[MUSIC PLAYING]
Welcome to Think Green.
There's a bike on the block, which is vying for street
credibility.
It may not quite match the prestige, speed,
or indeed the noise of a Harley-Davidson,
but this could be the big attraction.
The Sakura Mustang is an eco-friendly easy rider,
which its owner down Hornby hopes
will help revolutionize the way people look at electric bikes.
With its chrome handlebars, fat tires, and candy apple red paint
shop, the Mustang can travel at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour.
And what's more, on a fully charged battery,
the Bible travel for around 20 miles
for as little as 17 cents.
Six weeks after its release, the Sakura Mustang
has already been in hot demand.
Everywhere that we go with a bike,
we get crowds of people stop and look at it.
That's what it's all about.
This is making a statement.
This isn't just a bike.
It makes a statement about the person who's riding it.
This isn't for an introvert.
This is for someone who wants to be seen.
Nick Wilkins' family cycle business
on the outskirts of Reading west of London
has seen all the trends and fads in cycles over 50 years.
And now electric bikes are becoming his best sellers.
Most electric bikes are similar in build, running
on a rechargeable battery.
Nick has been dealing in electric bikes for around five years now.
And although he's seen only a modest yearly increase
in sales, he believes with powered bikes becoming more reliable
and with more trendy designs, a boom in the market is looming.
Worldwide, several million electric bikes are sold every year.
The vast majority admittedly are in the far east,
but the markets in Europe, the UK and America
are opening up very quickly.
As fuel prices go up, people are looking for an alternative
to using their car and even, to some extent,
using expensive public transport.
The only disadvantage of the electric bike
seems to be that if you run out of power on a hill,
you'll find it far heavier than a traditional cycle
to pedal home.
A Japanese vehicle manufacturer has unveiled a motorbike,
carrying a hybrid magnetic motor which
can run almost noiselessly up to 112 miles on one charge.
Tokyo-based Axel Corporation says the battery of the next
generation electric vehicle motorbike can be charged at home,
in the same way as a cell phone.
It takes a little over six hours to fully charge the battery.
And the vehicle's maximum speed is around 93 miles per hour.
The company says the futuristic motorbike
enjoys high energy efficiency thanks to a state-of-the-art
magnetic motor which is a hybrid between an electromagnet
and a permanent magnet.
I just feel that in the near future,
we'll be seeing these kinds of electric motorbikes running
all around town.
And when that happens, conventional vehicles
could disappear from motor racing, too,
and we'll be competing only in electric vehicles.
The new motor called Sumo, short for a super motor,
is housed inside the bike's rear wheel.
The manufacturer says the new motor
is seven times more cost-efficient than gas-powered scooters.
The bike's manufacturer hopes to apply the electromagnetic
technology to produce eco-friendly four-wheel vehicles, too.
There'll be a lot of advantages when motor vehicles go beyond
existing hybrids and develop into purely electric vehicles.
They'll become noiseless and do no harm to the environment.
I'm not a motor driver, but I'm a motor driver.
I'm a motor driver.
He's an inventor.
20 years ago, he began developing engines
that run on compressed air.
After two years, he approached Ford and General Motors
with the project, but they declined his offer.
However, he eventually found private investors
willing to back his dream.
Now, he successfully built the first small prototype air
compressed engine on a push bike.
This vehicle is the only vehicle that
have a very special engine that is an engine that
works with a free wheel and a free piston.
That means that you can work at very high pressure,
supposed 700 kilos by centimeter square,
and you can use all the pressure.
That means that you don't lose efficiency.
Other vehicles have only 10% of efficiency.
The efficiency of these vehicles is 60% or 70%.
With two tanks of 10 liters each at 200 kilos pressure,
you can run 100 kilometers.
And the price in Uruguay pesos for a run this distance
is only one peso.
If you run with oil, instead of one peso or one peso,
you need to spend 100 or 200 pesos for a run the same distance.
But Regushi's ambition doesn't end with motorbikes.
You only need a lead like this, and a welding machine.
And with a simple workshop like this one,
you can do all the vehicles.
And that's why we are going to get to do all kind of vehicles.
We are going to do motorcycles, cars, bus, track tours,
tracks, all kind of vehicles.
The compressor there goes for this pipe to this valve.
And after a while, when we come here,
we have a piston, and there, pull the piston in this direction
inside the cylinder.
The piston, pull the shaft, and the shaft, pull the chain.
The chain, move the free wheel in this direction.
When the piston comes here, the spring goes there.
Then, afterward, when we open this valve,
the spring comes here and brings back the piston
to the first position.
Regushi says this prototype can reach a top speed
of 55 miles per hour, added a retail cost of $600.
It offers great value for money.
He's now working on the first proper motorbike,
which he claims will reach the speed of 111 miles per hour.
Regushi's inventions certainly sparked the curiosity
of local people when he took it on a road test
in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo.
In the Guadamalan town of San Andre is Tapa,
the local people have found new and inventive ways
to circumvent the lack of electricity
and fuel shortages.
Using their own creativity and energy,
they've recycled old bicycles, turning them
into handy machinery to help in their survival.
Once a year, these people receive containers
of used bicycles from Canada and the US,
which end up as blenders, mixers, and grain mills,
among other things.
With their pedal powered inventions,
some locals have found a way to make a living.
A trunk of Perez uses a pedal powered blender
known as the Bicyblender to make shampoo from aloe plants
in the area, which she then sells in the local market.
When I have no money, I take two or three shampoos.
They already know me, and they buy from me.
So with my 20 or 30 quetzals, I buy my little herbs
for my lunch.
This town is the home of Meia Padal,
a nongovernmental organization with a workshop
where the pedal powered devices are made.
Caesar Molina explained that various organizations
from the US and Canada send bicycles down
for Guatemalans to transform into labor-saving devices.
Through organizations from the north,
they send us containers of recycled bicycles.
Among the inventions are the popular Bicy mill,
used to grind grain, which is then used
for making the area's traditional tortillas.
The Bicyblender has also proven popular,
and boasts almost the same power as an electric version,
according to Carlos Marie Quinn.
And all that's required is a willing pair of legs to pedal it.
The ones that stand out most are the Bicyblender,
which reaches 6,500 revolutions per minute.
It's almost the same capacity as an electric blender.
We also have the Bicy mill, which has the capacity
of one quarter horsepower, and has the capacity
to thrash from 12 to 25 quintels of corn.
It's almost the same capacity as an electric blender.
We also have the Bicy mill, which has the capacity
to 25 quintels of corn.
The mill is also used to make a concentrate.
Enthusiastic local residents are finding
that these machines make their lives easier,
in a country where it's estimated that 90%
of the indigenous people live below the poverty line.
And for once, this kind of progress
is accompanied with zero damage to the environment.
With the Bicy machines, we know that we don't need
electric energy or fuel.
It helps to conserve the environment,
and it also helps with family economics.
It's a natural resource because we only use the energy
of the human body.
The machines are designed to best meet the community's needs,
with even pedal-powered electricity generators
and coffee grinders being created.
With fuel shortages and economic problems,
these people have found a way to harness their own physical
and creative energies and improve their standard
of living in the process.
The Tuk Tuk is one of the most famous forms
of transport in Asia.
But this is the British seaside town of Brighton.
Service started running after one local man
came up with the idea while holidaying in Asia.
Just traveling through Asia and India, Sri Lanka,
like everyone that goes out there,
they think it would be a great idea to have them back at home.
And we decided to finally bring them over.
They carry up to three passengers in each car
and travel along a set route like a bus service.
There's a flat fee to get on and off a long route,
and it offers a real alternative in congested cities.
I think the idea for any city, really,
any congested city, they're very economical,
very quick to get around and very nippy.
And they're very green, these vehicles as well.
To ensure the Tuk Tuk's are environmentally friendly,
they've been modified to use the type of gas,
now used in Asian cities, to reduce pollution.
All the vehicles run on compressed natural gas, CNG,
which is what they use in India.
And it's reduced pollution in Indian cities by about 20 or 30%.
So it's had a huge impact over there.
And we want to try and bring that over here
and do something positive.
There have been huge regulatory hurdles to cross
to get the service up and running.
But two years of hard work have paid off.
The vehicles have now been getting local,
national, and international support,
and there are now plans to expand the service across the UK,
starting with London next year.
I think it works on any scale.
And Brighton's obviously a small place in London,
but it will work really well in London.
I mean, it's a quick service.
It's efficient and it's very affordable.
So on those three elements, make it work in anywhere, right?
The Toc-Toc, which has graced the streets
of some of Asia's leading cities,
could soon become a regular feature of towns and cities
throughout Britain.
The Ecomobile owner Dan Whitfield steps into the cockpit
and switches on the ignition.
After a short warm-up, the eco-accelerates with a roar.
Stabilizing wheels are retracted at lightning speed.
This is the Ecomobile in action.
And according to the sole sales representative
for the United States, it's the future
of personal transportation.
Whitfield, a 59-year-old instructor at York Technical Institute,
believes it combines the best elements
of a motorcycle and an aircraft.
Everybody looks at this and says,
"Wow, what a futuristic experiment.
"It's not an experiment anymore.
"You've got a couple million miles under your belt.
"It's not an experiment anymore.
"It's real."
The Ecomobile, designed by a former Swiss airline pilot,
Arnold Wagner, is driven by a 1200cc BMW motorcycle engine.
Which gets 50 miles for each gallon of petrol
and has a top speed of 165 miles per hour.
It's operated by a motorcycle-type handlebar
and can seat one passenger as well as the driver.
The wheels also act as safety bars in the event of a fall.
The body of the vehicle is made of Kevlar,
the material used to make bulletproof vests,
which is partly why the eco comes with a 25-year guarantee.
It's very quiet.
It's a very smooth ride.
We're not exposed to any of the elements
that, on an open motorcycle, you are.
But you have the banking through curves,
no lateral G-forces, and that's sort of a nice sensation,
again, it's somewhat similar to flying in an aircraft.
The low emissions and fuel consumption also appealed.
Moans sees it as an investment and believes
that taking into account the low maintenance costs
over 25 years, the price can be justified
as a responsible alternative to vehicles dependent
on a dwindling supply of fossil fuels.
I use it for transportation to different activities
and things that I do.
And any time I'm going more than 10 miles,
I think it's a good reason to use it over my Toyota,
which gets 25 miles per gallon because this gets about 50.
The eco is one of many recent developments
for the environmentally friendly market.
It follows the release of the Honda Insight
and the brand new Accord, which get 30 miles to the gallon
and come complete with seating for five people,
as well as top-of-the-line safety features.
The Accord's price tag of $32,000
has been labeled excellent value by industry critics,
including motor industry analysts
and Washington post-writer Warren Brown.
Brown wrote that the best green machine
is one that does not announce its color,
which is what other manufacturers are gradually understanding.
Committing to a better environment was also Volvo's intention
when it released the Volvo V70,
which comes complete with a smog-eating radiator.
It's coated with a substance that purifies ground-level ozone,
which is the main element of smog.
As the vehicle travels, the radiator converts 75%
of the ozone flowing through it into oxygen.
Based on the Dodge Durango SUV,
the Dodge Durango Hybrid has also proved
that environmentally friendly vehicles can still have great appeal.
The electric motor results in a full-size SUV
with engine performance better than a V8,
but emissions less than a V6,
while gas mileage is also increased by 20%.
Though designed for a different purpose,
these vehicles have had more success than the two-wheeled kind,
like the Segway, launched with great fanfare
in New York back in 2001.
The motorized scooters were voluntarily recalled
after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
cited concerns about its braking and steering system.
Warren Brown says that the ecomobile may battle
in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive.
In order to get the mass market,
you're going to have to have *** appeal.
If you package properly,
it's going to have to service people's basic needs.
Does it seat five comfortably?
Can it carry a luggage?
You know, can you put an MP3 player in there?
You know, do you have a good sound system?
Those things, a lot of environmentalists strike as being silly,
but that's because they don't sell anything except ideas.
If you want to sell a product,
then you have to put all of those things in
because that's what the market is demanding.
Prices also a major part of the package,
which is why taking an environmental stand with the eco
will be a tough transaction at $80,000.
This was London on Earth Car Free Day,
a public awareness exercise designed to ***** the conscience of drivers
and make them think about the damage their cars
are doing to the environment.
It's a sentiment borne out by research done by environmental group Friends of the Earth.
People are very aware that the car is causing enormous environmental problems,
whether it be air pollution in cities or climate change across the whole world,
but they know they can't themselves do that much about it or they feel they can't.
What they're looking for is a lead from government in the form of better public transport,
better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.
But now, commuters can use a new mode of transport,
specifically designed to make up for the shortcomings of public transport,
such as how to get to the station in the first place.
Scoot is a collapsible bicycle,
which is perfect for riding to the train station,
carrying onto the train and riding the last hop to the office.
It takes just 30 seconds to fold up into its own suitcase-sized package,
which forms part of the bicycle's frame.
We're ready to go.
It just looks like a normal, totally enclosed case,
which you can take into a building on a train,
keep it in your car boot, you can go into expensive hotels, up escalators, into lifts,
and you haven't got the social stigma of having a folding bike with levers and cables sticking out.
Vincent Fallon believes Scoot is the perfect grain solution
for those who want to make a personal contribution to protecting the environment.
And friends of the Earth agree.
We think the idea of fold-up bicycles is extremely sensible.
It marries the bicycle, which is the cheapest, most efficient,
most flexible form of personal transport with the public transport system,
which enables you to go much, much further.
The bike and train is an ideal combination.
Conventional collapsible cycles are more bulky because the wheels line next to each other when folded,
whereas Scoot's wheels stay in line when collapsed, making it more slimline.
It sounds too good to be true.
A car that runs on an inexhaustible power source and doesn't harm the environment.
Yet that's exactly what two Japanese automakers have come up with,
launching the world's first fuel cell cars.
Even the Japanese Prime Minister took time out of his busy agenda to see the new marvels.
Toyota and Honda have leased a handful of the cars to the Japanese government
and an experimental program that marks the biggest step towards the mass marketing
of fuel cell vehicles or FCVs.
Honda is also leasing its FCVs to the city of Los Angeles.
The ultimate green car could be part of the solution to smog,
global warming, and other ecological problems that conventional cars help cause.
Far from harming the environment, it's only byproducts are heat and water.
Water so pure the Apollo astronauts even drank it.
Japanese Prime Minister Junashiro Kazumi was happy to take the new car for a spin.
I hope that through this first car, the spirit of environmental-friendly technology
takes hold throughout the nation.
Even in the realm of economic development, the days have arrived
for taking the lead in environmentally-friendly technology
is the way to survive the competitive age we live in.
And we'll do our utmost to help with its diffusion.
Only the world's biggest car makers want to make FCVs available to the average consumer,
but haven't figured out how to make them at an affordable price.
The cars could initially cost up to $2 million each.
Still, FCVs are considered the most promising alternative to today's gasoline-fueled cars,
as hydrogen is the most common element on Earth.
Until next time, keep thinking free.
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