We all know people who, in the last year or two, have sold cars or just left them in the garage and instead bought or hopped onto scooters and motorcycles. This behavior could be diagnosed as a mid-life crisis or could be financially justified yet more often than not a smile will spread across the face of the rider as they announce that they are doing it for Mother Earth.

Last week, on National TV, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman tested this theory on their hit TV show ‘Mythbusters’. The show gathered 3 cars and 3 bikes, each representing popular models from the 80′s, 90′s and 00′s. The vehicles were strapped with tailpipe probes and fitted with monitors on the engine control units.  The information was then gathered and interpreted by Prof. Kent Johnson, an assistant research engineer at the University of California at Riverside, who also analyzed the vehicles’ emissions of hydrocarbons and nitric oxide.

The results were very interesting. Motorcycles were more fuel-efficient than their four wheeled friends and emitted less carbon dioxide, but they emitted more smog-forming hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen, as well as the toxic air pollutant carbon monoxide. The motorcycle from the 00′s emitted 30% fewer carbon dioxide emissions that its car counterpart, but it emitted 416% more hydrocarbons, 3,220% more oxides of nitrogen and 8,065% more carbon monoxide. A conclusive argument for going electric?!

The shows conclusion was that:  ”At best, it’s a wash. Motorcycles are just as bad for the environment as cars,” Savage said on the show. “At worst, they’re far worse.”

Source : http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/09/mythbusters-motorcycle-emissions.html

These two U.S retailers have taken on the challenge of improving the ‘charging infrastructure’ for EVs. Lowe’s Home Improvment stores will know stock garage friendly EV chargers, while Walgreens will begin installing public charging stations in its parking lots nationwide. Recognizing that ‘range anxiety’ is the most common obstacle holding people back from adopting an EV these two retailers are doing their part in easing this anxiety and therefore helping to encourage the public’s adoption of electric vehicles.

Lowe’s will stock ‘WattStation’ chargers in 60 California stores and will be available nationwide on its web-site. The installation of these devices will be free and financing options will be available. Customers will also be eligible for a 30% federal tax credit on the purchase of these charging stations.  This tax credit is scheduled to end at the end of this calender year, however, ‘plug-in America’ are working incredibly hard to extend this deadline so watch this space.

“You have to make these products ubiquitous and … easy to purchase” before the electric vehicle market can really take off, Michael Mahan, the general manager of E.V. infrastructure for GE Energy Industrial Solutions, told InsideClimate News. “The simplicity of being able to purchase a WattStation from a trusted retailer … really becomes a great proposition for electric vehicle drivers.”

It will be brave and socially responsible moves like this that will spark a change in American culture and propel EVs to the forefront of American transportation.

Round of applause for Lowes and Walgreens.

The United States Energy Department has agreed to invest a larger percentage of the $3 Billion research budget into Electric Vehicles (EVs). The Governmental Department has said that getting more EVs on the road is the most effective strategy in the fight against foreign dependence on oil and air pollution.

On Tuesday, Energy Secretary, Steven Chu will present his findings and it is believed that the results of the research will shift investment dollars away from ‘clean electricity’ and biofuels and towards EVs.

Chu, who has always been an aggressive advocate for clean energy, opens the report by saying ”The stakes are high for our country, and I am optimistic that we can still lead the world in technological innovation”. The report goes on to scrutinize the current method of research, claiming that the majority of money is spent researching methods that are still generations away. Chu argues that the money could and should be more wisely spent on methods that can be commercialized within the next 10 years.

For those of you who are tech-innovators do not panic. Chu has agreed to put 20% towards ‘out-of-the-box’ research that private firms don’t dare chase.

Tennessee Gas Station Offers Free Electric Charging

That’s right guys, its not a typo. Tennessee has become the first state (to the best of our knowledge) to have a gas station that offers free rapid charging for the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i . The public is probably used to seeing such changes in Washington State, where the I-5 has been called the ‘Electric Highway’ or California who are always looking for a way to become more forward thinking but this time it is Tennessee making the first move.

Murphy Express Gas in Chattanooga, Tennessee now offers a rapid charging station right along side their gas pumps. The company claims that if this test is successful, rapid charging stations will be added to other Murphy Express Gas Stations throughout the state. Currently the Charging Station is only compatible with the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i.

We applaud Murphy Express Gas Station all the way from Southern Oregon as it is small steps in the right direction, like this one, that really enforces our belief that an efficient E-Charging grid is not only possible but inevitable.

If any of you know about similar electric experiments going on around the World please let us know.

Who ever said that off-road motorcycling couldn’t be done in a noise and air pollution FREE manner?  Not Brammo!

We are delighted to confirm that Brammo and KOM Enterprise GmbH have teamed up to power the growth of hire and ride activity centers designed exclusively for electric dirt bikes. These centers, are already a reality in Europe, with locations in Germany, Austria, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

KOM have been the driving force behind this concept and have already achieved a highly successful track record in this market. Hans Eder the Founder and CEO said, “With our existing centers we have proven that environmentally-friendly off-road fun is possible. With the correct instruction and supervision, even someone who doesn’t own a motorcycle will be able to ride at BrammoParx – from children to adults.” Hans continued, “Brammo ownership will give our existing and new BrammoParx operators access to the Brammo Engage and Encite, the most advanced off-road electric motorcycles in the world.”

Brammo have long been thought of as an industry leader in Electric Motorcycles and this move places the, rapidly growing, Brammo brand at the forefront of peoples minds.

Brammo founder Craig Bramscher said. “It allows us to get a lot more people on to our bikes and get more information back from customers. Essentially, they will be able to ride the bikes for a few hours or days instead of making a long-term commitment”.

Thanks to the environmentally friendly nature of these Brammoparx the geographical positioning is different from the old-school dirt bike parks. As opposed to regular dirt bike parks that need to be placed well outside city limits because of noise and air pollution these Brammoparx are tucked into urban corridors and allow regular city folk to walk up and try one out during lunch break.

Craig went on to say, “We are excited about this acquisition and we will be introducing our latest 6-speed off-road Brammo motorcycles – the Engage and the Encite – to BrammoParx locations at the earliest opportunity. We will also be making the BrammoParx franchise opportunity available in other countries, including the USA.”

So keep your eyes peeled guys there could be a BrammoParx popping up near you sometime soon….Official launch at EICMA 2011 link to www.brammoparx.com