2nd Green Revolution

Many couples will be doing something such as dinner and a movie to celebrate Valentine’s Day this weekend. Single guys may opt for “Rambotine’s Day” instead, having a few drinks at a friend’s house before eschewing the romantic for the “Rambotastic” by hitting the theater to watch something like Fight Club, Wolfman, or one of the many bloody Rambo series. Of course, should Rambotine’s Day not be an option, Hollywood has made sure that there are plenty of more romantic options. One such film is Valentine’s Day, a star-studded story in which “intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine’s Day”, according to IMDB.

Warner Bros. apparently paid some attention to reducing its carbon footprint while filming the movie. Read the rest of this entry »

The world's largest lithium reserves are under the salt flats in Uyuni, Bolivia.

There’s no shortage of discussion about what the United States should do to wean itself off of oil. Such heavy dependence on one main fuel source to power our transportation systems (and thus keeping our economy humming) means the U.S. is vulnerable to the unpredictable gyrations of oil and gas prices. Aside from those concerns, security risks and political considerations from having to deal with OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)  and many less than democratic countries are often the cause of much strife. Last but not least are the environmental concerns from relying on a petroleum based economy. Electrification of the transportation sector has been hailed as one of the solutions to our current oil dependence. By switching to electric vehicles, it is argued, we can avoid many of the problems mentioned above. The need for a reliable and renewable electricity source other than coal to charge those cars is one major concern. The batteries needed to power our electric vehicles is another. Those batteries need lithium, and lithium is not so equitably dispersed around the world.  Is there a chance that there will one day be protests against “Big Lithium” or some other mineral instead of big oil? Here are a few facts about lithium today, taken from work by the Electrification Coaltion: Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s post about the Chinese automaker BYD’s announcement at the Detroit auto show begs the question about the future of the automobile. What does the coming decade hold in store for the automobile? Share your thoughts by answering the following poll:

(polls)

- Eric Wilson

Chinese battery maker-turned-ambitious-automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) made some noise recently at the Detroit Auto Show. Scheduled to arrive in the U.S. later this year, their E6 electric vehicle has been the target of much speculation. With an “Fe battery” that may be lithium ion phosphate instead of the usual lithium ion, the Discovery Channel reports that the automaker’s battery is fully recyclable, lasts 10 years, and can move the car 205 miles on a single charge. Pricing for the car may be announced later this spring. Read the rest of this entry »

Denmark stands at the forefront of clean energy development. Nearly 20% of the electricity generated in the country comes from wind power. A New York Times article from earlier this month discusses the state of electric cars in Denmark – host to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. With such a significant percentage of energy produced from wind, storing the energy becomes an important issue.

Currently, “the biggest Danish power company is working with a Silicon Valley start-up in a $100 million effort to wire the country with charging poles as well as service stations that can change out batteries in minutes. The government offers a minimum $40,000 tax break on each new electric car — and free parking in downtown Copenhagen.” With huge financial incentives, the Danish government is hoping that collaborating with Shai Aggasi’s company Better Place will Read the rest of this entry »

At first look, it seems like something out of a science-fiction movie. With and 80 horse power engine in each of its eight wheels 80 horse power engines in all eight of its wheels and a top speed of 230 mph, the car is turning heads. Even given its radical design, there is potential for the car to make an impact in the commercial car market. Currently, however, the Eliica (or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car) is only a concept car. It was designed by a team lead by Keio University professor Hiroshi Shimizu in Tokyo. According to Wikipedia, “the 5.1 m (17 ft) car runs on lithium-ion batteries (4 tracks of 80 batteries underneath its platform) and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds (faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo). The Eliica’s official site (with slide show of car on homepage) says that the unusual design and eight wheels gives it several advantages over standard cars (video and another picture after the jump, too): Read the rest of this entry »

For years the Segway promised to be the answer to mobility and energy concerns for law enforcement and security personnel. T3 Motion Inc. is based in California and manufactures their vehicles in the United States. Their goal is to increase the transportation offerings to organizations in need of low speed vehicles. Their three main products, the CT micro car, T3 Series ESV (for law enforcement, government,  security, parcel delivery, and utilities), and the T3i Series ESV (for international customers) are all electric vehicles.

The CT Micro Car charges in approximately 8 hours with a range of 35, 45, or 75 miles, depending on the battery. As an alternative, the T3 and T3i Series both charge in roughly 3-4 hours, but come with a swappable battery that allows for near constant movement at a speed of 12-25 km/h (approximately 8-15 mph).

Features on the CT Micro Car include:

• Up to 35 mph
• Equivalent of 160 mpg*
• 12’ Turning Radius
• Maintenance Free AC Motor
• Regenerative Braking System
• Automatic Parking Brake
• Zero Gas Emissions
• All-Electric Vehicle

T3 Motion’s mission is to “produce personal mobility vehicles that meet the stringent performance standards and image of the professional.” The company believes “that our technology should be a benefit to both our professional end-users and the environment. Our zero gas emissions all-electric vehicle “the T3 Series” proves clean energy can also be cost-effective.” They base their argument on an average of 1 kilowatt usage per day at an average cost of 10 cents per kilowatt.

According to their website, “the T3 is an immediate response to the needs of the professional community.” In a “professional marketplace actively searching for environmentally-conscious and job-specific vehicles. . . . The T3 squarely hits the target for an environmentally-friendly, cost-effective professional vehicle that is designed to improve efficiency, reduce fatigue, and increase the ability to interface with others.”

- Eric Wilson

[image source: T3 Motion]

Fritz Henderson, GM’s Chief Executive, remarked at a news conference today that “Our Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle will achieve unprecedented fuel economy. I’m confident that we will be in triple digits.”

Triple digits indeed, if it can be believed. According to Autoblog, Frank Weber, vehicle chief engineer for the Volt, said that the “[230mpg] number is based on combined electric only driving and charge sustaining mode with the engine running.” It is based on city driving. He declined to get specific about the proportions, but did say that the urban cycle would be predominantly EV only.

The Volt can go 40 miles without using any gas by running on its electric motor. The average American commutes less than 40 miles per day, so on many days using the Volt will result in no gasoline consumption. Fritz also remarked that in Detroit, the car’s battery could be recharged overnight for $.05 per kilowatt hour, or a total of 40 cents. (GM webcast link after the jump). Read the rest of this entry »

• Japan’s CO₂ emissions per GDP are among the lowest of industrial countries at .24kg CO₂/US$ (IAEA)
• Hybrid car sales amount to well under a million cars a year, or less than 1% of world demand. J.P. Morgan analysts forecast that hybrids will reach 13% of global automobile sales in 2020. (Fortune Magazine, Special Advertising Section on Japan)
• The average person loses 13 pounds their first year of commuting by bike. http://bcycle.com/
• A four-mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe. http://bcycle.com/
• Nuclear energy experts count 436 operating nuclear power stations around the world, producing eight percent of the world’s electricity and around 20% of America’s. To power them, producer countries ship about 65,000 tons of uranium around the world each year. Top uranium producer countries  in 2008 (in metirc tons): Canada 9,000 tons; Kazakhstan 8,500; Australia 8,400; Namibia 4,400; Russia 3,500 (DLC)

- Justin Manger