Check out these cars!http://americansolarchallenge.org/events/asc2010/race-finish-third-place-%e2%80%93-hochschule-bochum/

on this Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/51549313@N05/

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/slideshow/1277600998HandsAcrosstheSand

hands-across-the-sands-rally-annapolis-md1

At Worldwide demonstrations on June 26, 2010, people held hands at beaches, docks, lakes, etc. to show that they want an end to polluting energy and a future powered by the sun. Check out this media coverage.
http://www.foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_vid_4312.shtml?sms_ss=emailhands-across-the-sands-rally-annapolis-md

COllege kids from America, Canada, Taiwan and Germany race from Okla to Illinois.
NORMAL — On Saturday morning the roundabout in uptown Normal was transformed into a racetrack starting gate.

Crowds lined the circle and Beaufort Street cheering as cars in the 20th anniversary American Solar Challenge began the final sprint of a Midwest journey.

The cars were taking Old 66 north, along with an entourage of support vehicles, to the finishing point in suburban Naperville.

The staggered race meant each car was judged on individual times, rather than who passed other cars.

Seventeen teams are registered for the race that began June 19, including ones from Canada, Germany and Taiwan.

Illinois State University’s Mercury III, and driver Paul Applington, got a roaring sendoff from hometown fans.

“Win it for us,” shouted 11-year-old Vamsi Varadabandi, as the ISU car pulled up to the starting point.

Two men standing in a crowd at the circle blew into vuvuzelas — the horns made popular by fans at the 2010 World Cup.

The ISU team was near last place, but members were hopeful: “It’s about 117 miles to Naperville, and the battery is fully charged. So, if there’s decent sun we should do OK,” said Al Hackel, an ISU senior from Decatur.

“This is our first time on the open road portion of the race since 2005,” he said. “So, we’re pretty happy about that.”

Martha Misquitta of Bloomington was among people lining Beaufort Street to take peeks at the cars, talk to team members and then send racers off.

She brought her son, 10-year-old Michael Misquitta, plus several other boys from the neighborhood, to race events both Friday and Saturday because “the boys are crazy into cars.”

That was evident from the boys’ observations and exclamations as each car officially passed the starting point.

Michael, Vamsi and the three other boys: Pranesh Ravichandran, 10; Krithik Rao, 9; and Satvik Venkatesh, 10, bantered with each other about the schools taking part, the cars’ designs and the power of each car. “Did you see Germany? That car looks so cool,” said Vamsi.

After the sendoff, the boys visited the Children’s Discovery Museum, where race-themed tables were set up throughout — kids could make a wind turbine, play with solar-powered toy cars and more.

In the museum, 10-year-old twins Faith and Nicole Crisp and their sister Haley Crisp, 8, took their turn making wind cars of straws, paper, Life Savers, paper cups and masking tape.

Their mother, Jennifer Hancock, said the family came up from Springfield on the Amtrak to visit the museum. As the train arrived, the cars were lined up on Beaufort and getting ready to head out. “We didn’t know that was going on,” she added.

The look of the cars, as much as their ability to operate on solar power, seemed to fascinate the onlookers.

“I’ve never seen a spaceship. But that’s what they look like to me,” said Mike Jacobs, visiting from Marion, Ky. He and brother-in-law, Steve Novel of Normal, were uptown and stumbled on the event, actually thinking it was a parade at first.

“Some were so flat, and some were shaped like airplane wings,” said Wesley Hershberger, 9, of north Normal. He and his father, Ross Hershberger, were riding bikes through Normal when they stumbled on the tents set up for an outdoor renewable energy fair tied to the race.

Cory and Chris Culbertson brought their two children, ages 7 and 9, to the sendoff as well.

“It definitely makes people realize there are different avenues than we’re pursuing,” said Cory Culbertson, who teaches technology at University High School.

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American Solar Challenge
• The race or “rayce” as its known, started in Broken Arrow, Okla., winding through Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.

• 17 entries — all representing universities. Most are from the U.S., but entries come from Canada, Taiwan and Germany as well.

• Lightest vehicle: National Kaohshing University’s Apollo VI, at 284 pounds.

• Heaviest vehicle: Tie — University of Michigan’s Infiniium, and University of New Mexico’s Lobo del Sol, each at 700 pounds.

Rob and John, EVADC members and pals of Charlie & Jerry
John Alder’s 1991 Suzuki GSX 600 Katana motorcycle barely made a sound as it pulled out of his driveway Monday. That’s because the Catonsville man converted it to run on electricity.

But lack of noise is just one benefit, he says. Even better, there are fewer climate-warming emissions, and dependence on gasoline is eliminated. Alder charges the bike at home in his garage at night.

The front-yard demonstration was part of an effort by local electric-vehicle owners and environmentalists to draw attention to the positive impact of switching our car-loving nation to less-polluting options.

“I thought electric vehicles would be something we’d have by now,” Alder said, explaining why he converted his bike, at a total cost of about $3,500, including the motorcycle. “It’s just not happening.”

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Alder and others called on Congress to pass energy legislation that would promote the greener technology. The House of Representatives has passed a bill, but the effort has stalled in the Senate.

Environment Maryland, hosts of the Monday event, called on Maryland senators to urge the leadership to take a vote. The group also released a report called “Charging Ahead: Curbing Oil Consumption with Plug-In Cars” that outlines the potential benefits and how the switch would work.

The report says the current electric grid could fuel up to 73 percent of U.S. vehicles without building another power plant if the vehicles were charged at night or solar energy was used during the day.

Brad Heavner, state director of the environmental group, noted that many carmakers are beginning to roll out plug-in hybrids or fully electric cars, including the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius. Operating costs are likely to be about 5 cents a mile, the report says.

But more federal backing is needed to push change faster, Heavner said.

“The catastrophe of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is making it more clear than ever that we need to work harder to reduce our dependence on oil,” he said. “The U.S. Senate must pass a comprehensive global warming bill that caps emissions and invests in clean energy options, including electric vehicle technology.”

He was backed by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club, as well as state Dels. James E. Malone Jr. and Steven J. DeBoy Sr., Baltimore County Democrats. The lawmakers plan to work with homeowners associations on legislation in the next year to allow residents without garages to use extension cords to plug in electric cars – one of the logistical issues associated with the plug-ins. Other issues include the relatively high price to buy the vehicles, lack of a network of charging stations and the limits of their batteries.

Robert Neighbour of Laurel, who in January traded in his Pontiac Fiero that he had converted to battery power for a manufacturer-produced all-electric Toyota RAV4, said such vehicles still have speed and distance limitations. He and Alder said they expect that to change as the technology advances.

“But I haven’t bought a tank of gas since October of last year,” Neighbour said.

meredith.cohn@baltsun.com

Win a trip to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Hollywood Bowl
Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun

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Comments (11)Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ
Towsonite at 9:44 AM June 04, 2010
An electric motorcycle that is nearly silent… I hope old John owns a really good life insurance policy.

CharmCityLights at 8:29 AM June 02, 2010
Finally, for those of you who feel the need to drive some massive, gas guzzling behemoth–it doesn’t make you a real man, as this link will succinctly prove:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/automotive/49602d1253739037-manliest-suv-all-time-now-everyone.gif

Irregardless, when gas gets back up over $4 a gallon, I’m guessing that a lot of people will be whistling a different tune.

CharmCityLights at 8:22 AM June 02, 2010
If you had bothered to read the article Ted, you would know that as long as the cars are charged at night, there will be no need for additional power. There is already a massive surplus of power during nighttime hours, so no additional power will need to be added to the grid until almost everyone is driving an electric vehicle. What is more, even if extra coal were needed, it would still be cleaner to produce electricity at those plants, and to use electric vehicles, than to continue driving gas powered vehicles.

The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, conducted by McCain pollster Bill McInturff (R), along with Peter Hart (D), found that by a stunning 2 to 1 margin, Americans want good, comprehensive energy reform that reduces carbon emissions and stimulates clean energy development. Here’s the breakdown:
First, the question didn’t pull any punches, as sometimes is the case in such polls. Here’s the question:

Do you support or oppose an energy proposal designed to reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, even if it means an increase in the cost of energy? And, do you strongly (support/oppose) or just somewhat (support/oppose) this?

And, here’s how the responses lined up (via Climate Progress):
36% Strongly Support
27% Support
14% Oppose
17% Stongly Oppose

In total, that means 63% of respondents favor an energy plan that reduces carbon emissions and spurs clean energy development at an unspecified additional cost to themselves — and only 31% oppose it.

In part, this eagerness for energy reform has surely been spurred by the crisis caused by the BP Gulf spill (though support for comprehensive, global warming-fighting energy legislation has been favored by the majority in polling for at least a year now). As you can see, the only things Americans want action on more is the economy:
33% Job creation and economy
22% Gulf Oil spill and energy
15% Deficit and gov’t spending
9% Terrorism and nat’l security

Which is why, in a better world, some shrewd politician would amp up the current energy bill (instead of paring it down), and include green jobs provisions to address both concerns. Which brings us to those real-world politicians — as you may be aware, the Senate is currently stumbling over itself, trying to land on a safe, voter-approved way to get an energy bill through. Dems are worried there aren’t enough votes for comprehensive energy reform (the kind US citizens want), so they’re looking at a bevy of weaker options like the utility-only bill and an energy-only bill.