Green Options

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And maybe hybrid technology is the key?

Today, twenty of the fastest cars on Earth will line up at the start of round 7 of the Formula 1 World Championship at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, to do battle for the biggest prize in world motor sport.

Capable of accelerating to 200 mph, and coming back to a complete standstill 12 seconds flat, a modern F1 car represents the pinnacle of automotive technology, precisely the reason that big name Japanese manufacturers Toyota and Honda have entered the sport as constructors in recent years.

Formula 1 has never been cheap - even the smallest teams have annual budgets in excess of $100 million to field two cars - but considering the resources available to the new Japanese teams, who are rumoured to have spent almost $2 billion between them on F1 in the past four years, one might expect a good chance of the Japanese national anthem being played when the constructors trophy is handed out this afternoon.

It’s not quite the same type of hybrid drive-train you’d see in street vehicles, but in an exciting announcement, Max Mosely of F1 has announced that all cars will become hybrid by 2013, along with other changes to the vehicles.

The hybrid system that will be phased in is known as KERS, which stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. KERS doesn’t store as much energy as a traditional hybrid system, but it only weighs 55 pounds and the limited energy storage capacity is well suited for Formula-style racing.

$23,500 and 4,405 pounds of Belgian chocolate, molded into a life-size Ferrari Formula 1 car, goes on display this week at a Ferrari owners club party in Sorrento, Italy.

The car, which took a year to make, will be smashed with hammers and party-goers will receive bits and pieces to take home in special bags as a souvenir, or snack.

Source: Ananova

Proving that marketing is ever opportunistic in the face of growing environmentalism, Honda unveiled a Formula One racing car devoid of sponsorship logos and covered with an image of planet Earth. The campaign comes as Honda wishes to draw more attention to the environment and encourage people to donate to relevant charities.