Sustainable transport: Difference between revisions

Sustainable transport is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. Transport can be public, where operators provide scheduled services, or private.

Types of vehicles

See Appropriate methods of transport

For private vehicles; see personal ground vehicle

Public vehicles include cabs, trains, bicycles, buses, trucks, helicopters, and aircraft (renting services).

"Appropriate technology" thinking in car design

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Appropriate technology is not a term that is usually applied to cars, but many of the principles of appropriate technology are relevant.

The ^W is a rare example of a car that was designed (in the 1930's) for the poorer segment of society, to be extremely efficient and low-cost. And yet it was also considered a very comfortable car, in its own way, with a flexibility of use that many more expensive cars lacked. Its lack of modern safety features make it an unsuitable car for most settings today - however in affordability and efficiency remains unsurpassed. Its remarkable fuel-efficiency is still unsurpassed by modern micro-cars, and perhaps even by the latest petrol-electric hybrid vehicles.^W

The ^W also had many similar characteristics as the 2CV, though not as extreme, eccentric or efficient.

The ^W is marketed in India as a cheap small family car that most workers would afford. But concerns have been going about the quality, safety and reliability of that product.^[1][2][3]

Vehicles for the developing world

BUV,[1] from the Institute of Affordable Transportation, produces extremely basic three-wheeled open vehicles for passengers and goods, has the motto "Basic Vehicles - Changed Lives".

Other vehicles with an emphasis on basic design and low cost include the Indian companies Bajaj Auto^W which makes tuk-tuks (motorized rickshaws) and Tata which makes the Tata Nano, a tiny low cost vehicle for city use.

Such basic design requires compromises on safety features. This may be offset by a very low top speed, or a target use where moderate to high speed crashes are rare (very remote areas, or in very heavy traffic in large cities).

Modern fuel-efficient cars

Some modern diesel cars can get better mileage than petrol hybrid electric vehicles. The Opel Eco Speedster (a concept car) gets up to 113 mpg (2.5 L/100km^[4]). See The Opel Eco Speedster Says: Diesels Can Rip and Sip at the Same Time on treehugger.com; or Ultimatecarpage.com page (with a few technical comments). Solar-charged vehicles have a good mileage and do not use combustion.

Retro-fitted technology

Devices to save the energy from braking have been developed to fit to trucks. Due to the expense, they are only cost-effective for large trucks, where heavy fuel use and long distances covered make it worthwhile.^{[verification needed]}

Pedicabs

Pedicabs are among the simplest, lowest cost forms of transport. The traditional pedicab is pedal-powered, but motorized pedicabs (perhaps consisting motorcycles with a passenger section attached) are also in use in various cities in Asia.

Vehicle production

A carbon-zero Volvo plant:

The Volvo Trucks' manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium has become the first vehicle manufacturing facility in the world to operate without releasing any carbon dioxide. The Volvo Group intends to make all of their vehicle manufacturing plants carbon-zero as part of the European Union-wide goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by twenty percent by 2020.^[5]

Notes

See also

• Electric bus
• Electric vehicle
• Hybrid electric vehicle
• Vehicle tuning

Interwiki links

• Wikipedia:Low-energy vehicle

External links

• Earth Cars - a U.S. based network of car dealers, with information and tips for earth-friendly cars and car usage.