I’ve heard of creative charitable efforts yes, but this one totally rocks it. The banana-shaped car that you see in the picture above is not just a funny pseudo-car sitting at the entrance of some circus, but a real one, built from scratch out of a 1991 Ford F-150. Developed by Steve Braithwaite who moved to the US from England two decades ago, the ‘Big Banana’ car is going to be used by him and his brother Spade to tour the world and spread awareness about deep venin thrombosis, a medical condition that led to their mother’s death.

Going by the looks of that car, it isn’t surprising that the brothers have already managed to raise $1200 for the cause and hope to be able to raise a lot more. Come Spring, and don’t be surprised if you see this eye-catching Banana-shaped car zifting past you and leaves you wondering if you just saw what you saw.

Clean Energy Innovations (CEI) was recently awarded the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest Emerging Business Grand Prize for its software innovation that supposedly enhances the power performance of mobile phone batteries. Hearing this of course, the automobiles industry is not one to be left far behind, and CEI is hopeful that this software system could also be used in plug-in vehicles and could help enhance the battery life by 25 per cent. A rather ambitious goal I’d say. The company explains that the software controls the battery’s internal resistance and limits heat buildup, which allows for more efficient use of the charge.  The company infact is so confident on this, that it has announced plans of opening up a facility in southeast Michigan by the end of this year, have it operational by 2012 and start production and testing of these batteries for the automobiles industry.

If you are looking for a video that is nothing but a treat to your eyes and a tease to your cravings, click here to see what has been called a tour of the Koenigsegg factory. Not necessarily a tour, but more of a glimpse into the fabulous world of technology meeting aesthetic intelligence, the video does give you a sneak peak at the Agera and CCXR, teamed with special appearance of Christian Koenigsegg.

In an age when wakeboarding and several other watersports are coming on the forefront again, what you are about to witness is high energy coupled with nature-driven power. Yes, the performer still needs more practice before he gets to the full functioning of that water-powered jet-pack called the Jetlev R200. That’s Bradley Hasemeyer from Translogic using the craft to ripple the waves. He is now in Miami, Florida enjoying the jet pack.  After strapping himself onto that dynamic watersport-machine that costs nearly $100,000, the man takes off on a bumpy, clumsy, but radically exciting sway through the water.

BYD seems skeptical about its future here in the US, well at least the short term future. Backed by billionaire Warren Buffet, BYD had it all going for itself. However, thanks to the rapidly depleting goverment incentives to automobile owners, dwindling performance of the automobiles sector as a whole, and increased management and financial expenses. A net profit drop of 84.4 per cent year on year is quite a big blow.BYD reported its 2011 Q1 net profit of 266.74 million yuan ($41.2 million U.S. at the current exchange rate), compared to 1.70 billion yuan ($263 million U.S.) for the first quarter of 2010.

Operating revenues have declined too as a result of plummeting sales and other factors. Let’s hope things begin to look up for BYD at some point. If Warren Buffet backed it up, I am sure it holds some promise.