Driving it Green ! Beyond Prius . . .

                          Who doesn't know Toyota Prius, we all do. Prius is the cleanest vehicle to be sold in the united States. A car that openly defied the skeptics who saw a bleak future for a " green car". The Prius opened up the market for an whole new genre of cars called the green cars. A market segment that then became crowded. Now the segment boasts an whole line of new cars.

                          But, that's fairy tale now. Now the market opens up for a whole new genre of cars , much different from the original Toyota Prius. But firstly one should know how Toyota Prius works,  Toyota Prius is a car that uses the Battery power to optimize its already efficient combustion engine. That means you are basically driving a normal combustion engine car that has an add-on pack in the form of a battery. The Prius is by no way a complete Green car but it certainly is a lot greener than many.

                          But now a new bread of cars are here. You may have guessed it, If not they are the fully electrical cars with a supporting gasoline engine. With Europe ready to dump all its conventionally powered cars by the year 2050, Its a nice green shift. To put the conventional engine in the back seat is no small thing. Many have tried and has so far failed in creating a effortless car that can do it , the transition form one to th next is the big thing. You can have both but when to switch? Looks like Chevrolet has found their answers atlas. But Nissan took it a step further. They came out with all electric car LEAF( Leading Environmentally friendly and Affordable Family car) last year and that one bagged the European Car of the year award 2011 and the world car of the year award in the same year.

                          The Nissan leaf was here a pretty long time and Nissan has got it right after all. This car is a all electric car. The US Environmental Protection Agency official range is 117 kilometer, with an energy consumption of 765 Kj / km and rated the Leaf's combined fuel economy at 99 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent. The Leaf has a range of 175 km or 109 miles on the New European Driving Cycles. The LEAF is delivered to the western markets via highly fuel efficient cargo ships specially build to restrict the overall carbon foot print of the car. When it comes to carbon foot print Nissan really takes it seriously.

                          The New Kid on the block is the Chevrolet Volt, a plug in hybrid electrical vehicle. The Volt has been on sale in the United States since mid December 2010, and its the most fuel efficient compact car as per the US Environmental Protection Agency. Again in the foot steps of the Prius, but much more advanced, its a pure delight to drive with the smoothest transition between the engines. The systems  run on the battery as long as it has juice and as soon as its empty it transforms magically into a normal car. Once the battery has life charge it goes back to the battery power. Such an addictive car that it makes you want to increase your mileage.

                          This war is not yet over, The battle for the ultimate electric road car will be fought on for many more moons. But at the end of the war there will be not just one winner, But many and of this numerous winners humanity will be the biggest one and He will have by then saved the world from chocking to death. Go green. Today's saving is Tomorrows gain.

To Rise from the Ashes

                      The angst has not subsided, the shivering has not stopped. Its been over 100 days since the wrath of the tsunami was unleashed upon the land of the Rising Sun. The Sun has not yet rose to it former glory and many do not expect a perfect sunny day anytime soon. The March 11th tsunami has left the japanesse shaking like never before. If the there were nerves that the Tsunami left unscratched, the impending doom pertained by the worst nuclear disaster after the Chernobyl has certainly send a shiver down their spines.

Relatives of the deceased offering their prayers on the 100th  day

                     

                      The 100th day is believed to be final day of the funeral ceremonies as per Buddhist traditions and has been observed with prayers and providing solace to the victims kith and kin. The hundredth day to be the time to look ahead and continue rebuilding the country. It will be a slow and painstakingly slow process, Nevertheless it has to be done and be done in a comprehensive way taking into account a much more sustainable model.

                      But as we know, The Japanese are strong they have risen from more worse socio - economical crisis than this. Their spirit may be strong but for a speedy recovery they need to have more than that. The lack of trust that the government of this island nation experiance is a serious hindrance in the restoration of the nation to its former self.

                      However the majority of the problems faced by the nation was due to the initial tension of a potential nuclear disaster which delayed other efforts to an extent. The clean up of the mess caused by the waves itself is gigantic task, but it seems to have helped the economy as it is quite possible for any man to earn around 13000 yen simply by collecting trash left by the waves. This has generated many local jobs enough to pull people from unaffected areas to the affected ones in pursuit of jobs.

Toyota Head Quarters , Japan

                      The Next big problem the country is facing is to provide the housing for the thousands that are relocated by the tsunami and the incidents that followed suit. This again will take it toll on the time available. The terrible damaged network of power supply has caused the next big problem. The billion dollar production and manufacturing industry has been struck hard by the Tsunami.  All of the automobile companies are forced to cut down their production due to lack of power.

                      Japan is bound to rise back, Every nation has its time of peril and its time of upheaval, Then there is the time of resurrection and progress. Japan will rise and rise back back strong. The uncertainty lies only in how long its going to take. for the rising of the Sun. The worlds heart prays for their brothers in Japan.