With Peak Oil just around the corner, humans are going to be faced with very few options for mobility in the future — stop travelling or find alternative forms of transport. Imagine travelling with dozens of balloons or in a futuristic-looking helium ship or maybe in a car made of vegetables and powered by chocolate. Sound too good to be true? Check out our collection of the craziest forms of green transport.
Helios Concept Car
The Helios Concept Car, designed by Kim Gu-Han from Universität Duisburg-Essen in Germany, shows us just how quickly innovative ideas and concepts for more ecological transport are becoming commonplace. The electric off road vehicle is powered by solar energy produced from its photovoltaic panels. The large, wing-like solar panels increase the energy charging capacity of the car. The solar panels are retractable for driving, but the car’s solar panels also offer the ability to power your home when the car is not in motion – provided you park it outside the garage of course and point the panels toward the sun.
Cluster Ballooning
If a child were to create a flying device, their fantasy of air travel would probably look something like cluster ballooning – enormous, brightly colored balloons attached to a lawnchair or other form of seating, slowly moving across the sky. Cluster ballooning is fascinating to watch and ever since Larry Walters captured the world’s attention in 1982 with his solo flight, people have become addicted to watching the sport and a few even dare to try it.
The Aeolus Airship
The Aeolus Airship travel concept, from designer Christopher Ottersbach, is a vehicle that allows people to travel around the planet. The Aeolus Airship, designed for two to four people, floats in the air, lifted by a large volume of helium and it can stay airborne for a journey of two weeks.
Solar Car
The Xof1 solar car, created by Marcelo da Luz has spent the last year shattering numerous world records including; first solar car in the world to operate below freezing temperatures, first solar car in the world to drive on an ice road, first solar car to reach the Arctic circle, first solar car to charge with the power of the midnight sun and last but not least, the Xof1 is the world distance record holder for distance travelled in a solar car.
People Powered Submarine
The Blue Space: Dry Multi-Role Underwater Vehicle with Muscle Power is a vehicle design project from the Saint Petersburg State Marine Engineering University in Russia that allows individuals to travel under the sea at a depth of 30 meters with thrust provided by pedalling the vehicle. The project, directed by Vladimir Taradonov, is believed to be the world’s only human-powered underwater vehicle.
Portable Urban Greenspace
The Grass Wheel was created by a group of students from the Dalhousie School of Architecture and is a humorous look at the real need for green spaces in urban environments. With the Grass Wheel you can take green space with you wherever you travel. Although travel might be a bit slow.
Chocolate Powered Veggie Car
Imagine a car made from potatoes, a steering wheel made of carrots and powered by chocolate and vegetable oil that goes 125mph around corners. Sound like an impossibility? Well, Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC) has created the WorldFirst F3 Racecar made from sustainable and renewable materials.
The River Gym
The Human-Powered River Gym concept, designed by architect Mitchell Joachim and personal trainer Douglas Joachim, is an innovative response to the lack of motion in North American society and a contribution to lessening urban pollution. The design concept originated as a response to the manner in which city dwellers exercise. With the Human-Powered River Gym people can get their exercise while helping other people travel on the water.
The Kite Car
The Kite Car, or Wind Light Vehicle, is the latest in zero emissions fantasy car created by Tsun-Ho Wang, Min-Gyu Jung & Sung-Je Do. Designed for the future, the Wind Light Vehicle allows two possible methods of propulsion. The giant wing on the hood is designed to swing upright so the vehicle can operate in a similar manner to a windsurfing board. The wing is also detachable and can be used like a kite-surfing wing in more extreme windy conditions.
I have a great deal of skepticism that the solar powered car offers any future post peak oil.
More likely Sailing, Rail, Bikes, Feet, Horses, and Buses....
written by BillR , July 02, 2009
Updated, see Christopher C. Swan's "ELECTRIC WATER" (New Society Press, 2007).
Thinking about working with expanding 175,000 US rail miles to something over 500,000 to get back the branchlines and electric interurban footprint (de minimus single tracking initially, second tracks as traffic demands)is doable over 15 years or so. That would be apolitical, basing rehab schedule on agricultural traffic, manufaturing sites, resources, etc.... It scares me less than maintaining 4 million miles of roads... We can't maintain pavement now, and we are only just beginning the collapse.
Talk of High Speed Rail, special track cross sections (Mag-Lev)/monoraIl or non-standard gauges is less sensible in light of need for interchangeability of equipment from region to region. It is really a question of: is we is, or is we ain't, at the leading edge of Kunstler's -"The Long Emergency"-? It is an unfortunate thing for the world's economy, that railways are not seen as sexy enough for the average person to get them interested in promoting the mode. How much motor fuel is wasted away in the half century since America shunned the legacy railway network? Fortunately, sufficient rail arterial exists to make it worthwhile to rehab the dormant lines, with upgrades and extending of mains.
Ballooning and sailing will occupy many with wherewithal to dabble around, but here are some specifics for serious people thinking about preventing famine: Better than gold (soon called in by the feds) is learning the railway footprint nearby, and out a hundred or more miles. Get copies of "US Rail Map Atlas" from (spv.co.uk) and share info on the dormant agricultural lines of concern to your local farm bureau or county government. Look into repealing the inventory tax, so need for frantic trucking for restocking is cut by a factor of 4 or 5. This is a big VMY reducer, and allows better economics for rail-served warehousing, with truck interface.
Gold was mentioned, guns are another thing; if you have to use them on your countrymen as a habit, the game is over anyway. Keep them for defense, but let's keep the transport system delivering food so famine is not a drain on ammunition. That means local service railways. See Swan's book mentioned above, and read for understanding history and methodology of the Pacific Electric Railway, day passenger and night provisions and general freight. PE was running on Hoover Dam hyrdopower, making it an early example of highest & best use of renewable in transport. See "ELECTRIC WATER" for update on the idea.
written by tahoevalleylines , July 02, 2009
written by Isaac Johnson , July 08, 2009
Runs on bread, spagetti, patatoes, ... thus extremely hybrid.
Faster than automobiles while commuting in rushhours.
Consumption, only 1/72th fo an average car or 1/2 a bread/100km.
Keeps you out of the rain, wind and snow, protects you in case of collisions.
Most important : it exists, it's for sale at www.velomobiel.nl
written by Johan , July 08, 2009
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written by BillR , July 02, 2009