The United States has embarked upon its first comprehensive effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars, while also reducing the country’s reliance on foreign oil.
Under the new rules, average emissions from all vehicles will have to be cut by 30 per cent and cars and trucks will have to get 15 kilometres per litre by 2016. Currently, they average 10 kilometres per litre.
In comparison, Europe has a target of 5 litres per 100 kilometres by 2012; Australia has a voluntary target of 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres by 2010 and China has a mandatory target of 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres (since 2008).
A spokesman for Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, says the Government is currently reviewing feedback from a consultation with industry and the public on the possibility of introducing mandatory fuel efficiency targets.
Siince October last year, all new cars in Australia are sold with a sticker showing a star rating combining the fuel economy and the CO2 emissions. The most efficient cars (currently, the Toyota Prius, Fiat 500, Fiat Punto, Fiat Ritmo and Citroen C3) are rated at 5 stars while the least efficient cars (the Ferrari 575 and Bently) get a zero rating. In New Zealand, cars have a fuel economy sticker showing a rating of up to six stars.
A team of students from the thu University of Queensland is among the five finalists in a contest being run by Airbus for creative ideas that can shape the future of aviation and deliver a further reduction in the industry’s impact on the environment.
225 teams of students from universities in 82 countries entered the contest for a first prize of 30,000 euros ($au54,000) and a second prize of 15,000 euros ($au27,000).
The five finalists are:
"COz" from the University of Queensland, Australia for its proposal on the use of bio composite cabin materials made from castor plant natural fibres.
The "Big Bang Team" from Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain for its windowless cabin proposal for a new eco-efficient aircraft design.
"Kometa Brno" from Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic whose team developed a project on aircraft taxiway movements using electro-motors.
"Solaire Voyager" from the National University of Singapore, for its solar cell technology project integrating photovoltaic cells aboard aircraft to generate electricity.
"Stanford ADG" from Stanford University in the USA for their proposal on inverted V formation flight, building on the model of migrating birds to reduce energy consumption.
The teams will present their projects to the jury in Paris on June 18. The first and second place teams will be announced on June 19, at the Le Bourget Airshow.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority has released a draft plan which includes $400,000 for a three-year trial of an innovative car pooling system being developed by Trip Convergence Ltd.
In the proposed car pooling system, members with a common destination walk, cycle or drive to a nearby parking facility and form fuller cars to their destination. Typical destinations will be downtown areas, university districts, an airport or another high employment area. The system has as its base operating principle the idea that schedule flexibility is the key to more ride sharing, and that means ‘no pre-arranging’.
This removes the main barrier to greater levels of ride sharing: because people have unique and changing schedules and so cannot be committed to a regular car pool schedule. The proposed system makes the schedule a non-issue.
Sydney-based solar ship builder, Solar Sailor, has signed an agreement to supply huge solar-power sails to be fitted to two Chinese cargo ships.
The aluminium sails, which are 30 metres tall and are covered with photovolatic panels, will harness the wind to cut fuel costs by between 20 and 40 per cent while generating solar electricity to meet five per cent of a ship’s energy needs.
China’s largest shipping company, COSCO, plans to trial the technology by fitting the sails to a tanker ship and a bulker ship.
Dr Robert Dane, Chief Executive of Solar Sailor, said that the sails can pay for themselves in fuel savings within four years, He said that they don’t require special training to operate, with a computer linked in to a ship’s existing navigation system, and sensors automatically angling the sails to catch a breeze and help vessels along.
The NSW Minister for Primary Industry, Ian Macdonald, said that "This is a breakthrough opportunity for Solar Sailor to play a leading role in the future of international shipping design during a period when rising fuel costs and environmental concerns have taken centre stage."
It’s not just American cars that are gas guzzlers. The average Australian car now uses about 8.1 litres of petrol for every 100 kilometres traveled. This is close to the American average of 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres but far worse than Europe at 5.5 litres or Japan at 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres.
When light commercial and all-terrain vehicles are included, Australian vehicles average 11.4 litres per 100 kilometres. Despite all of the technical improvements of the last 40 years, this is the same average fuel consumption as was being achieved by Australian vehicles in the 1960s. All of the improvements in engine performance have gone into providing bigger cars with more comforts like air conditioning, power steering and power windows and into allowing vehicles to travel at higher speeds on the improved roads.
As well as driving vehicles which consume more fuel, Australians drive greater distances than Europeans – the average Australian car travels about 15,000 kilometres per annum compared with 12,300 for Europeans. And Europeans are doing much more to reduce their fuel consumption. Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are being developed in several European countries and, in France, President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to stop all new motorway and airport construction. Instead, funds will be invested in the rail network with the aim of moving freight off the roads.
Source: Time Magazine and the Australian Bureau of Statistics
The first Th!nk electric cars are being delivered in Norway this month. The initial City model is a two-seater with a top speed of 105km/h. It accelerates from zero to 50km/h in about 6.5 seconds and can travel for 200km on an overnight charge from a normal, domestic power point. It is a true, highway-safe road car, designed to meet strict European and US safety standards.
According to Th!nk UK Managing Director, Richard Blundell, the company is considering the possibility of introducing the car into Australia. "Th!nk’s immediate future will be focussed on entering European and North American markets," he said. "However, should the relative attractiveness of entering Australia out-weigh any of our early target markets, we would adjust our strategy to address such an opportunity. We have had much distribution and retailing interest from local companies and are in the process of weighing these against other similar interests from other markets."
Standard equipment on each Th!nk City includes power steering, central locking, an electric heater and electric windows and mirrors. Options include air conditioning, a full length sunroof, a radio/CD with mp3, USB and Bluetooth and a navigation & multimedia system.
A five-seat model is under development for release in 2011.
