I for one will be watching what Meridian actually do with their trial of electric cars. CEO Keith Turner says the company has been closely watching overseas
developments in electric vehicles, and is convinced that the technology
is about to reach a tipping point. According to Turner,
Meridian will be able to demonstrate renewable, zero-emission, certified carbon neutral mobility.
I’ll let Mr Turner know my address 
Was a bit surprised to spot this 3-wheel electric ute for sale on TradeMe.
Made in the China for the US market, has a FMVSS Safety Compliance Plate and is manufactured in RHD for NZ. These motorcycle utes are stable and easy to drive with 6 x 12V 100Ah Deep Cycle GEL SLA batteries, an on-board auto-off 12A charger and a 5KW DC series motor. Range is up to 25km and can be extended by opportunity charging or by using a portable generator in the tray to charge the batteries while driving.
Not quite the answer to my dreams though the four-seater version (pic to come) has more possibilities. Good to see some more options coming here.
Then again the new Lithium-ion powered Mini Cooper may not be in NZ for a while. Interesting though - but at US$25000 on top of the price of the standard Mini Cooper I think it will be a play thing for the celebs and Siliconaires for a while yet.
I also understand that the Reva mentioned in this post was given approval for testing in Western Australia earlier this year [ABC].
The Western Australian Government has approved a one-year trial of 50 small electric cars that produce zero emissions.
Western Australia will become the first state to trial the vehicles, provided the Federal Government permits the cars to be imported into the country.
Participants will have to pay about $15,000 for the cars and they will be restricted to roads with speed limits under 80 kilometres an hour.
Otherwise I understand there are efforts being made to re-establish the NZ Electric Vehicle Association.
This has caught my attention for several reasons, particularly if some of the organisations the students work with are focussing on sustainability, but also for my interest in how new technologies can be applied creatively.
The yMedia Challenge is connecting media students with not-for profit organisations. Over the weekend of 27-28 October 2007, students and organisations will come together to hear inspiring leaders, brainstorm possible digital solutions and share knowledge and ideas.
During the following week the students will produce an effective and intelligent digital media solution for those organisations selected. This could involve anything from making a website to filming a short promotional video.
Any not-for-profit organisation can register to participate up until 15 August 2007. Students are eligible for prizes for work completed judged by a panel of top industry professionals.
Read more about the yMedia Challenge.
As a family man who tries to get the family outdoors a fair bit our manual Nimbus is about the smallest car we can pack in to. We had a Chariot but our kids kept getting bigger. So I have long wanted the option of having a seriously small electric car that the five of us could just squeeze into for the short trips around Wellington.
I keep my eyes open for occasional stories about such electric cars, mostly out of curiosity rather than any sense of actually getting one over here. Recent coverage of the G-Wiz in London caught my eye. Made by Reva in India, this battery-powered car is based on a Californian design.
Now Reva has caught my eye before because of a story about the Australian importer having a battle with the Department of Transport and Regional Services over its roadworthiness and safety.
I wonder how we would get on trying to get this imported in to NZ.
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One of the most interesting items on RadioNZ recently was the Nine-to-Noon interview with Dr Jim Watson, head of the BioJoule project. Their intention is to turn a particular type of coppicing willow, one of the varieties bred for basket making, into biofuel, plastics and sweeteners. The plastic is an expanded polyurethane foam has been produced from natural lignin. A major trial is being undertaken in the Taupo area.
The radio interview is here (19′14″). The project has been developed by a subsidiary of Genesis Research and Development Corporation Limited.
The opportunity to grow shrubby willow on low value land to produce ethanol as a transport fuel and other high value by-products such as lignin and xylose has the potential to solve a number of environmental and economic issues for New Zealand.
I have not ascertained if there is any genetrickery involved, but if not, it sounds like a project that has real potential. Wonder if it could even help deal with some of the nutrient overload that has become such a problem in Lake Taupo if, as I assume, it involves plantings in wetter areas, and thus may reduce the excess nutrients from the pastoral land use in the area.
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