Chevy's fuel efficient Cobalt is sipping gas a little more sparingly these days, thanks to some clever engineering and continued dedication to savi...
Diesel engines are a very important part of the GM global product portfolio. In fact, GM offers 16 engine variants for 2008, available in 41 vehic...
Chevrolet, along with the rest of General Motors, is striving to make its vehicles more environmentally responsible in numerous ways, including in...
yetunguez | posted on July 31, 2008
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Todd Morton | posted on July 30, 2008
Polymers are everywhere. Some see this as a great achievement in industrialization and cheap consumer goods. Take a look at any landfill, however, and it can quickly change your perspective. Although a good portion of polymers can be recycled these days, there is still an alarming amount of garbage that takes thousands of years to biodegrade. Biodegradable polymers do exist, but they are both expensive and suffer from poor mechanical properties, making their uses few and far between. Researcher in Taiwan have developed a novel solution to both problems, all while eliminating waste of a totally different kind. …read full discussion
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Chris Morrison | posted on July 29, 2008
Plenty has been written about electric utilities’ need for better information about the power their customers are using, and a number of companies are tackling that problem. But what about customers — shouldn’t they get the same info? For the first time, consumers may have a chance to see their power usage patterns, with a suite of devices from Tendril Networks.
Utilities get data from the meters attached to every home and business that uses electricity, letting them see minute-to-minute usage. The challenge is to give people in their homes the same view in a convenient way, so that they know when prices are high or low, how much they’re using, and which of their household devices, like heat pumps and refrigerators, are energy hogs.
Tendril’s Residential Energy Ecosystem (TREE) gives several points of control. A display called the Insight shows current electricity prices, the amount spent so far over the month, and issues an audio or visual alert in case of a price spike or emergency. The Volt is a wall plug-in for devices that tracks and controls their 
energy usage, and Vantage is the company’s software portal that allows consumers to set rules (like not turning on the air conditioner when they’re out of the house) and remotely control the system.
The company is well along in development, and the Insight, when CEO Adrian Tuck showed it to me, impressed me with its ease of use. Tuck says they’ll have 50,000 units distributed by the end of the year, and hopes to have half a million out by the time 2009 is over.
…read full discussion
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Phillip Torrone | posted on July 29, 2008
NYTimes article about LED lighting, it’s interesting that Philips is pretty much only betting on one horse…
The problem, though, is the price. A standard 60-watt incandescent usually costs less than $1. An equivalent compact fluorescent is about $2. But in Europe this September, Philips, the Dutch company dealing in consumer electronics, health care machines and lighting, is to introduce the Ledino, its first L.E.D. replacement for a standard incandescent. Priced at $107 a bulb, it are unlikely to have more than a few takers…“L.E.D. performance is there, but the price is not,” said Kevin Dowling, a Philips Lighting vice president and past chairman of the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance, an industry group that works with the Department of Energy. “Even at $10 to $15, consumers won’t buy L.E.D. bulbs,” Mr. Dowling said.
While compact fluorescents are beginning to replace standard light bulbs in many homes, lighting executives see those as an interim technology. They say the large size of the bulbs, the inability to dim many of them, the unpleasant color of the light and the five milligrams of mercury in each bulb will limit their appeal.
Philips is working to decrease the penetration of compact fluorescent bulbs. “We are not spending one dollar on research and development for compact fluorescents,” said Kaj den Daas, chairman and chief executive of Philips Lighting. Instead, the bulk of its R.& D. budget, which is 5.2 percent of the company’s global lighting revenue, is for L.E.D. research. Philips is betting the store on the L.E.D. bulbs, which it expects to represent 20 percent of its professional lighting revenue in two years.
Pictured here, “The full spectrum of color, design and programming available for the Times Square ball. Photo: Ian Hardy”. Wow, this should be the blinkiest New Years yet!
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babblin5 | posted on July 28, 2008
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Alistair Croll | posted on July 28, 2008
A recent study by computer retailer CDW shows that most IT decision makers believe in making their technology infrastructure greener and more energy efficient. But more than half of those surveyed cite cost as the main obstacle, and see the impact on the environment and on their company’s image as greater benefits than the cost savings from a reduced power bill.
Those results seem at odds with reports from analysts that suggest green, power-efficient computing is just around the corner and is being driven by spiraling energy costs. Most forecasts show computing power costs will have a real impact on companies soon: Gartner projects that by 2010, 75 percent of companies will consider the energy and CO2 footprint of hardware during purchasing.
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Springwise | posted on July 25, 2008
We’ve seen (and written about) both green taxis and motorcycle taxis before, but never a combination of the two. Sure enough, though, one of our spotters recently came across an all-electric motorcycle service in France.
Citybird’s Electri-City operates a fleet of 15 Suzuki Burgman 650cc Executive scooters from its Paris-based headquarters, as well as a number of luxurious Honda Goldwings for use by members of its Citybird Club. All its Suzuki scooters are 100 percent electric, and emit just 125g CO2 per km—significantly less than most motorcycles and 50 to 70 percent less than traditional taxis, according to Climate Mundi. Taking it even further, though, Citybird works with Climate Mundi to offset those remaining emissions, along with those from its own administration. So, it also effectively negates the emissions from manufacturing all the motorcycles and gas it uses, as well as from making the supplies, furniture and computers used in its offices and its waste, energy facilities and movement of personnel.
Electri-City, which has made more than 54,000 trips since 2003, now has 160 companies under contract for its services. It also has partnerships with British Airways and TGV for airport transportation. Fares begin at EUR 25 within Paris, with subscriptions available offering discounts of up to 20 percent. Microphone-equipped helmets are included, as is protective gear in foul weather.
Motorcycle taxis already have an advantage in congested urban areas, but those benefits are multiplied many times over when the service is emissions-free. This one seems like a no-brainer—to be replicated in cities throughout the world!
Website: www.city-bird.com/_electricity
Contact: infos@city-bird.com
Spotted by: Matthew Cua
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Jorge Chapa | posted on July 25, 2008
Have you ever pedaled on a stationary bike at the gym and thought to yourself: ‘What if this energy I am exerting could be used for something better than just making me sweat?” Well now a new proposal from architect Mitchell Joachim promises to take all that energy expended at the gym to the next level, by capturing all that exertion and using it to transport people around the rivers of New York City. The River Gym concept is a human-powered floating gym that will provide the user with the one experience that no other gym can provide: floating your workout around Manhattan. Designed by architect Mitchell Joachim and personal trainer Douglas Joachim, this project could bring inspiration to both the morning commute and workout.
Read more about this: here
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Katie Fehrenbacher | posted on July 25, 2008
We’ve been waiting awhile for the coming revolution of both fuel cell-powered devices and those tiny computers called “ultra-mobile PCs.” Well, now we can wait a bit more for a gadget with both of those future-forward designs in one. This morning, fuel cell maker MTI Micro and Korean consumer electronics maker NeoSolar said they will be making a variety of consumer electronics powered by fuel cells — most notably, ultra-mobile PCs.
The companies aren’t revealing much, but they say the gadgets will be able to use MTI’s methanol-based fuel cell technology, Mobion, as chargers, embedded technology and as snap-on attachments. No word on when they’ll be available, but check out the gadget below:
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Uncrate | posted on July 24, 2008
If you’re really concerned about the environment, consider making the Brooks Trance 8 Biodegradable Running Shoe ($140) your next fitness purchase. These sturdy running shoes feature a foam midsole that biodegrades 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes, by using molecules shaped to let the bacteria found in dumps decompose them more easily. Other features include a moisture-controlling Element mesh upper, rear and forefoot HydroFlow cushioning, and looks that won’t embarrass you at the gym.
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