March, 2011

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NRC report: US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard need to begin now to prepare for effects of climate change in the Arctic

Green Car Congress

The Arctic region, in this report, is defined as the area north of the Arctic Circle (highlighted on this map in red). Click to enlarge. In response to the measured and projected effects of climate change, US naval forces—i.e., the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard—should begin now to strengthen operational capabilities in the Arctic, prepare for more frequent humanitarian missions, and analyze potential vulnerabilities of seaside bases and facilities, says a new report by the Na

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They Wanna Tax us for Not Using Gas??

Electric Cars are for Girls

Electric cars don't use any gas (except for the Chevy Volt), but now legislators in three states, including mine, are trying to figure out how to make up the money they're going to lose on the gas tax we're not paying. Their idea for figuring out how to tax you for miles driven? Put a device in your EV that tracks your miles, and delivers that information to your government.

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2011 Nissan Leaf vs 2011 Chevy Volt: Strengths & Weaknesses, By The Man Who Owns Both

Green Car Reports

Many comments are appearing on the internet taking enthusiastic positions for either the new 2011 Chevy Volt or the 2011 Nissan Leaf. It seems most readers are in one "camp" or the other. In our household, after studying the technical strengths and features of both cars as they moved from concept to production, I ended up ordering.one of each!

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Tesla Vs BBC: Top Gear Planned Dead Electric Car Shot Before Test

All Cars Electric

Believe it or not, most of what you watch on television is scripted. What you may not know is that some shows which appear unscripted, like the BBC’s infamous Top Gear, are also scripted word for word. Everything from the banter between its three middle-aged hosts to its madcap challenges and car reviews has been meticulously planned, before.

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

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

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Lean burn engine to debut at SAE 2011 World Congress

Green Cars News

A lean burn engine concept from FEV Inc that has been modified to run on compressed natural gas will make its world debut at the SAE 2011 World Congress. The engine has been designed to be used in light duty vehicles and achieves diesel like fuel efficiency using compressed natural gas. Modifications were made to [.].

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Obama proposes nuclear power expansion while Japan has nuclear crisis

National Green Transportation

David Herron Friday, the fifth strongest earthquake ever recorded hit Japan (8.9 on the richtor scale). It's caused a lot of damage, and thousands of lives have been lost. It caused Tsunami's not only in Japan but around the Pacific. The widespread. March 13, 2011.

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Plasma Boy's Silver Streak to Seattle

Electric Cars are for Girls

I get asked this question quite a bit: Why not take a light, aerodynamic hybrid - like a Prius - and convert it into an all-electric car? Well, "Plasma Boy" John Wayland is working on just that, an all-electric Honda Insight conversion, 'cause he's gotta be different, and the Prius has been done, and done, and done.and so when it's finished, he's planning a freeway trip-slash-parade from Portland to Seattle and back in his Insight conversion, called the Silver Streak, flanked by a squadron of Te

Seattle 229
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Can Urine Rescue Hydrogen-Powered Cars?

Green Car Reports

It's been a rough couple of years for cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. As the drums beat louder for electric cars--the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, Nissan's upcoming EV, and more--the hydrogen chorus is waning. But perhaps there's hope. And perhaps it's as close as your nearest urinal. Or, more politely, your local sewage treatment facility. Let us.

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Batteries For Electric Cars Have Barely Begun To Get Better

All Cars Electric

Do you remember the shoe sized cell phones of the early 90s? Much of that size was due to the battery. Even with that large battery, you were lucky to get 30 minutes of talk time. Battery tech has made slow and steady progress since then and has been doing so for the last 40 years. There were advancements before then too, but this modern era of.

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Renault apology over electric car leaks accusations

Green Cars News

Renault has offered its sincere ‘apologies and regrets’ to the three executives it fired over allegations of industrial espionage relating to electric vehicle secrets. An investigation into allegations of ‘theft, industrial espionage and breach of trust’ has collapsed due to a lack of evidence that the three ex-employees leaked details of its electric car developments. [.].

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

Brief

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Why You Shouldn’t Give A Shit About the Federal Budget Deficit

Creative Greenius

If you’re worried about leaving our kids and grand kids a great big fat bill they’re going to have to pay for because of our multi-trillion dollar federal budget deficit, then stop worrying. Those numbers don’t mean squat and they won’t be a problem for our future generations. During my 53 years on the planet we’ve had deficits and we’ve had surpluses and it hasn’t meant a damn bit of difference to the kids or their parents.

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WWF-UK study finds UK needs at least 1.7M electric vehicles by 2020 to achieve climate targets; 15% of new car sales

Green Car Congress

A newly released report by WWF-UK concludes that at least 1.7 million electric vehicles—plug-in hybrid and battery-electric—will be needed by 2020 and 6.4 million by 2030 if the UK is to achieve its climate change targets. EVs would then represent 6% of all UK cars in 2020 and 18% in 2030, and 15% and 20% of new car sales in 2020 and 2030, respectively.

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"Hydrogen is the Fuel of the Future.

Electric Cars are for Girls

and it always will be." Did you think hydrogen cars had slipped right out from under the radar into oblivion, another Bush-era delusional fantasy? (Right, me too.) Now you can lease a hydrogen Mercedes in California and all the hydrogen you can use is included in your lease. Even at 600 bucks a month, that might be a bargain these days!

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Chevy Volt Production May Rise; It's Not As Simple As You Think

Green Car Reports

It all started when General Motors CEO Dan Akerson said the company wanted to "double" production of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, its range-extended electric car. Various media outlets reported the news with varying degrees of accuracy. So far, GM has not officially said it will make more Volts. Looming deadline Chevy expects to build and sell 10,000.

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

Oil

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Electric Car Tax for Washington Gets One Step Closer to Law

All Cars Electric

If you’re a regular reader of AllCarsElectric then you’ll know that electric cars are much cheaper to run than gasoline cars once you’ve actually purchased them, but electric cars in Washington state are just about to get a little more expensive to run thanks to a proposed law which has just passed from the state’s Senate.

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New app to boost electric vehicle charging

Green Cars News

Electric vehicles are certainly a modern phenomenon so it only makes sense that they embrace the latest technologies. Now Xatori Inc has released the PlugShare App for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. PlugShare is a community driven electric vehicle charging network that allows iPhone and iPod owners in the US to share charging outlets [.].

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The Greenius Misplaces His Mojo… Momentarily

Creative Greenius

The entire 2nd half of 2010 found the Greenius in a Mystery Spot where the rules of nature no longer applied. Wow, March First already. Time do fly, don’t it? It has definitely been been awhile, hasn’t it? How you been? Your beloved Greenius has been M.I.A. from this URL for all of 2011 – until now. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t.

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EPA places Parker Hannifin hydraulic hybrid technology on emerging technologies list

Green Car Congress

RunWise features a cradle design for packaging mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical components to facilitate installation, testing, and servicing. Click to enlarge. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed the RunWise Advanced Series Hybrid Drive ( earlier post ) from Parker Hannifin Corporation on the National Clean Diesel Campaign’s Emerging Technologies List.

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Nissan Leaf's Get You Home Guarantee

Electric Cars are for Girls

Nissan Leaf owners , worried about the possibility of getting stranded in an emergency? Never fear, Nissan will come and get you! Now, how user-friendly is that??

Nissan 229
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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: By The Numbers, Would It Work For You?

Green Car Reports

Over six days of driving—limited to around-town trips—we put about 103 miles on a fleet-test Toyota Prius Plug-In, averaging 90.8 miles per gallon. In that time, we gave the Prius Plug-In five full charges and two partial ones, and according to the trip computer, we covered 77.7 miles in EV mode. As we've reported in prior driving.

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2011 Nissan Leaf: Your Ultimate Reference Guide (Updated)

All Cars Electric

Here at AllCarsElectric.com we've covered a lot of news featuring the 2011 Nissan Leaf. So much, in fact, that it may be difficult keeping track of them all. What we thought may help is an index page of all of our favorite articles featuring the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Bookmark it in your browser or rss reader, as we'll be updating it every time a new.

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Is the insurance industry ready for EVs?

Green Cars News

As the first electric cars become available to purchase in the UK, here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, we have been doing a bit of digging around to find out how much it will cost to insure your new, shiny electric car, as rumours circulate round the internet that you might struggle to get insurance. Some of the [.].

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3 More Reasons I’m Happy I Dumped the Democrats

Creative Greenius

When I quit the Democratic party last summer the last straw for me was their total FAIL to take a stand and do anything about climate change. Watching their spineless jellyfish routine in the face of the unified madman approach the Republicans employed was cringe worthy to say the least. The piss poor performance of California’s Assembly and Senate Democrats to deal with our state’s budget issues only made me feel more certain of my decision.

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Researchers demonstrate production of C3 hydrocarbons from biomass with no external H2 required

Green Car Congress

Researchers have demonstrated a route for the production of major commercial C 3. hydrocarbons (propane and propylene) from renewable biomass via the hydrothermal conversion of well-known fermentation end-products (butyric acid and 3-hydroxybutyrate) without the use of exogenous hydrogen. The process can potentially have high thermal efficiencies. The two-step process first uses fermentation to produce partially deoxygenated intermediate chemicals.

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Chevy Volt vs. Nissan Leaf

Electric Cars are for Girls

Which new electric car do you like best - Volt or Leaf? The only fair way to decide is to order one of each, obviously. Here's the review!

Volt 229
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High Gas Prices May Soon Turn Your Lovely Suburb Into A Slum

Green Car Reports

Americans rarely think much about zoning, but it governs almost every facet of how we live our lives. And unintended consequences of 50-year-old zoning codes may be about to turn some of our loveliest and quietest suburbs into the next slums. Why? Simply because they've been built too far away from everything else, and we won't be able to afford.

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Five Tips to Save You Money on Home Electric Car Charging

All Cars Electric

We all know that once purchased, electric cars are much cheaper to run than their gasoline counterparts, but how do you make sure you’re not paying more than you need to for the privilege of charging up at home? We’ve given it some thought and come up with five top tips to help you pay keep your domestic electricity bill low and.

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Mitsubishi expands sales of i-MiEV

Green Cars News

The electrification of the automobile is truly a worldwide phenomenon and now Mitsubishi is expanding sales of the i-MiEV into yet another country. This time it is the Republic of Costa Rica which will welcome the vehicle, predominantly to fleet customers including government affiliates and electric companies. It is the first time the i-MiEV has [.].

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A123Systems targeting stop-start/micro-hybrid market with 12V Li-ion Nanophosphate Engine Start Battery

Green Car Congress

Nanophosphate Engine Start Battery (12V): Click to enlarge. A123 Systems is targeting the emerging stop-start/microhybrid market with a 12V Li-ion battery solution based on its automotive class lithium ion AMP20 20 Ah prismatic pouch cells. The system comes equipped with battery management electronics for cell balancing and protection. Compared to lead-acid AGM batteries used in such applications, the Li-ion batteries offer better charge acceptance, ultimately resulting in lower alternator loads

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Polymer-dipped carbon nanotube catalysts equal or outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells; potential for significant cost reduction

Green Car Congress

Illustration of charge transfer process and oxygen reduction reaction on PDDA-CNT [poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-carbon nanotube]. Credit: ACS, Wang et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Case Western University have developed catalysts made of carbon nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution that equal the energy output and otherwise outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells.

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Obama sets goal of reducing US oil imports by 1/3 by 2025; domestic and Western Hemisphere production, natural gas, biofuels, electric vehicles, fleet purchases

Green Car Congress

Warning that “ there are no quick fixes ” and that “ we will keep on being a victim to shifts in the oil market until we get serious about a long-term policy for secure, affordable energy ”, US President Barack Obama announced a goal of cutting US oil imports by one-third by 2025 from the 2008 level of 11 million barrels of oil per day.

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Novel battery to extract and store energy from the salinity difference between seawater and river water could make significant contribution to renewable energy

Green Car Congress

Estimated extractable power (GW) from the difference of salinity in different countries, based on flow of river water emptying into the ocean. Credit: ACS, La Mantia et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Stanford led by Dr. Yi Cui, and Dr. Bruce Logan from Penn State University have developed a device they call a “mixing entropy battery” which can extract energy from the salinity difference between seawater and river water and store it as useful electrochemical energy.

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Deloitte study concludes mass adoption of EVs in Europe is some distance away

Green Car Congress

A new study by Deloitte, the business advisory firm, concludes that despite rising fuel prices, the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe is still some distance away. According to the survey of 4,760 European consumers, 16% see themselves as potential first movers to buy or lease an electric vehicle, while 53% say they might be willing to consider it, and 31% say they are not likely to consider purchasing or leasing an EV.

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Penn State team develops more environmentally friendly method for separating bitumen or oil from sands using ionic liquids

Green Car Congress

Separation of bitumen from a Canadian oil sand sample using an ionic liquid. Click to enlarge. A team of researchers at Penn State has developed a new, more environmentally friendly method of separating bitumen from oil sands utilizing ionic liquids (IL). The method is also capable of cleaning oil spills from beaches and separating oil from drill cuttings, the solid particles that must be removed from drilling fluids in oil and gas wells.

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