When I traveled around Kathmandu the city was filled with diesel carts that poured black acrid-smelling pollution into the streets. Polluting taxis were banned in 2000. Kathmandu is one of the most polluted cities in Asia, vehicular emissions accounting for a big share. Besides posing a health hazard to the public, the growing pollution is … Continue reading Clean Taxis →

HybridCars tells of continual problems with the hybrid Civic made by Honda. The latest issue has led to “Owners Disappointed with Battery Software Fix” “My 2008 [Civic Hybrid] purchased new started having these problems about 6 months ago. Now Honda reprogrammed the software. Made it even worse.” “I took my 2007 HCH with 38,000 miles … Continue reading Honda Civic Hybrid Software Patch Fail →

What do you get when you cross a Volkswagen modern diesel engineer with an electric vehicle engineer from GM? If you guessed a hybrid electric-diesel we have all been waiting for, you are wrong. No, this dynamic duo has reinvented the two-stroke engine using the horizontally-opposed piston concept from diesel engines of the early 1900s. … Continue reading OPOC Motor Revolution →

I have waited years (since 2006) for diesel motorcycles to emerge from development. No luck. Electric motorcycles, however, are now available and look very promising. The Brammo is a good example. I have read that subsidies can bring the cost of this bike to around $6,000. With a top speed of 60mph and range of … Continue reading Electric Motorcycles →