May, 2009

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UK Researchers Developing Rechargeable Lithium-Air Battery; Up to 10X the Capacity of Current Li-ion Cells

Green Car Congress

Diagram of the STAIR (St Andrews Air) cell. Oxygen drawn from the air reacts within the porous carbon to release the electrical charge in this lithium-air battery. Click to enlarge. Researchers in the UK are developing a rechargeable lithium-air battery that could deliver a ten-fold increase in energy capacity compared to that of currently available lithium-ion cells.

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Solar Smackdown in Torrance – Installer Sues City on Behalf of the Sun

Creative Greenius

After a decade in the solar power installation business, Bradley Bartz is tired of being Mr. Nice Guy. He’s tried the sugar and honey approach for ten years but instead of catching flies he’s caught hassles and obstructions from local Southern California city officials who haven’t kept up with modern technology and remain both ignorant and adversarial when it comes to helping their citizens go solar. “ Idiots !

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The Power of Electric

Revenge of the Electric Car

Cast and Crew: Stefano, Alexandra, and Gary. When Google asked for submissions of a 90 second video on the benefits of plug in cars to show at a 2008 Washington DC Brookings-Google Electric Car conference, Alexandra Paul and Stefano Paris decided to rise to the challenge! With Stefano’s friend Gary Winterboer, they shot this video at a local gas station using Alexandra’s RAV4-EV and Stefano’s EVO.

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Tom Hanks on his electric car

Plugs and Cars

Tom Hanks' letter to the editor of the New Yorker about his electric car, a Toyota RAV4 EV. RE: THE ROAD AHEAD A letter in response to Peter J. Boyer’s article (April 27, 2009) MAY 18, 2009 Peter J. Boyer, in his otherwise spot-on piece about the car industry, assumes that I once leased G.M.’s sadly fated EV1 electric car and, like other drivers of that twin-seat rocket of a vehicle, watched the emission-free car be wrested from my garage, towed away, and busted up into pieces of metal, glass, a

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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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Going to the Electrathon/HPV Event at PIR

Open Source Civic EV Kit

Last weekend, I took the Civic-EV to Portland International Raceway to show it off at the Electrathon/Human-Powered Vehicles event there. Memorial Day weekend is the one weekend that PIR can't make any loud noises, so they actively recruit electric vehicles and bicycles of all types to race. Here's Gary's Honda Insight EV with lithium ion batteries and an Siemens AC motor.

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EV University: Online Conversion Classes

Electric Cars are for Girls

There's a project in the works, and it's called EV University. You can help us decide which classes to offer!

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More Trending

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Real Men of Greenius

Creative Greenius

Thanks to my creative and green friend Sam Novey, Class of 2011 at a little place back east they like to call Harvard University, I now offer up the following video with an important message for you always thirsty college kids: As my Ivy League bro Sam likes to say: Because Reusing A Solo Cup Doesn’t Mean Going Home Solo. When Sam’s quoting other folks he likes to recall the words of the late and very great Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota: If we don’t fight hard enough for

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Tom Hanks, The New Yorker — and Electric Cars

Revenge of the Electric Car

Tom Hanks in His Rav 4. We were delighted to see Tom Hanks’s letter in this week’s ‘New Yorker’ — singing the praises of electric vehicles and name checking ‘Who Killed the Electric Car ?’ Read the full letter here : RE: THE ROAD AHEAD. A letter in response to Peter J. Boyer’s article (April 27, 2009). MAY 18, 2009.

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Snarky CNBC report on "obsessed" Mini E driver

Plugs and Cars

The first consumer with a Mini E lease, Peter Trepp, was interviewed on CNBC. The vroom- obsessed anchor concludes with an erroneous and unprofessional "gotcha" about coal. The report exudes such bias, you may want to let CNBC know how you feel here. Tags: peter trepp bmw mini e cnbc.

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Synkromotive Potbox Issues and Temperature Faults

Open Source Civic EV Kit

Over the past week, I've been able to give the Synkromotive controller some good real-world experience during my commute. The controller is very smooth and has several parameters to keep the battery pack healthy. I also like that the Synkro controller doesn't tap off the main pack for part of its power supply which has led to pack imbalances in the past.

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

Brief

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Electric Car Motors, Generators, and Perpetual Motion

Electric Cars are for Girls

Why can't a generator be added to the EV's system to keep the battery recharged.preferably one that draws from the energy that the battery is.

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Testing Finds Proterra Electric Transit Bus Achieves More Than 20 mpg Diesel Equivalent

Green Car Congress

Proterra battery-electric bus. Click to enlarge. An all-electric version of the 35-foot Proterra FCBE 35 transit bus, powered by a UQM PowerPhase 150 electric propulsion system and an Altairnano Li-ion battery pack ( earlier post ), achieved more than 20 miles per gallon diesel equivalent in fuel economy equivalency testing conducted by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Pennsylvania State University.

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Greenius Goes All AB 811 Over Green Task Force

Creative Greenius

Creative Greenius talks AB 811 Financing to the Green Task Force / photo (c) Debra Bushweit Galliani. Last Thursday afternoon your Creative Greenius took yet another step on my journey to employ my professional skills, talents and resources for greater green good and not just to line my own pockets. And so it was that I found myself in the Hermosa Beach City Council Chambers addressing the Green Task Force audience you cannot see in this photo as I presented my Finding The Green To Green The Gri

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Wally Rippel drives the Mini E

Revenge of the Electric Car

This SlideShowPro photo gallery requires the Flash Player plugin and a web browser with JavaScript enabled. AC Propulsion, the San Dimas, CA, company that birthed the modern-day EV with its AC-150 drive train, was tapped by BMW last year to provide drivetrains for an initial run of 500 Minis. Dubbed the “Mini E,&# these fully-electric cars are just weeks from being deployed on the streets of Southern Californai, New York, and New Jersey.

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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 shock for government plans

Green Cars News

As many as a fifth of Britain’s 34 million motorists are planning to buy an electric car within the next five years or would consider doing so. A GfK NOP survey for the RAC Foundation suggests 6.75 million drivers are thinking about buying a vehicle powered solely by batteries. The poll results should be welcome news for the Department for Transport which last month announced an incentive scheme that would see grants of up to £5,000 being offered to purchasers of electric powered cars from

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Moving the Instrumentaiton

Open Source Civic EV Kit

Since the Synkromotive controller has its own motor speed limiter based on input directly from the Zolox sensor, I decided to clean up the instrumentation by removing the RPM gauge and moving the Link-10 E-meter onto the dashboard. While this removes some of the "coolness" factor without a tach, I like the more simplistic look as I tend to be a minimalist.

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Big AC Electric Car Motor, Small Car

Electric Cars are for Girls

Is an ac55 motor too heavy for a small car? Hi, Winfried! Just how small IS your car? That's not you in the photo up there, is it? Okay, I'm.

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US EPA Holding First Public Hearing on Proposed Endangerment Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under the Clean Air Act

Green Car Congress

EPA is holding the first of two public hearings on Monday, 18 May regarding the agency’s proposed findings that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare. ( Earlier post.) The proposed findings identify six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat. The hearing at the EPA Potomac Yard South Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia, is scheduled from 9am to 8pm.

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Greenius Weekend Update

Creative Greenius

Holiday greetings from teetering on the precipice of bankruptcy California, where we’ve had a couple of unnerving earthquakes, a historic election and a disappointing Lakers’ home loss in the NBA Western Conference Finals since last I posted. Clearly it’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine – because the s-bomb hasn’t quite hit the fan yet, the sun is shining at 10am here at the beach and it’s Fiesta Hermosa Weekend!

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Mini E Makes LA Debut

Revenge of the Electric Car

BMW’s just held an event for the lessees of their Mini E at the Science Center, next to the University of Southern California, a really stellar venue when you consider the product they were showing. I arrived at the same time as Stefano Paris, Plug In America’s documentarian, and as we walked from the parking lot, we went past an SR71 Blackbird on display to get to the party.

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An interview with Jonathan Allbones, Sales Director at Car People

Green Cars News

The Car People is a successful car supermarket group with branches in Manchester, Sheffield and Wakefield. Since 2000, the group has held a prominent position in the North West, as a leading retailer of new and used cars. Sales Director, Jonathan Allbones speaks exclusively with TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk about why the car supermarket giant is now focusing on communicating the green credentials of the cars they sell.

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Elite Power Solutions - Not so Elite

Honda S2000 EV Conversion

I've been waiting some time to post what I feared would be the case from this company, but I think it's time to let as many people know as possible. As you're aware for those following along I've had a few, to say the least, issues with the BMS system I purchased from Elite Power Solutions. I've emailed them quite a few times along the way but never really got a fix to anything and it always resulted in me figuring out a work around to make the system happy.

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Spirit of DC Visits Citicar Gathering!

Spirit of DC - PHEV3A

May 15th to 17th, 2009 was a unique experience in Columbia, Maryland. Gathered there were Citicars, the most-produced electric car in American history. Citicar owners from all over the country got together to celebrate these cute little electric vehicles, and meet with the man behind the car, Bob Beaumont. Other electric vehicles were invited to the EVent as well.

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Chrysler LLC Vice Chairman and President Tom LaSorda Steps Down

Green Car Congress

Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President, Chrysler LLC announced to the Chrysler Board on 30 April—the same day Chrysler filed for bankruptcy ( earlier post )—his intention to retire from the Company with immediate effect. LaSorda—Chrysler’s top executive responsible for Manufacturing, Procurement and Supply, Employee Relations, Global Business Development and Alliances—was appointed to his current position in August 2007, serving in both the Office of the Chairman and on the Board of Managers.

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Cisco Devries President of Renewable Funding Talks AB 811 Type Programs

Creative Greenius

Tags: climate change environment renewable energy AB 811 Renewable Funding.

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Elon - and the Model S - Appear On Letterman

Revenge of the Electric Car

Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared on the David Letterman show on Wednesday. Dave and Elon talk about the Roaster, the Model S and the future of electric cars. Watch out for the name check for ‘Who Killed the Electric Car’ around 3 minutes in … Tags: In the Media Tesla Model S.

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Car clubs help cut CO2 emissions says the Transport Research Laboratory

Green Cars News

Car club members in the UK play a key role in reducing congestion, parking problems and carbon emissions according to a report published by TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) this week. The latest and largest survey of car club members in the UK, commissioned by the national transport charity Carplus, compared the travel behaviour of members before and after joining a car club.

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Polystyrene-Biodiesel Blends for Energy Recovery from Waste Plastics

Green Car Congress

Comparisons of NO x , CO, soot, and engine brake power using different PS blends with the factory-set injection timings. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Iowa State University are proposing dissolving waste polystyrene (PS) in biodiesel for use as a diesel engine fuel as a mechanism for energy recovery from the waste plastic. Use of polystyrene-biodiesel blends can result in an increase an engine power with polystyrene concentrations of up to 5%, according to a new study by a team o

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Japan Auto Production Falls 47.1% in April, Exports Drop 64.7%

Green Car Congress

Production of light-duty vehicles, trucks and buses in Japan fell 47.1% year-on-year in April, marking the seventh consecutive month of declines, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Japan’s exports of cars, trucks and buses fell 64.7% in April from the year-earlier month, also falling for the seventh straight month, JAMA said.

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Study Finds Bioelectricity Better Option Than Liquid Biofuels for Transportation Output and GHG Emissions

Green Car Congress

Kilometers per crop hectare for switchgrass feedstock with a small SUV. Campbell et al. (2009) Click to enlarge. A new life cycle assessment comparing the performance of bioelectricity and ethanol from a variety of pathways with respect to transportation kilometers and GHG offsets achieved per unit area of biofuels cropland concludes that bioelectricity used to charge a battery electric vehicle outperforms ethanol for a combustion engine across a range of feedstocks, conversion technologies, and

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GE to Open Sodium-Metal Halide Battery Plant in New York

Green Car Congress

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt shows a sodium-metal halide battery cell at the press conference announcing the battery plant. Click to enlarge. GE will open a new battery manufacturing plant in Upstate New York that will serve as the main manufacturing facility for GE’s newly launched battery business. The battery business will be a part of GE Transportation and will serve customers in the rail, marine, mining, telecommunications and utility sectors.

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Lexus HS 250h Extends Electrification of Drivetrain to Transmission Fluid Pump

Green Car Congress

The hybrid transaxle in the upcoming Lexus HS 250h hybrid sedan ( earlier post ) will use an electric transmission oil pump in place of a mechanical pump, further shifting ancillary loads from mechanical to electrical propulsion, according to Toyota. Toyota and Lexus hybrid transaxles have up to now used low-pressure mechanical oil pumps that operate whenever the powertrain’s IC engine is running.

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Ford Begins EcoBoost Engine Production

Green Car Congress

Ford Motor Company began production of its EcoBoost engines ( earlier post ) at Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1. Ford invested $55 million to retool and reopen the plant, which had been idled in 2007. Approximately 250 employees are returning to the plant to build the new engines. The EcoBoost begins production. Click to enlarge. EcoBoost technology combines turbocharging and direct gasoline injection to deliver up to 20% improved fuel economy, 15% fewer CO 2 emissions and superior driving performa

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Automakers Support Obama Administrations Development of National Program for Reducing Carbon Emissions and Fuel Consumption

Green Car Congress

The US auto industry, via the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, is lining up to support a new national, harmonized program to reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption that President Obama will announce on Tuesday, 19 May. EPA and NHTSA will initiate a joint rulemaking that reflects a coordinated and harmonized approach to implementing the Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

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