NZ may be a small country, but in the wider world, what we do, use and consume affects lives everywhere. So I'm on a mission to see how we're treating our backyards both here and further afield. What are we doing to be cleaner and greener? What do we need to change? And what does the future hold? So join me, Te Radar, as I go global. Don't worry ` I'll plant plenty of trees to offset the travel. Now, where's my passport? Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Too many people treat our planet as if there's another one just down the road. Obviously, there isn't. This is the only one we have, so we'd better make sure we're treating it right, because if we aren't, we'll all be in the fast lane to a pretty murky future. As that wise old ginger sage, the Lorax, once said, 'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.' So in this series I'm on the trail of people who do care a whole awful lot, to see what they're doing to make our world a little better. That'll involve a fair bit of travel, so it seems a good idea to look first at the future of transport. But in order to see where we're going, we need to know where we've been. In the beginning, there was wriggling. Then we grew legs and discovered walking. About 10,000 years ago, we invented the wheel. But it wasn't until 240 years ago, when the wheel was attached to a newfangled invention called the engine, that things really began to roll. Suddenly more people could get more places with a great deal more ease and speed. In 50 years there'll be about nine billion of us, so what on earth will get us from A to B then? Personally, I'm still hoping it's the jet pack. CAT YOWLS The only problem with a jet pack is that it still requires fuel, but what about an aircraft that's solar-powered? Simon, the bright spark behind my trusty solar-torch hat, is working on a prototype. (KNOCKS) Radar. Lovely to meet you finally. I know ` all of these years travelling around, wearing your hat on my head. Come on in. This is it. Come on in. This is it. Here is one. I have to see the beauty. This is the 2C Silver Eye. It's your silver eye in the sky ` solar-powered, of course. The smallest commercially viable solar-powered plane is what we're building here. It'll be able to fly continuously, loiter over a football game or go and investigate radiation leakage at Fukushima, send back weather reports. You could have a whole network of these flying above a city, like a Wi-Fi scenario ` all of those functions that you rely on a hundred million-dollar satellite... This thing would quietly fly up to its altitude, go into its allotted space and set up a network with the others. This is a flexible panel, same as in your hat, which would be a nice way to build an aeroplane, but it needed a wing twice this size to get the same amount of power. These ones here... Have a feel. Try and bend it. Try and bend it. Oh. Try and bend it. Oh. Yeah. Insanely fragile. BOTH CHUCKLE We're building a wing that has to be able to flex without smashing the panels. Where'd you get your love of solar? Where'd you get your love of solar? It's about as green as you can get. A ton of sand turned into solar panels generates as much power as 500,000 tons of coal. Crikey. That's a pretty good statistic. So it's` Uh, it's definitely a clean energy solution for the world, really, isn't it? So, that's our total weight, including the payload ` 16.36g. Everything is weighed, even the wire we use to connect the solar panels. It's a balancing act of a number of variables. So, there's our thrust meter. We have a battery which simulates the same power that we're getting from the solar panels. Here we go. HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING This engine's been set up for some very careful calculations to provide the amount of thrust that we need off those solar panels. So we're looking at, uh, 610g there ` just enough to make this plane fly. Well, that's an enormous amount of power from a very small energy input. Well, it's a very very efficient engine. Oh, hi, Chris. Hiya, bro. Chris ` my brother. He's a pilot. Chris ` my brother. He's a pilot. Pleased to meet you, Radar. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. He builds his own planes. Nice to meet you. He builds his own planes. Slightly bigger than these ones. Slightly bigger ` not a lot bigger, but... (CHUCKLES) big enough to carry you in. Others tried the thrill of building and flying their own machines. This monoplane was flown in the Wairarapa by Theo White. I got about 10ft off, and I sailed along for about 50 yards or so, like that. I was scared before I got in, but once you get into the machine, you haven't time to think being frightened. (CHUCKLES) Man could fly. A recent eco-friendly flight around the world used less than a litre of fuel every 13km ` that's about the same as a hatchback. What kind of fantastical flying machine was it? It was a microlight. So, this is classified as a microlight. So, this is classified as a microlight. Yes, it is. I think of it as a deck chair under a lawnmower motor with a hand-glider wing. Sure. Sure. That's a little bit more sophisticated. That's a little bit more sophisticated. Yeah, my father put this together ` purchased the kit set ` so, it comes in a big box of a lot of aluminium parts, and, uh` And hopefully really good instructions. And hopefully really good instructions. Yes. Shall we, um...? Is there a technical term? Shall we, um...? Is there a technical term? Commit aviation. Let's commit aviation. Let's commit aviation. OK, let's do it. I've put a lot of things together with my dad, but I'm not sure... Sorry, Dad... (CHUCKLES) You know, a plane. (CHUCKLES) Microlights have a nylon fabric skin over a metal frame. Car makers are looking at the skin idea too. BMW are developing a prototype car that has a seamless skin stretched over a moveable metal frame, allowing the car to change shape at the driver's whim. Who knows whether that will take off? MUFFLED: There we have it. MUFFLED: There we have it. Aviation. We've done that thing that eluded man for centuries. We've done that thing that eluded man for centuries. CHUCKLES: Yeah. Would you like to do a wee bit of a whizzy turn? I'll just make sure there's nothing behind us. OK. OK. I don't mind a bit of manoeuvring. PENSIVE MUSIC My, so it's quite nimble, isn't it? My, so it's quite nimble, isn't it? Yeah. Would you like a go? Sure. Sure. OK, you got her, Radar. OK. OK. That's beautiful. And then we'll level away a little bit to the left. There you go. We'll make a pilot out of you. Aircraft engineers are looking to nature for ways to reduce the environmental cost of travel. It turns out that flying in formation and gliding in to land might not just be for the birds. That was marvellous. Oh, I'm dangerously hooked. Gonna have to go and have a bit of a sit-down and convince myself that I don't need to purchase one of these. Time to head off to the New World ` the USA. Rest assured I'll be offsetting my jet-setting by planting trees. 58 years after the Wright brothers' first successful flight, humans propelled themselves into space. Currently, NASA's office of aerospace technology are not only looking at space ` they're figuring out how to figure out how to move people around this planet 50% faster. Meanwhile, I'm only allowed on the old shuttle simulator, which, it seems, is not quite as responsive as a microlight. It's one small step for me, but a giant leap for my new aeronautical abilities. LOUD CLANGING LETHARGIC WESTERN MUSIC So, what's your name, horse? Oh, really? No name, eh? Guess that means I'm... riding through the desert on a horse with no name. There is another form of transport that dare not speak its name. The same year that the USA created NASA and launched their first successful satellite, there were plans for a car that could do 8000 K's before needing a top-up, powered by nuclear energy. Yes, in 1958, Ford toyed with the Nucleon. It had its own nuclear reactor. The reaction to it? It never got off the drawing board. Goodness only knows what Ernest Rutherford would have made of it. This is the largest atomic cannon ever built. It has the capability of lobbing an atomic shell about 19 miles, which, in many ways, doesn't seem far enough. I don't reckon this comes standard. Millions of dollars worth of rocket technology ` $2.80 worth of hose clamps. Amazing to think something that size could've potentially changed life as we know it. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Nuclear power undoubtedly has its dark side, but some environmental experts argue that future developments in nuclear technology could produce oil-free, emission-free hydrogen fuel for cars. In the drive to promote nuclear clean-air technology, they've even gone so far as to sponsor a race car to spread the word. I don't think they could have made this better ` it would have been, if this car was powered by nuclear fisson, but that's ridiculously dangerous. It doesn't get any more American than promoting clean nuclear technology via the medium of a race car. UPBEAT MUSIC Future transport options are the stuff movies are made of. Take the flux capacitor from the classic movie Back to the Future. It was powered by fiction rather than fusion, but the fabled DeLorean itself is getting a green makeover. Hi, Cameron. Hello. Hello. So here we are ` the heart of the, uh, DeLorean motor car company. This is the workshop where it all happens. Cameron's dad, Stephen, saved the DeLorean by snapping up the parts left when production was scrapped. With enough bits to build 500 cars in a new production line, he's now preparing to make both petrol and electric versions. The famous time machine is now a machine of its time. What would a new one set me back? What would a new one set me back? The gas-powered is 65,000, and the 100% electric is 95,000. How would that compare to, say, a Prius? A Prius isn't 100% electric, and you'll look cooler driving a DeLorean than a Prius. The price isn't an issue. Nope. Nope. It's a fashion statement. Nope. It's a fashion statement. It is. Why an electric version? We're a cool car company, and going green is the next big thing, so, you know, an electric car's a natural progression for us. A DeLorean is very easy to make electric. There's room in the back for batteries, and room in the front and in the frame for batteries also. They're a fairly light car. They weigh about 3200 pounds, so, you know, it's just easy. Initially they were run on rubbish, in Back to the Future, and now we're doing that, you know. We're` We're creating, uh, you know, biodiesels and things from` from essentially garbage. So, in a way, the car predated what we're doing now. You could run the car on sun energy. If you've solar panels, you could charge your car at home. Completely sustainable. Completely sustainable. You drive one as a personal vehicle? Completely sustainable. You drive one as a personal vehicle? I do, everyday. My daily car. Is it, really? I've been driving one since I was 16. Right. You would've been a pretty cool 16-year-old. Right. You would've been a pretty cool 16-year-old. You'd think so. If you weren't driving a DeLorean, what would you drive? Another electric car. Electric cars are just so much fun. They're so cool, so much faster, and I hate going to gas stations. How do they take that in Texas? It's all about oil. How do they take that in Texas? It's all about oil. No, you'd be surprised. In Houston they're electric-car friendly. We have charging stations all throughout the city. It's the future. I didn't mean that as a Back to the Future reference, I just` it is actually the future. BOOM! The other thing about cars of the future is that they always seem to be able to talk. The new electric LEAF is quite chatty, prattling on at length about just how many trees it's saved. AUTOMATED VOICE: 5,950,000 eco-trees have been accumulated. To be honest, as informative as that is, I do find that voice very creepy. While this car doesn't have the sexiness of the DeLorean, I do feel this may well be the way of the future. Oh, here's Carly. Hello. Here I am in my future car. Carly's helping to make electric eVgo stations as common as petrol ones. Hi, Carly. Hello. Welcome. Hello. Welcome. Thank you. I think I'm just about out of charge. No chance of electrocuting myself? No chance of electrocuting myself? Not at all. These are very safe. Step one ` remove from charger. Step one ` remove from charger. Grab the handle here. Pull it out. There you go. Ooh, that's weighty. Ooh, that's weighty. < It's there. Ooh, that's weighty. < It's there. Yeah, there's a weight to that. Slide it into the charging port. Just line it up and give it a little push. There you go. I'm charging. I guess when it comes to an electric car, a lot of people think, 'Oh, I'm gonna end up halfway down the road, I won't have an extension cord long enough.' Your gas station of the future'll be your garage. You charge overnight, six to eight hours ` you've a full battery when you leave. The average driver drives 31 miles a day. You wouldn't need the full range of this battery, but if you did, we provide these DC chargers, which is a fast charge, and it can give you 50 miles in 15 minutes. You could drive all the way there, 49 miles, plug in,... ...shop. > ...shop. > ...shop, watch a movie, do whatever you need to do, come back out, home. Yep. Yep. What about going on a big road trip? It's changing how you think about the electric vehicle. Most people will say, 'I need my 300 miles of range', but for a trip once a year to go to Chicago to see your family, you can rent a car to do that and save the cost of driving all year round just for that one trip. RELAXED MUSIC I'm waiting for Brent, who has promised to give me a lift into the future. You see, after that gallivanting around, it turns out that one of the most futuristic forms of transport is right here, just outside Rangiora. Brent helped design and build a totally solar-powered vehicle for one ` so I guess I'll just walk. I've made it to your centre of excellence and innovation,... Thank you. Thank you. ...otherwise known as your shed. Why solar? Friends of mine suggested it'd be good to build a solar-powered car and race it in Australia. There's something about driving across a continent running on sunshine that makes you think, 'This technology's not a gimmick. It really does stuff. 'You can travel across the country. You can run your house. 'Why can't we use this kind of energy instead of burning fuel?' This little car's about to be solar-powered as well. Right. Right. It'll have solar panels on the bonnet and on the roof. You'll be able to drive to Christchurch and back and go shopping and drop the kids off. The great thing is, when you're parking, it's charging itself. If you're stuck in traffic, while all the other cars are idling, using fuel, this one's refilling the tank. That is gonna be fantastic. In the supermarket car park, you're refilling a tank while it's sitting there. So we've taken out the` the old fossil-burner here. This has got about 100 moving parts, and we're putting in this three-phase AC induction motor ` simple, compared to an internal-combustion motor ` one moving part. It'll never need an oil change. It'll never need a cambelt changed or spark plugs changed. It'll just keep going. Will you`? Will you pull off every superfluous part, you know, to`? Will you`? Will you pull off every superfluous part, you know, to`? Within reason. We're not like that last scene in Goodbye, Pork Pie where` We're not like that last scene in Goodbye, Pork Pie where` (LAUGHS) ...they've stripped it down of everything, doors and windows? ...they've stripped it down of everything, doors and windows? Not quite, no. We've pulled 165kg of crap out of there so far. The whole electrical system, with the motor, the controller and the batteries should weigh less than the original motor and the fuel tank and exhaust system and radiator. You always forget about that. You don't need an exhaust system or a radiator. No. No. Do you think you'll get people, once you've got this figured out, saying, 'Hey, can you convert my car as well?' I'd like to think doing this might spark more people to become interested in this sort of thing. I think that we're going to see an electric revolution with transport over the next decade. Is this a` I actually feel a little bit like an astronaut. Got my little speaker thing. Right. And pull the lever down. And pull the lever down. Great. Thank you. I'm about to drive into the future... in my pod. Wow. This is the most futuristic I've ever felt. OK, well, um, look after it. Bring it back in one piece. Good luck. Thank you. SOFT WHIRRING SOFT WHIRRING Hadn't expected that noise. UPBEAT SYNTH MUSIC Right. If this is the way of the future, then I am very much looking forward to it, and the best thing about it is, in the future, they even have a horn. and the best thing about it is, in the future, they even have a horn. BEEP! BEEP! Solar-powered cars and planes make for a pretty cool sci-fi future, but we already have eco-friendly ways of getting from go to woe that we've consigned to the scrap heap. I've saved mine from that fate, and Joscar at the Second Hand Bike Shop is happy to heal my Healing. Good morning, Joscar. Good morning, Joscar. Hello, Radar. How you doing? Good morning, Joscar. Hello, Radar. How you doing? Very good, thank you. That's a really lovely bike. What a classic. Maybe if she got a new paint job you'd end up with a really nice machine. Perhaps I'll park it and I'll` I'll have a look around. Perhaps I'll park it and I'll` I'll have a look around. < Yeah, please do. It seems hard to imagine now that NZ had a reasonably vibrant bicycle-building industry. It is, isn't it? These days, 99% of the bikes we get are made in Taiwan, and actually they make some great bikes in Taiwan, but Master Cycle Traders was backed by the government, more or less, and they made all their bikes out of Glenbrook steel, which was from the West Coast iron sand. FURNACE ROARS These bicycle frames being welded together at Morrison's Bicycle Factory are made in NZ, but assembly lines like this can't keep up with the orders from shops. The bicycle makers say the biggest increase in demand for bikes is coming now from grown-ups. Strikes in Britain have stopped some parts from getting here, so there'll be long delays in getting bikes built here in NZ. Do you despair sometimes when you think how many bikes like this have just been thrown into the scrap? They're in landfills or they've been, you know, sent away and melted down. Yeah. I've been a, uh, inorganic rubbish scourer looking for old bikes, and my heart breaks every time I see a scrap metal truck going past with an old Healing piled on top. When we think of transport in the future, people are often thinking of fancy electric cars, or... I quite like the thought of a jet pack. But, really, we could well all be going back to something as simple as the bicycle. Yeah. There's no doubt about it ` you can't beat it for efficiency, simplicity and affordability. UPBEAT GUITAR TUNE Most people bring their bikes in to make them whole again. Cheers, Joscar. Cheers. Thank you. Cheers. Thank you. Take care. Cheers. Thank you. Take care. You too. Mine's come apart so that Rob can work his magic. He's a former panel beater who reckons he can transform my old iron steed into a thing of beauty. He's going to make my bike appear as if it's been hewn from nature. Morning, Rob. Morning, Rob. Good morning. Morning, Rob. Good morning. How are you? There we go. Look, I'd shake your hand, but I've got a` a bicycle tyre in it. Here is, as promised, the, uh, frame. I think we can do something with that. I think we can do something with that. Great. How many years have you been wood graining? Well, I started when I would have been about 17. So a few. (CHUCKLES) So a few. (CHUCKLES) So it's just a couple (!) (CHUCKLES) So a few. (CHUCKLES) So it's just a couple (!) (CHUCKLES) How did the bicycles start? Bikes are becoming a` a big thing now, and people are getting more... In the early days, you'd ride your bike down the road and drop it on the ground and walk away. They don't do that now. They put it on a stand, look after it. Generally put a lock around it as well, if they live in the... same neighbourhood as I do. (CHUCKLES) SPRAYER HISSES What was your first bike? I inherited my brother's old bike, which was ridden by Des Herrick, and he won the Seddon Memorial Technical College sprint-race honour. Right. Piece of history. Wonder where it is now. I wouldn't have a clue. I wouldn't have a clue. Melted down by some scrap-metal dealer. You never thought, in the early days` didn't even bother. A bike was a bike and you rode it till it fell apart and disposed of it. This is a` a trade secret. I hope it stays that way. (CHUCKLES) I feel as if I'm being shown the ways of, like, a wizard master of wood-graining, cos this is something that a lot of people want to know how to do, but you won't tell them. Right. Right. BOTH LAUGH Right. BOTH LAUGH And I've been sworn to secrecy. SPRAYER HISSES What's nice about it in this day and age of mass production, that here is something that's still a secret technique, like paint alchemy. People can't figure it out. I'm gonna be travelling around the world now. People will go, 'How'd he do it?' Like, 'I can't tell ya.' LAUGHTER LAUGHTER 'I'm not allowed to say.' There we go. Look at that. That is absolutely beyond my wildest dreams. You're like the` the Michelangelo of bike painting. If you didn't know any better, you would be absolutely convinced that this bike was made out of timber. You don't get borer with it either. You don't get borer with it either. (LAUGHS) No, that's exactly right. Wow. With a paint job like this, I will be throwing myself under the bike, should I be in any form of accident, which I shouldn't be, hopefully, as I ride gently along the footpath. BELL CHIMES Chuffed with how my bike's turned out, and I kind of think, if all bikes looked this good, people would be more willing to give up their cars. Although, to be fair, I'm not that optimistic. So if you are gonna stay with your car, there's one simple thing you can do for the environment ` get your car serviced. More oil leaks out of cars on to driveways and roadways ` and thus into waterways ` every year than was ever spilt in the Exxon Valdez crisis. No chance with my bike ` bit of oil for the chain, some cream for the chafing. BELL CHIMES (GRUNTS) Ooh, yeah, that's it. Ooh, feel the burn. Captions by Lauren Strain. Edited by Anne Langford. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Join me next week on my environmental road trip as I look at fuels of the future, including alligators in Louisiana, algae in Palmerston North and alcohol brewed from waste fruit and sunshine in a shed up north. That sounds like the perfect cocktail. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.