That is something I've been dreaming about for so long. Why has no one brought it up before. Maybe it will go mainstream not.

Or... not...

I hope the former, but the later seems the case.

I love Venice but I do remember gagging from boat exhaust fumes a few times.

I believe the Telsa car company is using thier sports car to finance offering more affordable electric cars in the future. They have also partnered with a solar system provider.

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editor note: Indeed.

I think you're a bit confused on this. The way you word it, plug-in and solar powered are two different things. Also, you seem to think that biodiesel powered is something special technology-wise.

Just for clarification:

Plug-in capability gets electricity from your wall outlet. Where that electricity comes from is generally up to the consumer: solar, wind, grid, grid-green-choice, etc. It has nothing to do with the vehicle itself. No, it is not technically feasible to actually have solar panels on the car itself, at least not that would impact the main drive system.

Biodiesel simply means it is a diesel engine. No special tech required.

So really all you’re talking about is a diesel/electric hybrid with plug-in capability.

Hi Bill,

I think Justin is well aware of what you're saying. He probably just meant that a combination of these technologies used together would be ideal, not necessarily that they have to physically all be in the car or that other fuel sources can't be used on a diesel plug-in hybrid.

Solar power could be used as charging stations for plug-in hybrids. Synthysis is the answer.

Consume less, Produce more.

Solar powered charging stations would be great for plug-in hybrids. Synthesize, don't analyze.

Consume less, Produce more.

On Carlessness:

Venice is a special case of a carless city that will never be repeated in earnest.

New York is wonderful and residents don't need cars, but fantastic public transit only makes sense in places with comparable density and diversity of development. Hardly any other American cities meet these requirements , and American suburbs never will.

The Venice link is broken, which is too bad, because I'd like to read more about that.

Bill S,
there was one inventive Prius owner who did add solar panels to the roof rack, and reported a 10% gain in mileage. This was heavy and unaerodynamic.

With improved light weight thin-fild cells applied directly to the roof of the car, it may even get better.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/08/solarpoweraugme.html

Even if bio-diesel isn't available everywhere yet, diesel mostly is. Unlike E85 ethanol.

Good post.

Even if bio-diesel isn't available everywhere yet, diesel mostly is. Unlike E85 ethanol.

Good post.

Corrected Venice link:

http://www.carfree.com/ven/sl_x.htm

To Peo:

Won't electrical charging while on the road take too long to be useful?

Griffin is right to point out that Venice is a special case ... there are no streets for the cars to drive on. Not to mention the fact that there are less than 75,000 residents. Yes, the boats and their engines do cause pollution.

Catalina Island and the town of Avalon is also an interesting example of restricting cars ... however, they use single-stroke engine powered golf carts instead, which pollute in their own right. What a utopia they'd be if they had little solar panel topped carports to charge electric powered ones.

I totally agree

However, I don't know if "Car Free" would be feasable for the entire U.S. - probably not for very low population density areas
But, a move away from CAR CENTERED sure would be nice!

Venice is not intended to be a model for a car-free city, rather it serves as proof that a modern city can function without car traffic.

In Venice, pedestrian traffic (on the streets) is separated from freight traffic (mostly on the canal waterways). This system works but the extra handling, small capacity of the boats, and the slow speed of water transport impose extra freight costs in Venice.

A car-free city could make use of electric vans for small deliveries, and larger deliveries could be accomplished with "metro-freight" -- a dedicated freight delivery system based on metro technology and the use of standard shipping containers.

I hear that Subaru is making a desiel hybrid in its Outback and Legacy models in 2008.

So thats something to look foward to...

Intracity transportation could be served by high-speed rail (see Japan or Italy).

Just a note: "intra" means "within". If you're referring to transportation between cities, the word is "intercity". Public transit within a city is "intracity".

I've been asking why they haven't combined some of these technologies for a long time. I totally want a bio-diesel plug-in hybrid. Thanks for posting about this issue.

It's not just cars however, the idea that only one "green" idea needs to be the silver bullet happens all the time.

Those who oppose clean energy say something like "well, solar power can only provide x% of the power that the US needs" or "tidal power only works in a few places."

I agree. There is no one true answer for any of this. But why not combine all of the great solar, tidal, geothermal, etc ideas together. Then we can start getting percentages (and costs?) that match or beat the current fossil fuel technologies.

Stop looking for one great idea to completely replace oil/coal/gas/whatever. Lets use what we've got right now instead of waiting until something comes along that does everything.

Venice is not a motor vehicle free city. It has boats. The only reason it doesn't have cars is because it doesn't have the ability to have cars.

dr. Passerini, previously at the New College of the University of Alabama (www.as.ua.edu/nc/passerini.html), built the first solar car a long time ago (www.speedace.info/bluebird_1977.htm). A full 2 person vehicle called the Bluebird. (gtalumni.org/Publications/magazine/sum93/breath.html)
This is a good interview with him (www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v?TARGET=printable&article_id=3cccbf3a6e706)
He has recently built a larger 2(3ish) person with more storage space and greatly improved range (100+ miles at ~45-50mph easy). Although this model might cost a little more than the $10,000(~12,000) rule he has imposed on himself. he's just retired but before he left i was working on the latest car with him. This just goes to show that directly powered solar cars are viable and cheap. cars weigh so much less without the engine that making small solar isn't this big obstacle everyone thinks it is. of course all the big car companies want people to think they'd have to pay $8million for the piontless ugly thing MIT builds with GM/BP money because it isn't in their interest to build long lasting cheap free-fueled vehicles. so yeah, don't buy the anti-solar car hype.

however, i do agree that we should largely get rid of personal transportation.

A car-free lifestyle is possible in an area that has a large number of people in a relatively small area of space. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are examples of areas that could possibly become car-free.

So what do we do with the rest of the U.S.? Apparently, we need to kill everyone off to save Earth. Hey, it's not very good for mankind but it's a great plan for the environment!

And we wonder why greenies don't have any credibility with the majority of people.

(This enviro just shakes his head.)

Personal Rapid Transit,
see here (http://www.taxi2000.com/),
here (http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans/prtquick.htm)
& here (http://gettherefast.org/bettercampus.html ),
is a very good solution to wide coverage, flexible, green 24/7 rapid transit. It should get more mentions on treehugger.

So the ideal car is one that carries around a spare diesel engine just in case you decide you want to go cross-country driving?!

Surely you'd be better of buying the most efficient plug-in that will cover the majority of your driving needs, and then either rent a hybrid for longer trips, or perhaps rent/buy one of those generator-trailer things I keep hearing about in the EV articles.

This is what people mean when they say we need to re-think the way we consume.

"So what do we do with the rest of the U.S.? Apparently, we need to kill everyone off to save Earth. Hey, it's not very good for mankind but it's a great plan for the environment!

And we wonder why greenies don't have any credibility with the majority of people."

Eeerrr... Wasn't it YOU who just suggested killing people? I didn't hear anyone else talking about it. Who's credibility is at stake now?

Anyway, urbanisation is one of the strongest megatrends in the world and it won't take a very long time until majority of the worlds population lives in cities. Therefore it is very relevant to discuss about city transportation and urban planning as tools of emission reduction.

The future looks very promising! The real cost of Oil and its byproducts? —> Pollution, Global-warming, Cancer, American lives.

All B.S. and conspiracy theories aside; We are addicted to oil and like most addicts we are willing to do almost anything to get our “fix”. If that means invading a country to gain control of its resources then so be it! Our economy is awful! The U.S. dollar is loosing its value and we’re accumulating Massive Debts due to this dependence!

We need to create a dynamic ethanol (cellulosic ethanol) and biodiesel (maybe from bio-engineered algae) fuel infrastructure. We need to develop vehicle engines that are more efficient and lighter. We need to explore battery technology (batteries built from altered viruses).

We need these Now. Remember…. talk about these issues with your peers, co-workers, schoolmates, parents, children, friends. Talk about it to everyone! Only with widespread awareness and education will we be able to change the future.

Excellent article Justin! I too have imagined the same ideal green car. I agree with Chele although I think the convenience of owning a hybrid capable of doing the long-range trips is more appealing (to the masses) than owning an EV and having to occasionally either hire a hybrid or a trailer of batteries. A hybrid of the Saab BioPower 9-3 and a Tesla Roadster? All I know is that I need a cold shower...