I don't know why, but Cerevellum plans to make a rear view video camera with video monitor for bikes. Bikes have no blind spots because, well, it's a bike, so the bicycle rear view monitor only saves you from turning your head and body slightly. If tipping you head or glancing down at the monitor on the handle bar is too much trouble, there is also a head mounted display unit. Only prototypes of the system exist but production version is expected to have GPS, measure your heart and cost $200. Would you buy it?

Related:

• TomTom Rider, GPS for bikes

[Source: Engadget]

Dash mounted navigation systems are becoming rather common inside many new cars. Nissan believes that these navigation systems can be leveraged to reduce the CO2 emissions of their cars and trucks. In an effort to meet their stated goal of reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of their automobiles by 70 percent by 2050, Nissan is working on a piece of software that will work in their cars called Eco Driving Advice. The software application will also sync with your home computer. Besides cutting emissions by 18 percent, the system offers a 20 percent time savings as well, as drivers should reach their destinations sooner than before.

One might think that the gas and time savings would be reward enough, but apparently not. According to Nissan's early tests, drivers quickly became acclimated to the system, but they also quickly stopped using it. In an effort to combat this problem, Nissan is considering offering rewards similar to frequent-flier miles. Hey, whatever works!

[Source: CNET via Environmental Leader]

At AltWheels Boston 2007, I had an interesting conversation with Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar and founder of GoLoco. In the video above, Robin talks about GoLoco, a Facebook web app that allows you to share rides and share the cost of travel with friends online. Robin says ride sharing reduces the cost of travel which, on average, makes up a fifth of a household budget.

Below the fold are two more videos of Robin. In the first video, Robin talks about mandatory GPS in cars. Robin thinks mandatory GPS wireless in cars is just 5 years away but that this is a good thing and it can be made private. In the second video below the fold, Robin talks about something she thinks the press is not reporting enough: We have to level off our carbon emissions with massive efforts before a "tipping point" of 2015.

Where does the state government get the money to maintain roads? Gas taxes. What if your car does not use gas? How is the state suppose to know if an electric car is using the road? Some states are planning on requiring GPS units in cars, tracking the distances you travel, then tax you for every mile you drive. Oregon just finished testing a year-long "virtual tollway" and will probably be the first state to have a GPS car tracking system working. Oregon's FAQ for the program explains why state-mandated GPS in cars is all the Prius' fault:

• "Fuel efficiency of Oregon's automobile fleet has eroded fuel tax revenues over the past 30 years. Further improvement of automobile fuel efficiency, particularly with the adoption of the hybrid electric vehicle engine, will have an even more dramatic effect on fuel tax revenues in the not-too-distant future."

You might say, why not just increase gas taxes? The legislature does not want to and Oregon says that at the heart of the matter, it's really a fairness issue. If electric cars "use the roads, you ought to pay for them." Wait a minute, you might say, isn't this the same State that gave perks for everyone to get hybrids and full electric cars? Now, they are going after us with a this tax? Basically... yes. I will let them explain:

• "From the transportation revenue perspective, fuel-efficient vehicles produce less fuel tax revenue because they consume less gasoline. While it is good policy to preserve our environment and our resources, it is not good policy to let transportation revenues decline so that the transportation system cannot be properly maintained or modernized. This may sound like a policy contradiction, but it need not be."

What about our privacy? The FAQ says "a GPS device only knows where it is; no one else does." LOL! Yeah, I believe that one. Why not just use a state odometer? An odometer won't work because it does not know when you drive out of the sate where they can't tax you legally. GPS is the only solution. Thanks, Treehuggers for buying all those fuel-efficient cars (he said sarcastically). Way to help the state invade everyone's privacy and usher in Orwellian tracking of cars.

[Source: USA Today, Oregon DOT]

TomTom made the first GPS device designed just for bikes and scooters called TomTom Rider. GPS navigation is very green: There is nothing more un-green than getting lost and wasting fuel trying to find your way. Scooters and bikes are are also green and TomTom deserves the credit for bring the two technologies together. Now, TomTom has got a second edition of the TomTom Rider with new features.

You can watch the video above to see the features that makes it useful for bikers. It's waterproof so you don't have to worry about the elements. It has big buttons easily pressed while wearing bike gloves. There is voice control which work with a wireless headset. There are several other GPS devices for bikes by companies like Garmin but, like the iPod and other MP3 players, TomTom Rider just does everything a little bit better. Go below the fold to enjoy a funny TomTom ad.

[Source: Gizmodo]

We told you previously about DARPA Urban Challenge and the Volkswagen Passat from defending DARPA Grand Challenge winners the Stanford Racing Team. Now there is a second team entering with a Passat TDi wagon, this time from Germany in the form of Team-LUX. The Hamburg based team appears to be taking a more minimalist approach than other competitors. It looks like the vehicle will rely only on a trio of laser scanners, one in each front corner and the third in the rear, as well as a GPS receiver. Based on the location from the GPS and the proximity to other objects from the scanners, the ECU will control the steering, brakes and accelerator. To see if this limited data will be enough keep the car on course reliably we'll have to wait until November.

[Source: Team-LUX via Engadget]

Many mainstream cars are now available with GPS navigation systems from the factory and after market systems are available for well under $1,000. They're generally pretty reliable about finding the shortest or fastest route to a destination, occasional trips into rivers notwithstanding. Those routes aren't always the most fuel efficient however, since you can get stuck in traffic or end up driving at higher speeds that might use more fuel. Eva Ericsson at Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden is working on new algorithms to optimize routes for minimal emissions and fuel consumption. They've added fuel consumption factors for different vehicle types on various streets in a navigation system database. They also tried adding some real time traffic data but didn't have sufficient data to make it effective. Nonetheless, testing showed an improvement of 8.2 percent in fuel consumption, although they expect real world savings of about half that. Getting such a system into production would be tough because of the problem of collecting the fuel consumption factors for all the streets. However, a community-based system where drivers input information could be a viable approach and certainly wouldn't hurt.

[Source: NewScientistTech.com]

Tour Coupes are hitting the streets of San Diego. An ingenious concept, the little 2-seater 3-wheelers pull in a GPS signal that activates an on-board narration to describe the city sights. Visitors can rent the 8-foot-long vehicles starting at $45 an hour or $165 a day. The vehicles are registered as a motorcycle and are street legal.

According the company's Web site, the Tour Coupes run on a 49cc carbureated 2-stroke engine that is air-cooled. The vehicle's creator is quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying that the engine is "not high-polluting." The vehicle gets up to 60mpg, depending on the passenger load. Tour Coupes may expand to Los Angeles and start selling the vehicles for $6,500 each.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]

A common charge car drivers hurl at GPS systems is that they're unnecessary for anyone with maps and the brains to use them. But what about cyclists using unfamiliar bike lanes? The Dutch cyclists union ENFB has started a volunteer effort to map the numerous bike lanes for GPS, many of which are inaccessible by cars and thus not used by navigation companies like Navteq. States project leader Kees Bakker, "This is really a Dutch problem. Other countries have very few dedicated bike lanes and in those countries car route finders can be used by cyclists, too. But here in Holland, car route finders are unaware of the best cycle lanes."

Mapping bike routes are more difficult than mapping roads. The volunteers have to note, for example, if the lane surface is hard or a dirt road. Surrounding scenery and how well lit is the lane are also important tidbits for the GPS maps. And with the goal to map the entire country, it's not a small project, either. The volunteers, though, enjoy it and love meeting to discuss their favorite routes.

Related: From cameras to Vision (software): How GPS companies map the world

[Source: Reuters via Washington Post]

Here's another San Francisco-based story to complement the news of the SFFD going biodiesel. If you're in the city and want to go for a tour without emitting a lot of CO2 (at least, not from the vehicle you're riding in), then give a look to Electric Time Car Rentals and their GPS-based city audio tours.

Eric over at the traveling weblog Gadling recently took the cars for a spin and reports the experience was "pretty damn cool". The tours are available in six languages. Oh, and the GEM cars can go 25 mph and supposedly have no problem traveling through San Fran's hilly streets. Unlike some car rental operations, you only need to 21 to rent from Electric Time Rental Cars. Costs to rent the cars run at least $44 an hour or $164 a day.

[Source: Gadling]