The Coolest Car I Have Seen to Date

If Nissan has its way, your next car's cockpit will look like an star fighter out of Macross or Tron.

This is the Nissan Land Glider, an electric car with two seats. it has a narrow body, which Nissan says will help reduce traffic congestion by allowing more cars in the same city space, as well as making parking easier. It has a balancing system to make it stable as it takes curves, compensating for inertia with the car's body movement.

The winner, however, is that stunning cockpit equipped with flat color screens and joysticks with touch surfaces.

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This plug-in vehicle shoots for the moon

AutoblogGreen - With no time on its hands for promotional appearances at glitzy European autoshows, one of America's most advanced electric vehicles has been busy being put through its paces on the torturous terrain found at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona. The Lunar Electric Rover (LER) has spent the last couple weeks wandering about this wasteland simulating a search for lost crew members in a trial that's putting the modern plug-in electric car architecture to the test.

Unlike the dune buggy-like moon rovers of yore, the Ford Ranger-sized LER depends on lithium ion batteries and is currently using a chemistry that packs 125 wh/kg of energy, though NASA, not unlike today's would-be electric car buyer, hopes to have at least a 60 percent improvement in that number before it leaves the launch pad. The pack will not only need to hold lots of juice but be engineered to perform without being affected by the exterior temperature which can swing from -153 C all the way up to 107 C. Unlike any electric earth-based vehicles (so far), the LEV has an exercise bike built in that can be used to give the batteries a boost in case of emergency or just to alleviate perceived range anxiety. Also, like many of the new breed of electric cars, the moon rover features an advanced navigation software. The improved smarts helped the rover track down the missing crew in less than an hour without any help from its heuristically programmed algorithmic computer. Hit the jump for a NASA Desert Rats video discussing the machine and its mission.

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Foldable, Carbon Fiber Bike Is Sleek, Useful High Wheeler

Gizmodo - This weird thing is a 1.2kW electric motor powered, carbon fiber foldable bike called the YikeBike. It's real, unfolds in 15 seconds, and aims to solve the eternal problem of urban mobility, and probably become Woz's favorite new toy.

Folded, the YikeBike only takes 6 x 23.6 x 23.6 inches (150 x 600 x 600 millimeters) and weighs 22 pounds (10 kilograms), so it can be easily carried around. And while its pneumatic wheels may follow an old high wheeler configuration, according to the manufacturer, this thing is designed to be easy to maneuver, and it's equipped with electronic brakes with built-in anti-skid system.

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100-MPG Delivery Van Is a Bright Idea

WIRED.com - A startup led by a veteran of General Motors EV1 program plans to put thousands of plug-in hybrid delivery vans on the road by 2012 and says "America needs" the 100-mpg vehicles.

Bright Automotive gave lawmakers a glimpse Tuesday of an eco-conscious truck called the "Idea" that promises low operating costs for fleet operators and less pollution for the rest of us.

The Indiana company joins a growing number of automakers and startups promising to give us cars with cords in the next few years, but it's targeting the fleet market. It's a smart move, said Darryl Siry, a clean tech analyst with Peppercom, because there's a need for fuel-efficient fleet vehicles.

The Bright Idea (a name too clever by half!) is aimed squarely at fleet customers -- the local cable company, the post office, that sort of thing. It's got lots of room -- 180 cubic feet, to be exact -- and a 2,000-pound payload. With a 50-mile, all-electric range, the Idea sounds like a great urban delivery rig.

It has a mixed hybrid drivetrain under the hood. A gasoline engine delivers the front wheels when needed (when the battery gets low) and helps recharge the battery pack as it approaches depletion. An electric motor drives the rear wheels. Bright is still shopping for an engine supplier, but the rest of the drivetrain will use Bosch and Getrag components.

The vehicle uses composite body panels and a lot of aluminum to keep the weight down and increase efficiency and range.

The company is looking to the Department of Energy for a $450 million loan to start production, and according to Dow Jones Newswire is in "very positive discussions" with the feds.

"Americans are demanding that we save money on energy and that we create jobs," Waters said. The company would use the money to build a factory capable of producing 50,000 vehicles annually.

While it might seem odd to focus on the fleet market, Waters says it makes sense. Fleet operators are more likely to be a "rapid adopter" of new technology. That makes it easier to "make a dent" in our oil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions by bringing cleaner vehicles to the fleet vehicles that spend hours a day in stop-and-go traffic. Company chairman Reuben Munger says the firm is talking to PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division and Duke Energy about adding the Idea to their fleets.

GM, Segway To Unveil New Two-Wheeled Urban Vehicle

Jalopnik.com - GM and Segway will announce today they're working together to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle part of the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility or PUMA project.

The companies plan to announce Tuesday that they are working together to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle designed to be a fast, safe, inexpensive and clean alternative to traditional cars and trucks for cities across the world.

The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or PUMA mobility pod, also would involve a vast communications network that would allow vehicles to interact with each other, regulate the flow of traffic and prevent crashes from happening.

The 300-pound prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and uses Segway's characteristic two-wheel balancing technology, along with dual electric motors. It's designed to reach speeds of up to 35 miles-per-hour and can run 35 miles on a single charge.


The companies did not release a projected cost for the vehicle, but said ideally its total operating cost — including purchase price, insurance, maintenance and fuel — would total between one-fourth and one-third of that of the average traditional vehicle.

Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research and development, and strategic planning, said the project is part of Detroit-based GM's effort to remake itself as a purveyor of fuel-efficient vehicles. If Hummer took GM to the large-vehicle extreme, Burns said, the PUMA takes GM to the other.

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Bring On The Affordable Green Sports Cars

WIRED - The hybrid revolution is well under way. Honda is rolling out the new Insight, the third-gen Prius is coming and even Ford's got a winner with the Fusion Hybrid. Nice cars one and all, but about as much fun as a root canal. Not one of them is something you'd back out of the garage on a Sunday morning to take for a quick blast up your favorite twisty road.

But don't worry. Affordable eco-conscious sports cars are coming, and soon.

We were impressed by the Prius, we love the Insight and we're thrilled to see Toyota rising to Honda's low-cost challenge with a Yaris-based hybrid. We're also eager to get behind the wheel of a Fusion hybrid. Cars like these are smart answers to thorny questions about fuel efficiency, oil dependence and CO2 emissions.

But they don't get the blood racing.

If automakers make green cars people want to drive as opposed to cars they think people should drive, everyone wins and the technology catches on that much faster. Tesla Motors gets it, but the Roadster runs 100 large. The Fisker Karma and electric Porsche that Ruf is working on won't be much cheaper. Make a green(er) car that's fun to drive, pleasant to look at and affordable and people will line up for them.

The auto industry is beginning to get this, and there are at least three cars - the Honda CR-Z hybrid, the Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster and the Toyota MR2 hybrid - poised to prove sports cars can be environmentally responsible and reasonably priced.

Of the three, only the CR-Z (main photo, above) is a sure-thing. Honda says we'll see the gas-electric two-seater - which beautifully updates the awesome CRX - in 2011. Word is it'll have a 140-horsepower motor mated to the IMA system found in the Insight and - importantly - a manual transmission. With a curb weight in the vicinity of 2,800 pounds coupled with a torquey electric motor and one of Honda's high-revving fours, how could it not be fun?

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Solar Carport Gives Plug-Ins a Charge

One of the great criticisms of electric vehicles is the power they rely on often comes from fossil fuels, leading critics to question how "green" they are. A British firm has a solution for that — a carport topped with photovoltaic cells that can charge an EV.

Specialty glass and plastic manufacturer Romag says the PowerPark is just the thing for parking lots where electric vehicles may one day compete for spots to plug in. The first PowerPark was installed at the company's headquarters, and Romag says additional installations are planned around the United Kingdom.

"Interest has been received from supermarket chains, schools, airports, train stations, hospitals [and] commercial office buildings in the U.K., Middle East and Far East," Kevin Webster, the company's technical director, told Wired.com. "The U.S. would be an excellent market for the canopy."

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Oyster Wave Energy Converter puts climate change to good use

Queen's University Belfast and marine energy company Aquamarine Power Limited have agreed to take part in a new five-year research partnership that will develop a next generation hydro-electric wave power converter.

Already the partnership has created the Oyster wave power device (see image of Aquamarie staff visiting the full-scale prototype, above), designed to capture the energy found in amplified surge forces in nearshore waves.

The first prototype of Oyster, a hydro-electric wave power converter, is to be launched at sea for the first time this summer at the European Marine Energy Centre off the coast of Orkney.

The Oyster system consists of a simple steel oscillating wave surge converter, or pump, fitted with double acting water pistons, deployed near-shore in depths around 10-12m. Each passing wave activates the pump, which delivers high pressure water via a sub-sea pipeline to the shore.

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Solar energy 'power towers' to light up California

CNET.com - Utility Southern California Edison on Wednesday announced a giant solar energy contract with BrightSource Energy, which could eventually result in powering 845,000 homes with the sun's energy.

Through a series of seven projects, SCE intends to purchase up to 1,300 megawatts of electricity from BrightSource Energy's solar towers that use heat to produce electricity.

Although the companies didn't provide a price tag for the deal, it's one of the biggest solar energy contracts to date in the U.S. and a validation of solar tower technology. The project still needs to be approved by regulators and financed. (continue here)

More power from bumps in the road... MIT students develop energy-harvesting shock absorbers

A team of undergraduate students at MIT have developed a shock absorber that actually generates electricity from bumps in the road. This results in up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency.

Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride than conventional shocks while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.

"GenShock" technology is ideal for heavier vehicles, as added weight equates to better performance. Naturally, the military and the trucking industry has expressed a lot of interest in the idea, but those involved with the project have even bigger plans. They "want this technology on every heavy-truck, military vehicle and consumer hybrid on the road"—and by the looks of things, they just might get their wish.

Source: MIT via Gizmodo

U.S. Energy Department's Chu prepares to spend

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Chu said that the goal is to spend about half of the roughly $37 billion set aside for clean-energy projects in the coming year.

A number of clean-tech companies are seeking loans from the DOE in order to build manufacturing facilities, which are difficult to get financed as banks have become more conservative or unwilling to lend. Well known clean-tech companies, including Tesla Motors and battery company A123 Systems, have applied for existing loans but haven't received money.

Chu said that less technology-oriented Department of Energy projects could be quickly dispensed through states, including roughly $6 billion set aside to weatherize homes and municipal buildings to be more energy efficient.

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Solar Tree: A stunning new green concept to replace solar rooftops!

Solar Tree is one such green option for a future filled with solar goodness that is being brought to you for the first time exclusively by Ecofriend. Designed to replace the traditional solar roof, it makes solar energy a lot more profitable and sustainable for use!

Designed by Gurdeep Sandhu who has sent in this fine gadget, the Solar Tree is something that is far more flexible and for more efficient that the traditional solar roof. With its adjustable and movable solar ‘wings’ the entire structure will always give you maximum solar energy. It is almost like solar panels that manoeuvre like a birds wings and adjust to the angle and intensity of the sun to produce maximum solar energy. It is also easily accessible for repairs and also reduces the damages as it can just fold up at night.

Sources: Ecofriend / Gizmodo

Solar Hybrids Vehicles

Solar pioneer Greg Johanson set a world record for the fastest speed in a sun-powered car way back in 1986. That car, Sunrunner, has since been retired and its solar array relegated to some California rooftop, but Johanson is still building cars fueled by the sun. Now you can too.

Johanson and the guys at Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and they've developed a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that he says provides up to 20 miles of range and boosts fuel economy up to 29 percent. The company is testing its first solar energy system exclusively for hybrids in four "PV Prius" prototypes and a "PV Highlander."

"Designing solar modules to be hooked up to cars has always been one of Greg Johanson's pet projects," company spokesman Billy Bautista tells us. "He has now finally developed that idea, and SEV hopes to be making sales deliveries by early next year."

SEV is working with Kyocera to develop the solar modules, which are fabricated from fiberglass and sold as kits you install with help from an instructional DVD. A DC-DC converter connects the module directly to the nickel-metal hydride battery in your Prius.

The system can generate as many as 1,300 watt-hours a day, enough to give your solar Prius a solar-power range of 5 to 8 miles, according to the company's white paper. Couple that with the NiMH battery and you're looking at an all-electric range of up to 20 miles, the company says. That's enough to boost fuel economy 17 to 29 percent.

SEV knows the kit's $3,500 asking price is a decent chunk of change — particularly when gas is somewhere around a buck-sixty a gallon — but it hopes to continue refining the technology with an eye toward making it more affordable. As it stands, SEV realizes the kit will probably appeal only to hard-core greenies. "Production costs were raised due to the recent economic downturn," said Bautista. "So right now, we're focusing on catering to the environmentally friendly."

And the PV Prius is nothing if not environmentally friendly. The solar conversion extends battery life and cuts CO2 emissions by at least 9,000 pounds over the life of the car, the company says.

SEV is working with Ford to develop solar modules for its hybrids and hopes to strike a deal with General Motors to design one for the Chevrolet Volt. It also is trying to get the government to offer tax incentives so customers can break even on the cost after two or three years.

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Nobel-Winning Physicist Rumored to Be Obama's Pick for Energy Secretary

cnet news - Everybody and their mother-in-law is reporting that Steven Chu, director of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will be nominated as the Obama administration's Energy Secretary.

The Obama Transition Press Office had no official comment, but this looks to be a done deal. Among other news organs, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Obama will name Chu at a press conference on Thursday in Chicago. Barring a snag, Chu's appointment would mark the arrival of the first Nobel Laureate in the cabinet.

Chu, the Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since August 2004, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. Previously, he headed up the Quantum Electronic Department at Bell Laboratories.

He has often used his bully pulpit to talk about the need to develop alternative sources that will help reduce the earth's carbon footprint. As part of any prospective solution, he has spoken favorably about the potential of nuclear power.

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Honda Insight Hybrid 2010 Revelado: A ser el Híbrido más barato del mundo, US$18,500.00 (Prius Killer)

Honda nos entrega una noticia bien caliente, se trata del Prius-killer llamado Honda Insight 2010. Aunque ciertamente no creativo, la intención detrás de este vehículo sí lo es. A un precio estimado de US$18,500 dólares, el nuevo Honda Insight se espera que compita a un mucho menor precio que cualquier otro híbrido en el mercado. Aunque es solo una versión "concepto", se ha dicho que debemos esperar la versión final la cual mostraría ser 90% igual que la foto mostrada aquí en Blog-RD. Vamos a comprobar todo esto con seguridad cuando sea demostrado oficialmente en el "Paris Motor Show" en Octubre, y con los arreglos finales de producción debutando en el "Detroit Auto Show" en Enero. La primera impresión es que el Insight se ve sorprendentemente parecido al especulado concepto, pero actualmente mejorado con algunos retoques como aros más grandes y llamativos, pantallas más finas y bajas y muchos detalles en cromo, lo cual se sospecha que pase todo igual a producción. El carro es impulsado primariamente por un motor de gasolina, con un motor eléctrico híbrido estándar para las tareas de arranque y aceleración. Honda además promociona una función de "soporte de manejo" el cual ayudaría a los conductores a lograr un millaje mayor.

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Llega la Energy Ball: energía eólica para tu casa

Estamos más acostumbrados al clásico molino de viento de tres aspas, pero como pudimos comprobar, vibra en exceso y puede resultar peligroso para el hogar. Para solventar estos problemas llega Energy Ball, una esfera que captura el viento de forma más eficiente (eso es lo que dicen por lo menos).

Se encuentra en fase de prototipo y ha sido diseñado por la empresa sueca Home Energy, que asegura que esta pequeña bola puede producir el 15% de la electricidad consumida en el hogar.

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Más noticias relacionadas en Blog-RD:
-Turbina eólica de próxima-generación: AeroCam
-Turbinas modular permiten a edificios generar su propia energia

MDI matricula el primer AirCar

Llevamos oyendo hablar del AirCar desde hace tiempo (bueno, desde 1996), pero parece que por fin la cosa se mueve. El primer automóvil con motor de aire fabricado por MDI ya ha sido matriculado, lo que implica que podría llegar al mercado el año que viene, tal y como se ha propuesto el fabricante luxemburgués. Teóricamente el AirCar sería capaz de recorrer 80 km con una sola "recarga", aunque podría ampliar su autonomía mediante la instalación de un calentador de aire especial. Si nada se tuerce, será presentado en el mes de octubre durante el Salón del Automóvil de París.

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Google invierte 10 millones en energía geotérmica

Cuando Google decidió poner algunas "fichas" (léase "millones de dólares") en la empresa Nanosolar, un fabricante de paneles solares económicos, quedó claro que el compromiso de la gigantesca empresa tecnológica (nacida como un "simple" buscador de Internet) con la generación de energía limpia y económica no eran solo palabras (eran varios millones de dólares).

En ese entonces, Google apostaba a la creación de sistemas de generación de energía eléctrica a partir de las radiaciones solares, con un costo por Vatio menor al que tiene la generación de electricidad a partir de la quema de combustibles fósiles (carbón particularmente). Ahora, Google ha invertido 10 millones de dólares en la tecnología de los Sistemas Geotérmicos Mejorados (Enhanced Geothermal Systems, o EGS). La principal características de estos sistemas es que basan su funcionamiento en el calor natural del interior del planeta.

Es posible encontrar en casi todas las ciudades del mundo alguna casa dotada de paneles solares. Pero resulta muy difícil para la mayoría de nosotros descubrir una central geotérmica. Entonces, ¿por qué Google apuesta a una forma de generación de electricidad tan poco frecuente?

En general, los sistemas geotérmicos tradicionales aprovechan el calor de la Tierra, simplemente recogiendo el vapor que se forma en las profundidades de nuestro planeta, cuando bolsas de agua entran en ebullición debido al calor existente a la profundidad en que se encuentran. Recordemos que a medida que descendemos hacia el interior de nuestro planeta, la temperatura va en aumento. A suficiente profundidad, el agua se transforma en vapor. Este vapor puede manifestarse en forma de géiseres naturales o, mediante las instalaciones adecuadas, ser aprovechado para la generación de electricidad.

Pero Google no va a quedarse esperando a que el vapor surja de la tierra de forma natural e impredecible. Lo que hace EGS es inyectar agua a alta presión en el subsuelo, a través de pozos, para que llegue a las zonas de fractura donde la temperatura de las rocas es muy elevada. Allí, el agua se convierte en vapor que vuelve a la superficie por otros conductos, donde activa las turbinas.

A través de la su fundación Google.org, la empresa ha realizado una inversión multimillonaria en dos firmas especializadas en tecnologías EGS: AltaRock Energy (de California), con 6.25 millones de dólares y Potter Drilling (de California), a la que han girado otros 4 millones. Google también ha aportado fondos para el Laboratorio Geotérmico de la Southern Methodist University (de Texas), que seguramente utilizará el casi medio millón de dólares inyectado por Google para elaborar un mapa de los lugares de América del Norte que resulte geológicamente apropiados para ser explotados geotérmicamente.

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Primer Highway con Energía Solar

En la ciudad de Oregon, en EU, se está instalando la primera demostración de un proyecto solar en una autopista, un paso más de la ciudad en su rol de líder en desarrollo de energía renovable.

El proyecto es el resultado de una colaboración entre Portland General Electric (PGE), el US Bank y el Departamento de Transporte de Oregon (ODOT, por sus siglas en inglés), y los materiales e intalación serán provisto por compañías de Oregon.

"Antes de que termine el año, este terreno albergará el primer proyecto de Highway Solar de la nación, y Oregon hará historia utilizando energía del sol para el alumbrado y los semáforos de intersecciones"

, dice el gobernador Ted Kulongoski.

Algunos detalles del proyecto:
-Sistema fotovoltaico solar de 104-kilowatt.
-Cobertura de 8,000 pies cuadrado.
-Producirá cerca de 112,000 kilowatt/horas en un año.
-El proyecto costará US$1.3 millones y se espera estar completo y en linea en Diciembre 2008.

...para más detalle:

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Ingeniería genética para obtener biocombustibles

En la actualidad hay un muy profundo e interesante debate acerca de las ventajas y desventajas de los biocombustibles. Algunos sostienen la postura de que pueden ser la vía de escape a la dependencia del cada vez mas escaso y caro petróleo, y otros ven en ellos una amenaza directa a la producción de alimentos.

Esto se debe, en buena medida, a que la mayoría de los biocombustibles se elaboran a partir de vegetales que pueden ser consumidos por los humanos o sus animales de granja, como son la soja o el maíz. En realidad, no tiene demasiado sentido utilizar alimentos para impulsar un coche cuando en alguna parte del mundo hay personas que se mueren de hambre.

Sin embargo, los biocombustibles pueden fabricarse a partir de otros vegetales (tradicionalmente) no comestibles, como las algas. Y si el proyecto que tiene en mente Eddy Rubin, director del Departamento de Energia del Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), en California, prospera, también será posible cultivar árboles que prácticamente se conviertan solos en combustible. La clave está, por supuesto, en la ingeniería genética.

Rubin está trabajando en una variedad de hongos que tienen la propiedad de descomponer la madera. Pero los estudios más prometedores provienen de otra dirección: también las termitas podrían ayudar a lograr este objetivo, ya que estos insectos, como es lógico, descomponen la madera luego de tragarla. Ya se ha secuenciado el ADN de los microbios que se encuentran en sus estómagos, y los científicos creen que estos diminutos seres pueden tener la llave que termine con nuestra dependencia del petróleo.

Efectivamente, esta variedad de insectos puede ayudar a solucionar el problema energético, proporcionándonos un sistema de combustibles renovables. Por supuesto, un biocombustible simplemente evita el problema que se deriva de la escasez de combustibles fósiles y de su alto costo, pero no el de la contaminación ambiental, ya que siguen desprendiendo humos nocivos para el planeta.

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