Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

The Sandero 1.4 LPG. Click to enlarge. Dacia, a member of the Renault group, is broadening its offerings of fuel-efficient and low-emissions engines. During 2009, Dacia will introduce the Sandero and Logan 1.4 LPG, Logan MCV 1.6 LPG, and the Sandero 1.6 E85 bioethanol. Sandero and Logan will also be available with a new gasoline engine, the 1.2 16V 75 hp, with CO 2 emissions of 139 g/km.

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Gasoline Emissions Engine Fuel 240

Electric Cars are for Girls

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Wondering about that little blue gizmo up there on the right that says "EV Driven featured"? I put it there for you because - as much as I hate to admit it - you just can't get all your online EV news at "Electric Cars Are For Girls". There are some things I don't cover, don't emphasize, aren't interested in, whatever. "EV Driven" is a new online place where you can catch up on the new electric car info, from dozens of different sources (including "Electric Cars Are For Girls", of course; ).

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Electric Cars All-Electric Cars Electric 229

Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Nissan is a first tier OEM building a pure EV in the U.S. - for sale to regular folks. They’re going to hit the market next fall, but will target Tennessee (where they will be made) and Oregon and Sonoma County, initially. ( Carlos Ghosn must like the wine up that way or something.). Regardless, once the $7,500 tax credit is accounted for, and the much lower maintenance costs, these should be about the same as buying a gas car, only the fuel will be less than a dollar a gallon equivalent.

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2010 Nissan Tennessee Tax Credit 150

Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

I am very excited to announce my participation in the launch of. We are an on-line community of people who are passionate about Electric Vehicles and we’re not shy about it. We have come together to find and organize the best content from blogs and other web sites. The goal is to create a place where it’s easy to find current and highly relevant content.

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Mini E Obama DIY Climate Change 150

Speaker: tara

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Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Electricaid.org was created when Th!nk looked to be on the ropes late last year. Now it seems only good news is coming in. They are reporting that thousands of charge points will be up and running by summer. And the Swedes are investing in the company and ordering cars, including the Royals, according to a Norwegian story translated by Autobloggreen.

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Think City Norway Electric Cars Battery 113

Open Source Civic EV Kit

FEBRUARY 12, 2009

After doing another fix to the Charge Detector box on Monday, I enclosed all the BatMon boxes to prevent them from shorting out due to grime and automotive fluids. Here are the plastic boxes I talked about in a prior post. They are held in place with velcro adhesive tape and the box lids are held together with red electrical tape. I don't seem to be having any trouble with overheating (yet.) and the clear plastic lets me see the OVP/LVP lights.

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Charging Porsche Light Miles 100

Electric Cars are for Girls

FEBRUARY 10, 2009

The Aptera is slightly behind schedule. Why? Like a lot of us, at the last minute, she had to change her dress.

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Aptera Electric Cars Cars Electric 102

Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

Last week Norway’s ElectricAid.org uploaded a very entertaining and artistic video test drive review of the Think City electric car. Watch the video in High Definition by clicking here. If you enjoy Top Gear you’ll enjoy the humor and creative editing in this video short. ElectricAid.org video Test Drive of the Think City Electric Car.

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Think City Norway Electric Cars Cars 150

Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 14, 2009

As our Creative Greenius traffic continues to multiply exponentially - we’ve now surpassed our entire 2008 page hit total in just the first 42 days of 2009 - one of the reasons why is referrals from other web sites. And when it comes to referrals no single source has given us more traffic then alphainventions.com a website that offers an ever changing shuffle mix of blogs from all around the planet, including Creative Greenius.

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Climate Change Climate 2008 2009 150

Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Fisker Automotive is running a TV ad in LA. Deliveries of the luxury plug-in hybrid Karma are set to begin this fall. Thanks Stefano for the heads up. Tags: fisker automotive fisker.

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Fisker Karma Plug-in Plug 100

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Porsche 914 EV Conversion

FEBRUARY 8, 2009

I contacted someone who expressed interest in purchasing the 914 a few months ago and that contact came through for me. Here's my parting shot with Dan, the new 914 EV owner. Dan has worked with a Bradley GT EV before, so he knows the ropes. I'm sad to see the car go, but I've got the Civic-EV and it does very well. I'm still active on the 914ev Google Group answering questions, so I'm not completely disconnected.

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2007 Google Conversion Purchase 100

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

1.5L VCRi engine with two-stage turbocharger. Click to enlarge. At the upcoming 79 th International Motor Show in Geneva, France-based MCE-5 Development will showcase its first vehicle application (a Peugeot 407) of a prototype 1.5-liter MCE-5 VCRi (variable compression ratio) gasoline engine. The four-cylinder 1.5L VCRi, equipped with a two-stage turbocharger, develops 220 hp (164 kW) of power (comparable to that of a 3.0L V6 engine), and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque at 1,500 rpm (comparable to

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Engine Vehicles Gasoline-Electric MPG 231

Open Source Civic EV Kit

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

With 350 EV miles on the car, I'm ramping down on fixing things and ramping up on commuting. Before I forget all the stuff I've learned, I'd like to capture some thoughts about the Open-Source kit and my experience with the Belktronix system. Good points about the open-source Civic-Kit: I really appreciate keeping the clutch. It makes shifting much easier and makes the car feel like a regular vehicle Choosing AGM batteries was a great idea.

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Kits Batteries Battery Parts 100

Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Last night I flipped on the KTLA 5 news around 10:30pm, while grabbing a late dinner, and caught a Fisker Automotive Karma ad…on TV! I was caught completely and pleasantly by surprise seeing this great ad, as I don’t think we’ve yet seen any other EV/PHEV specific ads from any of the smaller start-ups. Justifying the cost of TV ads could be difficult, but has the positive effect of alerting the general population - most of which are not closely following the EV movement —

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Karma Fisker PHEV Cost Of 124

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Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 12, 2009

I know I should be in Washington DC in two weeks to help take over the capitol on behalf of green jobs, clean energy and ending our carbon-based economy. I know I should be there contributing, blogging and shooting pictures, marching and lobbying and networking with my green brothers and sisters in arms. I know I should be there with the 10,000 young people who are gathering in Washington to hold our elected officials’ feet to the accountability fire.

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Al Gore 2009 Gore Coal 150

Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Chief operating officer Patrick Pelata has confirmed Renault is diverting all research and development money away from hybrid and hydrogen technologies toward electric cars, according to Autocar.co.uk. Pelata's vision is that a third of Renault's line-up will be electric within a decade. He has also promised that it will have three battery-powered models on sale by 2011: an electric Kangoo van, a Clio-sized five-seat hatch and a larger saloon designed primarily for Israel but which would also be

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Nissan Hydrogen Hybrid Israel 100

Porsche 914 EV Conversion

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

It's time to sell the electric 914. It's been a fun road, but I have three cars now (as a single guy) and only a 1-car garage in the middle of the city. The car has been good to me and made the electric Civic project go so much faster. I've learned much and shared many experiences with other people converting 914s. The car has been a major hit at EV shows and with friends.

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Convert Cars Electric Electrical 100

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 13, 2009

GenShock prototype. Click to enlarge. A team of MIT undergraduate students has invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. MIT Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say they can produce up to a 10% improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency by using the regenerative shock absorbers.

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MIT Energy Lithium Ion Convert 231

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Open Source Civic EV Kit

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

I've been somewhat concerned with how imbalanced my pack has been lately. Given that the charging system has been blown for a few days, I'm not too surprised. Here are some observations. The front two batteries behind the radiator grille are the lowest voltage in the pack. They tend to be the coldest because they get lots of air while I'm driving. They also get more drain then other batteries because they supply 24V to the controller and to the contactor.

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Battery Batteries Volt Light 100

Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 5, 2009

These were all taken by our production photographer, Todd Westphal, during last month’s Plug-In America Inagural Parade. This SlideShowPro photo gallery requires the Flash Player plugin and a web browser with JavaScript enabled. Tags: Events Plug In America Obama Parades Photo Galleries.

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Obama Plugin Plug-in America 124

Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 10, 2009

While our nation’s economy teeters on the brink of a catastrophe caused by the same defiantly ignorant individuals who supported every bonehead policy of the President who spent a trillion dollars invading the wrong country, here’s what those same failures and losers have to contribute to the debate now. WATCH THIS : These same grotesqueries of public service are responsible for selling out our environment and our climate in exchange for the support and money they get from industrie

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Obama Climate Change Climate Environment 150

Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Because there are are so few of them, to keep the dream alive fuel cell vehicles need to be schlepped around. CARB and the automakers need a "travel provision" that gives California ZEV credits to fuel cell vehicles even when they have relocated to other states. Now that Volkswagen's 16 FCVs have done their required duty at the Beijing Olympics, they have moved on to Sacramento.

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Fuel Sacramento Plug-in California 100

Porsche 914 EV Conversion

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Since my battery voltage never gets above the cutoff point for the Zivan charger bulk phase, I made a special charging cord with a timer built into it. If I leave the Zivan in low-current mode, I only pull 12 amps, which is less than the 15 amp rating of the timer. Since I know how many amp-hours I pull from the batteries during my commute, I can generally pick a good timer setting to get the batteries close to full without "boiling" them too much.

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Battery Batteries Charging Cars 100

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Best vehicle choice for minimum fuel consumption, cost, or greenhouse gas emissions as a function of distance driven between charges across sensitivity scenarios. Shiau et al. (2009) Click to enlarge. A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University has analyzed the impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery pack size on fuel consumption, cost and greenhouse gas emissions over a range of charging frequencies (distance traveled between charges).

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PHEV Emissions Fuel Gas-Electric 199

Open Source Civic EV Kit

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Last Friday, I took the Civic into the suspension shop to replace the passenger-side axle (CV joint boot was broken), replace a brake line (those are important) and get a full alignment. The mechanic just couldn't get over how he could come to a full stop and not stall the motor without pushing in the clutch. The electrical specialist mechanic up the street took my card and vowed to come to the next OEVA meeting.

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Charging Gasoline-Electric Gasoline Motor 100

Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

We want you to know about a new website and community for people who are passionate about Electric Vehicles. We’re excited to be a part of: EV Driven. EV Driven aggregates the latest content from all these electric car blogs: * Creative Greenius. * DIY Electric Car. * Electric Car Blog. * Electric Cars are for Girls. * Green Car Congress. * Green Gearhead. * My Green Wheels. * Open Source Civic EV Kit. * Plug In Partners. * Plugs and Cars. * Porsche 914 EV Conversion. * Revenge of the Elec

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DIY Congress Kits Porsche 100

Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

I attended the first 2009 meeting of the Torrance Environmental Quality and Energy Conservation Commission last Thursday night and it was curiously different from anything I expected. First of all, I was the only member of the public who attended the meeting. Secondly, the energy level, enthusiasm and sense of urgency I’ve experienced at other environmental meetings was nowhere to be found among the Commissioners.

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Climate Change Personal Climate Energy 150

Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

To Dr Lyle Dennis, a NY physician, the GM Volt seemed a good idea so he started a website, gm-volt.com. It's become a big deal, although I doubt he's quitting his day job. He has even come to be a citizen-envoy to GM. Tesla Motors seems to have decided he could use a day with a Tesla. They shipped a car to a mid-town Manhattan garage and when Dr Dennis showed up and spoke the secret password, he was given a set of keys and a partially charged Roadster.

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Volt Tesla GM Tesla Motors 100

Electric Cars are for Girls

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Have you heard of SunGo's solar-powered battery charger for golf carts?

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Golf Cart Solar Powered Power 89

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2009

Pneumatic hybrid engine on the test bench. Photo: P. Rüegg / ETH Zurich. Click to enlarge. Researchers at ETH Zürich are developing a pneumatic hybrid engine—an internal combustion engine connected to a compressed air tank instead of a battery system. A member of the ETH research team, which is led by Lino Guzzella, Professor of Thermotronics, will present a paper on their work at the upcoming SAE World Congress 2009 in Detroit in April—one of a number to be presented on the topic there.

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Hybrid Engine Downsizing 2009 199

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Emissions from ethanol transport in the CMU study applied to ethanol life cycle emissions from other studies. Emissions from transport are recalculated using the CMU results. Click to enlarge. A new study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) concludes that the emissions associated with the transport of ethanol could negate its potential economic and environmental benefits compared to gasoline.

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Transportation Gasoline 2009 Emissions 191

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 6, 2009

Wal-Mart Stores has set of goal of increasing total fleet efficiency by 100% from 2005 to 2015, and has already exceeded its 2008 interim goal of a 25% increase, according to Chris Sultemeier, Wal-Mart’s Senior Vice President of Transportation. Total fleet efficiency is a combination of driving and operational practices as well as the vehicles, Sultemeier said.

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2015 Fleet Vehicles 2005 191

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 6, 2009

Sea-level change in response to the collapse of the WAIS computed by using (A) a standard eustatic sea-level theory and (B) the new model. (C) shows the difference between predictions generated by using the two sea-level theories [(B) minus (A)]. Source: Mitrovica et al. (2009) Click to enlarge. A new study by researchers at the University of Toronto and Oregon State University concludes that when physical and gravitational factors are applied to projections of sea level rise resulting from a ca

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Oregon Climate Change Universal 2009 191