A love story about the world’s first electronic TukTuk!

I want to tell you a story that begins in India about ten years ago. The story revolves around an American entrepreneur and a method of transport very familiar with pretty much everyone in the whole of Asia: the TukTuk!

Our American entrepreneur – let’s call him Adam Rice, as that’s his name - was struck by the challenges that faced the cities in Asia he often visited. Besides the typical issues of sanitation, housing and clean drinking water, he recognized that one of the biggest challenges facing cities like Mumbai and Bangkok was an effective means of transportation for its growing populations. And like most tourists and locals he loved the convenience of travelling around in a Tuk-Tuk. He then got thinking about the challenges in his own adopted country of Germany, and what lie ahead for the future. He realised that the TukTuk could solve many of the problems facing our increasingly crowded streets, but not in its current form, as however loveable, they are actually quite inefficient users of fuel and cause significant levels of air and noise pollution.  So what was the solution? 100% Electric motors of course! So fast forward a few years and we have the first eTukTuks hitting the streets of Europe.  Due to transportation regulations they are not (yet!) in use as taxis, instead they are used daily for tourism and special events. But they are an alternative way that the general public can experience first-hand the joys of electric driving and dispel all the myths. After one overnight charge the Tuk is good to drive for 85-100km depending on weather and driving conditions. Not bad eh. And before all the super-greenies out there start asking – yes the Tuks in Berlin are all powered by green electricity! In Germany we are lucky enough to be able to choose from four genuine providers of renewable, non-nuclear energy: Naturstrom, Lichtblick, Greenpeace Energy and EWS Schönau. 

In Berlin our eTukTuks are just one part of a transport revolution that seems to be taking place here at the moment. Carsharing schemes are really taking off and “cars-to-go” – even electric ones - can be found on every street corner. We also have a super public transport system and well-used cycle paths. However Berlin still isn’t meeting the EU standards on pollution despite laws requiring old cars to be removed from the roads and the creation of an “environmental zone” in the city centre.  So there is still a great deal of work to be done - which isn’t easy, especially when the German Chancellor is so influenced by the extremely strong German car lobby and exerts her power to weaken Europe-wide emissions targets. 

But meanwhile, back in happy 100% electric TukTuk land, we are doing the best we can do, to assist the long –overdue electric transportation revolution.

So where is the love story? Well, basically anyone who comes into contact with our eTuks falls INSTANTLY in love with them. They look great, sound great and smell great so what is not to love?  

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This is a guest post.


Katie Griggs is Operations Manager at eTukTuk Gmbh. She is also Campaign Director for 10:10 Deutschland.

Truly unbelievable: Ferarri will add a hybrid in their collection of cars

As I was browsing through an article on Jaguar creating a turbine-based hybrid,I noticed one of the most shocking headline " Ferarri is bringing the hybrid in Genava Motor Show", I was like WTF?

For some time there were rumors that Ferarri will be coming out with a hybrid(I did not hear any rumors btw) and they seem to have confirmed it while the presentation of this year's F10 Formula One Car. I seriously did not expect this to happen at least not yet. The reason being that Ferarri represents automotive engineering at its best. The innovations used in Ferarri cars are based from the extensive research they put into their F1 cars and these innovations are like the top of anything. These innovations are slowly integrated into road cars nowadays.


The car is based on the Ferarri 599 GTB Fiorano and will be gas-electric powered with the motor at the rear and a V12 at the front. The electric motor will be mounted at the rear transaxle and lithium-ion battery pack for optimal performance. The car will have the KERS (Kinetic energy recovery system) system, a technology introduced in F1 last season. To find the other details we have to wait till March at the Geneva Motor Show.

With the introduction of Ferarri in the hybrid sector, things in the hybrid industry will change forever.

Algaeus makes country tour

Algaeus (Algae+ Prius) has completed a 3750 mile cross-country tour which started in San Francisco and ended in New York. A 2008 Toyota Prius, a modified plug-in hybrid had been altered to run on algae-power gasoline fuel without any modification done on the engine.



This model had an average of 147mpg PHEV( plug-in electric hybrid) mode and 52mpg highway in hybrid mode. The use of algae in fuel has been much talked as it comes from the environment being abundant , but its addition to crude oil making it Green Crude.

Green cars in Tokyo gets tax immunity

Cars all over Tokyo will be given tax exemption from purchase and maintenance of all green cars whether they are completely electric or plugin hybrids, cars which have both electric and fuel engines. Hybrid engines or electric engines have come a long way with future generations which are getting ready to enter the production line. The Japanese government introduces this policy in the face of recent global warming consequences and to curb its own carbon emissions so that it can at least try to be within the Kyoto Protocol.

While doing this so, car manufacturers will have the ability to sell there environment friendly vehicles at reasonable prices for the consumer market. To know more read the article here.

Top Gear gives Honda Clarity FCX thumbs up

I have watched all of Top Gear seasons and little did they review green cars,well lets say Jeremy Clarkson way of saying an eco-friendly car is a Lamborghini Murcielago painted green, then yeah no they have not at all until this year's Season 12. What makes this episode different from all of their previous episodes are that apart from all there usually challenges and adventures across country in super fast cars are the things that make them more entertaining although this episode focuses on two cars which could become the future of automobiles.

Season 12 episode 7 focuses on the first electric sports car, the Telsa roadster created by Telsa Motors and the consumer-based electric family car the Honda Clarity FCX. As usually Jeremy Clarkson (JC) tests the Telsa roadster, drives it like mad however pushing the car a little to much to drain it out of charge. Anyways JC enjoys it even with the dissatisfaction of the car halting to a stop twice due to the lack of charge but in the end this car could become the future sports car.

On the other hand, Captain Slow a.k.a. James May flies to United States to drive the Honda Clarity FCX. He gives a detailed description of how the technology works and the cameraman being bored with the facts and a chat with Jay Leno, a man with an awesome garage, in the end he finishes off that climate change, global warming and that governments are taking strict rules about curbing emissions, the Clarity will become an household item in the near future.

I would have to say the first time Top Gear has done a good job on reviewing eco-friendly cars, and I get the fact that nothing can beat driving a Ferrari 430 or a Lamborghini Gallardo or an Aston Martin DBS and all the gas-guzzlers but we have to think about the future and companies like Tesla Motors, Honda, Toyota, GM, will provide us cars which are environment-friendly that will blow our minds and hope that the Top Gear team will be the first to go show us that.

Nissan Motor reinstates the use of diesel in Japan

Nissan Motor Corp. recently launched a Nissan X Trail with a diesel engine hoping to provide a clean diesel vehicle for Japan. Although it has been a long time since Japan has allowed local car manufacturers to produce a diesel engine car as it had been termed noisy, polluting and smelly. They are stating that it will be a better diesel engine providing better fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Read the article here.

Shoppers Guide to Green Cars: 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid

As governments force car manufactures to shift to alternate energy, carmakers in the wake of climate change are developing newer technology to solve this problem. We know already most car manufactures have already launched green cars such technologies involving hybrid engines where the engine is run by both electric and petrol engine. Then you have the single electric engine, hydrogen fuel cell and finally the engines that are run on bio-fuels such as bio-diesel, bio-ethanol and so on.

Honda has been researching a lot with green technology as to fusing the technology with current car designs and specifications. Not only has Honda been doing the same thing other car manufactures such as Toyota, General Motors, Ford have been doing the same thing. So in the next few posts I will be discussing about the car industry, about new green cars and the new technology coming in the market.

Honda’s new green car the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan has the style and beauty which other green cars today lacks. The sedan has been fitted with innovative technology that should have been installed long time ago. Let me get first get started with the engine specs.

The engine is a 1.3 liter 8-valve, SOHC i-VTEC 4- cylinder which produces 110 hp. Since it a hybrid engine it also has an electric motor which provides 20 hp power when required specially with its new system called the Idle Stop Feature. This feature is activated when say for instance you brake and wait in traffic, the engine automatically switches itself off. The moment you press the accelerator, the engine starts again with the assistance of this electric motor and you start moving normally. What this feature does it that it saves the amount of fuel being burnt during traffic resulting in lesser emissions caused by the car. Another feature is the continuous variable transmission (CVT). This controls the gear ratio to vary such that the engine does not shift too early or too late so that it improves fuel efficiency and controls emission. Honda claims that this car has an EPA rating of 40/45 mpg in city/highway, although with many conditions applied.

The environmental features of this car are the electric motor, idle-stop feature then there is the CVT after that is the Drive by wire Throttle System then the Integrated Motor Assist. The car is also equipped with quite a lot of safety features. Like modern cars the usual set-up like air bags, 3 point seat-belts are present other than that the Honda Civic Hybrid has anti-locking braking system with electronic brake distribution, daytime running lights and many more but for me which I think is new to me is the tire pressure monitoring system. It sounds cool! This type of system is heard of in a Mer or a Beemer.

I have driven the 2006 Japanese Honda Civic version run on gasoline and trust me those who drive cars and enjoy driving, Honda has really made a good car. The Honda Civic which I drove had a perfect ride height, comfortable, very responsive when it comes to accelerating and turning. The car is a front-wheel drive and for a FWD the handling is good. The interior is simple and not too fancy but nice. The digital speedometer is awesome, compared to other cars I have seen such as the Nissan X-trail, and Toyota Vista (I don’t know the name of the US version or Japanese version but that’s the name sold in Bangladesh). Although nothing beats the analogue speedometer.

The Honda Civic Hybrid costs about US$22600(the starting price). Those of you who are looking forward in buying a green car this maybe an option. I will be posting more about green cars in the near future and hope I can provide a larger list of cars.

If you want to know more about this car please visit Honda's hybrid cars.

Plugged hybrid cars to be launched by Toyota by 2010

Toyota Motor Corp. will be introducing cars where you will be able to plug your car to an electric socket and charge your vehicle. Neat wont it be. It likes charging your Ipod or other such devices. The cars introduced will have lithium-ion batteries so it will be like all the other portable devices will carry around nowadays.

Toyota says that these vehicles will be much cleaner than the other hybrid cars around. They will be going in joint venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial to produce these batteries. To know more visit the source.

A 100mph green car to be displayed

For sports fanatics this is what they are looking for. There has been debate whether sports cars could be turned into green sports car and for that reason the sports industry has not shifted or tried using alternate fuels. Although some research is being done. A couple of consortium of UK companies and universities have achieved this feat. The body is taken from Bangladesh.ccMorgan, a classic British car company. The car has been called the LifeCar. The car is to be launched in the Geneva Motor Show however there is not guarantee that the car will go in production.

To know more visit Bangladesh.ccBBC website.

Honda will make green diesel cars

Honda Motor Co. plans to become the first Japanese carmaker to produce passenger vehicles with low-pollution, fuel-efficient diesel engines. These vehicles emit 20-percent less carbon dioxide than petrol-powered ones while substantially reducing emissions of particulate matter and conventional diesel cars.

Although conventional diesel vehicles consume less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline-powered cars, they do release harmful substances such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. But Honda has developed a highly advanced catalyst than can cut nitrogen oxides and other emissions to levels on par with petrol vehicles.

The car maker plans to release new diesel vehicles simultaneously in Japan and United States in 2009 or may be sooner. Although hybrids consume less fuel, the new cars are expected to be comparable because diesel is about 15% cheaper than petrol.

This article is copied from AFP.


On other news Google and Intel have decided to work together to bring green computers in the market. Google plans that this will reduce carbon emissions. To know more visit the source.

Some news round the world

The G-8 summit was held today. This summit was eyed at one main person and that it George Bush. He has come to an understanding that climate change is an issue to discuss and will take decisions. He has also been pressured by the EU to take part in the climate change discussions. To know more visit here and here.

On other news Toyota has released information stating that their hybrid model Toyota Prius has reached the 1 MILLION. Read it from the source.

This video is about the Blue Man Group to stop global warming

Cars run by ethanol may not be such as good idea

There have been reports that using ethanol as fuels in cars has some drawbacks. The EU has decided to implement biofuels in 10% cars by 2020. In recent tests and studies showed that use of biofuel could increase the level of ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone being a pollutant is dangerous and harmful to the respiratory tracts.

A scientist suggested that if all cars where run on E85 ( a combination of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol) that significant parts of US where to have increased ozone presence. There are also some benefits in using ethanol cause it has been seen that it reduces levels of two atmosphere carcinogens but levels of others would increase which are linked to cancers. It would be same for petrol fumes.

A government report said that biofuels could reduce emissions by 50-60% when compared with fossil fuels.

Toxic wastes created by scraped cars

As many as 1.5 million cars are being scrapped illegally in Britian every year. Just imagine the amount of pollutants, fluids being disposed each year.Well according to the European Union in 2003 they introduced a legislation requiring all cars put to death must be taken to an approved site cleaned of pollutants and the owner issued a certificate of destruction. However people are not following this method which means tons of toxic waste are dumped unnoticed.


So in the end we have another ecological disaster in our hands.

Ford to invest 1bn pounds for green innovation in Uk

The giant automaker will spend 1bn pounds in the Uk over the next six years for green technology in vehicles. The investment will cover a range of green technologies whose target is to reduce carbon emissions more more than 100 models. This will not only help the enviornment but will also produce more than 9500 UK engineering jobs. Although like Toyoto and Honda who have created special models like the Toyoto Prius, Ford will improve the current technology in its series of vehicles to curb emissions and to use eco-friendly energy. It hopes to produce cheaper hybrid electric cars and biofuel technology for its mass-market vehicles.

Car makers failing on climate

A BBC report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4922614.stm. Important read it if possible.