Reminiscent of Thor Heyerdahl’s papyrus reed boat that sailed 4,300 miles from South America, makers of the new Toyota 1/X being showcased at the Melbourne Motor Show this week are also thinking of a lightweight floating material – seaweed!

“The 1/X concept is a vehicle that completely redefines what it means to be environmentally considerate. The name says it all: a car that weighs a fraction of the others in its class today and uses a fraction of the fuel” – David Buttner, senior executive director of sales and marketing.

They’re thinking past 2020, but one day cars like the 1/X may be made of plant-based plastic, eco plastics.

The hybrid Toyota 1/X
The future’s seaweed car?
Credit: Wired

At first, it just sounds like another petroleum-based by-product, but when they add that ‘eco’ prefix to it, we can only hope it will bring on a whole new meaning to ‘hybrid’. Since seaweed is a resilient plant like kudzu and has strength like kevlar in some cases, they may just be on to something!

From the Shem Creek blog.

Making cars from seaweed

A team of MIT undergraduate students have invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. The students hope to initially find customers among companies that operate large fleets of heavy vehicles. They have already drawn interest from the U.S. military and several truck manufacturers.

Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.

They received a patent for their technology and formed Levant Power Corp., especially after calculating that a large company – such as Wal-Mart – could save $13 million a year in fuel costs by converting its fleet of trucks.

“we wanted to figure out where energy is being wasted in a vehicle,” MIT senior Zack Anderson explained.

I know I would’ve given them a shot with the jeeps I’ve had before, but romping through the Francis Marion Forest is a thing of the past for me now.

Anyway, those MIT people are something else – good luck!

From the Shem Creek blog.

There’s money in them there potholes!

On the other side of the country, a revolutionary new law taking effect on 1/1/11 will make California the first state to limit diesel pollution from big rigs, requiring owners to install diesel exhaust filters on their trucks, with almost all vehicles to be upgraded by 2014.

Through the Heavy Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction, another requirement is for fuel efficient tires and aerodynamic devices to be installed on trailers since they have been proven to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.

Under Gov. Schwarzenegger, California has made great strides on the environmental front, and I hope South Carolina steps up to the plate and follows their lead here on the east coast. If the trucks coming and going from our SPA terminal were under regulations like this, it would not only be an excellent example for others to follow, but also help clean up our environment.

From the Shem Creek blog.

It’s time to cleanup truck emissions

You won’t be sorry you made the short trip, but hurry while the canopy is still full and 1,500 years of nature’s work isn’t ruined.

From the Shem Creek blog.

Charleston’s Angel Oak Tree, 1,500 years of beauty

This is the most damaging earthquake to occur in the Southeast U.S. and one of the largest historic shocks in Eastern N.A. – USGS

Now that we are in hurricane season, that’s the first natural disaster that most people think of, but don’t forget, Charleston is overdue for a major earthquake too. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what that could do to many areas of the LowCountry. You can see Charleston earthquake projections on the USGS site yourself. Not to scare anybody, but that 100 year map is pretty alarming, especially considering that the last time there was a major earthquake in Charleston was back in 1886, and that’s outside the range of their map!

According to the latest census data out, it’s only getting more crowded around here, so be sure to leave early if authorities say to (avoiding the all day traffic jam my family sat in for Hurricane Floyd), and keep your emergency preparedness kit stocked and ready; you never know when you’re gonna need it!

From the Shem Creek blog.

SCDOT’s Charleston area evacuation routes

Here is the South Carolina traffic data by county which gives what we need to evaluate usage pattern projections. If SCDOT hasn’t looked at this technology yet, I encourage them to do so when they get a chance. It would not only help us get home safer and reduce traffic numbers, it would also improve the environment with fewer greenhouse gas emissions (CO2), add to the lifespan of our personal vehicles – since we wouldn’t be using them nearly as much – and add jobs to the local economy due to the infrastructure and manufacturing jobs necessary for implementing the technology.

You can view a gallery of pictures I grabbed from a Dual Mode Vehicle flickr photo stream which showcases the technology. There’s also a short video of Japan’s Dual Mode Vehicle in action here:

More Information

• The latest numbers from CARTA/li>
• Roadmap to Gridlock: The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning – the Cato Institute

I think this could be one possibility among many here in Charleston – we have plenty of rail laying around and we all know we have plenty of cars on the road. Just something to think about next time you’re stuck in rush hour traffic.

From the Shem Creek blog.

America could learn a lot from Japan’s transit system

To view a slideshow of urban growth projections for the Charleston area, click the link or image provided, but be warned, if you think traffic is bad now, “you ain’t seen nuttin’ yet!”

Mayor Riley is now talking about using rail cars to alleviate some of the dreaded highway traffic we see around here every workday. Charleston paying to benefit Mt. Pleasant? Now that’s a sign of the times…

And it’s a good thing too, because when Mt. Pleasant finishes last for walkers in S.C., you know it’s time for the local government to get things fixed. I mean, have you ever tried to cross Johnnie Dodds on foot? Good luck!

From the Shem Creek blog.

Urban Growth Projections for the Charleston area

Even though BMW has plans for shipping through South Carolina’s SPA terminals “until the cows come home”, they have nevertheless decided to use Brunswick, Georgia’s more southern port to help reduce transportation costs for their cars arriving from Germany.

That makes a lot of sense for them, closer destination points mean reduced transportation costs, and they certainly aren’t the first to come up with the idea. Several years ago, Porsche moved their N.A. staging area from Charleston Airport facilities to the more diversified locations of Baltimore, MD to the north and Brunswick, GA to the south. Today, Brunswick is now the de facto location for several imported vehicles, including Jaguar, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Volvo.

But this move also alarms members of the Local 1422 Longshoremen’s Association. With BMW’s signed contract good until 2014, only time will tell whether or not they make the same move Porsche did.

From the Shem Creek blog.

BMW diverts 20% of inbound cars to Brunswick, GA

Whether you are a member of the “Buy American” club or not, when it comes down to cold hard cash and your wallet, most Americans (myself included), opt for the “most bang for the buck” scenario. This is proven by BMW’s U.S. sales over the last 13 years, growing from 65,000 to 335,000 units.

So when they invest another $750 million in BMW’s Upstate facility, their production line will need parts from local suppliers, and many of those finished cars will find their way down to our coast for overseas shipping.

From the Shem Creek blog.

S.C. BMW plant expansion means more SPA shipping