The Shanghai Maglev represents the forefront of train travel in China. Ambitious plans are underway to extend the maglev line from Shanghai to Hangzhou city – a distance of 169 kilometres. Construction is slated to begin early next year, with a completion date of 2015.

China Daily reports that the Hangzhou extension is budgeted at 22 billion yuan (US$3.15 billion). Despite the cost, Maglev train systems are amazingly efficient. Unlike wheeled trains, they do not have to battle track friction that sends energy expenditures soaring. Travelling at 240 kilometres per hour, a Maglev expends up to only 0.062 megajoules of energy per passenger kilometre, compared to 0.53 megajoules for an ordinary train.

In low-pressure tunnels – which are being considered for at least part of the Shanghai-Hangzhou line – energy consumption per passenger can drop to the equivalent of 4,000 kilometres per litre of fuel. Maglev trains also emit no pollution as they are powered by electricity.

Fancy taking a spin in a car made from kelp? A seaweed vehicle may sound far-fetched, but you may very well be driving one within the next decade. Taking the term “green car” literally, Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp introduced their 1/X vehicle at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. This prototype emits only a fraction of the environmental footprint of today’s cleanest cars.

With a 500cc engine, a weight of just 420 kilogrammes and plug-in hybrid technology that allows it to run on a mixture of ethanol and gasoline, the 1/X will be the world’s most fuel efficient automobile when it enters production.

But the 1/X’s real surprise is the very unconventional body that its designers envision. Although the prototype concept car is made of conventional lightweight plastic, Toyota design engineer, Tetsuya Kaida wants to build the working model using plant-based eco-plastics. “I want to create a vehicle from seaweed because Japan is surrounded by the sea,” says Kaida. While cars like this are at least a decade away, bioplastics made from renewable vegetable sources (instead of petroleum) are already being used for everything from shopping bags to kitchenware.

The plant world is also providing auto researchers with new alternatives for running vehicles. Biofuels – already in widespread use in the United States and South America – are poised to transform driving in Asia as well. Malaysia is planning its first refinery for producing nipah ethanol on a large scale. Nipah mangrove palms are super-productive biofuel sources.

Some scientists believe that under optimum conditions, a hectare of nipah palms could yield 15,000 to 20,000 litres of ethanol, several times more than traditional biofuel sources such as corn or cane molasses. In Japan, Honda Motor is constructing a new research centre to explore the practical applications of bioethanol production technology, using non-edible cellulose such as the stems and leaves of plants. Thailand – one of the world’s few net exporters of food – has even established a Department of Alternative Energy Development, which plans to build a biodiesel plant in Chiang Mai.

In a still-largely agrarian country like China, biofuels can be cheaply made out of the huge amounts of agricultural and animal waste. Currently, a biogas project on the outskirts of Beijing collects waste from 60,000 pigs and converts it into methane by adding anaerobic bacteria. Taking an even more creative route, distilleries that once produced China’s famous fiery baijiu wine are now distilling rice into ethanol for use in cars, giving a whole new meaning to the term “drink driving”.

With their massive climate-changing carbon footprints, aircraft engines are prime candidates for a biofuel makeover. Aviation experts say it will be easier for planes to convert to biofuels because there are far fewer planes than land vehicles and far fewer airport fuelling stations to retro fit, with only a few hundred worldwide.

Again, Asia is in the forefront of this change. On 30 January 2009, Japan Airlines (JAL) carried out the world’s first successful test flight of a Boeing 747 run on biofuel. In a joint project with Boeing and engine maker Pratt and Whitney, JAL – Asia’s largest carrier – conducted a 90- minute demonstration flight, with one engine powered by biofuel mixed with conventional kerosene jet oil. The fuel used was a mixture of three second-generation biofuel feedstock: camelina, jatropha and algae. No modifications to the aircraft or engine were made for the switchover.

“Today is an extremely important day for Japan Airlines, for aviation, and for the environment,” said JAL president Haruka Nishimatsu. “The flight brings us ever closer to finding a greener alternative to traditional petroleum-based fuel.”

What Is Second-Generation Biofuel Feedstock?
Second-generation biofuels do not compete with natural food crops for land and water. Feedstock such as corn or sugar cane are cultivated only after vast areas have been deforested, but second-generation “energy crops” thrive in rocky, arid areas unsuitable for other crops.

Some Popular Biofuels Include:
Camelina – Also known as “gold-of-pleasure”, this oilseed requires virtually no tilling or weed control, making the biofuel produced from it much less expensive than other oil crops. It has the potential to become a valuable health-food oil too, possessing exceptionally high levels of Omega-3, Omega-6 and anti-oxidants. 

Jatropha – The super-hardy Jatropha resists drought and pests, grows in soil other crops can’t take root in, and produces seeds containing up to 40 percent oil. When the seeds are crushed and processed, the resulting oil is ready for a standard diesel engine. But Jatropha seeds are highly toxic – just three seeds would kill, if ingested. 

Algae – Algal biofuels do not affect fresh water resources, they are biodegradable and they can be produced using both seawater and wastewater. They also yield far more energy per acre than other second-generation biofuel crops. 

Switchgrass – Ethanol from switchgrass – a two- to three-metre tall grass that once dominated the steppes of central Asia and the plains of North America – was found to produce 540 percent more energy than is required to manufacture it. One hectare of such grassland can produce 2,170 litres of bioethanol.

Green technologies are also making an impact on Asia’s ocean-going vessels. In December 2008, Nippon Yusen’s cargo freighter, the Auriga Leader, left its port in Kobe, Japan, outfitted with 328 solar panels. The panels could generate 40 kilowatts of power, covering roughly 0.3 percent of the energy required to power the engines and about 7 percent of the electricity for lighting and other purposes.

This may not sound like much – until you bear in mind that the ship is 200 metres long, weighs more than 60,000 tonnes and carries 6,400 automobiles when fully loaded. For Asia’s export-dependent economies, even small energy improvements in the cargo ships that carry our cars, tools, computers, TVs and washing machines can have large payoffs in the future.

Did You Know?
Emissions from ocean-going ships contribute to approximately 60,000 deaths each year, mostly from heart and lung-related cancers. Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong all rank among world’s top 5 busiest ports, so residents in those cities experience an even higher-than-usual impact from health issues caused by freighter emissions.

Outlook for tomorrow
As the price of petrol has dropped over the last few months, so has the sense of urgency on greener transportation. But while change may seem less urgent, it’s still inevitable. With oil supplies drying up, coupled with the ever-present threat of global warming, the future is clear – there’s no stopping “green”.