Jerusalem’s Eco Bike “Festigalgal” Says Ride to Work!
Jerusalem’s Festigalgal bicycle riding festival winds up next week with emphasis on using bicycles more for in-city transportation.
Transportation
Latest Purchase Deal for Bankrupt Better Place Company Falls Through
The forlorn photo of empty EV car charging posts says it all. Better Place, the electric car infrastructure company founded by entrepreneur Shai Agassi has still not found a buyer willing to come up with the actual money needed to purchase it.
Qatar Emir Selects Arched Design ‘Vaulted Spaces’ for Doha Metro
As Qatar prepares for the 2022 World Cup amid bribery allegations and gross human rights violations, the world is watching every move. Which may explain why the Emir controls every major and minor decision – including the new Doha metro design.
First Practical Sun-Powered Car Stella Wins World Solar Challenge 2013
Stella, a solar-powered family car designed by students from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in has won the World Solar Challenge 2013, ushering in a new era of efficient, practical cruisers that get all of their juice from the sun. It should inspire sun-lovers in the Middle East. Solar Team Eindhoven from the Netherlands spent over a […]
The Iconic VW Van in the Middle East
Volkswagen’s “hippie van” was the preferred mode of transportation for peace lovers during the 1960s, but Brazil is shutting down the last production line this year to meet rigorous new safety requirements. See our nostalgic photo tour of VW vans in the Middle East.
Will Tesla’s New Model X Crack the Middle Eastern Market?
Tesla has received both critical acclaim and financial gain for its successful Model S sedan, and has followed this up with the development of the Model X SUV. At the same time, Tesla has planned to rapidly grow their supercharger network throughout North America and Europe and expand into the Asian market. Where does this […]
Jordan’s Environmentalists Seek Seat at Government Table
Jordan’s activists have officially petitioned to re-establish the country’s “green party”, according to human rights activist Ghandi Abu Sharar, who was also a founding member of the original Green Party of Jordan created in 2000. After failing to meet revamped requirements in the then-temporary Political Parties Law, the nascent party disbanded in 2008.
Why Teen Drivers Should Listen to Barry Manilow When Driving
In countries like Saudi Arabia where the dangerous and fatal “sport” of drifting cars into crowds of people is considered a past-time, we wonder – can music be to be blame? According to a new study from Israel teens who are listening to their favorite songs while driving are more likely to make errors while […]
SkyTran: World’s First Levitating Transit System Heads to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv will be the first city to install a magnetic levitating transit system (maglev) designed by NASA and SkyTran, and the electric train in the sky will be almost entirely solar-powered. The SkyTran Personal Rapid Transit system first proposed by inventor Douglas Malewicki in 1990 is currently under construction at NASA’s Ames Research Center in […]
Palestine’s First Bike Lane in Jericho Brings Oldest City Up to Speed
Biking enthusiasts in Palestine have welcomed the construction of the first cycle lane in the Palestinian territories on the main road leading from Jericho to Jerusalem. The 1,200-metre two-way cycle lane on the west side of Jerusalem Street in Jericho was completed in July at a cost of 179,000 euros and will be formally opened […]
Brazil’s Easy Taxi App Heads to Egypt and Morocco
Sometimes if you stand on the wrong corner of a busy street in Cairo, taxis will drive right on by, guilt-free, while in less populated cities throughout the Middle East and Africa, they are simply hard to find. Experimental taxi apps are in the works to ease the problem, but Brazil’s Easy Taxi heading our […]
New Hybrids on the Horizon for the Middle East
Hybrid cars have had a slow start in the Middle East in comparison to other markets. One factor influencing sales is the fact that fuel costs tend to be lower than in other parts of the world, creating less demand for electric vehicles. However, a new crop of sport and luxury models could help change […]
Qoros Electric Vehicle: China and Israel Partner with USA
After losing the Better Place electric vehicle company, Israel Corporation moved forward with a different holding in the same industry. Qoros Auto Company Ltd., a 50:50 joint venture between Israel Corp and China’s Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., has agreed to purchase EV and hybrid parts from American Axle Manufacturing Inc. (AAM).
Submarine Rail Linking Morocco and Spain Gets UN Push
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is pushing to revive a thirty year old plan to build a submarine rail link between Morocco and Spain, local Moroccan press reports.
Captain Sunshine Takes Over Better Place Electric Car Company
The Better Place electric vehicle network was always an ambitious dream, and now it doesn’t have to die thanks to the man known as Captain Sunshine. The company declared bankruptcy in May, but today an Israeli court awarded the liquidation of its Israel-based assets and Swiss-based intellectual property to Yosef Abramowitz and a union of Better […]