The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Transportation

The Nissan Leaf: Launched in August, the Leaf is the first fully electric mass production vehicle built for the global market. Nissan has developed a worldwide network of partners focused on building a recharging infrastructure. The car’s top speed is more than 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h), and its range is 100 miles (160 km) on a full charge. Nissan will produce 50,000 Leafs each starting in the fall of 2010.

Air Car: A San Jose, California based company called Magnetic Car Care says that a car that runs on air and magnets will be available in 2010, India’s largest automaker already has an air powered Car. The Tata Motors car runs on compressed air and reportedly costs less than $18,000.

YikeBike Electric Bicycle: It weighs about 20 pounds, runs on a lithium phosphate battery, folds into a small carrying bag, and moves at up to 12 MPH.

World First F3: A Formula 3 race car developed at the University of Warwick runs on a mix of chocolate and vegetable oil, has a coating on its radiator that converts ozone emissions into oxygen, and components made with carrot fibers, potato starch and cashew shells.
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Next: The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Consumer Goods / The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Education / The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Food and Water