The view from the cockpit: The Aptera 2e. (Aptera photo)

It’s great to dream big. I have driven in the Aptera 2e, which looks like a Blade Runner car that lost its ability to fly. It’s an airplane, but with lithium-ion batteries instead of wings. But the company’s founders, and its hired-gun professional CEO from the auto industry, swore that it would be on the road in 2009. Some 4,000 people believed enough to put down deposits.

The Aptera is fanciful indeed, but the company claimed down-to-earth numbers for it. It can supposedly cruise 100 miles between charges and reach 60 mph in under 10 seconds. I can’t confirm the performance because, in my one up-close meeting, CEO Paul Wilbur made me ride shotgun because the prototype on hand “is not the latest model.” He gave my somewhat reluctant daughter (pictured) a ride, too.

But now Aptera appears to be imploding, and largely because of money woes and the production timetable. Both founders have left (including the one who sketched the car on a napkin) and the schedule has been pushed back to sometime in 2010. The confrontation between Wilbur and founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony reportedly ended in a confrontation at the board level that the practical Wilbur–who insists the car isn’t ready, and needs such basic amenities as wind-down windows in its cool fold-up doors–apparently won. At least he’s still there and they aren’t.

Is the Aptera 2e practical for mass production? I have doubts in its current form. The car is just too quirky–I left the company out of my list of “eight EV startups likely to make it” for just that reason.

Wilbur knows this and will probably introduce new improvements before launch that will make the car more mainstream. The pod body is incredibly aerodynamic and lightweight, but that’s not enough of an advantage if people don’t buy it.

I’m thinking about starting a movement to decriminalize drunk driving, reinstate smoking in all public places, and repeal laws that require parents to use child safety seats for their toddlers in the car.

After all, if it’s still legal in most states to operate a motor vehicle while talking on a cell phone, shouldn’t we have a “fair is fair” policy when it comes to allowing people to do stupid things that endanger the health and wellbeing of others? Maybe we could have a cap and trade system for jackass behavior. For example, if you don’t talk on the phone while you drive, then you’d have the choice of either driving drunk or smoking in hospitals, day care centers and other public spaces.

With all of the public concern and ongoing scientific debate over the possibly harmful effects of cell phone radiation, why isn’t there more public outrage over the documented public safety hazard of cell use while driving? Even here at The Daily Green, I’ve counted at least a dozen recent articles about the yet-to-be-proven harmful effects of cell phone radiation, but not a single article (up until now) about the more than 2,500 deaths and 330,000+ injuries every year in the U.S. attributed to the use of cell phones will driving (according to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis).

Could it be that it’s easier for people to get up in arms about forcing cell phone companies to take responsibility for producing radiation-free devices than it is for us to take responsibility for our own actions and hang up the *&#@^ cell phone when we drive?

Numerous studies have shown that cell phone use (including hands-free phones) seriously impede our ability to drive safely. Several studies, including a 2006 study by the University of Utah, show that use of both hand held and hands free cell phones while driving is considerably more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, making it roughly four times more likely that we’ll be involved in a crash. It’s also widely accepted that the role cell phones play in causing auto accidents is grossly under reported. Up until just recently, police in most states were not even required to ask about or investigate cell phone usage in connection with auto accidents.

And yet, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, only six states totally prohibit the use of cell phones while driving, and that’s only for hand-held phones (no state currently prohibits the use of hands-free phones). Ironically, six other states have “preemption laws,” prohibiting local jurisdictions from enacting their own restrictions limiting cell phone use by drivers. Man, my cap and trade system for jackasses is looking more reasonable all the time.

There have been many studies coming out lately that validate my entire approach to pregnancy and parenting. The latest, just announced by the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC), shows babies are exposed to chemicals in everyday consumer products even before they’re born.

WTC tested blood and urine from pregnant women in California, Washington, and Oregon during their second trimester of pregnancy and the results showed chemicals that are found in a wide variety of consumer products.

From the study:

• 100% of study participants had bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies, which is found in polycarbonate water bottles and food and beverage cans and has been linked to cancer, early puberty, diabetes, obesity, and reproductive problems.

• 100% had mercury, a known neurotoxin.

• Most had several different types of phthalates, which may have an impact on masculinity in boys. These are plasticizers and fragrance carriers found in consumer products from shower curtains to shampoo. Phthalates are linked to reproductive problems and asthma.

• The study didn’t make any associations between a woman’s lifestyle and the levels of chemicals found in her body.

• Each woman had at least two and as many as four “Teflon chemicals,” or perfluorinated compounds, in her blood. These are chemicals used to create stain-protection products and non-stick cookware and are linked to low birth weight, obesity, and cancer.

While I generally spend time coaching families on how to avoid these very chemicals; the best anyone can do is minimize exposure. But Erika Schreder, staff scientist for the Washington Toxics Coalition and author of the report (full disclosure: she wrote an essay for my book, The Complete Organic Pregnancy), says, “Pregnant women can’t avoid every exposure to these chemicals because they are in so many products. They can’t shop their way out of this problem. We need policies that keep toxic chemicals away from pregnant women and the most vulnerable-the developing fetus.”

She’s right. And the levels found in women who were already attempting to avoid these very chemicals backs her up.

To make those policies happen, WTC, along with Commonweal, the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition, and members of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign are urging Congress to reform the federal law (the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act) by doing the following:

• Immediately initiate action to eliminate chemicals that build up in our bodies or are passed on to the next generation.

• Reduce the use of chemicals that can cause serious health problems such as cancer and reproductive harm, or lead to learning disabilities.

• Require manufacturers to create consumer products using only chemicals they have tested fully for safety and to provide full information on their hazards to the public.

• Preserve the rights of the states to enact legislation that sets higher chemical safety standards than federal law….

Eco Factor: Concept electric vehicle designed to be powered by renewable energy.

Designed by Vlad Icobet, the Renault Aeon is a concept electric vehicle that makes sure that your daily commute to the office has minimum impact on the ecosystem. The all-electric car is inspired by modern architectural structures that are blended with natural organic forms.

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Eco Cars: Renault Aeon concept EV gets fueled by solar energy

The Jaguar XT5 computer, housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Knoxville, Tenn. and owned by the Department of Energy was just named the fastest computer in the world by the TOP500 list.  It has a performance speed of 1.759 petaflops or quadrillions of calculations per second and that power is being focused on solving the issues of climate change.

The Jaguar is an open science machine for performing peer-reviewed research.  It is being used to create models and simulations for predicting regional climate change, studying enzymes for developing better ethanol and writing algorithms for fast nuclear reactors that would produce less waste.  A billion hours of processor time have been scheduled for 2010 by users like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Argonne National Laboratory and the National Science Foundation.

If you’re thinking that the fastest computer in the world should be used for other problems too, don’t worry, the Jaguar along with the other supercomputers on the list are also being used for things like nuclear security, developing better medicines and examining the origins of the universe, among other things.

Oak Ridge hosts four of the supercomputers on the list, including Kraken which was number three in the world with a speed of 831 teraflops.  Where the human brain’s processing performance ends, these supercomputers pick up, allowing tons of information to be sorted, processed and analyzed.  With all of the challenges facing us in tackling climate change, it’s nice to have them on our side.

via AP

LOS ANGELES–Driving Nissan’s new Leaf electric car around Dodgers’ Stadium in Los Angeles last week was not as glamorous as it sounds. There were a lot of journalists in line under a hot sun. But there were compensations, including a touch of Hollywood–actress Alexandra Paul, ex-Baywatch and a former General Motors EV-1 driver, was there.

This was the kickoff of a 22-city national tour for the Leaf, and it may be coming soon to a metro area near you. Go to this site, enter your zipcode and it will point you to the nearest stop. Or check the full list here. The tour ends in New York City February 14.

Nissan is the only automaker (through the Renault-Nissan Alliance) to actually build charging stations. In LA, it announced its 33rd alliance, this time with Reliant, a subsidiary of giant Texas-based utility NRG Energy. Like most utility executives these days, NRG CEO David Crane talked about the virtues of the smart grid and charging electric cars off-peak during evening hours. He said the current U.S. grid could easily handle up to 10 million additional EVs. “We don’t get into trouble until we’re talking about 50 to 100 million cars,” he said.

The Leaf, which has a 100-mile range on lithium-ion batteries and will be out next year, was revealed in sky blue. It was a little bigger than I thought it would be, with excellent seat layout and some of the same eco-verities as the Toyota Prius. Not to confuse you, but the Leaf we saw was actually a styling model and not drivable. The “Leaf” we drove was in the body of the Nissan Versa, with the Leaf’s drivetrain. This is what they call a “mule,” and it gives a very good indication of what the production car will be like. Here’s what it was like from the back seat:

Every once in a while the questions in my inbox are partially organic and partially not. I tend to answer these privately, or refer people to experts better suited to answer their queries. But one arrived this week that I’ve had on numerous occasions so I thought best to tackle it publicly.

Dear Alexandra,

I’m now just about 37 weeks pregnant and have been mired in the search for the best crib mattress! Time is ticking away, so I thought I’d email you about my concern to see if you might have an opinion on the issue. I have been researching mattress options for our co-sleeper as well as crib and want to use an organic mattress, for all the reasons you have outlined. A question about each option:

1. Co-sleeper: The Arms Reach co-sleeper includes warnings against putting any additional mattress or padding on the mattress board that comes with the unit. However, the Dax co-sleeper mattress is indicated to go on top of the existing mattress board – apparently, the board is needed for support. I’m concerned now about putting the Dax mattress I’ve ordered on the co-sleeper mattress (along with the puddle pad). Any advice?

2. Crib: The latest data on SIDS prevention suggests using the firmest mattress possible. However, after talking with the folks at Dax Stores and doing some reading, it seems that a bit of firmness is sacrificed with an organic mattress because wool is used as the flame retardant, making the mattress slightly less firm. Also, using wool “puddle pads” is an extra layer of cushioning. So, I have thought that a happy medium may be Naturepedic’s mattress (wouldn’t need puddle pads), but I don’t fully trust the polyethylene and would prefer an organic innerspring with wool puddle pads, were it not for the SIDS concern.

Thanks again for educating all of us about these critical issues! …

Eco Factor: Energy positive house incorporates energy saving and generating technologies.

Villa Akarp seems like any other ordinary home design with an exception that its roof is laden with 32 square meters of photovoltaic panels. However, deep in its bones will be the systems that will not only make it a low carbon dwelling, but also ensure that its inhabitants earn money by selling excess energy to the grid.

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Eco Homes: Energy positive house in Sweden will sell excess electricity to the grid

As reports have indicated for the past several weeks, a binding agreement won’t be reached in Copenhagen this December.  Leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation this past weekend met and decided that the Copenhagen conference would be used to come up with an interim “politically” binding agreement and to set a date and time for a legally binding one sometime next year.

The goal of cutting global emissions by 50 percent by 2050 has been scrapped and instead a 2007 goal of reducing energy intensity – emissions per unit of economic output – by 25 percent by 2030 is being restated, but again, it won’t be binding.

A big reason for the push back is Congress’s inaction on a climate change bill this year.  Without a clear commitment from the U.S. to cut emissions, other countries are hesitant to make any pledges of their own.  In the past few days, members of Congress have said a decision on a climate bill won’t happen before the first half of 2010.

For those of us who were keeping our hopes up for a significant agreement to come out of Copenhagen and for a climate bill this year, this news is incredibly disappointing.  One positive thing to hold onto is that the administration seems determined to make some progress even while Congress falters, most notably with the EPA gearing up to regulate greenhouse emissions starting in 2011.

via NY Times

Image via APEC Singapore 2009

Eco Factor: Prototype light powered by human energy.

We often try to encourage our readers to replace disposable batteries in their electronic gear with rechargeable ones to reduce the toxic waste batteries carry along in the landfill. Industrial designers on the other hand are trying to figure out concepts that don’t require batteries at all.

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Eco Gadgets: Eco – Twinkle lights up simply by cranking