electric cars

Green Tech on Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2008

jplatt — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:31:24 -0400

Okay, there are still two months left to go on 2008, but we've already seen some incredible innovations hit the the market this year. Time Magazine has gone ahead and picked its "50 Best Inventions of 2008," and several green technologies and devices are on the list.

The list includes three different electric and hybrid vehicles. The luxury Tesla Roadster clocks in at number 2, while the forthcoming Chevy Volt ranks at number 7. Much further down the list was another concept vehicle, the Aptera Electric Car, at number 46.

Speaking of green transportation, Montreal's public bike rental system ranked number 19. This solar-powered, high-tech innovation is a great way to inspire local bike-riding and cutting greenhouse gases.It's time for this to take hold in other cities around the world.

Biofuel ranks high at number 11, but it's not the corn-based ethanol you can buy now. Time looked at algae-based biofuel -- currently being tested in labs around the country -- and found it to be good.

Another power source, Nanosolar's thin-film solar panels, came in at number 25. A prototype biomechanical energy harvester (a device you wear that collects the energy from your movements) ranked 33, while a flying wind turbine from Sky Windpower followed at number 35.

Innovative smog-eating cememt, which just hit the market from Italcementi, came in at number 37. A great idea, and I hope we hear more about it in the coming year.

An eco-friendly fridge that Albert Einstein invented in 1930 -- and which Oxford University scientists recreated this year -- hit the list at a not-too-chilly 31. Sadly, this hasn't been commercialized yet.

While not exactly tech you can use, the Global Seed Vault came in at number 6 on Time's list. But it's still an important innovation.

And while not technology at all, the Vatican's new 7 deadly sins -- including polluting -- made the list at number 40. See, pollution is evil!

New Fuel-Efficient Car: You Better Th!nk!

khallgeisler — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In April 2008, upstart car company Think (also spelled Th!nk) made its first move toward invading North American shores with its compact, fuel-effiecient, city-friendly cars. It partnered with several U.S. companies, including General Electric and lithium-ion battery producer A123, as part of its strategy for world domination.

Maybe not world domination exactly, but at least world market share. Think already produces and sells the City, a little zero-emissions, all-electric number, in Europe; it plans to bring the car to the U.S. next year. A full charge gets you 200 km, with a top speed of 100 km/h (that's 124 miles and 62 mph for us Americans).

Many of the City's parts are recyclable, including the dashboard and body panels.The car is made in Norway at a carbon-neutral facility, and the company will buy carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions produced in the process of generating the electricty that charges your batteries. These guys are really commited.

The Think Ox is already in the works for 2011. This basic auto platform can be configured by the company into everything from a sports car to a taxi. The first iteration to hit the market will be a crossover 5-seater the size of the current Toyota Prius. The most important function of the Ox may be to take the EV from cute oddity to "real car" status, with it simple, roomy, Scandanavian design. If Ikea built a family car, this would probably be it.

Girl Bikes 1500 Miles for Electric Vehicles

khallgeisler — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Liza Stoner, a 14-year-old environmentalist, plans to bike from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C. this summer to raise awareness about electric vehicles. When she gets to the capital, she'll deliver a petition to lawmakers requesting tax credits and incentives -- an ambitious project for someone who doesn't yet drive or file taxes. Sign her petition here.

Liza was inspired to take on the Ride for Renewal after seeing "Who Killed the Electric Car," the 2006 documentary about GM's ill-fated EV1 project. Unlike GM, which crushed every EV1 it built and stacked the carcasses one on top of another, Liza sees electric cars as the way of the future. They can be fueled by renewable power like solar and wind, they require less maintenance, and they don't require new infrastructure.

The ride is sponsored by the Fellowship for Renewal, an organization that supports young environmental and social justice activists. When Liza hits the road for real on June 16 (right now she's training for the 1,585-mile ride), she'll be posting diary entries on her site.

Liza's home page says that she is "hoping to be a very active environmentalist." After this ride, with her petition triumphantly smacked down on some politico's desk, she can probably check that one off her list.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

Who Built the Solar Car?

jplatt — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The SUNN won't win any design awards, but it sure will turn heads.

This build-it-yourself solar-powered car -- invented by Art Haines -- is one of the most innovative ideas I've seen in years. For just $4,500, you get almost everything you need to build your own solar-powered, street legal, neighborhood electric car. The parts come delivered on a flatbed truck, and with just 80-120 hours and some everyday hand tools (plus the solar panels and batteries, which you are encouraged to order locally), you can soon be puttering around in your very own solar-powered vehicle.

The SUNN only goes 25 miles per hour, and it has a maximum range of just 20 miles, but if you're only going a short distance on local roads, this is a pretty cool alternative to gas-powered transportation. The kit comes with seat belts, windshield wpers and turn signals, so as long as you register it as a low-speed vehicle, you should be allowed to take it out on the town.

According to the SUNN's FAQs, the solar panels aren't included so you can decide how much you want to spend on them, where on the car you want to mount them, or even if you want to use them or not. If you skip the solar panels, the SUNN can also be plugged into a standard electrical outlet, with an estimated energy-cost-per-mile of just $.01.

Right now, the SUNN Electric Vehicle Company is just taking orders (and deposits) for their car kits, which will ship in the near future.

Zap Car Corp Called on the Carpet

khallgeisler — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The latest issue of Wired magazine features an article about Zap Corporation, which has built or imported electric and fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles since the mid-1990s. Or, at least, has promised to build or import these cars. Turns out their track record might not be so great.

The article, "Hype Machine," is in Wired's April 2008 print issue. The gist of the story is that Zap has let down franchisees with inflated sales expectations while at the same time letting down consumers by not delivering the cars its PR department announced with such fanfare. Of the eight models Zap has said it would sell, including the Smart ForTwo, only two are currently available from the company. (The Smart deal went to the Penske Group last year.)

To be fair, the ZAP-X and Alias models listed by Wired were recent announcements; it would be a miracle for any company to churn out an electric SUV (like the ZAP-X) a year after making the idea public. Just ask Chevy and its Volt. Or ask Telsa, who announced the roadster in the summer of 2006 and, after much hubbub, finally fired up the factory this year on March 17, to the joy of speed and Earth lovers alike. As gas prices climb, any emerging-technology company would do well to learn Zap's lesson, via Wired, to not promise the sky then deliver dirt.

There are a few disgruntled dealers in Wired's article, and it seems they have every right to be, having complaints like vanishing profits after out-of-pocket battery upgrades to get the cars to deliver the speed and charge the company said they would. These dealers wanted to believe Zap was the way of the future as badly as Zap did.

On the other hand, I recently wrote an article for the New York Times on EV dealerships having to forge a market where previously none existed. I spoke with three EV dealerships for the piece, including the shop with the highest Zap sales in the country, Ecomotion of Portland, Oregon. None of the dealers that I spoke with had anything ill to say of Zap when I spoke with them, though it wasn't the focus of my article. All three dealerships sold Zap vehicles, but all three also had EVs by other manufacturers, like Zenn, Miles, and Myers, on the showroom floor.

Any business that lets people down regularly needs to be called on the carpet. The problem is if all EVs get painted with that same brush, a scenario brought up by several people in the article. Not all battery-powered cars are manufactured by squirrely, pie-in-the-sky outfits. But the personalities at the cutting edge of new markets are likely to be big talkers and risk takers. We can't let that make us afraid to let go of the gas pedal and embrace alternative fuels.

Nice Tatas from India's Biggest Car Company

khallgeisler — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Lately, Tata Motors has been all over the press, from AutoblogGreen.com to the New Yorker. Let's bring everybody up to speed on what India's largest car manufacturer is up to, Q&A style.

Q. What is a Tata Nano?

A: This is Tata's latest auto, a teensy little thing that retails for $2,500. Tata fancies the Nano to be “the People's Car,” much like the Volkswagen Beetle when it debuted half a century ago. Its two-cylinder engine promises to get good gas milage with lower emissions than the two-wheelers putting around Delhi today. It comes in basic, deluxe, and luxury trim, but don't get too excited. One of the add-ons is a digital clock.

Q: Is Chrysler going to rebadge the Nano as its own and sell it in the U.S.?

A: Apparently not. There were rumors that Chrysler's electric vehicle arm, Global Electric Motorcars, was going to bring the Nano to the states as an electric Chrysler, but it that was no more than idle gossip.

Q: Are Chrysler and Tata working together at all?

A: Indeed they are. Chrysler's GEM division is bringing a battery-powered version of the Tata Ace to the U.S. later in 2008, according to Autobloggreen.com. They're planning on selling 10,000 in the first year and eventually ramp up to an ambitious 50,000 per year.

Q: Does Tata have any green initiatives of its own?

A: It's taking baby steps. First, it's pretty proud of this supposedly gas-sipping, low-emissions two-cylinder engine in the Nano. There are also reports that Tata is looking into biodiesel, hybrid engines, and fuel cells. This is a huge company, with 20,000 employees and $7 billion dollars in revenues last year for its motors division alone. Tata Group produces everything from tea to steel bearings, so they've got the capital to invest in alternative fuel technologies if they like.

Q: Speaking of capital, did Tata buy Jaguar?

A: Not yet. Jaguar and Land Rover are currently operating from England but under the wing of U.S.-based Ford Motor Company. With the Big Three fumbling for corporate footing lately, Tata has swooped in and made a play for a full stake in the prestigious British brands. The whole shebang for both luxury auto companies is said to be worth $1.5-$2 billion.