http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/ Engadget Comments for Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar aircraft, freshwater wind farms, and the Automotive X Prize http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/Congratulations, you win the "About to be downranked" award. ]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
Congratulations! You are the first to reach oblivion!]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/@VetteDude
wow, it amazes me that every first post has these responses. You do realize that he is trolling you and expects you to say that. By your acknowledgement he is manipulating you.]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/Jul 11th 2010 8:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/Jul 11th 2010 8:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
Don't get me wrong, design has opportunities to do good, and Engadget is one of my most frequented websites. It just seems a bit hypocritical.]]>Jul 11th 2010 9:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/This lack or critical review and in-depth analysis just makes me turn this crap off and assume they are blowing smoke.]]>Jul 12th 2010 12:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
But...

....Nobody can hear the troll. ]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
I need a 60 mile minimum range to feel secure, 80mph minimum top speed, and a nice government consumer-direct incentive on top of reasonably affordable pricing on a true two person and luggage vehicle and I'm game. ]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
Chevy Volt. The only thing is we don't know the price yet.]]>Jul 11th 2010 9:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
Chevy Volt is a hybrid though. Not a traditional one, but still has a three cylinder turbocharged combustion engine working as a generator.

I know they said that at short range it doesn't kick on the generator, but I don't really have the need the cost and weight of a combustion engine and fuel all the time for my commuter vehicle.

I like the Aptera pure electric concept, but no dealer network even remotely planned for Texas.]]>Jul 11th 2010 9:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
The Volt goes 40 miles without using gas.

The concept used a 3-cylinder. GM decided to use a 1.4L I4 instead since it is cheaper to produce, allowing a lower price on the car. ]]>Jul 11th 2010 9:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
Apparently, you do...if you want to meet your earlier stated specs.]]>Jul 12th 2010 12:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
The cheaper all electric (no gas engine) Aptera has a 120 mile range (twice what I need) and tops out over 85mph. Obviously it is achievable, but no dealer network here, so I need other options. =/

The now obviously vaporware leaning trike prototype supposedly exceeded my wants as well, but now is Persu is hybrid only and still probably never going to see the light of day if the economy stays in the pooper with reasonably cheap gas.

The Lumeneo Smera super narrow leaning car is electric only and does a 90 mile range with a 80mph top speed, but AFAIK also doesn't have a dealer network outside of France.

We need Toyota, Honda, VW, or some REAL car company to come forward with a subcompact electric, but thats not likely to happen considering most of them aren't even willing to bring over their European diesel models to the US. =(]]>Jul 12th 2010 8:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
they still working on that car djeezz its been like what 4 years now ?? :p]]>Jul 12th 2010 5:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
I'm not a troll, I've just never commented that before and thought it would fill me with a sense of extremely minor accomplishment. And who would I be to let the opportunity pass me by.]]>Jul 11th 2010 8:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
I completely understand the need for competitions like the Automotive X Prize, but I would like to think that the super-lightweight, truly unpractical prototype entries should offer vastly better performance than what's available at my VW dealer with no sacrifices to what cars are expected to have.]]>Jul 11th 2010 9:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
And its a fine car. I got a 55mpg Suzuki VStrom w/ luggage for $7K OTD years back, and just picked up a 42mpg Audi A3 TDI, so there are options available, but these contestants either use absolutely no fossil fuel whatsoever or are capable of fuel economy in the triple digits.

That kind of efficiency is hard to achieve.

Would be a lot easier to do though if they only had to stand up to crashes with regular size vehicles though, and not the 5000lb SUVs that every other mom is dropping off Billy and Timmy to school in every morning. ]]>Jul 12th 2010 8:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/
The very first car described in the article achieves 67.3mpge, with a 150mi range using a combustion engine on E85. That's par with many of the other entries, and the performance is laughable. On the other side of things, something like the Wave II is doing something incredible with 180mpge, and a 68 mile range (though that range needs to be worked out somehow...). Unfortunately, the Wave II and a couple other entries are the few vehicles who seem to be improving things in the competition.]]>Jul 12th 2010 9:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/11/inhabitats-week-in-green-solar-aircraft-freshwater-wind-farms/Jul 12th 2010 12:12PM