article thumbnail

Wheel-E Podcast: Honda E-cub moped, RCA e-bikes, cheap electric boats & more

Electrek

This time that includes new electric bikes from the consumer electronics brand RCA, a new electric trike from Lectric eBikes, Honda revealed its E-Cub for the Chinese market, a high power hubless wheel electric motorcycle, low-cost electric boats with a Mercury electric outboard motor and lots more.

Cheap 98
article thumbnail

Li-ion Startup ActaCell To Receive Up to $1M Through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund

Green Car Congress

million received a year ago from groups such as Google.org and DJF Mercury. The resulting cells are to incorporate safe operation, low cost, long cycle life and high power performance. The ETF selection means a $250,000 pre-seed award of a reserved amount up to $1 million. This investment is combined with Series A funding of $5.8

Li-ion 170
article thumbnail

The Rise and Fall of 3M’s Floppy Disk

Cars That Think

Even though the consumer business had huge growth potential, 3M had little experience with a low-cost, low-profit-margin model. To stay in the “dog fight” meant 3M had to invest enormous amounts of money in order to remain the low-cost producer, with no assurance that profit margins ever would improve.

article thumbnail

Berkeley study finds renewable portfolio standards insufficient to meet 2030 GHG emission targets; new policy required

Green Car Congress

Burning coal, a non-renewable resource, produces about 20% of the world’s greenhouse gases, but also releases harmful chemicals into the environment such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfuric acid, responsible in some areas for acid rain and respiratory illness. —Daniel Kammen. 2012.01.031.

Renewable 231
article thumbnail

Will an EV-Filled World Pass The Sulfuric Acid Test?

Cars That Think

The minerals that contain sulfur often also tend to contain toxic metals like mercury, arsenic, and thallium. The Frasch process can be tremendously damaging to the surrounding environment and mineworkers’ health. The process also spews out wastewater that contains hydrogen sulfide , which has similar toxic properties to carbon monoxide.

Renewable 107
article thumbnail

Creating the Commodore 64: The Engineers’ Story

Cars That Think

When the design of the Commodore 64 began, the overriding goals were simplicity and low cost. The initial production cost of the Commodore 64 was targeted at $130; it turned out to be $135. Mercury News criticized the “flashbulb effect” noticeable during the swimming event.

Engine 123
article thumbnail

How Carmakers Are Responding to the Plug-In Hybrid Opportunity

Tony Karrer Delicious EVdriven

The F6 DM uses ferrous batteries, with no lithium content, that BYD says are high-energy density and low cost. San Jose Mercury News ). BYD said the F6DM (dual mode) sedan will go on sale in China in the fourth quarter for $20,000 to $30,000.The BYD also developed the motors and software for the system. Bloomberg News ).

Plug-in 45