The rapidly changing landscape of alternative car technologies created the need for the second edition of Alternative Cars in the 21st Century: A New Personal Transportation Paradigm. This essential publication provides an abundance of critical knowledge for engineering professionals and consumers alike, offering a brighter alternative future through better alternative cars.

A successful solar car team must have a good car, good drivers, good weather information, good strategy, and a well-trained support team. Based on the author's experiences designing and building five solar cars over a ten year period, this book focuses on the most imporant aspects of designing a competitive solar car, including developing a racing strategy, efficient solar car driving, project management, and designing the specific subsystems of the car. Chapters cover: Design Methodology Aerodynamics of Solar Cars Composite Materials Car Balance and Spring Rates and more

Reimagining Alternative Technology for Design in the 21st Century presents a new approach to design that harnesses still-valuable alternative, traditional and abandoned technologies alongside the creation of new ones to address contemporary global problems. It focuses on design opportunities that reduce energy and material consumption to tackle issues such as climate change and pollution in industrialized economies. The book takes the reader on a journey surveying different facets of human activity to identify underused and discarded technologies that could be indispensable today. It critically addresses newer approaches to design and technology by comparing them to existing alternatives, unpacking examples including air conditioning with smart thermostats, electric lighting, durable reusable products, domestic maintenance tools and methods of transportation. Written for practicing designers and students in industrial design, architecture, sustainable design and human-centered design, this book provides new ideas and tools for creating more useful, energy-and-resource-efficient product designs and systems.

This comprehensive account of the past, present and future of the automobile examines the key trends, key technologies and key players involved in the race to develop clean, environmentally friendly vehicles that are affordable and that do not compromise on safety or design. Undertaking a rigorous interrogation of our global dependency on oil, the author demonstrates just how unwise and unnecessary this is in light of current developments such as the fuel cell revolution and the increasing viability of hybrid cars, which use both petrol and electricity - innovations that could signal a new era of clean, sustainable energy. The arguments put forward draw on support from an eclectic range of sources - including industry insiders, scientists, economists and environmentalists - to make for an enlightening read.

Guides the reader through the various energy sources available to humans and how we implement them. The book is intended for readers who do not have a science and technology background; it serves as an introduction to work, energy and efficiency. Examples range from human's earliest work endeavors such as building pyramids to the inspiration and development of Henry Ford's first automobile up through alternative energy sources. Also, among the many topics covered are: energy, work, and power; combustion for home comfort; the steam engine; how electricity is generated; boilers and heat transfer; cars and their impact; atoms and atomic energy; Three Mile Island and Chernobyl; Acid rain; smog; nuclear fusion; the greenhouse effect; and much, much more.