Jaguar, yes the luxury car maker, is showing off the new C-X75 plug-in extended range electric vehicle. The car will have four traction motors, two gas micro turbines, and a single speed transmission. Top speed is 205 mph. This Jaguar will travel 68 miles on electric power alone and 560 miles extended range. The car only produces 28 grams of CO2 per kilometer (.62 miles) and holds 60 liters (a little over 7 gallons) of gas.
Technology for a greener future
Archive for September, 2010
Volvo body parts may soon double as batteries
Volvo is one of nine European companies and institutes looking at developing composite material that can double as a battery. The Imperial College in London launched the project that includes Volvo as the only car manufacturer.
Drought in the Southwest requires tougher conservation measures
After an eleven year drought, Lake Mead is expected to go below the crucial 1,075 feet demarcation line within the next year. A temporary reallocation of water between the seven states fed by the lower Colorado River occurs is set to occur when the 1,075 feet limit is breached. If the level falls below 1,050 the turbines located at Hoover Dam on Lake Mead will stop working further complicating the situation. Not only will further measures to conserve water will be needed, but also new sources of energy.
Energizer introduces a new inductive charger
Energizer has announced a new inductive charger that will charge up your phone or other small device using Qi, the new universal standard for inductive charging as established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). The new standard allows you to charge your device by simply laying it on a special mat with a few additional requirements.
The “Snail” wins the 2010 Electrolux Design Lab Competition
This years winner of the Electrolux Design Lab competition is the Snail, an induction heating unit that runs off of sugar. The Snail was conceived and designed by Peter Alwin, studying at the National Institute of Design in India.
Better Place and GE team up on charging infrastructure
GE and Better Place have decided work together to promote the coming electric vehicle (EV) revolution. The two companies have identified four areas on which they will concentrate: “technology development, battery financing, electrifying corporate vehicle fleets and consumer awareness.”
The Solar Impulse crosses Switzerland and back in two days
Over the past two days, the Solar Impulse (HB-SIA) has been flying around Switzerland. The plane, which flies on solar energy alone, flew from Payerne to Genève and back again. Yesterday, the Solar Impulse flew to Zurich and back. It wasn’t a speedy flight but it was a beautiful one.
Create CO2 storage from Everclear, cornstarch, salt and sugar
Mix together gamma-cyclodextrin, an eight-membered sugar ring produced from biorenewable cornstarch, potassium chloride, a common salt substitute, or potassium benzoate and Everclear, aka grain alcohol and create an accidental discovery (see the full recipe below). Sounding like a recipe for a wino, a new edible metal-organic framework (MOF) has been developed by researchers at Northwestern University, UCLA, and University of St. Andrews in the UK. The new edible MOFs are expected to replace those made from petroleum products. These new nanostructures could be used for “gas storage and food and medical technologies.”
Here is yet another reason not to fly
Some supposedly “green” measures should really be bypassed because what they are talking about is just cheap. No, I do not mean inexpensive. I mean cheap. These SkyRider seats from Aviointeriors are a great example of the difference.
Online shopping and telecommuting may not reduce carbon emissions
A new report from Newcastle University says that online shopping and telecommuting could be having the opposite effect on the environment than intended. Instead of reducing carbon emissions these activities may actually be increasing them.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) at Newcastle released the report that looked at the “rebound effect” of practices that are supposed to be green.