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Electric
Video: Eric Giler demonstrates wireless electricity at TEDGlobal 2009
By Loz Blain
23:21 August 30, 2009 PDT
It's fascinating to think that while Edison and Tesla battled over the ascendancy of AC versus DC, most of the world didn't think this electricity thing was going to take off - I mean, who was going to spend trillions of dollars rolling out great coils of copper wire to bring this thing to the masses? Nikola Tesla was thinking along the same lines, and the Serbian genius's mysterious Wardenclyffe Tower was to be an experiment in beaming electricity wirelessly across the world, eliminating the need for a wired power grid altogether. But wireless electricity has been enjoying a cautious revival in the past decade - mainly at short distance and for reasonably trivial applications like charging cell phones and other battery-powered equipment. And as Eric Giler's great ten-minute demonstration at this year's TEDGlobal shows, wireless power seems very close to breaking through into the mainstream market. Read More
The eniCycle is an electric unicycle that balances fun and utility
By Alan Brandon
17:36 August 26, 2009 PDT
The eniCycle is the latest entry in the increasingly crowded self-stabilizing electric unicycle market. Developed by Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik, the eniCycle has Segway-like balancing capabilities but only a single wheel. With its three-hour battery and lean-to-go controls, this diminutive one-wheeler prototype brings Jetsons-type technology one step closer to reality. Read More
GoPet scooter - 25 miles on 10c of electricity
By Jeff Salton
03:29 August 26, 2009 PDT
If a Segway isn’t really your style and a bicycle’s too hard going, a four-wheel scooter is a little too pedestrian and jogging is out of the question, then perhaps the GoPet Personal Electric Transportation scooter from MyGoPet Inc will meet your needs. GoPet is a three-wheeled electric vehicle that's easy to ride and eco-friendly. It has a top speed of 16mph and can travel 25 miles on 10 cents worth of electricity courtesy of its 48V, 350W front hub direct drive motor, say the manufacturers. Read More
Plan to turn rooftops, walls and windows into cheap solar cells
By Jeff Salton
19:23 August 25, 2009 PDT
Cheaper solar cells – roughly one-tenth the cost of current day prices – could be available within three to five years thanks to a manufacturing procedure that uses nanoparticle ‘inks’ to print them like newspaper or to spray-paint them onto the sides of buildings or rooftops. Even windows could become solar cells thanks to the semi-transparent inks. 'Painting' solar cells on buildings has been an idea in the making for some time – Gizmag investigated the possibilities of 'solar paint' in 2008. Read More
Arty sunflowers look good and provide power, too
By Paul Ridden
17:38 August 24, 2009 PDT
A boring and unattractive loading area at the rear of a retail development in Austin, Texas is now hidden from view by a collection of 15 huge blue sunflowers, the petals of which collect energy from the sun to power the artwork's LED lighting and generate funds to help towards costs. Whether driving past or walking through the Electric Garden, onlookers will be treated to an awe-inspiring panorama where art meets functionality. Read More
Ford PHEVs to save by ‘talking’ to electric grid
By Jeff Salton
23:38 August 20, 2009 PDT
A new development by Ford allows owners of the company’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to further reduce their operating costs by programming when to recharge the vehicle, for how long and at what utility rate. Ford says it has developed a vehicle-to-grid communications and control system for its (PHEVs) which enables them to ‘talk’ directly with the nation’s electric grid. Read More
Korean electric vehicle solution
By Paul Ridden
00:08 August 20, 2009 PDT
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed an electric transport system where the vehicles get their power needs from cables underneath the surface of the road via non-contact magnetic charging. As well as potentially saving Koreans a lot of money by reducing crude oil imports, widespread adoption of the technology also offers the potential of improving air quality in currently polluted cities. Read More
The quietest Orange County Chopper yet: the electric Siemens Smart Chopper
By Loz Blain
03:13 August 14, 2009 PDT
The beefy gents at Orange County Choppers have surprised us a few times before, going out of their normal raked-out design brief to customize a Ducati Monster 1100, for example - but they really turned heads this week when Paul Teutul, Snr, presented the company's - and perhaps the world's - first all-electric chopper. Commissioned by Siemens and built using recycled steel, LED lighting and environmentally-friendly water-based paints, the Siemens Smart Chopper features a 27hp brushless motor good for a top speed in excess of 100mph, and enough battery life for a 60-mile range. And it's going up for auction. Read More
Obama bets US$2.4 billion on battery-electric vehicles
By Loz Blain
03:29 August 7, 2009 PDT
Awesome news: battery technology is about to get a US$2.4 billion-dollar kick in the pants. US President Barack Obama has announced the single largest funds injection into battery development and electric/hybrid vehicle technology the world has ever seen. Obama's hope is that this huge chunk of stimulus funds will be enough to knock down the biggest wall standing between electric vehicles and the mainstream: the fact that current batteries are still too expensive, take too long to charge, and don't hold enough energy. If the move succeeds, it could put America right at the front of the electric car revolution - but at the least, it could help the next generation of iPhones last more than a day between charges. Read More
Amphibious hybrid concept car - street machine to mean marine
By Jeff Salton
18:45 August 3, 2009 PDT
Despite the fact that very few make it off the drawing board to prototype stage, ‘go anywhere’ concept cars are an ever popular subject for budding auto designers and car lovers alike. And why not - they allow us to forget about the pesky practicalities of design and tiresome economics and imagine what could be. The latest to cross our desk - the Amphibious Hybrid concept vehicle - is a case of Bond meets the Transformers with its automatically adjusting tire design that morphs to ensure maximum grip on any given terrain including ice and water, where it becomes a kind of three wheel paddle boat. Read More
Smart concept for public transport solar ‘bike’ - but can the public be trusted?
23:05 July 28, 2009 PDT
Young German industrial designer, Tobias Bexten, has come up with a nifty little idea for city transport. The STEM is a compact electric three-wheeler, powered by a lithium-ion battery, that would be available for pick-up and return at a city-wide infrastructure of rental stations. But, if a popular Parisian bike rental scheme is anything to go by, Tobias could expect to see half his bikes stolen, and the rest vandalized, hung from lamp posts and tossed in rivers. Read More
Hail a hybrid - Toyota Prius cabs for Scotland
By Jeff Salton
06:01 July 28, 2009 PDT
Scottish council, West Lothian (near Edinburgh), has given the green light to a local cab company to run a fleet of Toyota Prius vehicles. The decision makes Calder Cabs the first cab company in Scotland to offer the hybrid cars after the council determined that the Prius could be licensed as a private hire vehicle. Read More
Help design a car for the future
By Paul Ridden
23:22 July 27, 2009 PDT
C,mm,n (pronounced common) is an open community design project that is not only counting on its members to help design a car but is also tasking them with producing a whole new mobility solution to cope with the challenging demands of the future. The blueprints for the proposed electric car concept and the mobility concepts are freely available under an open source licence and contributions are welcome from anyone and everyone. Read More
Polaris launches Electric Neighbourhood Vehicle
By Gizmag Team
01:15 July 17, 2009 PDT
Polaris has announced a low emission electric powered Neighborhood Vehicle, the Polaris Breeze, the first product of its new On-Road Vehicle Division. The Breeze is designed for multiple consumer uses such as golfing, comfortably transporting up to four passengers, or easily carrying light cargo loads. The vehicle is targeted towards master planned communities, and will be available in limited quantities in September 2009. Perhaps more importantly, now that electric vehicle manufacture has been added to the company skills base, what other electric capability might be added to other Polaris products? Read More
Hyundai launches world’s first LPG-electric hybrid
22:13 July 12, 2009 PDT
Hyundai has entered the burgeoning hybrid market with a world first – an LPG-electric hybrid vehicle. The Elantra LPI Hybrid combines a four cylinder 1.6 LPI “Gamma” engine and 15kW electric motor to deliver fuel economy of 42mpg and CO2 emissions of just 99grams/km. Hyundai believes the combination of hybrid power and low-cost fuel will enable the Elantra LPI to pay its way faster than any other hybrid on the market. Read More
Recharge Electric mower helps keep your lawn 'green'
By Jude Garvey
23:22 July 8, 2009 PDT
There’s nothing like the smell of freshly-cut grass to bring back fond childhood memories of summer…alongside less fond memories of the sickly, sweet smell of mower fuel and the sound of cursing all over the neighborhood as people failed to get their lawn mower started. It’s no wonder that electric mowers have become so popular in recent times given they are easy to operate, quiet, require little maintenance and don’t strain your back (or your good mood) trying to start them. They are also much better for the environment than their fuel-guzzling two-stroke engine ancestors. The Recharge Mower offers all these benefits - and you don't have to push it. Read More
Car share program launched with new Maya 300 electric vehicle
20:15 June 30, 2009 PDT
Baltimore has taken the environmental benefits of car-sharing programs a step further by launching one that features the all-electric, zero local emissions Maya 300. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Maya 300 seats five, can travel up to 120 miles on a single charge, has a top speed of 35mph and can be charged via a standard 110V household electrical outlet. Read More
Light Tape: bending light... and other applications
By Jeff Salton
19:48 June 30, 2009 PDT
Think of a light bulb you can wrap around your finger or roll-out to create a display that would rival the Griswalds' efforts in Christmas Vacation. Light Tape is an extremely flexible lighting strip that has seemingly more applications than LED or neon lighting systems. Thinner than a credit card, and with a bend radius of 2mm, Light Tape can go just about anywhere – indoors and outdoors. It’s even wearable. Read More
Electric vehicle trials gain traction in UK
By Jeff Salton
04:09 June 26, 2009 PDT
A raft of electric vehicle related news from the UK this week with Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota and BMW (through its Mini brand) all getting a piece of the action. A total of approximately 340 all-electric and hybrid vehicles will begin trials on UK roads within the next 6-18 months. Read More
New ‘electronic glue’ promises cheaper semiconductors
By Darren Quick
00:47 June 23, 2009 PDT
A new “electronic glue” for nanocrystals developed by researchers at the University of Chicago and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory promises to accelerate advances in semiconductor-based technologies, including solar cells and thermoelectric devices. Read More
SOHH: Solar human hybrid transport for the whole family (and the dog)
By Paul Ridden
02:36 June 19, 2009 PDT
If the words "human hybrid" conjure terrifying images of Christian Bale battling it out against Skynet and a league of Terminators then the Solar Human Hybrid Project (SOHH for short) might come as a bit of light relief. It's a one of a kind, great-looking 4-wheeler where the power comes courtesy of the harmonization of solar energy and a good old-fashioned lower body workout. There's an iPod dock, a GPS navigation system, a cargo area and even a platform especially for the dog. It's definitely a worthy contender for the crown of coolest green transportation around. Oh, and it's also a school project. Read More
Husqvarna's electric Panthera Leo concept ride-on mower
By Loz Blain
16:17 June 18, 2009 PDT
Just when you thought that wildly overdone, highfalutin concept vehicles were the sole preserve of the automotive market, Husqvarna has dropped a lawnmowing bomb with its majestically named Panthera Leo concept ride-on mower. Using five inbuilt electric engines, it lets you quietly go about your lawn maintenance in the knowledge that you've brought a Gatling gun to a knife fight. Three individually suspended cutting heads can be spaced to your liking, there's an LCD dashboard with speed, cutting height, width and battery maintenance readouts and an object collision avoidance system - and it can rotate completely on the spot for total mowing precision. Read More
Elmoto: Stylish and economical electric biking in one lightweight package
By Paul Ridden
20:50 June 15, 2009 PDT
So what's so special about the new Elmoto HR-2 electric bike? With so many other green transport choices around, why opt for this one? Promising all of the convenient practicality of a bicycle and some of the power and comfort of a small scooter, the HR-2 tips the scales at a svelte 45kg (99lbs) with the help of a strong aluminum frame. The patented 2kW electronic brushless, gearless drive attached to the rear wheel and state-of-the-art battery technology offer an impressive 65 - 70km (40 - 45 miles) of riding between charges and a top speed or 45kmh (30mph)... and no corners have been cut in the style department. Read More
Study exposes transport's hidden impact on the environment
By Darren Quick
02:29 June 15, 2009 PDT
By looking at the environmental impact of passenger transport – whether it be trains, planes or automobiles – beyond the exhaust fumes spewing from its collective tail pipe, researchers in the United States have discovered a significant spike in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. By taking into account transport support systems – which includes sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, as well as the construction and maintenance of infrastructure – researchers at the University of California hope to provide a more detailed view for transport planners and policy makers. And produce a better outcome for the environment. Read More
The Cube models all-purpose vehicle to a T
By Paul Best
21:26 June 14, 2009 PDT
Industrial designer Carlos Mendez adopts a simple philosophy to his work – to make the world a better place. It was with this in mind that the honors graduate from California’s Art Center College of Design came up with his own 21st-century remodeling of the Ford Model T – the Mendez Cube. Read More
Rex Alfie Lee
- November 9, 2009 @ 12:19 UTC
