cars

Cars pollute the dictionary too

I don’t want to rock your world too severely, but it’s come to my attention that cars cause problems. If you’re not the U.S. government, you may have heard about this global-warming thing, caused in part by driving. There’s also a metric truckload of other health and environmental nightmares caused by monoxides, dioxides, hydrocarbons, and […]

Move Thyself: A tribute to fallen cyclists, and cycling away the gas-price blues

Tonight in some 200 U.S. cities (and six other countries), cyclists will be joining in the Ride of Silence to pay tribute to bicyclists who've been killed or injured on public roadways.

And there are a lot.

From the Seattle Times article:

In 2004, in Seattle there were 258 bicycle collisions with cars -- resulting in 224 injuries and one death, according to the city's Department of Transportation.

Um, make that 260, and 225 injuries. My two collisions that year went unreported. (Stupid minivans!)

And from the Oregonian:

The most recent Oregon Department of Transportation statistics show 14 bicyclists died in Portland-area collisions with motor vehicles from 2000 through 2005. Meanwhile, the number of reported bicycle crashes has held steady for years at about 160 annually.

Join a ride near you and reclaim the streets.

Environmentally friendly drag racing

When is that plug-in hybrid going to get here? And where is that cellulosic biofuel technology?

I admit to having paranoid thoughts lately. Paranoia, as anyone who has eaten one too many "special" brownies knows, can be an unpleasant mental state (especially when combined with the giggles).

Could it be true that oil companies are buying off researchers?

Mr. Plug-in Hybrid goes to Washington

On Thursday, May 18, the Big Three automakers have scheduled a trip to the White House to discuss their "needs" with President Bush.

CalCars wants to bring a 100-MPG plug-in hybrid to Washington to meet them.

I think that's a really good idea.

If you do too, join me in helping out.

Trailer: Who Killed the Electric Car?

Somebody's probably posted about this already, but if not: The trailer for Who Killed the Electric Car? is available here.

We've written previously about the movie here, here, here and here.

Electric car gets its kicks on Route 66

Electric car booster Remy Chevalier -- editor at large for the zine Electrifying Times and last seen at swanky parties with Grist higher-ups -- is getting his kicks on Route 66. No, literally. If you're in Chicago next Friday, head to the Funky Buddha lounge to help Remy and Co. kick off a two-week trip from Chicago to Los Angeles on the infamous Route 66.

No gas-guzzling road trip this -- the crew has stated three eco-goals:

The paper burden

Oh, this is just too good. The leader of the UK conservative party, David Cameron, has been bragging about his green credentials lately (remember, they're sane in the UK, so they demand that all their leaders have green cred), and urging other MPs to change their personal behavior to demonstrate green values.

Oops:

David Cameron was forced to backtrack on his personal green credentials yesterday by admitting that he traveled to work by bicycle not to cut carbon emissions, but because he found it enjoyable.

The Conservative leader had to switch tack after it emerged that his car followed him carrying briefing papers and his shoes on the days that he cycled from his Notting Hill home to Westminster.

Hee hee. But it gets better:

Get smart

This is a bit far afield, perhaps, but the British press is reporting that new drivers in the UK will soon have to take an "eco-driving" test in order to get their license. The UK initiative is modelled after a Dutch program that claims that smarter driving habits -- slower acceleration, less braking, lower top speeds -- can shave gas consumption by a third or more.

Last year, after a brief (and undeserved) flap over they Toyota Prius's worse-than-advertised mileage, ardent hybrid enthusiasts began circulating advice about how to maximize the vehicles' efficiency. So it's good to see some effort to do the same thing for the 99+ percent of cars on the road that aren't hybrids.

What’s the WSJ got to say?

As The Other Sarah mentioned a couple of days ago, the Wall Street Journal ran a story about a time in the oh-so-near future when there will be a billion cars on the road. The article fronted an Automotive section with a variety of eco-themed articles. And since you can't read any of them online without a subscription, I thought I'd give a rundown of what the eminent WSJ has to say about all this car stuff. And I'll provide you with links to the stories anyway, so subscribers have easy access to what they've already read, and non-subscribers can grind their teeth in frustration at being excluded from the elite club. That's the kind of service we provide here at the Wheel Deal.