Our goal at GreenlightAC is the widespread ownership and use of EVs and PHEVs. The faster we move away from fossil fuels, the more quickly we can begin to reverse the damage to our planet from unnecessary carbon emissions. EVs and PHEVs are one important part of the solution. Until driving ranges improve and drivers feel there is an adequate recharging infrastructure in place for them (hopefully made possible by GreenlightAC!), EVs and PHEVs will be used mainly in and near cities.
In the U.S., more people live in suburban and rural areas than in cities, though, so we need to look at sustainable and realistic ways to meet our transportation needs without continuing reliance on fossil fuels and the wasteful ways in which many of us drive.
GreenlightAC supports efforts to reduce the per capita carbon footprint of the U.S. transportation sector.
Here is the place where you can find some highlights from the world of clean transportation.
Full disclosure: To get to work here at GreenlightAC we all either walk, ride our bikes, or take public transportation.
Clean Cars
By now it should be clear that we at GreenlightAC are big fans of electric drive vehicles. We want to see more of them on the road. A lot more. We hope that by providing safe, convenient, and cost-effective charging devices we are doing our small part to get more EVs and PHEVs on American roads.
There are plenty of others who are also committed to much more widespread use of these cars. Here are some links:
Some consider CalCars to be the center of the PHEV universe.
Plug In America is a great advocacy and information exchange organization.
If you are interested in finding out more about EV and PHEV ownership from enthusiastic owners and drivers, look up your local chapter of the Electric Auto Association.
And, of course, there are the carmakers themselves. Some of these vehicles are already on the road, others will be soon, and yet others are still in the concept stage. Here’s the (almost) A to Z:
Aptera
BG Automotive
BYD
Commuter Cars
Fisker Automotive
Gem Cars
Miles Electric Vehicles
Mitsubishi
Myers Motors
Nissan
Phoenix Motorcars
Prius
Reva
Tata
Tesla
Think
Volt
Venturi Fetish
ZENN
Walkable Communities
One of the best ways to reduce our transportation-related carbon footprint is to go to or live in places where we can do many of our daily activities on foot.
Walkscore.com gives you the “walkability score” of any address in the U.S.
Click here for more information about walkable communities.
Bikes and bike sharing programs
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 37% of all vehicle commutes to work in the US are 5 miles or less.
Bicycles are another great means of transportation. More and more U.S. cities have bike-sharing programs that allow cyclists to use publicly available bicycles for limited periods of time. Most of these programs are honor-based community bike sharing systems. Here is more information on those: http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike/index.htm
Here in Washington, D.C., there is a great fee-based system that we think
avoids some of the pitfalls of the other bike sharing programs. It is called Smartbike DC, and for $40 a year you get a subscription for use of the dozens of Smartbikes located in Downtown D.C. and close-in residential neighborhoods.
More information about bikes:
BicyclingInfo.org
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Boats:
Torqeedo
Other transportation information
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