Wed.Jul 23, 2014

article thumbnail

Non-intrusive bio-monitoring system anticipates driver fatigue in the vehicle to prevent accidents

Green Car Congress

'The Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (Biomechanics Institute - IBV) and its consortium partners in the European project HARKEN have developed a non-intrusive system integrated into smart materials which is capable of monitoring cardiac and respiratory rhythms in order to prevent drivers from falling asleep. The two-year project had its final meeting in June.

Vehicles 257
article thumbnail

Electric Cars Equal Gasoline Cost Of Just 75 Cents A Gallon

Green Car Reports

'The last time you could buy a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. for 75 cents was around the late 1970s. If you own an electric car today though, the price you''re paying for electricity is equivalent to about 75 cents per gallon. According to a study by the Northeast Group (via Charged EVs), 25 utilities in 14 states currently offer electricity rates.

article thumbnail

Iowa study suggests miscanthus would yield more biomass in Iowa soil than originally thought

Green Car Congress

'Miscanthus, a perennial grass with vast potential to produce biomass, would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. The research indicates that miscanthus could have a major role to play in the future of Iowa agriculture, both as a source of biomass for energy and as a means of protecting the environment, said Emily Heaton, an assistant professor of agronomy, project leader and co-author of the study.

Iowa 246
article thumbnail

Tesla Halts Model S Assembly, Prepares For Model X

Green Car Reports

'Tesla Motors has halted production of the Model S electric car while it upgrades the assembly line for its next vehicle--the Model X crossover. A two-week production hiatus will give the firm enough time to complete a full $100 million upgrade to the plant, before production restarts at increased speed. According to Bloomberg, the upgrade will add.

Tesla 167
article thumbnail

How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

article thumbnail

EEI encourages utilities to spend at least 5% of fleet acquisition budgets on plug-ins

Green Car Congress

'The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) released a white paper, “ Transportation Electrification: Utility Fleets Leading the Charge ,” that focuses on the electric power industry’s effort to accelerate the expansion of electric transportation in commercial and retail markets, beginning with electric utility fleets. The paper encourages investor-owned electric utilities to meet an industry-wide goal to spend at least 5% of annual fleet acquisition budgets on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and tech

Plug-in 236
article thumbnail

2015 Nissan Leaf: Full Details, Pricing Released

Green Car Reports

'Out with the old, in with the new: It''s hard to believe the Nissan Leaf is already entering its fifth model year. With the 2015 Nissan Leaf models that are already reaching dealerships, there aren''t any range or performance improvements, but there are some minor feature improvements that might be cause to home in on a car from the new model year.

2015 150

More Trending

article thumbnail

Ford Details Small Fuel-Saving Engine For Big F-150 Lineup

Green Car Reports

'It''s been a while since full-size trucks have used engines as small as 2.7 liters, but that''s exactly what the 2015 Ford F-150 will use when you tick the Ecoboost box in the dealership. It''s not just 2.7 liters, of course--you also get six cylinders and two turbochargers, and it''s those that Ford says gives it capability and performance to match.

F-150 131
article thumbnail

97% of US buyers opted for 2.5L stop/start base engine on 2014, 2015 Malibu

Green Car Congress

'2014 ECOTEC 2.5L I-4 iVLC DI (LKW) with stop/start. Click to enlarge. Ninety-seven percent of customers in the US who purchased a 2014 or 2015 Malibu—accounting for about 83,000 vehicles—opted for the 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder base engine (LKW) equipped with standard stop/start technology, according to GM. ( Earlier post.) This marks the the most aggressive rollout of stop/start technology in the US by an American automaker.

2014 225
article thumbnail

2015 VW e-Golf Vs. Golf TDI, Tesla Model X Prep, 2015 Ford F-150 Engine Details: Today's Car News

Green Car Reports

'Today on Green Car Reports: We drive the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car and Golf TDI diesel back to back, Tesla halts Model S assembly to prepare for the Model X, and Ford details fuel-efficient engines for the 2015 F-150. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Electric or diesel? We compare the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf and Golf TDI in a.

F-150 121
article thumbnail

New lightweight metals institute will be headquartered in Detroit

Green Car Congress

'The new $148-million lightweight metals manufacturing institute announced in February by President Obama ( earlier post ) will locate in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, officials from the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII) and the city announced today. ALMMII is a public-private partnership led by Ohio-based manufacturing technology nonprofit EWI, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.

Detroit 218
article thumbnail

Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

article thumbnail

Tesla: A 500 mile range electric car ‘will soon be possible’

Green Cars News

'A fully electric car with a 500 mile range might sound like a pipedream, but according to Tesla CEO, Elon Musk it would be possible for the near future. Tesla already has the highest density batteries in the world, developed with its battery partner, Panasonic, which have twice the capacity of mod[.].

Miles 61
article thumbnail

SwRI receives $1.8M DOE award to develop linear motor reciprocating compressor for hydrogen

Green Car Congress

'Compression is a major contributor to the cost of hydrogen fueling. Source: Elgowainy et al. Click to enlarge. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) will begin work in August on a $1.8-million contract awarded by the US Department of Energy DOE to develop, to fabricate and to test a linear motor reciprocating compressor (LMRC). The contract is one of 10 awarded by DOE for projects that will advance hydrogen production and delivery technologies for this fuel source. ( Earlier post.).

Hydrogen 210
article thumbnail

Nottingham taxi firm goes electric with Nissan

Green Cars News

'A Nottingham taxi firm is the latest to make the switch to electric power, with a new fleet of six Nissan LEAF cars. DG Cars showed off its new fleet yesterday, to local journalists as the company readies its fleet to start taking its first fares. According to the Nottingham Post, the cars beg[.].

Taxi 45
article thumbnail

Enerpulse explains mechanism by which pulsed energy ignition plugs enhance fuel economy

Green Car Congress

'Enerpulse Technologies said that it has further identified the underlying mechanism by which its its pulsed energy ignition technology improves fuel economy, reduces emission and delivers higher torque in spark ignited (SI) internal combustion (IC) engines. ( Earlier post.) Nano-Plasma Assisted Combustion (n-PAC is the process by which the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber is made highly reactive by an energy-dense plasma field prior to spark creation; this results in more precise comb

article thumbnail

ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

article thumbnail

Continental develops electric parking brake for compact cars with drum brakes

Green Car Congress

'Continental has developed an Electric Parking Brake (EPB) for drum brakes. It is especially tailored to the lower-priced automotive segment that, up until now, has had to make do with mechanical parking brakes built into the existing drum brake on the rear axle. The electric parking drum brake will go into serial production by 2017. The system consists of two actuators which are integrated into the drum-brake base panel on the rear axle, in addition to its control software.

Cars 210
article thumbnail

U Mich poll finds support for carbon tax grows when revenue fuels renewable energy

Green Car Congress

'A carbon tax with revenues used to fund renewable energy programs gained support from 60 percent of Americans, according to a University of Michigan poll. That’s the highest among tax options presented and one that crossed the political divide with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents saying they would support the tax, according to the National Surveys on Energy and Environment.

Tax 231