one Bush-era tax credit for buying and installing home charging equipment, with a maximum allotment of $1,000 for individuals and $30,000 for businesses. A run-down of state-by-state incentives can be found on Plugincars.com and an extensive database of incentives can be found on the Department of Energy’s website.

Since hybrids feature more complex and numerous parts and systems than a regular car, manufacturers are offering strong guarantees. Check for individual automakers’ warranties, as technologies and offers are subject to change.

It’s also possible to make back the extra cost of a hybrid vehicle in tax savings. The Honda CR-Z, which runs on gas, has a fuel efficiency of 39 mpg highway and 35 mpg in the city. It retails at $19,200. The Prius, which costs $2,100 more gets 48 mpg highway and 51 mpg in the city, offering a considerable annual savings in gas. The DOE has a MPG calculator that helps you estimate your gas savings over time between two vehicles.

Also, let’s not minimize the satisfaction of doing what’s right for the environment. Exercising your conscience can be much more invigorating than saving money.

Disadvantages of Hybrids

The biggest hurdle to wider acceptance of hybrids is cost. New technologies, when first put to market, can be prohibitively expensive for the average consumer. While the technology to produce hybrids has been around for decades, battery innovation has been slowed because car companies were content to build cars that ran on a cheap, relatively plentiful power source: gasoline. With consumers starting to wake up to the dangers of mass gas consumption, which includes increased air pollution and exacerbating climate change, car companies are responding to consumer demand to make energy-efficient vehicles.

But we’re not quite there, yet. One option you may want to consider is buying a used hybrid vehicle. However, the tried-and-true indicators for “kicking the tires” of a prospective used car are a little different when it comes to hybrids. Things you should consider include wear and tear on equipment. It’s one thing to replace a timing belt or muffler. It’s another thing entirely to replace rare, costly components like batteries. See our article here on Used Hybrid Vehicles.

Overall, hybrids are a great choice to help the environment, and they save money. Although tax incentives are changing, prices will come down as hybrids become more prevalent. It can be hard to open your wallet wide to support technological change, but just keep thinking about how much less you’ll be paying at the pump.

Source: Practical Environmentalist

Hybrid vehicles and especially the new plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and electric cars, are even more eco-friendly if the electricity used to charge the batteries is generated by renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind power.  South Africa does not (yet?) have rebates for EV’s and hybrid vehicles and the cost still makes people think twice about buying them.  You don’t necessarily need a ‘green car’ to drive green- see Green Driving Tips as well as The 12 most affordable fuel-efficient new cars.  If you aren’t in the market for a new car just yet, make sure your existing car is as environmentally friendly as possible- read How to green your car.  With fuel prices skyrocketing, it pays, in more ways than one to ‘drive green’.

Contact us for all your water conservation and solar energy requirements.  Our WWF Award Winning water conservation systems include rainwater harvesting systems, rainwater tanks, grey water recycling systems, greywater irrigation systems, water-saving toilet flush mechanisms, swimming pool backwash recycling systems (see product demo) as well as the full range of JoJo water tanks and water tank stands (we are authorized JoJo Tanks dealers in South Africa). Yes Solar Mpumalanga supplies SABS and Eskom-approved solar water heaters that are installed professional Eskom-accredited solar installers.  We supply FREE QUOTES on all our eco-friendly products and services.

In the wake of the ongoing Gulf Oil disaster, alternative energy resources are being scrutinized with renewed interest. As the transportation sector consumes over 40 percent of world oil production, ridding us of our petroleum habit in that sector alone would go a long way to reducing our fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Hybrids are the best known of the alternative vehicles, even though they are not really an alternative. They are more of a supplement, an intermediary step. They still burn fuel, just not as much.

Biofuels have been touted as a carbon-neutral fuel, as they just release the carbon they take up as plants. However, energy costs are very high to produce these ethanol fuels, and there is some debate about the ethics of taking crops like corn out of food production and putting them into fuel production when there are so many hungry people in the world.

Bio-diesel comes from a different source than conventional biofuels. Bio-diesel is typically recovered from used vegetable oil, though food crops like soy and canola are also grown to provide oil as well. Biodeisel can be burned in a normal diesel engine. However, biodiesel shares the ethical issue with other biofuels about taking land out of food production to produce energy.
Hybrid biofuel vehicles are certainly possible, and hybrid diesel vehicles are commercially available.

Electric cars have been around in one form or another for as long as there have been cars. They have all suffered from weight and range problems in comparison to cars powered by gasoline or diesel. Slower, heavier, and with almost uselessly short ranges, electric cars have been a pipedream for a long time. The latest generation of electric cars, though, are using battery packs with new high-density lithium batteries. In the case of the Tesla roadster, this gives it the performance of a sports car, with a range of nearly 400 kilometres. Other electric cars with similar performance levels are expected to be announced in the near future. Electric cars would likely recharge at home, thus transferring costs to the home electricity bill. Depending on how the home is powered, this would also affect the actual carbon cost of the vehicle. Charging is not a quick process, so any purchasers of these vehicles would have to keep the range and charge limits taken into account.

Though most people don’t think of them this way, fuel-cell-powered vehicles are simply an alternative to battery-operated electric vehicles. They just replace the battery with a hydrogen fuel cell. In many ways this fits a more conventional model of consumption, as vehicles pull up to a fuel station. Hydrogen is produced at a net energy loss, meaning it takes more energy to produce that hydrogen fuel than you can get out of it. If the energy is coming from a renewable resource, that is fine. If it is not, using hydrogen is no better than using coal to power your car.

Bio-digesters can produce methane from animal waste, and the methane can be used to fuel vehicles. However, it is not as effective a fuel as others, and requires the vehicle’s engine to be converted to run on methane.

The Indian auto company Tata Motors is producing a small car designed to run on compressed air. The car is expected to be very inexpensive to buy and to run. It would recharge from an electrically-powered compressor in the owner’s home, which fills a high-pressure tank on the car. Such a car gets air conditioning for free. Like battery-powered and fuel cell vehicles, the compressed air powered car transfers energy production to a central utility. And like hydrogen, the process requires a great deal more energy than you get out of it.

With more renewable power options coming into play at the central utility level, the various storage ideas (battery, fuel cell, compressed air) become more attractive as a method to decrease carbon production, and reduce our dependencies on fossil fuels. The various biofuel ideas, though, have ethical concerns associated with them that are hard to get past, at least while food crops are still being used to create the fuel.

Source: Green Living (Colin Dunn)

The latest EV’s have shed many of their disadvantages (read 12 myths about electric vehicles) and if these cars are recharged at home via electricity produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy, then these vehicles become much more eco-friendly.  The biofuel food vs. fuel debate continues but second and third generation biofuels have a lower impact on the environment and do have their place.  Also see Top 10 renewable energy technology breakthroughs in 2010. While on the subject of cars,  read The Eco Friendly Way to Wash a Car.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems has incorporated Yes Solar Mpumalanga so that we can offer solar water heating systems to further reduce your environmental impact (water and energy are linked).  Yes Solar is a distributor for Solsquare Solar Solutions- high quality German-engineered solar energy systems that are competitively priced.  Solsquare solar geysers are SABS- and Eskom-approved and are fitted by qualified, Eskom-accredited solar installers.   Now is the time to install a solar geyser while the Eskom rebates last (this money will run out eventually) and before the looming energy crisis arrives.  Solar water geysers can reduce household electricity costs by up to 50%.

Water Rhapsody’s WWF AWARD-winning water conservation systems (product demo) include rainwater harvesting systems, grey water recycling systems, swimming pool backwash recycling, water-saving toilet flushing mechanisms and rainwater tanks (we are authorized JoJo Tanks & Atlas Plastics water tank dealers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo- best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).

Our water and solar systems will save the environment while you save money on water and electricity bills; get free water and free water heating!

Contact us for a free quote on a solar geyser, water system, rain water tank or water tank.

Everything you thought you knew about plug-in hybrids and battery cars is probably wrong.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems and Yes Solar Mpumalanga have combined (water and energy are linked!) to offer high quality water conservation systems and solar energy solutions.

Contact us for a free quote on a rainwater tank,  rainwater harvesting system, grey water recycling system, Atlas Plastics & JoJo water tanks (we are authorised JoJo Tanks dealers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo – best water tank prices in the Lowveld!), green plumbing systems or solar water geyser (made by Solsquare in Germany).

All our water systems are installed by qualified Water Rhapsody consultants and our Solsquare solar geysers are fitted by Eskom-approved solar installers (so that you can claim cash back from the Eskom renewable energy rebate scheme).

9 Steps to Saving Fuel, Saving Money and Saving the Environment

Hypermiling refers to a collection of driving techniques aimed at improving your car’s fuel efficiency by reducing the demands placed on the engine. Since it’s possible to improve fuel economy by 37% just by changing the way you drive hypermiling is gaining interest in light of high fuel costs. While some hypermiling methods are controversial and potentially dangerous, this article will focus on safer techniques that can still save you gas and money.

1. Drive as if you don’t have brakes. Stopping and starting kills gas mileage. Increase the amount of distance between you and other vehicles, don’t race to red lights or traffic obstructions. Coast as much as possible. On newer cars (Manual Transmission) if the car is in gear and your foot is off the accelerator, the injectors shut off completely, creating FREE mileage at the cost of some minor engine braking. Engaging the clutch and/or putting the car in neutral causes the car to idle, using up gas as opposed to using none. Coast as often as possible, because if you’re smart enough with your coasting, your acceleration won’t even cause a hiccup in your cruising mpg.

This may be frustrating and difficult, however, if other drivers keep cutting in front of you. You should keep your foot ready to use the brake so that if you do need to stop suddenly you can react quickly. If using this technique at night, make sure you have clean headlights and that they are working properly. Obviously, you still need to obey all traffic laws and common sense. For example, you wouldn’t roll through stop signs; the increased risk of a car accident and/or traffic ticket is not worth a few extra cents saved in fuel costs.

2. Be gentle with the accelerator. When you slam down on the gas pedal, it pushes more fuel into the engine, making it run faster (and lowering the fuel economy and increasing your output of pollutants). Push the pedal down slowly, and lift it up as soon as you know you’re going to need to stop (when you see a red light, a stop sign, or brake lights from the car ahead of you) so that you can coast the rest of the way. You should never need to push down the pedal by more than an inch (2.5cm). Some cars are even being designed with pedals that “push back” when you’re accelerating too aggressively!

If you have a choice between various routes, go for the one with the least number of stops; country roads are good because you don’t have to stop (and go) as much and you don’t have to accelerate/brake to get on/off (like with the highway).

If you’re driving on sloped roads, it’s useful to think about where you should come to a full stop because that’ll affect how hard you need to accelerate:

• Fuel efficient vehicles actually generate better gas mileage when a “brisk” acceleration method is used. Acceleration makes for terrible mileage, so get the acceleration out of the way so that you can cruise (excellent mileage!) Slow acceleration will yield less mileage on efficient cars.
• Avoiding stopping on an incline heading upwards. Starting from a dead stop on a hill is the worst scenario in terms of fuel economy. Stop at the top of the hill, or stop before you climb the hill (if it’s safe).
• When coming down a hill and faced with a red light at the bottom (where it levels out), try to stop well before the light so that you can use the remaining downhill slope to your advantage when you need to move again.

3. Avoid idling. Turning off the engine when you stop for more than one minute can improve fuel efficiency by 19%. In cold weather, letting your car idle to warm up reduces fuel economy and creates additional pollution; all you need to do is drive gently for 5-10 minutes and if you’re following the previous two steps, you’re going to be driving gently all the way anyway.

If you have multiple stops in one trip, plan it so that you go to your furthest destination first and make the rest of your stops on your way back. By taking your longest drive at the beginning, you give the car enough time to warm up for the remainder of the trip; if you took the short trips first, your car would take longer to warm up (because of the brevity of each trip). Since engines do not operate efficiently until they are warm, taking your longest drive first increases fuel efficiency.

4. Go slower up hills, and faster downhill. Going uphill slower allows you to use your momentum to help keep your car from using extra gas to get up the hill. If you plan for a hill by going faster you’ll get further up the hill before you need to use extra gas. While going downhill you can go faster using less gas, as such don’t lay off the pedal completely, use it until you’re going a little faster than normal. If you combine the two in areas with small hills you’ll see much higher mileage.

5. Minimize the engine load. Generally, it’s better for your fuel economy if you maintain a steady speed, which is why using cruise control and driving at or below the speed limit is an important part of hypermiling. If you’re driving on a hill or any kind of varied terrain, however, you need to consider how much work the engine is doing. Sometimes, a steady speed means unsteady strain on your engine, which lowers fuel economy. Let’s say you’re approaching a hill. When you go up the hill, you should slow down, or else your engine will have to do extra work to maintain your previous speed. Practice with caution as you may annoy other drivers.

6. Park for easy departure. Instead of searching for the perfect spot close to an entrance (which will involve stop and go driving, especially with pedestrians involved and other drivers pulling in or out of their spots) pull into a spot that’s further away from the entrance. Look for the parking spot with the highest elevation and park face-out so that when you start the car and the engine is cold (at the lowest efficiency) you can use gravity in your favor without having to spin your car around.

7. Check tire pressure regularly. If the tires are incorrectly inflated, then there will be excess drag, or not enough surface contact with the road. The car therefore suffers a drop in efficiency.

8. Reduce the junk in the trunk. The more weight you’re carrying, the more the engine and drive-train have to work. Removing all of that unused junk in the trunk increases efficiency.

9. In a hybrid, Pulse and Glide. If you own a hybrid car, you can increase your mileage by learning to pulse and glide. Pulse and glide is a technique that can dramatically increase your mileage, but is best when you are on a road where there are few other people around.

• “Pulse” or accelerate up to a speed that is the higher end of a range of speeds that are appropriate. Do this using one of the sweet spots for mileage/power ratio on your car. For the prius these spots are ~15mpg and 25mpg, and correspond to times at which the gas engine is powering the car and charging the battery.
• “Glide” between acceleration, but use the accelerator to provide electric assist. This requires knowing how hard to push and in which circumstances, but is very easy to see on the consumption screen. Get used to the maximum electric assist you can use and you’ll go further between pulses, further increasing your mileage.

Source: wikihow

Many haven’t heard of the term ‘hypermiling’ but have probably practiced some of the tips mentioned above.  This shows that you don’t necessarily need a green car to drive green.  As a student, I remember trying all sorts of fuel saving tips out of necessity- who wants to spend money on fuel when there are so many other better things to spend it on?  Even if saving money is not the primary incentive, reducing fossil fuel usage reduces your carbon emissions and lessens your environmental impact. The same can be said for water- when you save water, you generally save money too.  Water Rhapsody has a solution to all your water conservation requirements.  See the water systems featured on our product demo and contact us for a FREE quote!  We also supply and install JoJo water tanks (we are authorized JoJo dealers in South Africa).

Green driving doesn’t necessarily mean replacing your old car with a ‘green car’.  Hybrid cars are often expensive and come at a greater, unseen environmental cost (e.g. the mining, shipping and manufacturing of some batteries for electric cars uses up huge amounts of energy).  It’s cheaper, easier and possibly more eco-friendly to simply change your driving habits.

A quick summary of green driving tips:

1. Don’t step on the accelerator pedal!  Drive smoothly.
2. Avoid unnecessary idling.
3. Plan your trip – it’ll save time and money.
4. Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicle.
5. Use the air vents instead of using the air conditioner.
6. Maintain your car well- more fuel efficient and prevents costly mechanical failure.
7. Drive at recommended speed limits – lower fuel consumption and no speeding fines!
8. Drive at a constant speed (when cruising) in the correct gear.