Fresh Fuzz

Ford Debuts E-Bike Concept

by michael September 20th, 2011 - No Comments »

With our oil supply dwindling, car companies are switching their engine technology to run off alternative fuels. Electric seems to be a booming trend, its practically free and it releases zero C02 emissions.

Ford; however, has invested their time into creating am electric bike along with their hybrid car lineup. This may seem slightly odd at first but in Fords defense, its genius.  Bikes not only help get people outside: they’re fun, take up less room, cost significantly less and are good for you.

Ford’s E-bike design just debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show and is raising some eyebrows. With a 15.5 mph top speed and a 53-mile range this bike is prepared to perform.

This will be the first bike to have a regeneration system that converts magnetic energy into kinetic energy and vice versa. I hope these get pushed from a concept to production because I’d get one! I can imagine these things being rented out at the Santa Monica Board Walk and being a big hit.

 

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Essentia Hosts Tesla Drive Event!

by michael September 14th, 2011 - No Comments »

Yesterday, Essentia Santa Monica had the pleasure of hosting one of Tesla’s Drive Events. They brought down one of their new Roadster Sports and were allowing prospective owners take it out for a spin. I had the pleasure of going out in it, if i could describe it in one word, it would be amazing. I’ve driven everything from Lotus’s to Porsches and nothing has the immediate gratification of speed like the Tesla.

The only way i can describe it, is like having a turbo kick in without the lag, you can unleash all the power you want at any speed or RPM without changing gear. The Tesla is a 1 geared car, it has one gear that revs like a motorcycle and the same gear is used for reverse just spun backwards. All in all it was an amazing machine and proves that you can have a beautiful sports car with 0 emissions.

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Google Maps Goes Green

by michael July 19th, 2011 - No Comments »

If Google didn’t already do enough, they recently released a Plug-In for Google Chrome that allows users to view their carbon footprint on the Maps feature. This allows users to get directions while tracking their emissions.

This is big deal because most people are visual learners. Implementing this feature allows people to actually see the damage they are causing and possibly persuade them to walk or find an alternative means of transportation.

Recently Los Angeles went through what everyone thought would be Carmageddon; however, it was more like Carmaheaven. There was virtually no traffic with the closure of the 405 freeway and the scare tactic worked. This proved a very valid point; it’s possible, even for big cities like LA to cut back on traffic by keeping people out of their cars.

Granted it was a weekend, I think what Google is doing may possibly be the first step in getting people out of their cars and on their feet by showing them that driving three blocks does impact the environment.

 

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Conan O’Brien Carpools (video)

by michael July 10th, 2011 - No Comments »

In Los Angeles, Carpooling was dominated by Hybrids and Ev’s but now that the incentive for hybrid owners is gone, even the hybrids will have to hunker down with more passengers.

There are so many benefits to carpooling, it saves gas and puts less cars on the road, meaning less emissions and less traffic. Also it means that you don’t always have to drive, you can just sit back and be chauffeured by a fellow coworker.

Conan O’Brien recently did a skit on carpooling to work. The video is funny but strikes some key points. He mentions the rising gas prices and he builds relationships with his coworkers, two big benefits to carpooling.  With the 405 closure coming up, i hope more and more people begin to see the trend of carpooling. Watch the video and be prepared to laugh!

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GM To Power Assembly Plant With Landfill Gas

by michael May 20th, 2011 - No Comments »

The Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion Michigan, is set to be 40% powered by burning landfill gas collected from a nearby dump.

Landfills are huge producers of waste. They send CO2, sulfur dioxides, and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere and pollute our environment. GM has harnessed this unrenewable practice saving them 1 million dollars every year in energy.

Along with saving a lot of dough, they also are saving the environment by using all of the gasses that would normally wreak havoc on your environment.

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Chevy Volt Super Bowl Commercial

by michael February 6th, 2011 - No Comments »

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You have to watch this new Chevy Volt Commercial. It takes a leap from tradition electric car advertising and really packs the punch when demonstrating innovation. I don’t want to ruin the good bits of the commercial but,  if you have been around for several decades, it will really shine light on how far we have come in technology; the Chevy Volt being the next big step. Thank you GM for creating more then just another hybrid.

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Prius Commercial shot in Santa Monica!

by michael January 19th, 2011 - No Comments »

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For the 10-Year Prius Anniversary Celebration, Toyota decided to thank their loyal Prius owners with impromptu carwashes.

They took to the Santa Monica streets bright and early with a car washing crew and two Prius Plug-ins. Once they washed the cars, with minimal water and eco-friendly soaps of course, they were off scouting for our next drive-by. With loads of Prius owners in Santa Monica, it wasn’t hard for the Toyota Team to spot them. Owners gladly celebrated with the crew by receiving a free car wash.

Essentia was lucky enough to have a Prius parked out front when they washed one of the cars. At 47 seconds the blue Prius is outside of our store, but only for a quick second. We at the Santa Monica store were lucky enough to also check out the two Prius Plug-Ins they had, which get 100+mpg!!

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