Much to our admitted surprise, Frazer-Nash (yes, that Frazer-Nash) is still alive and kicking, the evidence of which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show this week. A joint venture between Frazer-Nash and Italdesign Giugiaro, the Namir concept is a mid-engined 2-seater supercar claiming to be the world’s fastest hybrid car. Powered by an 814cc rotary engine and a 400V lithium polymer battery pack, the combined output of Namir’s two power sources equal around 170 kW (362 hp). Despite the relatively mundane output, Giugiaro claims the Namir capable of sprinting from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 3.5 seconds and 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in only 10.4s. Maxing out at a top speed of 300 km/h (187 mph), the Namir supposedly achieved a 00:01:51 lap time at the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza while still managing to maintain a fuel-economy rating of 39 km/liter (91 mpg).

While this one of the few hybrid vehicles we’d actually be interested in seeing reach production, Giugiaro has yet to indicate a timetable for the Namir’s release.

Toronto native Marcelo da Luz pulled in to Victoria today, after completing a 9,400 mile trip across Canada in his solar car. His 140 day journey beat the previous Guiness record holders (set in 2004) by 50 miles. Although his record hasn’t yet been recognized by Guiness, da Luz says he’s planning to continue traveling as long as he can afford to do so.

“I can only go for as long as I have support,” he says. “It’s a mix between Forrest Gump and Field of Dreams — if you build it they will come and life is like a box chocolates.”

Da Luz started in Toronto and passed through 44 cities and across Canada twice. His car, called the “Power of One” or Xof1, is a single-seat solar vehicle that cost $500,000 dollars to build. The vehicle cost about half a million dollars to build, can travel 124 miles on a single charge and has a top speed of about 75 mph.

Surprisingly, Da Luz said he built his vehicle independently, without any corporate sponsorship, in order to show how one person can make a difference in helping the environment.

Few cars live up to their name like the Venturi Eclectic.  The electric 3 seater which began life as a concept two years ago, is a complete 180 degree departure from the ultra-rare (and expensive) sports cars produced by the Monaco automaker.  Even though the Eclectic has futuristic looks that got it a role in Vin Diesel’s latest movie “Babylon A.D.,” the car pictured here is not some sort of non-production concept, but very similar to the actual vehicle Venturi intends to sell in Europe in 2009.

The Eclectic is a $20,000 electric city car with seating for three.  The driver is seated in the center with a passenger on either side.  As you might have already guessed, the optional tiny spinning propeller-like windmill attached to the roof is connected to the batteries and capable of generating an extra 10 miles worth of driving after spinning for 6 hours.  In actuality, owners will rely mainly on plugging the Eclectic in to a normal power source and not the windmill or solar panels to recharge the vehicle.  Depending on a customers choice of battery unit, the Eclectic will cost buyers either 15,000  or 18,500 Euros.  The being that the less expensive version uses lead-acid batteries that will last 2 1/2 years before replacement and the pricier vehicle will receive a lithium-ion battery pack that will last 8 years.  With either battery configuration the range is 31 miles. 

Venturi very proudly talks the Eclectic up as being the most economical environmental vehicle ever built.  Their justification to such a claim is that because it employs both wind and solar power and does not have the capability to run on traditional fuel, theoretically, the car could run entirely on free energy for its entire lifespan.  What about non-windy, rainy days?  Venturi is quick to point out that even in overcast weather conditions; the solar panels are still working-just not as well.  In fact, the solar panels employed on the Eclectic are rather weak to begin with, a problem the maker is hoping to resolve in order to further juice up the potential power capabilities.  Before being available for sale, there are also several additional pieces to be added to make this car road-worthy even for the more loosely safety-regulated European market.  First and foremost on that list will surely be doors.

Supposedly, Patrick McGoohan picked the Lotus Seven because it had a more rebellious quality about it that fit the premise of The Prisoner. If McGoohan had chosen the original Lotus Elan he had planned, or some other car for the title sequence, there might not be over 160 companies offering replicas and Seven-type cars over the years. Who knows, we might not even have the Ariel Atom, which is clearly Lotus-inspired. He put the Seven on the map.

The Lotus Seven was an interesting car. It had fantastic low end acceleration for the time, since it was so light (a bit over 1100 pounds), but only had a top speed of around 90 mph. As time went on, the weight and engine size increased, culminating in the Super Seven which had a 1.7 liter engine.

It didn’t make much of an impact on the racing circuit, but it was a fun to drive, interesting car that had a big impact aesthetically on the auto industry.

Each September, Montreal holds a car-free day, called En Ville Sans Ma Voiture!, or In Town Without My Car! centered on Ste-Catherine street. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the street during this day, and a bunch of vendors present green-transport alternatives to cars and various activities. One of the most important events is the electric car demos.

This year, students from the University of Montreal’s School of Engineering presented their solar car, named Esteban IV.

The Esteban Project started in 1998 when engineering students at the University of Montreal decided to design and build a solar car prototype to participate in the 2001 American Solar Challenge. Unfortunately the original Esteban had electrical problems and couldn’t compete in the 2001 challenge.

The vehicle is now in it’s fourth version. It’s external shell made of high-tech Kevlar and carbon fiber, with 86 sqft of monocrystalline solar cells covering the top and connected to a 5000-watt lithium-ion battery. It’s inner structure is made from tubular aluminum for a high strength to weight ratio, so the whole vehicle weighs in a only 661 lbs.

Esteban IV can hit a top speed of 68 mph per hour, but apparently the ideal cruise speed should be around 40 mph. At that speed, on a sunny day, the car is getting all the power it needs from the solar cells – and so can travel indefinitely.

viz Geeksaresexy.net

Officially recognizing their brief foray into the compact car market as a major blunder, for 2009, Ford has reintroduced one of their most massive feats of engineering: the EarthRoamer XV-LT Ford 550. An all-terrain recreational vehicle that will make your pop-up camper wet its pants, the EarthRoamer XV-LT prides itself on being powerful enough to endure a rugged terrain while still providing [most] of the comforts of home. Contrary to what it suggests at first glance though, the EarthRoamer XV-LT is not another monstrous, testosterone-saturated gas guzzler.

Sitting on a Ford 550 Super Duty chassis with a turbo-diesel engine under the hood, the EarthRoamer XV-LT is extremely energy efficient as it relies largely on huge solar panels to generate energy for its massive marine batteries. Unlike most campers, the EarthRoamer XV-LT doesn’t rely on propane or an auxiliary generator to power the camper’s heat, hot water, or stove, relying instead on its 350-hp, 6.4L PowerStroke diesel engine. Equipped with a 5-speed Torqueshift automatic transmission, extended gear ratios ensure optimum performance, even when your towing a load [sounds dirty, but probably isn't] at maximum 10,000 capacity.

Entirely self-contained, the EarthRoamer doesn’t have to rely on external hook-ups usually provided at RV sites either, freeing it up to camp pretty much anywhere. Surprisingly, the EarthRoamer XV-LT doesn’t sacrifice comfort for durability and features a luxurious California King size bed, perfect for using to join that mile high club after you scale the Lusten [snicker] Mountains.

The University of Michigan team was first across the finish line back on July 22 after a long, hot 10-day 2,400-mile (4,000 km) race from Plano, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. The North American Solar Challenge pits various schools against each other to see who can build the fastest, most efficeint solar car.

This year, 15 solar-powered cars built by students from universities in the U.S., Canada, and Germany completed.

Michigan has won five out of nine NASC races, held every other year since 1990. On sunny days with clear skies, the 2,500 aerospace-grade gallium arsenide solar cells on the winning car, Continuum, produce about as much power as a hair dryer.

Continuum averaged 46 mph and was in the lead from start till the finish. But all the cars look like spaceships.

Check out some of the competitors:

Hydrogen could be the fuel of the future, if someone can help bring the price down.

Hydrogen’s obtained by splitting water into it’s two parts, oxygen and hydrogen. Right now, the only method for doing the splitting involves platinum as a catalyst. Platinum is expensive, and that’s the main reason for the high cost of hydrogen as a fuel. But some researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have more cost-effective solution.

Chemist Daniel Nocera, head of the M.I.T.’s Solar Revolution Project, is focused on making the splitting less expensive. Nocera and postdoctoral fellow Matthew Kanan discovered it could be accomplished by simply adding the metals cobalt and phosphate to water and running a current through it. In contrast to platinum ($2,000 an ounce), cobalt and phosphate cost roughly $2.25 an ounce and $.05 an ounce, respectively.

Nocera is hoping that in the future, your house could be layered with solar panels producing enough electricity to power an inexpensive home based hydrogen refueler.

Cars like the Tesla Roadster are 100% electric, but that doesn’t mean they’re Zero-Emissions. You have to get the electricity you need to re-charge them from somewhere, and the main source for grid electricity in the US? Coal. So to power your super clean Tesla Roadster, you have to burn a bunch of coal. Makes it less appealing, doesn’t it?

Well, in California, being a smug eco/electro-driver just got a little easier, and from a company you’d never expect: Sam’s Club, aka Wal-Mart.

In nine California Sam’s Club stores: Corona, Murrieta, Glendora, Ontario, La Habra, Chino, Long Beach, Fountain Valley, and Torrance, there will be so called Home Efficiency Centers where consumers can learn about where they can buy various eco-friendly house fixtures, mainly solar panels.

The kiosks will hook consumers up with established solar sellers and installers including Borrego Solar and BP Solar. The kiosks also offer $100 off every kilowatt of installed solar power. Now, the economics of solar power may not be there yet, but if you want a 100% eco-friendly car, just hook up your new solar panels (from Sam’s Club) to your new Tesla Roadster, and you’re all set.

Finally solar power is being applied to cars in some useful way. Sure, the car only measures 33 x 22 x 14 millimeters, but it’s a start, right?

The “World’s Smallest Solar Racing Car” as Ecotopia calls it, is an ultra-small, fully functional toy car with a tiny solar panel that generates enough electricity to run it’s little motor and make it zip all around your kitchen floor, even with just a strong interior light source. Awesome.

I had a massive collection of matchbox cars as a kid, with the display cases and fold-out carry cases and all that business. Now I’m a little older and into cool technology, and I think this would make a pretty rad gift.
It’s a bit too small and fragile for the youngest kids, but it’d be perfect for the tech savvy 12 year old or even the bored, cubicle bound 20-something.

Ecotopia has them for sale, only $22 American dollars.