Eco Factor: Concept car powered by an all-electric engine.
While most auto manufacturers are taking advantage of auto shows to demonstrate their ecofriendly vehicles of the future, Volvo till date has no plans for any such green vehicle. However, the auto company did unveil a sketch of what its future electric ride could look like.
Eco Factor: Hydrogen fueling and generating station powered by solar energy.
Apart from announcing new hybrids to take on the world’s best, Honda is trying to even better its commitment to green technology by unveiling a solar hydrogen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., which is intended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles.
Eco Factor: Biodome to replicate tropical conditions in the UK.
Proctor and Matthews Architects are developing a gigantic biodome in the Chester Zoo in northern England which will replicate rainforest habitats of the African Congo. Dubbed the “Heart of Africa”, the 112 foot-high zoological attraction will cover 172,000 square-feet.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle powered by electricity.
Wheego has unveiled the Whip LiFe, an upgraded version of the company’s NEV at the Washington Auto Show. According to its name the zero-emission car is propelled by an onboard 28KWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack and will be available on the market later this year at a price of under $35,000.
Eco Factor: Hotel suite made using an old aircraft.
If flying is your passion and you’re in love with aircrafts then your next vacation should be in the Netherlands, where an old Cold War-era East German aircraft has been repurposed as a luxury Hotel Suite, which sits at the Teuge airport.
Eco Factor: Synthetic solar cells grown on tobacco plants.
Researchers at UC Berkeley have found a way to hack tobacco plants to grow synthetic photovoltaic and photochemical cells that can easily be extracted, dissolved in a solution and sprayed onto any substrate to create solar cells.
Eco Factor: Solar projects at Intel facilities to generate 2.5MW of renewable electric power.
Apart from making processors that consume less energy, chip giant Intel has announced plans to source renewable energy and incorporate solar panels in its facilities at 8 U.S. locations. The projects will be in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon and will be completed in the next seven months.
Eco Factor: Concept car powered by electric motors.
Venturi is the company responsible for the world’s first production electric sports car, the Fetish, and has now come up with yet another concept vehicle the Volage, which was showcased at the NAIAS 2010. The zero-emission sports car is powered by electric batteries.
Eco Factor: Concept zero-emission sports car powered by electricity.
Portugal-based industrial designer Joao Miguel Dias believes that the electric cars of today lack attractive aesthetics, which if corrected could ease global adoption of green vehicles. The designer has come up with a concept vehicle dubbed the Zeus, which packs a sustainable engine inside an attractive body.
Eco Factor: Zero-carbon house to be powered by solar and wind energy.
Manchester United star Gary Neville is planning to build a country home almost entirely underground, which the locals have already christened as a second Teletubbyland. The £8m house will look like a luxury eco-bunker in the heart of rural Lancashire.
Eco Factor: Student housing complex made using recycled shipping containers.
France-based architecture firm Olgga Architects has come up with a striking housing complex design for students that has been entirely built using recycled shipping containers. Dubbed Crou, the complex is designed to provide affordable housing for students, where each container represents a different student’s room.
Eco Factor: Motorcycle modified to boost fuel efficiency.
In an effort to boost the mileage of his Honda Innova motorcycle, enthusiast Allert Jacobs has modded his motorbike from aerodynamic modifications, converting it into a streamliner that now is capable of hitting an efficiency rating of 214mpg.
Eco Factor: Renewable power plant to develop 2.5GW of electricity by 2016.
Samsung C&T and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) have signed a contract to develop a new $6 billion renewable power plant complex in a small rural town near Toronto in southern Ontario. The companies hope to generate 3.7KWh per square meter from solar plants at the site and harvest wind energy as well.
Eco Factor: Low-emission car to be powered by a hybrid engine.
Honda’s previous effort to take on the world’s most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, didn’t quite do the job it was intended to do. While Honda’s Insight managed to lure 20,572 customers in 2009, Toyota’s Prius managed to enter the garages of 139,682 customers.
Eco Factor: Concept car runs clean on electric motors.
The GRIDCharger by designer Robert Marvin is a next-generation high-performance family vehicle that features a clean and silent operation, running on four electric motors. The vehicle seats four in a diamond pattern and has supercar aerodynamics and performance to offer a fuel-efficient, low-emission ride.
Eco Factor: Concept shower reduces water wastage and generate electricity.
The Green Shower by industrial designer Rami Tareef is a conceptual product that if developed, will let you save about 1100 liters of water each month and generate some renewable electricity as well. The design features a built-in LCD screen that notifies the user as to the temperature of the water, which eliminates the need to turn on the shower and wait for hot water.
Eco Factor: Optimus Prime replica created from recycled materials.
The Transformers movie tempted fans to create something similar from different materials to show their skills at transforming objects. We’ve seen designers try and attempt various transforming skills, but nothing like this man’s effort, who has created a 14-foot replica of Optimus Prime from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen from nothing more than junk.
Eco Factor: New system allows homeowners to save energy from their smartphones.
Control4 has unveiled a new energy management system, an application that turns smartphones into remote controls for its system and an app store, which they believe will have the same impact on home automation that iTunes had on music.
Eco Factor: Plastic created from organic materials, including mud.
Researchers opine that out of the total amount of petroleum that is being consumed in the U.S., a staggering 4.6 percent goes into the development of plastics that is further used in hundreds of products. A research team in Japan is trying to green the credentials of plastic by developing it by combining clay, water and a special thickening agent.
