How would you like to constantly patrol a 50,000 acres large estate on bicycles all year long? That is not a job that many would be applying for and surely not many would last a few months of such work. But when the Queen tells you to man up and do the job, then you might be pretty well up to the task. Queen Elizabeth apparently has told her Royal Guards to do away with the fuel-guzzling SUVs that are used for patrolling her estate and switch to bicycles whenever possible.

Now one must remember that the Queen has been kind enough to use the word ‘whenever possible’ as otherwise both the weather conditions in the UK and the length and breadth of her backyard do not really permit the job always. The Queen is reportedly very keen on going green though and just a few months back she had a giant windmill installed for power needs. When renewable energy and eco-friendly causes get a push of such ‘Royal’ proportions then it surely is good news.

Now if only someone could tell the Queen that there are Range Extended Electric Vehicles, which would suit the job better than simple bicycles and are still a very good green alternative. Maybe we should write to the Queen, or maybe she is reading this right now… Well, we did say ‘Maybe’!

Via Ecorazzi

Bicycle enthusiasts, here’s a piece of good news for you all. Come Aug20, 2008 and you can lay your hands on the Lithium Vivi RX-10S-an electric bicycle capable of recharging a Li-ion secondary battery. The bicycle will be released by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd. It uses a regenerative braking system to recharge the lithium-ion battery. This kind of braking system when applied on downward slopes boosts the cycle’s assisted travel range significantly. The figures change from 90km without using the system to 125km with the use of the regenerative braking system! Wow, it sure seems this sleek bicycle is a promising one among the plethora of eco-friendly electric vehicles.

The major change incorporated here, to utilize the regenerative braking function on Vivi RX-10S is that the motor is mounted on the front wheel now. Whereas, in the existing models, it was located on the pedal shaft. Besides this, the new bicycle also comes with an Automatic Mode. The latter selects the assistance force in four levels automatically. These levels are in accordance with the riding condition viz. “high,” “medium,” “low,” and “off”.

Now some info about the battery as well:
· It uses a Manganese -based positive electrode.
· Weighs about 2.5 kg.
· Has a rated voltage of 26 V.
· Bears a current capacity of 10Ah and a volumetric energy density of up to 400Wh/L.

So, now you can recharge not only your own battery but the bicycle’s battery aswell with this soon-to-be available model in the market. Expected price is ¥150,000 (US$1,395). The price may vary from country to country.

Via Techon