Take one part NOVA (the PBS show), two parts Click and Clack, and a smattering of narrator John Lithgow and open source mentality and you've got the blueprint for the upcoming "
Car of the Future" show. This program will air on public television stations in the U.S. at 8 pm on Earth Day, April 22nd (a day that will also mark
AutoblogGreen's 2nd birthday). The NOVA cameras follow Tom and Ray Magliozzi (why is is
never Ray and Tom?) through "showrooms, labs and test tracks on the road to perfecting the cars of the future," as some of the promotional material puts it. The technologies covered in the show include hydrogen
fuel cells, ethanol and BEVs powered by li-ion cells.
The open source angle for this show can be seen in the preliminary script. Here, interested parties have drafted a version of the show that also looks at topics like lightweight materials, hybrids, and squeezing more out of the gasoline we do have. There's also a discussion forum for people to weigh in on the show as it gets finalized. We'll have more on this show as we get closer to airtime.
[Source: PBS]
Car of the Future
April 22, 2008 @ 8 pm ET/PT
How will the car of the future be powered? Will it run on hydrogen, batteries, ethanol, or some as-yet undiscovered technology? Find out as NOVA takes a look at the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. NPR's "Car Talk" brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, take viewers on a roller-coaster ride into the world of cars - examining new technologies and ideas about America's most common form of transportation. With constantly increasing prices at the pump and a growing concern about the impact of emissions on global warming, there is a keen interest in alternative fuel sources to power our cars. The hydrogen fuel cell has long been the holy grail of zero emissions energy, and countries like Iceland are trying out the technology by transforming their public transportation. Closer to home, there are attempts to create fuels like 'biodiesel' - made out of used vegetable oil - or ethanol from corn crops. Will these be our future fuels or just useful intermediates? And can an all-electric sports car being developed in California change the face of driving for good? With in-depth interviews and the unique humor of the much-loved "car guys," Car of the Future takes a light-hearted but knowledgeable look at the serious issue of what's to come for our transportation.
The open source angle for this show can be seen in the preliminary script. Here, interested parties have drafted a version of the show that also looks at topics like lightweight materials, hybrids, and squeezing more out of the gasoline we do have. There's also a discussion forum for people to weigh in on the show as it gets finalized. We'll have more on this show as we get closer to airtime.
[Source: PBS]
Car of the Future
April 22, 2008 @ 8 pm ET/PT
How will the car of the future be powered? Will it run on hydrogen, batteries, ethanol, or some as-yet undiscovered technology? Find out as NOVA takes a look at the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. NPR's "Car Talk" brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, take viewers on a roller-coaster ride into the world of cars - examining new technologies and ideas about America's most common form of transportation. With constantly increasing prices at the pump and a growing concern about the impact of emissions on global warming, there is a keen interest in alternative fuel sources to power our cars. The hydrogen fuel cell has long been the holy grail of zero emissions energy, and countries like Iceland are trying out the technology by transforming their public transportation. Closer to home, there are attempts to create fuels like 'biodiesel' - made out of used vegetable oil - or ethanol from corn crops. Will these be our future fuels or just useful intermediates? And can an all-electric sports car being developed in California change the face of driving for good? With in-depth interviews and the unique humor of the much-loved "car guys," Car of the Future takes a light-hearted but knowledgeable look at the serious issue of what's to come for our transportation.
