There are few cyclists who don’t have at least a small addiction to speed – whether it’s cruising down a steep hill or whizzing past traffic. If you really have the itch to fly down the road, you may want to check out the Specialized Turbo, an electric-assisted bike that can cruise at speeds of up to 27 mph. This is the first plug-in from the California-based company — the bike has already been rolling around Europe for a year, but US federal laws have deemed the bike too fast to be sold without calling it a motorcycle until now. The solution? A top-speed limiting gear that won’t let you break 27mph.

Read the rest of The Specialized Turbo is an Electric Bike that Can Hit a Blistering 27 MPH

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Post tags: California, charger, electric bicycle, lithium ion battery, motor, plug-in, specialized turbo, SRAM, traffic

Edison2 just unveiled the latest version of its Very Light Car (VLC) at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. An earlier version of the vehicle won the $5 million Automotive X Prize back in 2010, and the new Very Light Car 4.0 incorporates safety innovations developed for long-distance racing cars and uses batteries and motors similar to those in standard EV’s. The new vehicle weighs less than 1,100 pounds, and the makers expect that their final production version will weigh under 1,400 pounds while still meeting federal safety requirements.

Read the rest of Edison2′s New Very Light Car 4.0 Weighs Less than 1,100 Pounds

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Post tags: automotive x-prize, Battery powered vehicle, Edison2 VLC, Edison2 X Prize, electric powered VLC, electric vehicles, energy efficient cars, green car design, green transportation, low-mass vehicles, plug-in car design, recyclable car parts, Very Light Vehicle

Botanical artist Makoto Azuma recently teamed up with Naruse-Inokuma Architects to design a beautiful bathroom that is overflowing with leafy green foliage! The temporary space was installed at Tokyo’s House Vision Expo, and it consists of clear glass floors, green walls covered in leaves, and contrasting clean white fixtures. Literally translated, its name gokujo no heya means “room of exquisiteness.”

Read the rest of Green-Walled Japanese Bathroom is Covered from Floor to Ceiling in Leafy Foliage!

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", green bathroom, leafy bathroom design, makoto azuma, Naruse-Inokuma Architects, natural bathroom, tokyo house vision expo

Toyota just unveiled its new i-ROAD concept – an all-electric three-wheeled trike that is set to debut this week at the Geneva Motor Show. Toyota says that the two-seater i-ROAD is the perfect vehicle for city streets. It offers the same low running costs, easy parking and around-town maneuverability as a motorcycle or scooter, but its fully enclosed interior makes it a safer alternative.

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Post tags: 2013 Geneva Motor Show, electric motor, green car, green transportation, lithium ion battery, personal electric vehicle, Toyota, Toyota i-ROAD concept

Nothing says “Welcome to the Future” like a 3D-printed runabout vehicle with a hybrid engine, three wheels, speeds of up to 68 mph, and capacity to carry up to 1,200 lbs. The Urbee 2 is the result of Jim Kor’s dream for a modern, sustainable vehicle that will someday revolutionize the way that we commute. The exterior’s lightweight construction of ABS plastic allows for a minimum amount of drag and fuel required to operate the car, and it’s stronger and more easily manipulated than steel. Able to hold two passengers, the Urbee could very well be the next big thing in urban transportation.

Read the rest of The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production

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Post tags: 3d printed, ABS plastic, aerodynamic, car, commute, fused deposition modeling, Guinness World Record, hybrid, jim kor, Kor Ecologic, Le Mans, polymer, redeye, steel, urbee 2, vehicle

Actor and co-founder of water.org Matt Damon won’t let a good opportunity to raise awareness of clean water down the tubes. To draw attention to the 2.5 billion people who do not have access to proper sanitation, Damon will boycott the toilet and embark on a YouTube campaign enlisting the help of other celebrities. Introducing his plan in a faux press conference yesterday, the activist hopes that his videos will go viral and inspire viewers to donate $25 to his cause.

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Post tags: actor, bathroom, boycott, celebrity, clean water, donation, epic lloyd, john elerick, lisbug, live prude girls, Matt Damon, sanitation, shaycarl, smosh, stan lee, strike, toilet, water.org, wheezy waiter, world toilet day, world water day, YouTube

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Post tags: abu dhabi, Around the world in 80 days, Brusa, closed cabin electric bike, Design, Designwerk, eco design, electric bike, green transportation, luxury electric bike, Masdar, sustainable design, swiss, Swiss electric bike, Tobias Wülser, World Future Energy Summit 2013, world's most efficient luxury vehicle, Zerotracer

Peru’s government is taking steps to protect one of the world’s largest fossil deposits from being damaged by the 2013 Dakar Rally. The Culture Ministry said they’re marking all access points to the Ocucaje desert to help prevent potential damage to the existing fossil site. Home to fossils of whales, dolphins, penguins and other animals, the Ocucaje fossil zone in the Ica region was severely damaged by last year’s rally.

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Post tags: car races, car racing, Dakar Etienne Lavigne, Dakar Rally 2013, environmental destruction, fossil protection, fossils, Meyer-Honninger Paleontological Museum, Ocucaje desert Peru, paleontology, Peru archaeological site, Peru Dakar Rally, Peru protected areas

Installing green lighting may seem like a small and simple change, but it’s surprising how hefty the bottom line savings can be. Many companies across the globe have been switching to LEDs quietly and saving money, especially now that they offer such pleasing color options that really rival the look of incandescents. This international “switch out” has created green jobs and also helps companies revamp their stores and hire more workers with the cash they save – all great things for the economy. Read on for two success stories featuring companies that have swapped out their bulbs with the help of MSi lighting to achieve significant money and energy savings.

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Read the rest of How Green Lighting Can Save American Businesses Millions of Dollars

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Post tags: AmbientLED bulbs, best bulb, carnival cruise ships, cfl, cfl light bulb, compact fluorescent light, eco design, eco lighting, eco-friendly lighting, energy efficient light bulb, energy efficient lightbulbs, Energy Independence and Security Act, energy saving bulbs, energy saving lights, Federal energy mandate, green design, green light bulb, green lighting, how to green lighting, how to switch to green lighting, incandescent bulb phase out, incandescent bulbs, LED, LED bulb, LED light bulb, LED lights, LEDs, light bulb ban, light bulb makeover, light emitting diode, lightbulb makeover, lighting makeover, lighting renovation, phasing out incandescent bulbs, Philips, Philips 12.5W Ambient LED bulb, rc wiley furniture stores, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

In east Texas, there is an awe-inspiring network of treehouses perched eight stories above the ground. It’s not an eco-resort or some dreamer’s getaway – the treetop settlement was built by David Daniel to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is slated to rip through his property. Daniel was concerned over losing the forest he loved, the repercussions a pipe leak would have on his land, and the overall environmental impact of tapping dirty tar sands in Canada. With no money to fight the oil giant TransCanada, he did what was within his means. A former circus performer and rigger, Daniel had experience setting up a high wire – that he would ride across on a motorcycle while lit on fire. The carpenter and daredevil constructed seven houses high in the branches of his old oaks.

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Post tags: activists, Alberta, canada, david daniel, east texas, fossil fuels, gulf of mexico, Keystone XL Pipeline, oil, protest, tar sands, transcanada, Treehouses

A team of Yamaha motorcycle designers have put their experience to the test in a new field by developing an ultralight airplane that’s powered by a simple set of pedals – just like your bike! Constructed from superlight polystyrene and carbon fiber, the plane weighs only 81 pounds despite a wingspan of 117 feet. Encouraged by mostly successful test flights, Team Aeroscepsy will attempt to set a new world record by flying Gokurakutombo (which means “happy-go-lucky” – and apparently also “happy dragonfly” in Japanese) 75 miles over the Pacific Ocean.

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Post tags: airplane, Gokurakutombo, human powered, pedal power, styrofoam, Team Aeroscepsy, yamaha

Last year, Lightning Motorcycles shattered the land speed record for electric bikes, when rider Paul Thede achieved an amazing average of 206.079 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The team later set a higher speed of  215.960 mph. Now, Lightning Motorcycles has broken the speed record for a production motorcycle (a street-legal bike that was produced in a series for purchase by the public) with a solar-powered bike at the El Mirage dry lake bed in Southern California.

Read the rest of Solar-Powered Lightning Motorcycle Sets New Speed Record for Production Motorcycles at 189 MPH

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Post tags: el mirage, electric motorcycle, EV/Plug-in, land-speed record, Lightning Motorcycles, lightning motors, lsr, On Two Wheels, racing, solar, Solar Power

Read the rest of Top 8 Green Gadgets Worthy of James Bond

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Post tags: 007, daniel craig, electric vehicles, green gadgets, James Bond, james bond gadgets, MI-6, q james bond, secret agent, skyfall, skyfall gadgets, solar-powered vehicles, spy gear

Climbing 103 flights of stairs without collapse is a noteworthy achievement for any human being, but when said human only has one leg, it’s nothing short of miraculous. Thirty-one year-old Zac Vawter lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident, but he didn’t let that sidetrack his life. Wearing a bionic leg that’s controlled by electrical impulses from his brain, Vawter recently climbed 103 floors of Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower, becoming the first person ever to complete the task wearing a mind-controlled prosthetic limb.

Read the rest of Amputee Uses Thought-Controlled Bionic Leg to Climb Chicago’s Willis Tower

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Post tags: bionic leg, chicago, Design for Health, green design, mind-controlled prosthetic, prosthetic, prosthetic leg, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, skyscraper, sustainable design, Willis Tower, zac vawter

Developed by Dean Benstead, a graduate RMIT University in Melbourne, the O2 Pursuit is a pretty extraordinary bike. With a range of about 62 miles per ‘tank’ and top speeds of 87 mph, the modified Yamaha WR250R is powered entirely by compressed air. A canister with a compression of 3000 PSI, the same as those used by scuba divers, appears to power the bike as effectively as many electric motors—and Benstead’s technology has been nominated for a James Dyson Award.

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Post tags: air powered cars, airpod, compressed air, dean benstead, james dyson award, o2 pursuit, rmit, scuba power, tasa

Read the rest of Top 6 Green Gadgets for Fall Camping

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Post tags: backpacks, camping, camping gadets, chargers, eco camping, green camping, green camping gear, green gadgets, green gadgets for camping, Pop Up Tents, Radios, sleeping bags, Solar Backpack, solar panels, Solar Power, solar radio

Bike sharing programs are great, but pedaling up San Francisco‘s steep hills can be a pain. And car sharing is cool, but finding a parking space in the city can be tough. Enter Scoot Networks, an electric scooter-sharing service that will let you power up those hills and park virtually anywhere without using a drop of gas. The service, which is modeled after car-sharing businesses, launched today in San Francisco with a fleet of 60 vehicles. To use the scooters, users simply plug a smartphone into the dashboard, and a Scoot app on the phone activates the bike.

Read the rest of Scoot Launches Electric Scooter-Sharing Program in San Francisco!

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Post tags: bike sharing, Car Sharing, electric scooters, green transportation, Michael Keating, plug-in scooter, San Francisco, Scoot, Scoot Networks, scooter-sharing service, smartphones

A graduate student from the University of Denver just shattered a world speed record by hitting an astounding 216 MPH on her home-built “KillaJoule” electric motorcycle during the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville Salt Flats. Eva Håkansson‘s 250 HP battery-powered superbike is now the official world record holder for electric sidecar motorcycles – which also makes it the fourth fastest electric motorcycle in the world. The Killajoule is powered by a 375 volt, 1800 amp, 214 lb. battery pack made from 1210 cordless tool cells manufactured by A123Systems.

Read the rest of 216 MPH Electric KillaJoule Motorcycle Shatters World Land Speed Record!

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Post tags: bonneville salt flats, bub motorcycle speed trials, electric motorcycle, electric sidecar motorcycles, electric vehicles, eva hakansson, home-built electric motorcycle, killajoule, motorcycles, university of denver

Yes this is real! Japanese toilet company TOTO just unveiled the ultimate green motorcycle – and it doesn’t run on gasoline or an electric motor. Instead, TOTO’s “Toilet Bike Neo” runs on biogas that is produced from livestock waste. TOTO—which is not technically a motorcycle producer—created the poo-powered motorcycle topped with a toilet to promote TOTO’s environmental efforts.

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How many of you watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and wished you had a speeder bike like the ones Luke and Leia race through the forests of Endor? Well, you may not have to wait much longer. California-based tech company Aerofex has released a video of it new bike, which flies over the ground thanks to two large fans. Test flights so far have been limited to 30 mph, so while it might not be ready for a high-speed chase through the forest, it still looks pretty awesome!

Read the rest of Aerofex Develops a Working Hover Bike That’s Straight Out of Return of the Jedi!

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Post tags: Aerofex, flying cars, hover bike, mojave desert, motorcycle, return of the jedi, speeder bike, star wars