2006 Volvo S40 Antenna 39774 on 2040-parts.com

BMW Hydrogen 7-series

By Ben Whitworth Motoring Issues 04 June 2007 07:01 BMW is upping its green credentials with the delivery of a fleet of hydrogen-powered 7-series that will go on chauffeur duty throughout the UK this summer. The eight production-ready Hydrogen 7 luxo-barges are produced on the same production line as the standard 7-series in Munich and meet all current safety and crash regulations. They form part of a 100-strong fleet of liquid hydrogen–powered 7-series models that spearhead BMW’s CleanEnergy programme, and in the UK will be used at high-profile events around the country to underline their environmental profile.

Mercedes E 63 AMG S: UK price from £83,740

The E63 AMG S is the extreme version of what is already an extreme car in the E63, with a power boost that takes it from 549bhp to 577bhp – and throws in an extra 60lb/ft of torque for good measure too – and promises real extreme performance. The problem is, getting that power down to the road. In left hand drive markets that’s solved by simply offering the Mercedes 4WD option – 4MATIC – which does a much better job of transferring power to the road than the regular RWD layout.

Algae-powered street lights eat CO2

Algae powered street lighting (great Photoshop) A French biochemist – Pierre Calleja – has developed a street lighting system using micro algae that absorbs CO2. The need to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere is contentious - to say the least – but as long as governments use CO2 as a stick to beat motorists and empty their bank accounts it’s sensible to look at ways of ‘balancing’ the CO2 emissions of cars. French biochemist Pierre Calleja thinks he’s come up with a solution that would neutralise CO2 emissions from cars by cancelling it out with his micro-algae lighting.