New Enviro-Friendly Cars

I am excited about all the news announcements involving the new enviro-friendly cars that have been developed. Not that I'm a stonch environmentalist, I am really just a car lover who appreciates a new technological improvement in luxury, economy or environmentalism.

BMW, a favorite when it comes to looks and style, has just introduced their new BMW Hydrogen 7. It is a new type of car that is purported to blend CleanEnergy technology with luxury drivability.

GM is another player in this trend-setting market. Under the Chevrolet name, they have developed the Sequel, which uses fuel cells instead of gasoline to power its engine. I'm also impressed to see that an electric-powered SUV can claim to accelerate 0-60 mph in 10 seconds.

Peugeot is another manufacturer that is jumping on the electric-powered bandwagon. Their new 207 Epure combines an 50 kW electric motor with a 20 kW GENEPAC experimental fuel cell. The collection of power gives the Epure a range of over 200 miles and maximum speeds of over 80 miles per hour. I look forward to seeing a sports cars that blend the sport convertable looks with luxurious leather feel as this one does.

As a side note, I look forward to the next stage of Toyota's Alessandro Volta. It has been listed for a year or two now under their 'future concepts' and claims to accelerate 0-60 in 4 seconds with its hybrid, 408-hp, 32 mi/gal, 3.3-liter V6 entine. On top of all that, it looks good too.

San Francisco -- Wireless Fidelity

Beginning several months ago the news was filled with articles introducing the proposal to create a "Free Wireless Internet" zone in the San Francisco area. In the past couple of weeks this plan was fulfilled.

According to various articles, a consortium of the world's largest technology companies, including I.B.M. and Cisco Systems, has come together to support the Silicon Valley Metro Connect group as they build the largest wireless network to date.

The new network will provide free wireless access to approximately 2.4 million people living to the south of San Francisco in the Silicon Valley area.

From a quick review of various news sources it seems that this is only the beginning of a future of free wireless. Google and several other large technology companies are working closely with state and city governments to plan many other similar networks in cities like Chicago, Boston and many others.

I am excited to see this new development. With current VoIP capabilities and with Nokia already testing a new kind of cellular phone that can cross between cellular and wireless networks, I wonder how long it will take to transfer all communication onto a single, unified network.