Today we've stumbled on something that's a bit outside the normal realm of green transportation, but it fits nicely on our pages anyway. After all, what's greener than recycling something that otherwise had used up its usefulness? For vacationers in Hawaii, there are surely a huge number of choices when it comes time to choose a place to stay, but if travelers want something a little outside of the ordinary, they can consider spending the night in an old Volkswagen Camper Van that's been converted into a stationary shelter. There are currently two buses to choose from, each with a slightly different theme. Both vehicles have two beds, one up top and one inside, along with solar lighting and an ocean view.

After reading through the extensive list of what each vehicle offers, it's clear that the people in charge really care about their environment. Everything inside and outside was chosen for its low eco-impact, including the chemicals used to clean the two buses up. This is definitely a different way to spend a few days in paradise.



[Source: Lova Lava Land via Ecofriend]

As part of the 2007 EV Conversion Workshop, and sponsored by Bucks County Renewables with the help of the Energy Justice Network, Jenny Isaacs has gotten together a group made up mostly of teachers who will be converting a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon from gasoline power to electric. We told you about this way back in March, and now we can follow up that story by directing you over to a site made by Jenny to update everybody on the progress.

The plan is to make this a completely zero-emissions vehicle by offsetting the carbon spent while charging the vehicle by purchasing wind energy. If you would like to check out the vehicle once it has been completed, they plan to show it off at RiverFest, in Frenchtown NJ on Sept 1 - 3 and at the Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Festival in Kempton PA, Sept 21 - 23. We certainly wish Jenny and the ten person team the best!

Related:

• Electric car conversion workshop teaches EV modding

[Source: Electric Vanagon and Jenny Isaacs]

Volkswagen has now built the perfect vehicle for the unrepentant deadhead. If you ever attended a Grateful Dead concert, as I did in my youth, you would have seen probably the largest traveling collection of vintage VW micro-buses anywhere. They came in all colors and conditions, all populated by people who believed in the hippie ethos. The buses in those stadium parking lots also almost inevitably had smoke pouring out them, sometimes even from the exhaust.

If Jerry Garcia were still with us today, and the Dead were still on tour, this Chameleon would be able to at least eliminate the exhaust smoke. The Volkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, CA has teamed up with Hybrid Technologies to update an original 1964 Type 2 micro-bus, long a favorite of California surfers. This is kind with the split wind shield, and extra rows of small windows along the edges of the roof. The original drive train has been replaced by a fully electric drive-train powered by lithium polymer batteries. Nicknamed the Chameleon, the bus gets extra power from the solar cells that cover the roof mounted surf boards. The interior is updated with the latest electronics for navigation, entertainment and communications. They are using the vehicle as a public relations tool to showcase all the latest electronics. Chameleon has been shown to VW management and engineers in Germany this summer and it is making its North American debut Friday. September, 22 at the AltWheels event in Boston, MA. Hybrid Technologies also built the electric PT Cruiser taxi that is being proposed for New York City. Jerry would be proud!

(Full press release after the jump)

[Source: Volkswagen]