Rich Ruggles: Physicist, Entrepreneur, Visionary
I met Rich Ruggles just a few years ago. He was looking for a mechanical engineer who was local to help him with a personal project; some kind of go-cart he was trying to build. I wasn't too interested in cars, but being self-unemployed at the time I agreed to meet with him. "I need this car body modeled in Rhino," Rich started out. "Ever use Rhino?" I hadn't, but that didn't stop Rich. "That's OK, you'll figure it out." And I did. I started getting interested when he told me this car was going to get upwards of 200 miles per gallon. I watched him over the succeeding months take a concept out of his head and start building the Quickie; he was making his dream a reality. Rich enlisted others to help with Quickie, but things couldn't happen fast enough for him. He was bursting with ideas and enthusiasm, and none of us realized how little time he had left. He wanted a website to publish all of his ideas and inspire others. Again he turned to me: "Can you build me one of these websites where I can put all the content in myself?" "Yes!" was the answer, because when you're around Rich, everything is possible. Sadly, Rich lost his battle with cancer in October 2007. This website is one of his legacies. Within this site are his instructions to us for carrying on his vision: a cleaner, safer and less violent world that no longer depends on fossil fuels. It's not only possible, but essential.
Rich Ruggles is no longer around to come up with new polling questions, or rant and rave about big oil, but the rest of us can help spread his message. Tell others about the site. Send us your suggestions, links, news items and original articles. We want to know about other FEVs being designed and built in peoples' garages, and create a forum to share ideas between people working on similar projects. We want to hear from people outside of the US: in Europe, Japan and Asia. We want to hear from universities. We want to hear from you.
I met Rich Ruggles just a few years ago. He was looking for a mechanical engineer who was local to help him with a personal project; some kind of go-cart he was trying to build. I wasn't too interested in cars, but being self-unemployed at the time I agreed to meet with him. "I need this car body modeled in Rhino," Rich started out. "Ever use Rhino?" I hadn't, but that didn't stop Rich. "That's OK, you'll figure it out." And I did. I started getting interested when he told me this car was going to get upwards of 200 miles per gallon. I watched him over the succeeding months take a concept out of his head and start building the Quickie; he was making his dream a reality. Rich enlisted others to help with Quickie, but things couldn't happen fast enough for him. He was bursting with ideas and enthusiasm, and none of us realized how little time he had left. He wanted a website to publish all of his ideas and inspire others. Again he turned to me: "Can you build me one of these websites where I can put all the content in myself?" "Yes!" was the answer, because when you're around Rich, everything is possible. Sadly, Rich lost his battle with cancer in October 2007. This website is one of his legacies. Within this site are his instructions to us for carrying on his vision: a cleaner, safer and less violent world that no longer depends on fossil fuels. It's not only possible, but essential.Rich Ruggles is no longer around to come up with new polling questions, or rant and rave about big oil, but the rest of us can help spread his message. Tell others about the site. Send us your suggestions, links, news items and original articles. We want to know about other FEVs being designed and built in peoples' garages, and create a forum to share ideas between people working on similar projects. We want to hear from people outside of the US: in Europe, Japan and Asia. We want to hear from universities. We want to hear from you.
03/31/2008 Top cars to be green in
ALMOST every mainstream manufacturer now has at least one green model with Eco in the badge.
But if you are looking for today’s motoring saints, they’re all diesel supermini or petrol/electric hybrids, although more and more manufacturers are bringing out a range of family models.
In a sign of accelerating progress on plug-in hybrids — the 100 mpg vehicles you can't yet buy in showrooms — electric utilities quickly are linking with automakers and tech companies to develop "smart-charging" technology that controls when and how fast a vehicle is recharged.
03/31/2008 BMW 118d: 0 - 60 in 9 Seconds and 60 MPG
The BMW 118d looks good, drives good and is good. There's no reason not to want one of these. With five seats and a 8.8 second 0 to 60 time people who are used to BMWs certainly won't complain.
03/27/2008 New prototype could achieve 300 mpg
CARLSBAD (KABC) -- If you've paid for gas lately, you've probably paid a record amount to top off your tank. But there's a new car coming onto the market that reportedly costs a penny-per-mile to drive. It's the latest "gas sipping" vehicles on the road.
Warning: This article may cause serious arousal in environmentally-conscious individuals and/or anyone distraught at the current price of gasoline.
03/21/2008 FuelVapor Technologies' Goal To 100 MPG Car
British Columbia-based Fuelvapor Technologies is competing for the $10 million that is offered to the team by the X-Prize Foundation that can produce the most production-ready vehicles that get 100 miles per gallon or more.
03/20/2008 Special Report: The Green Car, Part One
The Gold in Automotive Green
03/20/2008 X Prize will offer $10M for 100 mpg vehicle
NEW YORK (AP) — The X Prize Foundation, best known for its competitions promoting space flights, is offering $10 million to the teams that can produce the most production-ready vehicles that get 100 miles per gallon or more.
03/01/2008 Mercedes launches Blue green brand
Mercedes is launching a new low-emission range, called BlueEfficiency, at next week's Geneva motor show, although plans to bring them to the UK haven't yet been finalised.
03/01/2008 Raser and Tecstar Sign Agreement Leading to Manufacture of 100+ mpg Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles
Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: RZ) announced today that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tecstar, LP and Wheel to Wheel, LLC, outlining their intent to work together with Raser to manufacture plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) for utility, government, and other fleets.
