Who needs a Prius?

April 8, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Cars, DIY, Low-tech cars, Travel

bathtub car

Source: Popular Science, May 1960

The woodmobile

March 19, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Cars, DIY, Low-tech cars, Travel, Wood

Woodgas volvo

Who needs gasoline or batteries? John Dutch’s Volvo 240 is powered by wood.

“After 2000 kilometers on woodgas everything worked properly. Top speed is 120 km/h. Cruising speed 100-110 km/h. Fuel consumption approximately 30 kilos of wood for one hundred kilometers, which is also one effective filling of the fuel bin. The back seat loaded with sacks of wood make the total range approximately 400 kilometers.”

Update: “Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank“.

Scrap it

March 16, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Cars

“Because between 15 and 20% of a car’s emissions are produced during its manufacture, the optimal age for a car, the paper says, is 19 years. It would make more sense for the government to pay us to keep our old bangers on the road.” Read at Monbiot.