The Toyota A-Bat hybrid pickup truck will be debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which begins on Monday, January 14. The Toyota A-Bat is for now a gasoline-electric hybrid concept vehicle designed in Newport Beach, California by Calty as well as the TMS Advanced Product Strategy group. The Toyota A-Bat […]
Continue ReadingA commercial version of the Taiwanese solar car that came in second place at the Australian World Solar Challenge (WSC) may appear for sale this year. This mini solar racer, made in Taiwan, will be considered a city car, with a top speed of 44 mph. The two-seater (with perhaps a third being added) has […]
Continue ReadingResearchers at Stanford University have discovered a new way to extend the life of a lithium-ion laptop battery from 2 hours per charge to 20 hours using nanowire technology. This breakthrough technology is based upon a tiny thicket of silicon nanowires that measure about 1/1000 the thickness of a sheet of paper. Typically, lithium-ion batteries […]
Continue ReadingThis is the year that LED Christmas lights have finally taken root. George W. Bush has decided that the White House gets the green light when it comes to LED lights around the National Christmas Tree. LED Christmas lights are said to consume only one-tenth the energy of regular incandescent bulbs. The LED lights around […]
Continue ReadingThe Home Depot, in 55 stores throughout Arizona are offering residential solar panels and installation to customers. This is a clear sign that solar energy is finally coming of age. Home Depot is also offering residential solar in most stores throughout California as well. New York and New Jersey markets are expected to follow. The […]
Continue ReadingNanosolar has come up with an alternative that few other solar cell makers have. And, that is to not use the scarce supply of silicon in their solar devices. Nanosolar makes thin film solar cells that are flexible and include CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) instead of silicon. The San Jose, California based Nanosolar has […]
Continue ReadingToday, President Bush has signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This long-awaited bill spearheaded by Representative Dan Lipinski (D-IL) passed the House 314 to 100 and includes three major parts including the Bright Energy Savings Act, the H-Prize and new CAFE standards. The Bright Energy Savings Act calls for all government offices […]
Continue ReadingMIT student cyclists are using pedal power to run computers and burn calories. Back in November of this year, MIT students were given an assignment as part of a course in civil and environmental engineering to build a device that “converts mechanical power into electrical power.” So, the students came up with an ingenious idea […]
Continue ReadingPhoenix Motorcars may just be the Next Big Thing in electric vehicles. And, these next big things will likely be produced in Mexico according to the latest reports. Last week, I talked about the promise for lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) taking over the electric vehicle market. But, there is a different kind of lithium […]
Continue ReadingWhile there has been a lot of hoopla about hybrids of the plug-in variety from the large automakers such as Toyota, GM and Ford, there is a newly formed automaker who may just beat the other three to market. Fisker Coachbuild has teamed up with Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide to form a new company […]
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