President Obama’s latest budget holds a welcome nugget for people thinking about purchasing a green tech vehicle like an electric vehicle (EV). Rather than the current $7,500 tax credit currently in place for purchasers of environmentally friendly cars, you would get $10,000 knocked off the price of an electric vehicle when you actually purchase it, not when you file your taxes. This is good news for EV manufacturers as well as consumers.
Technology for a greener future
Archive for the ‘Electric vehicle’ Category
UK’s easyJet will be the first airline to test electric taxiing system
Safran and Honeywell have designed an electric green taxiing system or EGTS that allows jets to taxi on the ground without having to use their engines. Instead the planes would use electric motors attached to each wheel and run by the plane’s auxiliary power unit. The electrical system should provide better maneuvering control to pilots when docking at a gate and should save four percent of energy costs.
Better Place gets its Israeli battery swap system up and running
Better Place has one of the more unique ways of dealing with exhausted electric car batteries. While it does offer charging stations which take quite a while to charge your battery, it also offers the option of simply switching it out. A 100 car fleet of electric vehicles will now begin testing the infrastructure which stretches across Israel.
Tata Motors will present a new vaporware car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Many automakers unveil concept cars at the various auto shows around the world and every now and then they actually make it into production. Mostly they showcase new technology and design ideas. Tata Motors will be showcasing the eMO at this years Detroit Auto Show in the Michelin Challenge Design. Unlike many concept cars, Tata has basically said that this car won’t ever see a production line but the company has built a nice little imaginary retail experience around the car.
Parisian architects propose an algae-green loop for Marina City in Chicago
Parisian firm Influx Studio is proposing a radical retrofit of the Marina City towers in Chicago. The renovation of the buildings would result in a variety of green innovations and architectural features that would result in renewable energy, vertical agriculture and cleaner air.
Gordon Murray’s T.27 city car wins triple crown
Gordon Murray who has designed conventional and electric sports cars, has designed an electric commuter car that won the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge 2011.
Nissan’s three seater Pivo 3 could go into production
Most electric vehicles (EVs) that have made it to market use rather standard interiors. They usually seat two or four generally side by side. Nissan’s Pivo 3 seats three with the middle driver’s seat slightly forward of the other two with the steering wheel in the middle of the car. This car is one of several candidates considered for future production.
Governments keep playing with HOV carpool lanes
High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes were created to encourage more environmentally friendly travel. The idea was that if you car pool (carry one or more passengers) with you, then you can have access to a special lane to escape traffic congestion. In some places, people driving green cars (hybrids or electric vehicles (EVs)) could travel in the HOV lane even without passengers. Lately, HOV rules have changed slowing things down.
Ford is now taking reservations for the 2012 Focus Electric
Head over to Ford’s website for the 2012 Focus Electric and you’ll run smack dab into an offer to reserve yours today. So if you aren’t already signed up for a Nissan Leaf among others, you can go ahead and sign up for Ford’s first electric car.
Ways 3D printing may impact your life and environment
Twenty years ago no one anticipated their popularity or that mobile phones might one day prove to be portable gaming machines, eBook readers, and GPS navigation units. In the coming 20 years we may all be amazed at how much of our lives revolve around 3D printing.