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Emissions Control
GE and the C-MAR Group unite to design hybrid tugboat
By Kyle Sherer
22:29 May 22, 2008 PDT
Hybrid technology is slowly beginning to make its mark on the roadways as manufacturers of cars, buses and trucks embrace it as a cleaner, more efficient alternative. Efforts are also underway to expand this type of technology on the water - Foss Maritime announced plans to build the world's first true hybrid tug boat in early 2007 and now GE and the C-MAR Group hope to demonstrate the feasibility of a hybrid tugboat technology that will both conserve fuel and reduce emissions. Read More
London’s iconic black cabs to go green
By Darren Quick
20:54 May 22, 2008 PDT
May 23, 2008 While improvements in engine technology have led to a marked improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions in vehicles running on internal combustion engines in recent years, even greater cuts in emissions need to be made to tackle the global environmental problems associated with them. We’ve seen commercial airlines turning to biofuels, trucks running on liquefied natural gas and buses using ethanol engines. One of the most promising solutions for the humble car of the future could is hydrogen fuel cell systems, with a number of car manufacturers investing heavily in development. Read More
World's largest offshore wind farm
05:18 May 15, 2008 PDT
May 15, 2008 Texas based engineering and construction giant Fluor Corporation has been engaged to to design and construct the 500 megawatt (MW) Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. Read More
Scotland announces $20 million Saltire Prize for clean energy innovation
02:17 April 29, 2008 PDT
April 29, 2008 The Scottish Government has offered the world’s biggest ever cash prize for innovation in the field of renewable marine-based energy. It is hoped that the £10 million (US$20 million) award will not only contribute to the global energy problem, but will help bolster Scotland’s own clean energy sector which already accounts for 16% of the nation’s generated electricity. Read More
H2Origin demonstrator vehicle achieves 300km range
18:45 April 22, 2008 PDT
April 23, 2008 A three year collaborative research project by PSA Peugeot Citroën and fuel cell specialist Intelligent Energy has born fruit in the form of the H2Origin demonstrator vehicle, a battery-electric vehicle that uses a specially designed hydrogen fuel cell to triple its range to an impressive 300km (186 miles). The hydrogen storage system developed for the zero-emission demonstrator vehicle, which is based on the Peugeot Partner Origin van, is compact enough to squeeze under the bonnet and utilizes a swappable storage rack of compressed hydrogen tanks that slide out the rear, by-passing the need for a conventional fuel station and therefore simplifying the infrastructure needed to make hydrogen-powered vehicles a commercial reality. Read More
AeroVironment awarded patents for wind-power system
By Emily Clark
20:40 April 13, 2008 PDT
April 14, 2008 A name familiar to Gizmag readers through its achievements in the field of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, AeroVironment is also a developer of efficient electric energy systems, an area in which it has been awarded a series of patents relating to its "Architectural Wind® Building-Integrated Energy Generation System" - a system which takes a new approach to harnessing wind power using low-profile turbines designed to maximize electricity generation by taking advantage of the way wind flows over certain types of buildings. Read More
Prototype energy-saving computer delivers significant efficiency boost
By Darren Quick
19:29 April 13, 2008 PDT
April 14, 2008 Using off the shelf technology researchers have developed a highly energy efficient computer that consumes 70 percent less energy than ENERGY STAR labeled computers. Researchers Peter May-Ostendorp and Nathan Beck of Ecos collaborated with chip makers Intel, AMD and Via Technologies to see how much they could reduce the energy demand of computers operating in today’s business environment by using the hardware makers’ most-efficient computer platforms and adding best-in-class components such as hybrid hard drives and right-sized 80 PLUS power supplies. Read More
Capturing carbon to create greener plastics
00:18 April 10, 2008 PDT
April 10, 2008 Chemists are investigating ways to use carbon dioxide removed from smokestack emissions to make a raw material for the production of DVDs, CD-ROMs, beverage bottles and other products made from polycarbonate plastics. Read More
Philips' energy efficient street lighting cuts city energy consumption
By Darren Quick
17:01 April 9, 2008 PDT
April 10, 2008 Streetlight systems are expensive for cities to operate and maintain. They also use a lot of energy — representing almost 40 percent of a typical city’s electricity spending. Echelon Corporation announced at the 2008 Light+Building event in Frankfurt that Philips Lighting, one of the world’s leading providers of lighting systems, has built its new Starsense street light telemanagement system using Echelon’s LonWorks platform, which uses Echelon’s power line transceivers to communicate between lighting fixtures and Echelon’s i.LON SmartServer to provide Internet access and local monitoring and control. It is believed Starsense can deliver energy savings of over 40 percent, reducing cities’ energy bills and carbon footprint. Read More
World's first hybrid refuse truck launched in Sweden
01:08 April 8, 2008 PDT
April 8, 2008 Volvo has announced that Swedish refuse collection firms Renova and Ragn-Sells will begin regular daily testing of two of the company's hybrid refuse trucks ahead of a market launch in 2009. Using a 7 liter diesel engine and an electric motor that utilizes regenerative braking, the trucks are capable of delivery fuel (and therefore emissions) savings of 20 percent. Read More
Power Utility launches energy saving software
By Emily Clark
23:06 April 7, 2008 PDT
South Jersey Gas is now offering its customers the ability to manage their energy consumption, practice energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs using a free web-based service. Developed by Aclara Software, the new service gives customers access to energy information relating to their utility bills. Read More
World's fist commercial scale tidal energy generator nears completion
00:23 April 4, 2008 PDT
Bristol based renewable energy company Marine Current Turbines has completed the first installation phase of the 1.2MW SeaGen Tidal System at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough - a site chosen for its combination of fast tidal current and ability to provide shelter from bad weather which may hinder the construction process. It is expected that the breakthrough power plant will be operational around mid-year with its massive 16m diameter twin rotors harnessing the tides to produce the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power 1000 homes. After its final assembly at the Harland & Wolff dockyard in Belfast, the crane barge “Rambiz” positioned the 1000 tonne structure onto the seabed 400m from the shoreline where it will be secured by four pins drilled to a depth of around nine meters. Read More
Unconventional approach produces ultra-pure water
By Jude Garvey
00:26 April 2, 2008 PDT
April 2, 2008 Traditional water-purification techniques such as filtration or distillation attempt to remove the contaminants from water by fluid flow. Reversing this thinking, a new Scandinavian spin-off company is researching a new method of purification that takes the clean water molecules out of the contaminated matter using carbon dioxide gas. Read More
Brazilian traffic lights turn green
21:45 March 31, 2008 PDT
April 1, 2008 Many of us are being encouraged to make the switch from power-hungry incandescent lights to more eco-friendly illumination technologies like LEDs. In proof that this simple process yields big results, a Brazilian project which saw all of the incandescent-based traffic lights in a Sao Paolo suburb replaced with LUXEON LED-based lamps has delivered estimated energy savings of USD$240,000 and reduced municipal energy consumption by 1340 megawatt hours per year. Read More
Britain's Lightning GT electric supercar
By Loz Blain
21:28 March 26, 2008 PDT
March 27, 2008 It seems a transatlantic battle is brewing in the high-performance electric sportscar market. As America's Tesla moves into the production phase with its 130+mph Roadster, Britain's Lightning GT is hot on its heels, with prototypes expected to hit the road later this year. The Lightning's power figures are very impressive - 700 horsepower, and 4 second 0-60mph times to almost rival the Tesla's 3.7 seconds. But it's the GT's revolutionary battery technology that might give it the upper hand: Nanosafe's Li-ion cells using nano titanate structures instead of traditional graphite give the GT an incredible 250-mile range, a full recharge time of only 10 minutes, and a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years, or 15,000 charge cycles before the battery performance drops significantly. Read More
Prototype completed for new ZAP electric truck
20:26 March 24, 2008 PDT
March 25, 2008 In the latest news from electric vehicle specialists ZAP, a running prototype has been completed for the low-speed, 770 pound payload ZAP XL Truck ahead of expected delivery of the vehicle in Q3 2008. Reservations are also now being accepted for the much anticipated, 100mph, 3-wheeled Alias highway electric car which is expected to hit the market next year at a cost of USD$32,500. Read More
Fully electric, 130+mph Tesla Roadster goes into production
By Loz Blain
20:49 March 17, 2008 PDT
March 18, 2008 A very significant milestone in zero-emissions motoring has just occurred as Tesla Motors announced yesterday that its groundbreaking electric sportscar has commenced regular production. The 130mph Tesla Roadster is the first production electric car to boast genuine sports performance coupled with a 210+ mile range between battery charges, which make it both exciting and viable for the vast majority of driving purposes. The fact that it's utterly gorgeous, with hints of the Lotus Elise, doesn't hurt either. All of the 2008 models scheduled for production have already been snapped up for just under US$100,000 each - and reservations are now being taken on the 2009 model. Read More
IdleAire cuts down on truck fuel wastage in driver rest zones
By Kyle Sherer
17:14 March 13, 2008 PDT
March 14, 2008 IdleAire addresses the economic and environmental consequences of unnecessary idle time with its Truck Stop Electrification, and Advanced Travel Center electrification systems, which provide truck drivers with the power required for climate control, as well as television and web-connectivity. Read More
Pilot program investigates link between driving behavior and emissions
By Emily Clark
18:07 March 12, 2008 PDT
The City of Denver has launched a pilot programmed designed to quantify the impact of driving behavior on fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The Driving Change initiative will identify ways for drivers to reduce their emissions by measuring the environmental impact of driving behavior. Read More
City Slicker: Lumeneo Smera tilting EV concept
21:16 March 10, 2008 PDT
Like a number of vehicle concepts we've encountered in recent years such as the NARO Tilting Car and the VentureOne plug-in hybrid, the Lumeneo Smera aims to create a "best of both worlds" blend of car and motorcycle by combining the protection of an enclosed driver capsule with the small-footprint and maneuverability of two-wheeled transport. On debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the four-wheel, fully-electric Smera concept boasts a top speed of 80mph (130kmh), a 93 mile (150km) range on a single charge and can achieve 0-60 mph in around 8 seconds with an on-board computer automatically controlling the vehicle's tilting function to an angle of up to 25 degrees by taking into account on the turning angle, speed and road conditions. Read More
Husqvarna reveals solar electric hybrid robot lawn mower
16:33 March 7, 2008 PST
It's a green solution for a green problem. Husqvarna has unveiled a new version of its Automower™ that not only allows you to maintain a neatly trimmed lawn without lifting a finger, but achieves it using combination of solar power and electricity. Like its fully-electric predecessor, the Automower Solar Hybrid works by cutting the grass with small blades in an irregular pattern within an area defined by a pre-laid boundary cable that ensures the mower wont turn your flowering garden beds into mulch. According to Husqvarna the new Automower only uses the energy of a standard light bulb, and to ensure it remains green even at the end of its life-span, it is constructed from 90% recyclable material. Read More
The TH!NK Ox electric crossover Concept
22:44 March 6, 2008 PST
March 7, 2008 It's a trend that's been underway for some time, but if you need evidence of the snowballing progress of the alternative powered vehicle market look no further than the array of electric and hybrid cars on show at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Among them are two offerings from Norwegian auto designer and manufacturer TH!NK - the fully electric five seater crossover concept known as the TH!NK Ox and the new TH!NK city concept, a plug-in electric urban commuter that boasts advanced telematics, a range of over 100 miles and is 95% recyclable. Read More
Chevolet's Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle to be used at Virgin Atlantic Airways
By Kyle Sherer
15:43 March 5, 2008 PST
March 6, 2008 Chevrolet’s hydrogen powered, zero emission Equinox fuel cell will be used at Virgin Atlantic Airways for complimentary ground transfer service for passengers. The partnership will occur in the middle of Project Driveway, Chevrolet’s 30-month initiative that involves placing more than 100 zero emission, hydrogen powered electric vehicles on the streets of key cities around the world to gather detailed feedback from users – the world’s largest fuel cell market test. Read More
Geneva Motor Show highlights: Saab 9-X BioHybrid (NEW IMAGES)
18:57 March 3, 2008 PST
March 4, 2008 Showcasing a range of technologies that will underpin the brand's future compact car offerings, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid combines the aircraft-inspired design of the Aero X coupé concept shown at Geneva two years ago with a 200 hp (147 kW), 1.4-litre BioPower turbo engine that employs GM’s next-generation Hybrid system. Shape-shifting aerodynamics, active safety measures - including automatic light dimming courtesy of a front-mounted camera that monitors light sources on the road ahead - touch-sensitive keyless entry and the use of a solar power to supplement charging of the hybrid battery pack are among the standout innovations presented in the three-door 9-X BioHybrid Concept as it makes its world debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Read More
Coca-Cola Enterprises orders 120 hybrid trucks from Eaton
By Kyle Sherer
23:29 February 28, 2008 PST
February 29, 2008 Coca-Cola Enterprises will purchase 120 Eaton diesel-electric hybrid trucks this year – the largest single order placed to the Cleveland-based firm. CCE bought 20 trucks last year, when the program was in a test phase, and found they reduced emissions by 32%, and reduced fuel consumption by 37%.
The Eaton Hybrid trucks use both a diesel engine and an electric motor to power the vehicle. According to the Eaton website, this configuration can slash emissions by up to 70%, and reduce fuel consumption by up to 60%. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
