Mission Motors, the American motorcycle organisation was set up in 2007 and its focus is to create high performance electric motor bikes. The Mission One EV which is an electric sports bike was revealed at the 2009 TED conference in San Francisco. The Mission One has a lithium ion battery that has it going for 150 miles with a charge time of 2 hours if plugged into a 240 V outlet. The bike has a top speed of 150mph and the designer looks have been created by industrial designer Yves Behar. 50 limited edition bikes are being created for delivery this year and this range is not currently available unless pre-ordered.
The Opel Ampera which was introduced at the Geneval Motor Show will go into production from 2011. This will be the first electricity driven (at all speeds and time) emission free vehicle for everyday use in Europe. The sporty Ampera comes with 5 doors, a Voltec electric propulsion system and an extended range in excess of 500 kms. The onboard battery is a 16 kWh lithium ion. A gasoline E85 fueled engine generator provides electricity to run the drive unit when the battery power runs down and it also charges the battery at the same time. A standard household 230 volt outlet can be used to charge the battery normally. The car can do a top speed of 161 km/h and 0 to 100 in about 9 seconds. Every aspect of the car has been designed to maximise performance.
An Ancient Forest is one that has very old trees and associated structures with unique ecological features associated with the old flora. These forests are also called old growth forests, primary forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, frontier forest or ancient woodland. Typically the forests contain old trees which are alive, large dead tress or snags and large logs. Excessive logging is a constant threat to these forests that threatens to destroy the habitats and biodiversity. Ancient forests are replete with rare, threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna.
A team of researchers and scientists from BBC’s science show Bang Goes The Theory, have developed the Carpuccino, a car that runs on coffee grounds. A 1988, Volkswagen Scirocco has been retrofitted to adapt and run at approximately 56 espressos per mile. Coffee with its carbon content is dried, made into pellets and then has air passed through the pile as it burns. The Carpuccino uses 1 kilo of ground coffee for every 3 miles and does a top speed of 60mph. At present the price of this fuel is exorbitant but it does come under the alternative fuel heading and may be viewed at the Big Bang Science Fair in Manchester.
