DailyDirt: Greener Cars

The debates over the best energy technologies will likely exist for a long time to come -- perhaps to the detriment of making actual progress in replacing fossil fuels with renewable or cleaner energy sources. The transportation sector makes a pretty big dent in total energy usage, so it's always nice to see cars getting more efficient and greener. Here are a few quick links on some efforts to improve personal transportation (but that may not really be that green in the big picture).

• GM's Volt is going to use recycled plastic from the oil booms that helped to clean up the Gulf oil spill. By doing so, over 45,000 kilograms of polypropylene will be saved from going (directly) into a landfill. [url]
• For those of us who can't quite afford to buy a new hybrid or electric car, there are some companies working on retrofit kits that could turn your car into a "partial hybrid" -- for less cost than a new full hybrid car. Too bad the car's performance takes a hit in the process. [url]
• Another approach to a partial hybrid just tacks on an electric motor to the rear differential -- without replacing any of the original parts. But so far, it's only available for Lincoln Town Cars. [url]
• For all the efforts to drive more fuel efficient cars, there's also the "backfire effect" to watch out for -- where people will just end up using more energy, no matter how efficient their vehicle is. Take it from the Swedes. [url]
• Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads. Maybe with NASA's help, we'll be able to trade in our SUVs for Suburban Air Vehicles (SAVs). [url]
• To discover more interesting car-related content, check out what's driving around StumbleUpon. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Source: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110106/15501812559/dailydirt-greener-cars.shtml

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