EcoBye » Cars

Zipcar car sharing service for the US and UK markets

James — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:38 +0000

Zipcar is just one of those services that is a good idea when looked at from all angles. Sure, it’s tough to pull it off, however, Zipcar appear to have achieved this. Car ownership is expensive and if you have a car just for those times when you need to go somewhere and the majority of time it sits in the garage then a car sharing service might be perfect. No longer do you need to tie up money in a car and lose when you sell it, you can join a car sharing service like Zipcar and enjoy the benefits of a car without the ownership hassles. Heck, you don’t even have to worry about fuel because that’s included in the Zipcar service.

So you are wondering why this is here at Ecobye? Well, sharing a car means less cars need to be manufactured so there are material savings there. There are less cars on the road because people actually think twice about whether they need to really get a car for the trip. The Zipcar website also shows that members save money, compared to car ownership, and are then able to use those savings on other eco-friendly products that might cost a bit more than the regular ones.

There are many locations around the US and UK and membership rates vary from area to area. Fuel, insurance and all other costs are included in the hourly and daily rates. Just pickup the car, drive off and then return it when you have finished.

The Zipcar website has more information.

Eco Touch Biodegradable carpet and upholstery cleaner

James — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:03:31 +0000

Eco Touch provide a range of biodegradable, environmentally friendly products to keep your car clean. The good thing is that they can also be used around the home. Their stated aim is to provide car care products that don’t harm the planet or the user whilst cleaning just as well, if not better, than the conventional products.

The Eco Touch Carpet + Upholstery cleaner is non-toxic, phosphate free and biodegradable. The ingredients list includes water, plant based surfactants (coconut), soy solvent, citric acid and potash. There is also a preservative accounting for 0.05%. All this means it is safe to use without having to wear gloves.

The Eco Touch biodegradable cleaner is useful for removing wine (not in the car of course), coffee and other liquid stains at home and in the car. More details about this and the other Eco Touch products at the Eco Touch website.

Th!nk City electric car

James — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:24:26 +0000

The Th!nk City is an electric car from the Scandinavian company Th!nk or Think. They have been developing electric cars for over 17 years and their aim is to change the way people think about electric cars. Carefree, carbon-free mobility is the way they state it. The cars are made in the most efficient small assemlby plant in Europe and was developed with the help of Porsche Consulting.

The Th!nk City is a 100% electric car that meets all the safety standards throughout Europe and North American. No driving around in something that feels about as safe as a scooter. The Th!nk City is a zero local emmissions car with an engine that is about three times more efficient than a traditional combustion engine. With the latter, most of the energy is wasted and only around 20% is actually used. The highly efficient electric engine has a city driving range of about 200 kilometres and can be charged overnight. And let’s not forget just how silent electric cars are when running.

See the full Th!nk product range at the Th!nk website.

Tesla Motors Roadster

James — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:17:37 +0000

If you are like a lot of the population, then the other versions of fuel efficient cars including both hybrid and electric, suck in the styling department. The Tesla Motors electric car is looking to change that. As you can see from the picture this is an out and out sportscar that doesn’t come with the penalty of sucking traditional fuels faster than you can think how much it costs.

The Tesla is powered by an electric motor that generates about 185kw of power and is delivered in a constant manner from 0-6000 rpm and tops the rev counter at a whopping 13000 rpm. This means it leaves the line at a contantly increasing speed rather than the traditional method of requiring time to speed up then hitting a peak and not increasing any more. The downside with this (if you can call it that) is there is no need for constant gear changes to keep the engine at the optimum revs. So it only has a two speed manual gear box and no clutch. Just reach for the gear lever and change it. Not as much fun if you ask me.

Top speed is around 125 miles per hour and the range is 220 miles which is much more than most other electric vehicles. Chraging from a fully dead battery takes around 3.5 hours and can be done from most electrical outlet. If you want to go all the way then why not install solar panels at home to change the car. Many owners are opting for this too. Don’t worry either, you are constantly kept up to date as to the charge left so you won’t be stranded.

The batteries are lithion ion which is not considered a hazardous waste and are good for around 100 000 miles. Efforts are being made to work out a recycling program for these as well.

More information and pricing at the Tesla Motors website.

Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash

James — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 07:11:25 +0000

Water restrictions are a fact of life in many parts of the world and one of the first things to be affected is washing cars. The Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash by Eco Touch is right in so many ways. Firstly is saves litres or gallons of water that usually ends up down the drains. And it is not only this untreated water that flows into rivers and streams, it is the harmful petroleum products and other pollutants then end up on and in our cars. This harmful run off is eliminated. With more people living in high density housing it can also be difficult to wash you car. Once again a waterless process means you can wash you car in the parking garage if you want.

The waterless car wash ingredients include water (so technically is it a waterless car wash?), surfactants derived from coconut and soy, water-based polymers, organic solvent from soy. It couldn’t be easier to wash your car either. Simply work a panel at a time by spraying the vehicle surface and microfiber towel and gently wipe across the surface to pick up the road grime.If you don’t have a spray bottle then buy the 22oz spray pack to begin with and then replenish with the 1 galllon container. The latter should be enough to clean between 20 and 50 cars and just think of the water saved and harmful run offs prevented. Don’t forget to recycle the container!

More information about the Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash at the Eco Touch website.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Car

James — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:28:10 +0000

Everyone has probably heard of the hybrid petrol/electric powered Toyota Prius as it has been around since around 2000. A unique marketing plan (whether by accident or not) has contributed to its popularity. Once celebrities started arriving at awards shows and other paparazzi laden venues in them the sales rose. It became the must have eco-friendly purchase.

A quiet electric engine provides the low power and the gas engine kicks in during the acceleration phase. A very simple explanation without getting too technical. Once owners work out how to drive efficiently and utilise the electric engine as much as possible then the mileage per gallon rises. In addition to using less fossil fuels the polution produced is less than the best diesel cars. For example, 95% less carcinogens are released into the atmosphere.

Granted, the price isn’t all that attractive and the look of the car is an acquired taste but it is difficult to argue with the eco-friendliness of the car.

All the information at the Toyota Prius website.