Technology for Luddites
Cargohopper is an electric road train for package delivery in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Last month, all the energy it consumed was generated by the solar panels while driving (source). This is possible because of its very low maximum speed of 20 km/h or 12 mph. An extra solar panel will be installed on the truck in order to get the same results during the winter season.
They have the worst weather in the world, but they also have the hottest looking open top trams (streetcars). Welcome onboard the 1930s Blackpool Balloon cars in the UK. Alan Robson has around 1,300 pictures of the vehicles, some of them below. Text and first picture from Wikipedia.
Fast cars are considered sexy, but we disagree – try to show off your legs when you are driving a sports car or an SUV. More pictures of biking boys and (especially) girls at Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Their motto: “Style over speed”.
Click on the image to view the pictures in high resolution. Source: Mémoires et compte rendu des traveaux de la société des ingénieurs civils, Vol.113, 1924.
“This paper estimates the technological progress that has occurred since 1980 and the trade-o ffs that manufacturers and consumers face when choosing between fuel economy, weight and engine power characteristics. The results suggest that if weight, horsepower and torque were held at their 1980 levels, fuel economy for both passenger cars and light trucks could have increased by nearly 50 percent from 1980 to 2006; this is in stark contrast to the 15 percent by which fuel economy actually increased.”
Via Treehugger.
“Chapter XII. On the way of making a second waggon which is propelled by the wind without draught animals, and which dashes violently over open country to the confusion of all troops”
