Boston Gets Free Solar WIFI From Toyota Prius

More pics here from Street Attack.

These phat benches have electrical outlets for charging and offer free WIFI.  Not a bad little promotion. Maybe I’ll check it out when it hits Chicago…

Prius Solar Tour.Prius Solar Flowers.
Prius Solar Flowers are touring the U.S.! These large flower sculptures are flanked with solar panels and provide visitors with free Wi-Fi service and charging stations for laptops and cell phones. It’s all powered with help from the sun, like the Solar Roof in the 3rd generation Prius.

Prius Solar Bus Shelters.
3rd generation Prius technology is popping up in bus shelters across the country! Select public bus shelters have been retrofitted with solar panels and fans that circulate air within the shelter. This cooling experience was designed to mirror the Solar Powered Ventilation System found in the 3rd generation Prius. Embedded with available solar panels, the 2010 Prius can use solar power to ventilate the interior when parked in the sun.

Prius Solar Flowers and Bus Shelters will be touring major cities across the U.S. Check out the schedule here:
1. Boston – Prudential Plaza – July 8 – July 19, 2009
2. New York – Broadway Blvd – July 23 – August 2, 2009 (Solar Flowers Only)
3. Chicago – Navy Pier – August 8 – August 22, 2009
4. Seattle – Westlake Park – August 29 – September 7, 2009 (Solar Flowers Only)
5. San Francisco – Yerba Buena Gardens – September 12 – September 27, 2009
6. Los Angeles – The Americana – October 3 – October 18, 2009

Greasy Rider Book Giveaway

It’s giveaway time again!  This time we’re giving away a copy of Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fast Food Fueled Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future  by Greg Melville.  Special thank to Algonquin Books for graciously sending us a copy of this very interesting read.

Synopsis: 

Is it possible to drive coast-to-coast without stopping at a single gas
pump? Journalist Greg Melville is determined to try. With his college buddy Iggy riding shotgun, he sets out on an enlightening road trip. The quest: to be the first people to drive cross-country in a french-fry car. Will they make it from Vermont to California in a beat-up 1985 Mercedes diesel station wagon powered on vegetable oil collected from restaurant grease Dumpsters along the way? Their trip takes them to the solar-powered Google headquarters; the wind turbines of southwestern Minnesota; one of the first houses to receive platinum certification for leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED); and a so-called “eco-friendly” Wal-Mart.

Part adventure and part investigation of what we’re doing (or not doing) to preserve the planet, Greasy Rider is upbeat, funny, and full of surprising information about the many sustainable measures that are within our reach.

 My Review:

I really enjoyed this book.  I read all 250+ pages in one weekend.  I wanted to follow the journey from Vermont to California and the tales along the way.  If you’re looking for a sequel to On The Road, this isn’t it, but it’s still a funny read.  Two grown men, cramped into a small car, travelling across the country in a 1985 diesel Mercedes.  Iggy and Greg arguing, giving each other the silent treatment, staying in random hotels and with long lost friends or friends of friends – all made the trek fun to read and keep you wanting to hear more. 

Somewhere early in the trip, Iggy and Greg made a bet.  Iggy would give Greg errands to do after the trip – one per day – and if Greg completed them, he’d get $50 from Iggy.  Melville does a great job of interjecting the errands into the sections of their journey in the book.  The errands are so interesting in themselves that you want to read every word, but you also want to get back to the journey to see where they end up next (looking in barrels behind restaurants for WVO along the way).  The first errand was to find the greenest house.  Greg thought that would be easy – let’s just go visit Al Gore in Nashville.  This was before Gore was allowed to retrofit his huge 10,000 sq ft house with solar panels, etc.  The thing was lit up like a Christmas tree in Times Square.  Errand fail   Greg came back home with his tail b/t his legs only to find that not far from his house in Vermont there was a newly built ultra-green 2,500 sq ft abode.  Complete with a solar array and turbine. 

So do Iggy and Greg make it to the Bio-Oasis in San Fran? You’ll have to read the book to find out.  If you don’t win, I still recommend this book.  Go get it at the library or buy it on Amazon.





Leave a comment by 11:59PM CST, April 30, 2009 and one random lucky winner will be picked to receive a the Greasy Rider  by Greg Melville from Algonquin Books. We will not share your email with anyone.

The Most Important Car in 100 Years? Honda FCX Clarity

Why is the Honday Clarity the most important car of the future? Because it looks and feels exactly like the car of today. – Top Gear

A friend sent me this video from the UK show Top Gear. A lot has been written about the Honda FCX Clarity, so I’m not going to add much other than to watch the video. This car runs on a hyrdrogen fuel cell – it’s a self-generating electricity station on board your vehicle. Hydrogren is the most abundant resource on the planet – why not fuel our cars with it rather than petrol?

Solving Our Nation’s Energy Predicament

T Boone Pickens wrote an editorial that appeared in papers on Tuesday morning.  In it, he applauded the new stimulus package that was approved last week.  “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan has $90 billion of investments and incentives for energy efficiency in buildings and homes, renewable electricity and other clean-energy programs that could potentially create 500,000 jobs while reducing energy use and saving oil.”  I’m actually on-board with what Pickens says next.  He lists what he feels should be the top three priorities to come out of the stimulus package. 

1) Fix the grid.  The current energy grid is archaic and outdated.  The new grid must be reliable, efficient, and have the ability to handle the transmission of new alternative energy sources.

2) Develop “smart grid” technology.  A smart grid uses digital technology to efficiently deliver electric at a cost savings. 

3) Reduce our foreign-oil dependency and develop a clean, alternative transportation fuel infrastructure.

They really boil down to two main points: a)  fix the grid by updating it to this century and beyond and b) develop new alternative fuel sources  for transportation.  If we can fix these two things, then the United States can be well on it’s way to energy independence.  People on the east coast could be receiving power from a solar concentrator in Arizona.  Wind power could be delivered across the grid without much degredation.  Tidal power, algae power, cowshit power, whatever could be delivered across the country if the grid were sufficient.  Now we have that opportunity. 

This leads to things that are available and could be even more readily available like smart meters.  Meters that will give you real-time residential pricing on your kilowatt.  Meters that can shut down your air conditioner for periods of time to save energy. 

All in all – I liked the piece that Pickens put out.  It didn’t overtly push his plan.  I hope that some people who are already invested in this dream read it, too.

2010 Toyota Prius Unveiled in Detroit

The 2010 Toyota Prius has been unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show.  Can you believe the first Prius came out in 1997? It’s so hot it looks like a Japanese Ninja busted this thing out.  It’s sleek and sexy and quite delecitble.  The main problem I see is that these same Ninjas are still limited by battery technology.  Damn you, Ninjas!  We’re stuck with nickel-metal batteries instead of the improved lithium-ion batteries.  Battery FAIL.  One optional accessory is a solar-powered moon roof which will turn on the ventilation and cool the car on a hot day while it’s parked…and you can have the A/C started with a remote – allowing the A/C to run solely on battery power.  Yay sun.  What else can we expect?

• 50MPG fuel efficiency
• The new Prius will offer three alternative driving modes. EV-Drive Mode allows driving on battery power alone at low speeds for about a mile, if conditions permit. There is also a Power Mode, which increases sensitivity to throttle input for a sportier feel, and an Eco Mode, which helps the driver achieve their best mileage.
• Next-generation Intelligent Parking Assist features simplified settings to help guide the car into parking spaces.
• Use of an electric water pump and a new exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system also contribute to the engine’s efficiency. The 1.8-liter Prius engine is the first Toyota power plant that requires no belts under the hood for better fuel economy and less potential maintenance.
• The patented Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the 2010 Prius is 90 percent newly-developed with significant improvements over previous models.

Check out the pics and more info over at AutoBlogGreen.

CTA Rolling Out Hybrid Buses On Large Scale

CTA has leased 150 “New Flyer” diesel-electric hybrid buses.  Each bus costs roughly a cool $1million.  That’s not chump change, but they plan to save ~$7 million/year in maintenance, fuel, and savings by retiring old buses.  These buses also hold 125 passengers – 45 more than the buses being retired – which could mean running less buses during rush hour yet carrying more passengers.

Car-Free Sundays

Cities across the world are experimenting with “car-free Sundays.”  While it looks only like an annual event, I like the concept.  Miami has an event coming up soon.  Check it out.

Car Rental Agencies Have Trouble Upgrading Customers

I happened to be reading AutoBlogGreen today and came across this article that didn’t surprise me.  Rental car agencies here in the US are having a tough time getting customers to upgrade to larger model cars.  I was recently in California for work and had to rent a car.  I rented a Prius, but my flight was late – guess what?  No Prius.  I was too late.  I got stuck in some “like model.”  That “like model” was a Dodge Caliber – a crossover.  

What normally would happen is that you rent a car.  You get to the airport to pick up the car and they try to upgrade you into Car X for only $10 more/day.  The allure of that SUV over the standard Sebring is typically attractive to the American consumer.  Now that gas prices are rising, the rental car agencies are having a problem. 

Maybe the rental car agencies should have more hybrids…everywhere in the country.  I’ve been wanting to rent a Prius for a long time, but haven’t had the opportunity yet. 

Minnesota Boy Rides Bike Into Prius

I read this story over on AutoBlogGreen and it reminded me of an episode of Weeds last season on Showtime.  In the episode, a drug dealer was riding in a Prius and loved how quiet it was for a drive-by shooting.  Of course that was all in the spirit of the show and not for reality. 

This is a real life.  An eight year old boy in Minnesota turned onto the road in front of a Prius that he claims he didn’t hear.  The boy is fine – he escaped with a few cuts and scrapes.  According to AutoBlogGreen, legislation is before the US House of Representatives for hybrid car noise – or lack thereof.  It’s crazy, but I guess it makes sense.  What is a blind person was walking by without a dog – just a cane.  I kinda liken it to alcohol.  Back in the day – way before my day – you could buy grain alcohol – lab-grade.  Just like isopropyl which is 70%.  They have to make it denatured alcohol so people don’t drink it.  Now we’ll have “denatured hybrids.” 

Here’s the video story from CNN.

Oh yeah – my daughter is almost 8 – WTF are those parents doing letting their 8 year old boy ride his bike in the street alone? 

Source: AutoBlogGreen

GM Using Kids To Sell Hybrid SUVs

There are a series of GM Chevy commercials all featuring little kids.  Most of them are promoting the Chevy Tahoe hybrid.  My 7 year old daughter was watching one earlier today during a program we were watching.  I had to tell her that they weren’t telling the full truth.  She sees the kids and hears the message and believes every word.  Apparently it’s the “green car of the year.”  A gigantic SUV is the green car of the year?  Is that rating from a made up organization from the GM gas guzzler lobby? We’re even told that hybrids dont’ have to be “tinsy weensy.”  Then there is a Chevy commercial that just promotes Chevy.  In that one, they flash a huge SUV and then tell us, “we believe a hybrid should fit the way you live, not the other way around.”  I guess that sells to most Americans, but to me it’s just irksome.  I know too much about consumerism.  An SUV that gets 21mpg is an improvement, but it’s not the answer.  It shouldn’t be the future.  It is not fixing any of our worldly problems.  I guess HGTV didn’t get that message, either.  Anyway…enjoy some YouTube…

More not-so-brilliant commercials after the jump…

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