Sat.Mar 19, 2011 - Fri.Mar 25, 2011

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3D self-assembling nanostructure for cathodes enables very rapid charge and discharge without sacrificing capacity; potential for EVs

Green Car Congress

(a) Cross-sectional SEM image of an MnO 2 cathode. (b) Lithiated MnO 2 cathode. Zhang et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a self-assembling three-dimensional nanostructure for battery cathodes (Li-ion and NiMH) that allows for faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity.

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Automakers continue to face challenges caused by quake

Plugs and Cars

Nissan may have to ship engines from Tennessee to Japan. Honda is extending the shut down at its shuttered plants. Worries about Prius supply has already increased the average price by the consumer by $1,800. GM and Nissan production in the US is being disrupted by lack of Japanese parts. [Source: NYTimes ].

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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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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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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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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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Transmission Losses: 100 mile oil slick in Gulf

Plugs and Cars

The Coast Guard is investigating reports of a potentially large oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico not far from the Deepwater Horizon site. According to a knowledgeable source, the slick was sighted by a helicopter pilot on Friday and is about 100 miles long. A fishing boat captain said he went through the slick yesterday and it was strong enough to make his eyes burn.

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More Trending

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Saturn SL2 Electric Car Conversion

Electric Cars are for Girls

I have been considering converting my 1999 Saturn SL2 to electric. This has an automatic transmission.

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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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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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Electric Car Factory: Think Sets Up Shop In Indiana, RV-Land

Green Car Reports

Quick, name the electric cars currently on sale. Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and. ummmm. oh, yeah, Smart Electric Drive. Now name the ones built in the States. Hmmmm. Volt, right? Think about it Yes, but you've missed out on one--in both categories. It's the Think City, which is now being assembled in Elkhart, Indiana, from kits imported from.

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

Brief

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Nissan makes first UK deliveries of the Leaf

Green Cars News

It’s finally begun! Nissan made its first of its UK deliveries of the hotly anticipated new Leaf today, with the first cars going to Smooth Radio DJ Mark Goodier and electronics engineer Richard Todd. The two collected their electric cars from Glyn Hopkin Nissan in Waltham Abbey, Hertfordshire. The Leaf dubbed ‘the world’s first affordable, [.].

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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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Electric Cars To Help 2050 Europe Goal Of Zero-Emissions Cities

All Cars Electric

When looked at in pure dollars and cents, there are many cases in which electric cars don't yet provide a payback. But other forces will boost their chances of adoption beyond pure payback. And government regulations are one of those forces. On Monday, the European Commission will issue a road map on transport from now until 2050. According to one.

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BMW: The Newest 'Ultimate Car-Sharing Machine'? Maybe Soon

Green Car Reports

Oh, those wacky Germans and their car-sharing schemes. BMW said yesterday that it would launch a pilot car-sharing program, first in Munich and then in Berlin, starting next month. The cooperative venture with Sixt AG will be called DriveNow. BMW says DriveNow will be the "first-ever car-sharing scheme offering premium models," in this case its.

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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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Driving down the cost of electric car batteries. The Green Piece

Green Cars News

March 22, 2011. The Green Piece Column. While many of the drawbacks of electric cars, such as limited range and the lack of charging infrastructure are gradually being addressed, there remains one hugely prohibitive feature – the price tag. At the heart of this issue is that the batteries used in the vehicles simply cost [.].

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Team from Coskata, GM and Auburn University lays out a case for cellulosic ethanol

Green Car Congress

The conversion of biomass to cellulosic ethanol is the most efficient and productive use of biomass to create a high-octane, environmentally friendly transportation fuel, according to a perspective paper published in the Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology. Authors of the paper are Rathin Datta, cellulosic ethanol company Coskata’s chief scientific officer; Mark Maher, executive director, powertrain/vehicle integration, GM Powertrain; Coleman Jones, GM biofuels implementation ma

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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: Driven

All Cars Electric

When the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale about this time next year, it will be the first mass-production vehicle from Toyota that plugs in. Yet, despite that, the Plug-In feels more like a value-added version of the Prius than a model that will be itself iconic or radically new. It's value-added, because owners will have some of the.

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FIRST DRIVE: 2012 Buick Lacrosse 37-MPG eAssist Prototype

Green Car Reports

To date, Buick and "fuel economy" haven't often been used in the same sentence. But the 2012 Buick LaCrosse, the brand's largest surviving car, will offer one engine option that's projected to deliver 25 mpg city, 37 mpg highway. That's not bad for a midsize near-luxury sedan (though 1 mpg lower on city mileage than Buick had hoped). We've just.

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New association to support alternative fuel, two wheeled transport

Green Cars News

A new specialist association is to launch to help drive the development of alternatively-fuelled motorbikes and scooters. The Motorcycle Industry Association has announced it is to launch eMCI as a partner association which will proactively promote and develop a positive market and political environment for the UK’s embryonic- but highly significant- alternative powered two wheeler [.].

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Hydrogenics awarded contract for fuel cell power modules for hybrid ferry

Green Car Congress

Hydrogenics Corporation has received a contract from Statue Cruises, LLC, a subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises & Events for the delivery of two HyPM HD 16 fuel cell power modules delivering up to 33 kW of continuous power for a hybrid ferry ( earlier post ). The 600-passenger Hornblower Hybrid will be propelled by hydrogen fuel cells in a compound hybrid arrangement along with wind turbines, solar panels and a Tier 2 diesel engine for additional energy needs.

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Look Ma! No Wires! Google Gets Wireless Electric Car Charger

All Cars Electric

Let’s face it: going wireless is cool. The humble phone lost its stuffy image when it lost that annoying cable, wireless computing has transformed access to the Internet and unlocking your car with keyless entry beats stumbling around in the dark for the key hole any day. So when software and Internet search king Google was approached by a.

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Video: Toyota Prius Cranks Up The Crazy With Two Record-Breaking Days

Green Car Reports

Spring has sprung for the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In. The highly anticipated hybrid recently began making the rounds with critics, so it's not surprising that Toyota chose the end of this month to tout the Prius brand by hosting a live, two-day event in which four Prii will be put through a number of record-setting tests. These won't be your.

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Nissan LEAF now available to rent

Green Cars News

If you’re lucky enough to live in or visit the Santa Monica area of California then you could soon be driving around in style in the electric car that everyone is talking about. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is now offering its customers the Nissan LEAF for daily and weekly rental and has installed an electric car charging [.].

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Daihatsu to price new minicar below $10K; most fuel efficient car in Japan, excluding hybrids

Green Car Congress

Nikkei. Daihatsu Motor Co. will sell its new minivehicle to be released this summer for less than ¥800,000 (US$9,900). The Toyota Motor Corp. group firm had earlier indicated a price below 1 million yen, but opted to make the e:S car even more affordable to better compete with its main rivals: hybrids and electric vehicles. Chairman Kousuke Shiramizu revealed these plans in a speech in Kitakyushu.

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Range or Signal Anxiety? Ford and AT&T Team Up on Electric Cars

All Cars Electric

Ford has just announced that it has chosen telecoms giant AT&T to provide wireless connectivity to its new range of electric and plug-in cars, enabling drivers of its 2012 Ford Focus electric car to remotely interact with their car via an Internet portal or their smart phone. Just like owners of the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

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Little Lotus Range-Extending Engine For Electric Cars Proves Popular

Green Car Reports

Most car buyers haven't even heard the term "range extender" yet. But over time, expect it to become more familiar, as electric cars like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt introduce the concept of a gasoline engine that turns a generator to produce electricity to power the vehicle. Tiny, powerful, efficient At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Lotus.

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Over 1,500 more vehicles travel free through London

Green Cars News

Nearly 2,000 vehicles have been registered to travel congestion-charge free since changes to London’s congestion levy were introduced in January. In total, 1678 vehicles are now registered under the new ‘Greener Vehicle Discount’ scheme which permits all vehicles with emissions under 100g/km CO2 and Euro 5 compliant to travel through central London without incurring the [.].

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Airbus and TAROM launch project to establish sustainable bio-kerosene jet fuel value-chain

Green Car Congress

Airbus and TAROM Romanian Air Transport together with a consortium of key stakeholders have established one of Europe’s first projects aiming to establish a sustainable bio-kerosene jet-fuel processing and production capability. The project will use diverse biomass sources as feedstock, with a special interest in the camelina plant. CCE and BIOTEHGEN are implementing various camelina placement trials at different locations in Romania, with the purpose of assessing sustainability of different pro

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Renault: Electric Car Battery Swapping Too Costly For Now

All Cars Electric

If you listen to the enthusiastic founder and CEO of Better Place Shai Agassi, the ability to swap depleted electric car battery packs for fully charged ones at a dedicated swap station is an essential and much-needed part of electric vehicle infrastructure. But while the ultra-fast way of getting another 100+ miles of range into your electric car.

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Chevy Volt Price-Gouging Pushes Buyer Into Honda Insight Hybrid

Green Car Reports

For all the media furor over the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevy Volt, you'd think that tens of thousands of them were flooding onto our streets each month. Not so. As of Feb 28, the total sold between both cars was just 1,102, made up of 928 Volts and 174 Leafs. Now, it may be that those totals won't rise as fast as the makers had planned.

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Nissan delivers Leaf cars to Switch EV trial

Green Cars News

Nissan has delivered fourteen new electric Leaf cars to the Switch EV trial taking place in the North East of England. The trial which began in September last year, involves several well-known EV car makers and is one of eight UK projects supported by the Technology Strategy Board’s £25m Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles Demonstrator Programme, [.].

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Lightweight electromobile with ROHACELL body crosses Australia almost exclusively on wind energy

Green Car Congress

The Wind Explorer pilot vehicle is a two-seated electromobile that weighs just 200 kg (441 lbs) and with a range of 400 kilometers (249 miles) per battery charge. The bodywork consists mainly of a carbon fiber composite with ROHACELL structural foam from Evonik Industries. Its lithium-ion batteries, based on yet another Evonik technology, are charged by a mobile wind turbine or in the conventional way from the power grid.

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FAIL: U.K. Meter Maid Tickets Electric Car While it Charged

All Cars Electric

Police traffic and parking control officers have an important job: they help keep traffic flowing in major cities and also ensure that cars are parked legally and safely. But local authorities in the U.K. city of Coventry are under fire after one of its parking enforcement officers ticketed an electric car while it was parked at a public charging.

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BMW Looking To Boost MPGs With TwinPower Turbo Three-Cylinder Engines

Green Car Reports

Expect to see smaller engines for BMW’s future models, as high fuel prices and greater environmental concerns push automakers towards engines with lower displacements. We’ve already seen this trend with the recent announcement of BMW’s new TwinPower Turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Its 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of.

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