Have you received an email saying your car’s air con could kill you? The jury is still out until more scientific evidence comes in. Car and home air conditioning units provide a cooler internal environment, and may also be a possible source of drinking water in emergency situations . But there is another side to[.....]
It’s mission accomplished. The Solar Impulse, the world’s longest solar powered flight has landed back home in Madrid, Spain. The flight took 17 hours from Rabat, Morocco. The plane’s maiden voyage was from Spain to Morocco, proving that a solar-powered plane could fly both day and night. Next, say its owners Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard[.....]
Better Place driving guide Ronit hooks up ZE car after test drive In the six month period since Better Place put its first 100 Renault Fluence electric cars on Israeli roads in January, 2012; the company headed by entrepreneur Shai Agassi has already put around 300 cars on Israeli streets and highways. Many of them have[.....]
Weird science that this video clip of bus drifting from Saudi Arabia comes to my attention just as I hop off my office bus in Jordan. My bus is a small one, seats maybe 24. It’s lightweight and nimble, one of hundreds cruising Jordan’s roads. Absent a reliable mass transit system, these little buses, which[.....]
Pilot Andre Borschberg was forced to fly the Solar Impulse back to Rabat when turbulence made it impossible to cross the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco on June 14, 2012. But yesterday’s second attempt was finally successful, and the team was welcomed in Ouarzazate by a jubilant crowd. The 683 km journey was completed in 17 hours[.....]
100% electric and driving around Israel: nothing plainer than that! I’ve seen a Better Place Renault Fluence ZE all electric car in the suburban community of Ramat HaSharon, and more than five months after Better Place put 100 electric cars on Israeli roads I spotted another Renault Fluence ZE car in the city of Netanya. This spotting[.....]
With 23 seats and 16 doors, the all electric Superbus is no ordinary car It’s 15 meters long, super luxurious and totally electric powered. It’s called the Superbus, and it was originally proposed as a super fast and luxurious commuter vehicle between the UEA Emirate states of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This totally electric and[.....]
The world watched with bated breath as André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard respectively made their way from Switzerland to Spain and finally to Morocco in the sun-powered Solar Impulse. The first solar-powered transcontinental flight has come to a close but the journey towards a more sustainable method of global travel is only just beginning. As Piccard, who[.....]
We would give anything to be in Rabat as the world’s first solar-powered transcontinental flight comes to an end at roughly 11pm local time. Despite the relatively late hour (chosen to avoid dense air traffic), delegates from the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) and others will be at the airport to congratulate pilot Bertrand[.....]
More clean tech innovation from Israel? Researchers Prof. Moti Herskowitz and Prof. Miron Landau from Ben Gurion University in Israel were recently awarded a highly competitive Israel Strategic Alternative Energy Foundation (I-SAEF) grant to further their groundbreaking research in liquid fuels. Herskowitz heads the BGU Energy Initiative, which is developing multiple alternative fuels from solar[.....]
High performance and gold plated to boot: a Porsche 997 GT2 on sale in Dubai. Photo: GT Spirit.com We’ve written lots about super luxury cars in the Gulf region on Green Prophet. While one of them, a white gold Mercedes sports coup was touted to be able to run on bio-fuel; others like a gold trimmed armored[.....]
Seeing a prototype Better Place EV car is a lot different than the real thing on the road. Photo by Maurice Picow More than five months have passed since Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric car company put its first 100 Renault Fluence EV on Israeli roads. The event was covered with a certain amount of[.....]
Headphones kill pedestrians and cyclists who can’t hear traffic. Israel proposes new legislation to ban the music while cycling. Israel is rapidly becoming a nation of bikers, from cycle-tourism to the bike-sharing program that earned Tel Aviv municipality a Green Globe Award this year. But it has proven a risky method of transit on crowded streets. Sunday,[.....]
As I write this, the Solar Impulse is traveling 94.2 km/h at an altitude of 7,016 meters en route to Madrid, where co-pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will switch seats before leaving for their final destination Morocco. This is the world’s very first sun-powered transcontinental flight and its historic landing in Rabat, Morocco will[.....]
Volvo’s new C30 electric model emphasizes safety over performance Electric cars, including the Better Place Renault Fluence EV, of which 100 cars were launched on Israel’s roads in January of this year; are having issues involving safety factors. This includes GM’s Chevy Volt where lithium battery packs were catching fire in side impact crash tests. But[.....]
Better Place revs up its charge spots in Israel Shai Agassi hopes Israel is ready to embrace the efficiency and economics of electric cars. His company Better Place rolled out four electric car charging stations in northern Israel. He plans to quickly grow this network so that every place in Israel with be within range[.....]
Visit Autopooling.com to car pool in Lebanon. It is often true that through hardship people naturally become more resourceful. Carpooling first became prominent in the United States as a rationing tactic during World War II. It returned in the mid 1970s due to the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis and it has[.....]
A new adaptor ring cuts noise pollution at airports. Airports are like Desperate Housewives. Unpopular neighbors, but crazy sensual. You can see them, feel them, smell them, and you absolutely hear them. Ask anyone living or working near an airport and they’ll tell tales of noise pollution so extreme it wakes babies, rattles windows, and sets off[.....]
Tel Aviv’s mysterious gas smell is nothing compared to Cairo’s annual “black cloud”. Tel Aviv is Israel’s largest city, and at times has been so saturated by car exhaust air pollution environmentalists have sometimes said that people run a serious risk of brain damage if they ride their bicycles there during heavy air pollution days.[.....]
You see all kinds of weird transportation in the Middle East: but the worst is drifting where young Arab males purposefully “drift” their cars into crowds of people. I don’t understand the lust for cars. I’m unresponsive to the siren call of Formula 1, NASCAR, and Top Gear. I think commuter trains and subways are[.....]
Math helps us understand how people flow, and just maybe it could help Hajj pilgrims stay safe. A Californian jogs to the beach. Coming towards him on the sidewalk is a Texan. Unless one steps aside they’ll collide. Quick: which way does the jogger move? If this is in Europe or the USA, heavy odds he[.....]
Morocco’s zero-carbon car factory opening earlier this month, via NY Times. The CEO of Renault–Nissan alliance Carlos Ghosn and Moroccan King Mohammed VI inaugerated French automaker’s one-billion-euro plant in Tangier which is set to boost Morocco’s automobile industry.The plant will build several new ‘low cost’ vehicles with an annual capacity that could reach ups 400,000[.....]
“Bring waste oil, take away money” reads this advertisement for BAYTOM, a machine that incentivizes Turks to recycle cooking oil into biodiesel. In Turkish cities with BAYTOMs (Waste Vegetable Oil Collection Machines), residents can bring their used cooking oil outside and pour it into a machine that will measure its fat content and dispense a[.....]
The Solar Impulse flies from Switzerland into the Moroccan sun. Just 107 years after the Wright Brothers became famous for successfully flying the world’s first airplane, Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg made history in July, 2010 by piloting the longest solar-powered flight at 26 hours, 10 minutes, and 19 seconds. Now they have[.....]
3D printing technology could lead to a greener product manufacturing and consumption. We were about 15 kilometers east of Limerick, Ireland when our tire blew out. So we melted the old tire into the 3D replicator, printed a new one and we were on our way. Actually, no– we limped along on a dodgy spare[.....]
Better Place offers the public a close-up view of the electric Renault Fluence Z.E. and the sporty Tesla Roadster at the Automotor Exhibit in Tel Aviv, April 8-11 . Rising fuel prices and a growing commitment to reducing air pollution are causing more Israelis to turn towards alternative cars. Maurice’s post from January tells of[.....]
After a rise in the cost of gasoline on Tuesday, Turks are now paying what may be the world’s highest price for the precious liquid. 95-octane unleaded gasoline jumped to 4.62 Turkish Lira ($2.60, or € 1.93 ) per liter on Tuesday. By comparison, the European countries with the highest current gas prices — Italy, Denmark,[.....]
Jerusalem’s light rail may have been up and running for months already, but some residents believe that cycling is still the best way to get around. In the fall of 2011, Jerusalem finally got its much anticipated light rail (after years of construction). The light rail was intended to offer a comfortable and eco-friendly means[.....]
According to local engineers, the public needs to show its support for Jordan’s ambitious Bus Rapid Transit to help it overcome political barriers Over a year ago, we reported (with considerable excitement) that Jordan was planning to deal with the growing congestion of the capital city by establishing a new line of buses. These high-capacity[.....]
Public transportation shuts down completely on the Jewish Sabbath across Israel, but now Tel Aviv (Israel’s secular capital) wants to allow buses within the city on Saturdays. It’s a bit of a paradox: Saturday is the one day that Israelis universally have off from work, but it is also the only day that public transportation[.....]
Chevy’s Volt Electric Hybrid car being suspended due to poor demand When General Motors announced its new plan to build the ultimate electric car, the Chevy Volt, blogs were a talking, and it was as though customers were lining up to buy. But with setbacks following adverse publicity involving the car’s battery pack catching fire[.....]
Masdar Institute makes first foray into advanced lithium battery technology. Continuing its pioneering of renewable energy technologies that have great relevance for the Middle East – such as its recent work on sand-resistant solar – the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in the United Arab Emirates has just filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patents and[.....]
VW Touareg energy saving Hybrids, like this one, will soon be seen on Arab Gulf roads Luxury cars like white gold Mercedes Benz coupes and American high line cars like Cadillacs have been driven by affluent people living in the Arab Gulf for years. Due to the availability of oil there, not that much attention[.....]
PlanetSolar’s solar yacht in Abu Dhabi. After spending some time in Qatar, Tûranor PlanetSolar crossed the Persian Gulf into the United Arab Emirates. It overcame some bad weather and a severe technical problem with the pitch controller for one of its steering propellers to arrive in time for the World Future Energy Summit at the ANDEC[.....]
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not particularly known for its commitment to conservation of the environment. Instead, being the world’s largest producer of petroleum products it faces a number of related dilemmas. From oil spills to decline in sensitive marine habitats, to plain old oil pollution, the kingdom has its feet firmly grounded as[.....]
This graphic shows other ways to spend the $2.4 billion planned for what critics call Morocco’s luxury high speed rail project A group of Moroccan Non-Government Organizations have launched the Stop TGV campaign in protest of Morocco’s $2.4 billion high speed rail project. The TGV line is expected to link up Casablanca with Tangiers by[.....]
Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv. Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity. Though not equipped with an international airport,[.....]
The winter months in the Middle East are the perfect time to travel to Thailand, especially with this year’s cold snap. Warm tropical temperatures hovering around 30, paired with a pineapple strip and a beach anywhere south of Bangkok can cure anyone’s winter blues. While Bangkok is fast, furious and very polluted, like the slow[.....]
Open only six weeks each year, Hajj Terminal is rated one of the world’s best and busiest. Dozens of gleaming white tents form a bold roofline covering 120 acres of passenger services; sustainable magnificence created by visionary architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill over thirty years ago. Located in Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi[.....]
The Makhtesh Ramon Crater in Israel’s Negev desert is just one site that will be more accessible as a result of two planned rail links. On Sunday black globe winner Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to build two new railways linking the country’s two seas – the plastic-filled Mediterranean and the Red. The[.....]
People waiting for the bus on a hot day in Cyprus will soon be able to purchase cold water from a solar powered vending machine. A few weeks ago Cyprus received the distinction of being the world leader of solar water heater users per capita. Now it is making strides in cold water as well. [.....]
Jerusalem’s light rail may be a great way to encourage the use of public transportation, but why doesn’t it allow bikes on board? Four months ago the much anticipated Jerusalem light rail was launched after years of construction. (The future of the Tel Aviv light rail has yet to be seen.) The new light rail[.....]
Etihad Airways operates first biofuel powered delivery flight with Boeing and Sky Energy Etihad Airways from the United Arab Emirates scores a double play in the Green World Series: Becoming both the first airline to fly on biofuel directly from the factory and the first biofuel-flying Gulf carrier. Not yet on its fuel-efficient Dreamliners, Etihad’s new[.....]
Better Place Renault Fluence electric cars hit the road on way to customers After more than four years in the making, media reports and hype, visits to the Better Place Education and Test Drive Center and final delivery prices, Better Place Renault Fluence ZE electric cars are finally on their way to purchasers in Israel.[.....]
The fast lane requires a toll fee but this beats an hour’s drive time Based on algorithms – a pay scale depending on home many drivers are using the road – Tel Aviv’s “Fast Lane” which was opened for use in early 2011 and designed to reduce traffic flow from super congested Highway 1 is[.....]
Time to scale down on Diamond Class sleeping suits? Image via Etihad United Arab Emirates-based airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways warn of higher ticket prices as they seek to pass on costs of a European Union (EU) aviation carbon trading scheme to passengers. Dubai’s Emirates will spend almost $52 million US this year to purchase[.....]
A Tata Nano in India – this made-for-masses cheap mini could be the smart car for the poor man, in countries like Israel, Jordan and Egypt Ever since India’s Tata Motors Company came out with its Nano micro mini car in 2009, and we featured it here on Green Prophet, people are still wondering if this[.....]
Is bike-sharing gaining momentum in the Middle East? Paris got many cities to start thinking seriously about bike-sharing systems when it launched Vélib in 2007 – a municipal bike-sharing network that has been widely successful and grown to include over 20,000 bicycles at 1,200 stations. Cities worldwide have begun adopting the idea, but it is[.....]
Plans to expand the railway network in Jordan have been given the go-ahead after an assessment that it will cost JD2.8 million Seriously excited to hear that plans to expand the rail network in Jordan have been approved. According to news reports, the Amman-Zarqa light railway project has been announced by the transport minister who[.....]
A bridge like this of recycled plastic could also work in the Middle East A bridge from recycled plastic, and strong enough to support a car or truck’s weight? This may seem hard to believe; but after covering art from recycled socks, chairs from recycled newspapers, and even a large Christmas tree from recycled plastic[.....]
This amazing vessels features 537 square meters of photovoltaic cells and uses absolutely zero fuel. It is currently docked in Qatar as part of a round-the-world tour. With its solar-powered 2022 world cup stadiums and numerous other developments, Qatar is striving hard to raise its portfolio as a leader in solar technology, so the MS[.....]
