Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean
From the 1960s-1990s, hazardous tuna fishing methods reduced the populations of northeastern offshore spotted dolphins and eastern spinner dolphins 80% and 70%, respectively. Years after laws were enacted to regulate fishing practices, the two species are showing signs of recovery. Though scientists caution that the dolphin populations are not yet out of danger, the recent data is the first sign of hope in decades.
For details, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605123913.htm
Friday, June 6, 2008
Ultra Fuel Effiecient Aptera Poised for Production
Carlsbad, CA, US
If you haven't checked it out, you really need to go to http://www.aptera.com/ and behold the wonder of the Aptera.
The futuristic 3-wheeled vehicle is scheduled to hit the production line this year, and will soon be available for purchase in California for around 30,000$. The Aptera, which is Greek for "wingless flight," gets an unfathomable 300 miles per gallon of gasoline on trips about 120 miles in length. Unlike regular engines, the Aptera's plug-in electric hybrid does not have a fixed rate of gas consumption. Rather, the length of the trip (and thereby the extent of pure-electric engine run time) determines whether the Aptera gets 1000 miles per gallon (a 50-mile trip) or 300 (over 100 miles).
Though the Aptera is technically categorized as a motorcycle, the manufacturers are striving to exceed safety standards for regular passenger cars. The Aptera features air bags and a roll bar, and is already designed to exceed rollover roof strength and door strength requirements put forth by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216.
While three-wheeled vehicles are hardly a new concept, the Aptera's design, featuring two front wheels with one behind, is the opposite of what we think of as a tricycle. This design is intended to eliminate the instability to which traditional tricycles are prone.
The Aptera is projected to exceed 85 miles per hour at maximum speed. After a day of driving, it charges simply by being plugged into a standard 110 volt outlet for 2-4 hours. The cost of charging, based on California energy data, is estimated to be 1-2$ a day.
For more information, cool videos, and pretty pictures, check out http://www.aptera.com/.
If you haven't checked it out, you really need to go to http://www.aptera.com/ and behold the wonder of the Aptera.
The futuristic 3-wheeled vehicle is scheduled to hit the production line this year, and will soon be available for purchase in California for around 30,000$. The Aptera, which is Greek for "wingless flight," gets an unfathomable 300 miles per gallon of gasoline on trips about 120 miles in length. Unlike regular engines, the Aptera's plug-in electric hybrid does not have a fixed rate of gas consumption. Rather, the length of the trip (and thereby the extent of pure-electric engine run time) determines whether the Aptera gets 1000 miles per gallon (a 50-mile trip) or 300 (over 100 miles).
Though the Aptera is technically categorized as a motorcycle, the manufacturers are striving to exceed safety standards for regular passenger cars. The Aptera features air bags and a roll bar, and is already designed to exceed rollover roof strength and door strength requirements put forth by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216.
While three-wheeled vehicles are hardly a new concept, the Aptera's design, featuring two front wheels with one behind, is the opposite of what we think of as a tricycle. This design is intended to eliminate the instability to which traditional tricycles are prone.
The Aptera is projected to exceed 85 miles per hour at maximum speed. After a day of driving, it charges simply by being plugged into a standard 110 volt outlet for 2-4 hours. The cost of charging, based on California energy data, is estimated to be 1-2$ a day.
For more information, cool videos, and pretty pictures, check out http://www.aptera.com/.
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