Earth friendly cars
In developed countries, transportation has become a problem not only to the health of the planet but to millions of people that want to reduce their contribution to the pollution of the planet. In many instances, however, alternatively powered cars that are environmentally friendly either have been slow to be produced or do not sell well enough to sustain the companies offering them.
French-based Zero Pollution Motors, a subsidiary of the Motor Development International, has been in business for fifteen years and most of that has been researching and developing alternatives to the internal combustion engine that has done so much damage to our planet’s atmosphere and surface. Guy Negre, CEO of Zero Pollution, has recently put into production his brainchild, The Breeze, a car that runs on compressed air. The $17,800 car seats six, gets one thousand miles per charge and can travel up to 96 mph. Charging the car for 1-2 hours each night is done via an ordinary outlet and a fill up of compressed air will cost less than one gallon of gasoline. The Breeze has no emissions and maintains a cool temperature, minimizing its impact on the world through which it travels.
India’s Tata Motors is also producing a compressed air car called the Mini-Cat or City-Cat. The company hopes to begin shipping the cars to Europe by 2009. Tata has been selling compressed air buses since the year 2000 and is currently working on a 100% emission-free, plastic car for the price of $2500.
At these prices, nearly everyone can afford to help reduce global warming, harmful pollution and indiscriminate pillaging of the earth’s natural resources.
Better yet, Chuck Greenwood of HumanCar, Inc., has come up with a human powered car that uses no electricity from outside sources and no fuel of any kind except mild exertion by the passengers. Undoubtedly modeled after the old railway handcars that patrolled the tracks by two people pumping a see-saw type lever, the HumanCar is propelled by four passengers, each with a tee bar they push and pull. An electric motor is built into the car and will engage to help on steep inclines. This unique car can achieve speeds over 65mph and steers easily by leaning the body in the direction of the turn. Those who have test driven it, a cross section of people ranging from age twelve to seventy, report that it takes only moderate effort to power the car and it is very easy to maneuver. HumanCar, Inc. hopes to have the people-powered car in production soon.
There are many, many innovations in the transportation industry in reaction to global warming. Most European and Eastern nations have done well developing public transportation over the years, to the point where such travel is convenient as well as viable. The Western world, however, remains largely a single-car oriented society that is only recently desperate for alternatives to the conventional automobile. These alternative and people powered vehicles could solve a serious problem for those nations as well has reducing pollution and global warming.
