We’re obviously very interested in hybrid vehicles here at Ars Technica; our very first car review back in 2000 was on the then-new Honda Insight. But while we’ve covered the development of hybrid cars since then, we haven’t paid quite as much attention to other parts of the transportation sector. As it turns out, there’s […]

The global fleet of electric buses is already helping cities avoiding the purchase of 279,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Diesel buses consume an extraordinary amount of fuel compared to a passenger vehicle. Bloomberg noted that “For every 1,000 battery-powered buses on the road, about 500 barrels a day of […]

In 2017, we took a look at Project Portal, Toyota’s plan to test a heavy-duty, zero-emissions truck at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in California. The idea was to power an 80,000lb (36,288kg) Class-8 tractor-trailer with hydrogen fuel cells and then put it to work hauling shipping containers at one of the nation’s […]

Energy efficiency is often a hard sell in the US. Energy efficient devices can require a bit more money up front, which is then paid back gradually often over the course of several years. But a new study in the latest edition of PNAS suggests that the problem isn’t only a matter of economics—instead, like […]

The report predicts that, as a direct result of increased energy consumption, there will be a 70-percent increase in energy-oriented carbon dioxide emissions, and an overall increase in greenhouse gas emissions of 50 percent. This would correlate to a rise in global average temperature between 3° C and 6° C above preindustrial levels. Air pollution […]

Each year, 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans. Millions of plastic straws are used and disposed each day. The straws are usually made from polypropylene and are not truly degradable. Most recycling programs are loath to accept straws because straws are too light and fall off sorters. They are often […]

The Pacific Ocean is beautiful. However, halfway between California and Hawaii, the ocean is also the site of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. At over 600,000 miles, it is more than twice the size of France. The detritus already weighs around 87,000 tons and is growing by the day. Bottles, bags, fishing nets, and such […]

Batteries are categorized as hazardous waste. When it comes to addressing this issue, the best thing to do is to choose reusable batteries over single-use ones. This is an eco-friendly alternative and reduces the environmental pressures on an island like Hawaii and its fragile ecosystems. Batteries are an inalienable part of our lives. Mobile phones, […]

Contaminants in recycling can hurt the process and can actually result in batches of recyclable material being diverted to landfills. Waste disposal is an issue that the islands of Hawaii are serious about. The following items are contaminants and should not be added to the blue bins designated for recyclable items. Thin plastic bags damage […]