Entrepreneur pushes idea of air-powered cars

NEW YORK - Most car companies are racing to bring electric vehicles to the market. But one startup is skipping the high-tech electronics, making cars whose energy source is pulled literally out of thin air.
Zero Pollution Motors is trying to bring a car to U.S. roads by early 2011 that's powered by a combination of compressed air and a small conventional engine.
ZPM Chief Executive Shiva Vencat said the ultimate goal is a price tag between $18,000 and $20,000, fuel economy equivalent to 100 miles per gallon and a tailpipe that emits nothing but air at low enough speeds.

The technology behind the "AirPod" car was developed by the French race car engineer Guy Negre, head of Motor Development International.

Renault created a Web TV intended for its customers' relationship with their car… (International)

Alike several car manufacturers such as BMW, Audi or even Peugeot, Renault has recently launched its own TV channel on the Internet. Renault’s two key concepts for this launch are “Inform and Entertain”. Accessible on Renault.tv website, this live TV channel has a French and English version; it is intended for all of the brand’s ongoing events. On the website, the manufacturer presents its products, news, reportages, activities, tryouts and motor sports. Considerable space is at women’s and men’s disposal with portraits of people who are passionate for the brand, interventions from Renault teams as well as its avid popular fans. The key aspect is the relationship people have with their car. With over half of its 2008 advertising investments focused on TV and nearly 15% on Internet, Renault’s objective is to focus on media with the highest impact: TV and Internet. “Renault TV” is a response to this strategy. It needs be pointed out that between 2007 and 2009, Renault has doubled its advertising investments on the Web.

"INNOVATION JUBILATION" 50+ new business ideas that defy doom and gloom

By now, virtually everyone has chimed in on how innovation is the only way out of the recession. So instead of adding more theory, let’s have a look at actual B2C innovations from recession-defying entrepreneurs and brands around the world.

Yes, we all agree that innovation is the only way out of the current mess that both mature and not-so-mature consumer societies find themselves in. We’re talking basically anything that will get consumers spending again, and preferably the kind of spending that involves sustainable goods, services and experiences.

There will never be a shortage of smart new ventures, brands, goods and services that deliver on consumers’ wants and needs. And if those wants and needs currently revolve around practicality, efficiency and responsibility, and less about traditional luxury, splurging and upgrading, then that’s what brands should deliver on.