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Emissions Control
New bioethanol plant opens in Britain
21:19 November 22, 2007 PST
November 23, 2007 A new, state of the art plant that will produce bioethanol from locally-grown sugar beet has been opened in the U.K. The British Sugar facility at Wissington, Norfolk, has an annual production capacity of 70 million liters. Read More
Solar Powered RFID tracking system roll-out
18:02 November 19, 2007 PST
November 20, 2007 Lockheed Martin subsidiary Savi Technology has begun deploying solar-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and signposts, saving energy and negating the need for installing electrical infrastructure in remote areas. Read More
Logan Renault eco² achieves emissions of 71g/km
16:07 November 18, 2007 PST
The Logan Renault eco² Concept has achieved emissions of 71g/km while traveling a distance of 172.2km on just 4.69 litres of biodiesel at the 2007 Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai – an event created by Michelin in 1998 that promotes sustainable transport and the development of fuel-efficient, clean automotive technology. In NEDC combined cycle homologation tests for the eco² it achieved a result of 97g CO2/km and finished second out of 74 vehicles in a combined criteria test involving an acceleration test, a slalom test, noise emissions and a regularity run. To put the emissions results in perspective, a compact diesel achieves around 130g CO2/km and the exceptionally green smart fortwo diesel comes in at 88 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Read More
Solar schools for Santa Cruz
By Emily Clark
18:25 November 15, 2007 PST
November 16, 2007 The sunny state of California continues to lead the way in solar energy production. In January, the state launched a 10-year Solar Initiative program offering $2.1 billion in rebates for residential and commercial solar systems. The uptake of clean energy is also forging ahead in the public sector, with the latest announcement coming from Santa Cruz County where UPC Solar has won a contract for a 950kW project in the city school system. Read More
Power plant uses coal mine ventilation air as fuel
By Emily Clark
19:06 November 4, 2007 PST
November 5, 2007 A new power plant that generates electrical power using ventilation air methane (VAM) from coal mining is now in operation. The technology significantly reduces harmful emissions of methane (a gas 20 times more potent than CO2) released in the mining process, while producing power that can be delivered to the grid or used directly in the mine. Read More
The Matra MS1 “Human Electric Hybrid Motorcycle”
01:24 October 31, 2007 PDT
Matra Manufacturing & Services (Matra MS) has turned its attention to the production of Light Electric Vehicles with the latest offering from a company renowned for its past achievements in the automotive design arena – including a stint in Formula One in which it won a world title along with wins in the Le Mans 24 hour race - being the MS1, a “Human Electric Hybrid Motorcycle” shown recently in Paris that is expected to hit the market in the spring of 2008. Powered by a 1kW Motor Wheel, the MS1 has its maximum speed limited to 28mph (45 kmh) in electric mode and can travel up to 62 miles (100 km) - depending on type of battery - on purely electric power… and if you run out of juice there is always the ever-reliable pedal-option. Read More
i MiEV Sport: Mitsubishi’s 180kmh electric sports car prototype
21:48 October 28, 2007 PDT
October 29, 2007 Mitsubishi’s i MiEV Sport has made its much anticipated appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show allowing us to bring you loads of new images of the groundbreaking electric vehicle concept. Based on the i MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle), but promising genuine sporting capabilities via 680 Nm of torque combined with a body weight of just 970kg, the car features a 3-motor system with the company’s own in-wheel 20 kW motors at the front and another 47 kW at the rear - all controlled via the S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) vehicle dynamics system and wrapped in a lightweight, rigid aluminium space frame. Read More
Bio-diesel powered motorcycle eclipses 100mpg
By Loz Blain
19:55 October 21, 2007 PDT
October 22, 2007 The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge got underway yesterday with 40 teams from across the globe competing in the 3000 km race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. Among the competitors in the Greenfleet Technology Class - a category for internal combustion vehicles promoting an enhanced environmental profile - is the BioBike, a biodiesel-powered motorcycle, constructed by a group of students in Adelaide, Australia, that happily does 96kmh and returns a staggering fuel economy of only 2.2 litres per 100 kilometres. As the design is further refined, BioBike’s creators expect this to drop below the 2 litres per 100km mark (around 107 miles per gallon), and they believe it can be manufactured for around the same cost as a petrol-powered dirtbike. Read More
World first 100% biodiesel fuel powered jet takes flight
By Emily Clark
23:14 October 18, 2007 PDT
October 19, 2007 An L-29 military aircraft powered solely by 100% biodiesel fuel has successfully completed a test flight in the skies above Reno, Nevada. Piloted by Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante, the aircraft reached 17,000 feet without showing any significant drop in performance compared to a jet aircraft running on conventional fuel. Read More
The 1/X Concept: Toyota to focus on sustainability at 40th Tokyo Motor Show
20:53 October 16, 2007 PDT
October 17, 2007 Toyota has revealed a raft of new concept vehicles based around cutting-edge sustainability technology that the company will showcase at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Among them is the 1/X (pronounced "one-Xth"), a light-weight (420kg) hybrid vehicle pitched as “redefining what it means to be environmentally considerate”. The 1/X matches the interior space of the Prius, but is only one-third the weight and aims to double its fuel efficiency. Gizmag will be on the ground to bring you the latest from the Show when it gets underway on October 26th. In the meantime visit our highlights page for more previews of what’s in store. Read More
GEO2 Technologies' advanced diesel filtration technology
By Kyle Sherer
03:05 October 16, 2007 PDT
October 16, 2007 Clean transportation technology is and will remain a critically important issue, with the ongoing development of fuel cells and hybrid technology growing strongly in recent years. The health risks associated with particulate matter, and tightening government regulations on pollutants give more immediate and practical implications to another alternative - the concept of “clean diesel” . This encompasses the use of diesel powered vehicles, which achieve up to 30% greater fuel efficiency than their gasoline powered counterparts, but also boast low-emissions through the use of advanced filtration. Read More
Flexible modules could transform windows and buildings into solar panels
By Emily Clark
18:05 October 10, 2007 PDT
October 11, 2007 Traditionally, solar panels for buildings have predominantly been stand alone systems mounted to roofs in order to capture sunlight. The growing focus on "green" energy and a move away from reliance on fossil fuels is driving smarter and more integrated methods of procuring alternative energy sources such as solar, and in line with this, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has invested $4.7 million to develop technology that would allow windows and other building applications to be converted into solar panels. Read More
California winery to convert to 100% solar power
By Darren Quick
21:50 September 17, 2007 PDT
September 18, 2007 The EOS Estate Winery has announced a $3.8 million plan to convert its California Central Coast winery entirely to solar power. To be completed by April, the project will include the installation of more than two acres of ground-mounted tracking solar arrays that will provide all the electrical power needs for the winery and tasting room, while additional roof-mounted solar arrays will provide all the hot water needs. The system will be installed by SunTechnics and will contain 3,084 photovoltaic modules totalling 540 kWp and 60 solar hot water collectors. Read More
Mazda develops plant-derived biofabric suitable for vehicle interiors
18:36 September 12, 2007 PDT
September 12, 2007 The world’s first biofabric made with 100 percent plant-derived fibers and suitable for use in vehicle interiors has been developed by Mazda. The durable biofabric does not contain any oil-based materials and is resistant to abrasion and damage from sunlight, in addition to being flame retardant. Mazda plans to use the fabric for the seat covers and door trims in the its new Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid that will be exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. Read More
F 700 with DIESOTTO leads Mercedes-Benz clean fuel showcase
07:45 September 7, 2007 PDT
September 7, 2007 Spearheaded by the F 700 research car – a vehicle that achieves low-emission economy at 5.3 litres per 100 kilometres via its hybrid drive and innovative DIESOTTO engine - and joined by a range of hybrid and clean diesel BLUETEC models, Mercedes-Benz has placed the emphasis firmly on economical and environmentally-friendly vehicles in its line-up for the 2007 International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Read More
Hydrogen based power offers green alternative for homes
18:14 September 6, 2007 PDT
September 7, 2007 In a development that marks another step towards the vision of a sustainable, clean future for home power generation, UK company ITM Power has announced the upcoming release of a device which can generate hydrogen in the home to fuel central heating boilers and cookers while drastically cutting CO2 emissions. Set to go into production next year, the ITM electrolyser is designed to utilize off-peak or renewable electricity sources to create its own hydrogen fuel which can then be stored and used as a conventional gas to burn in central heating boilers as well as a fuel for cooking. Read More
Thin film panel production breakthrough to reduce solar electricity costs
By Gizmag Team
20:55 September 5, 2007 PDT
September 6, 2007 Solar panel manufacturing is a costly process and is a major reason for solar electricity being so expensive to set up and maintain. In what it describes as a world first, Applied Materials has introduced an integrated production line for manufacturing solar modules using 5.7m² glass panels. The ultra-large substrates, sized at 2.2m x 2.6m ,are designed to achieve low production cost per watt and drive down the cost of solar electricity installations by around 20%. Read More
Volkswagen squeeze 52 miles from a gallon with new Golf BlueMotion
By Loz Blain
19:14 September 3, 2007 PDT
September 4, 2007 Toyota needed two whole engines to get 46mpg from their famous Prius hybrid, but Volkswagen have achieved over 52mpg by simply tweaking a few characteristics of its popular Golf diesel compact in the latest addition to the company’s environmentally-focused BlueMotion initiative. The Golf BlueMotion makes over 1200km from a 55-liter tank, showing that there’s further room for development from the combustion engine. Read More
Peugeot 308 SW Prologue Concept
18:19 September 2, 2007 PDT
September 2, 2007 Peugeot will provide a preview of the new 308 at the Frankfurt International Motorshow under the guise of the 308 SW Prologue. Equipped with an additive-enhanced diesel particulate filter system (DPFS), that reduces CO2 emissions, the 308 SW Prologue combines the strengths of the new 308 hatchback with innovative SW features like the new “wrap-around” rear end which allows for the installation of a third row of seats and improves rear vision. Read More
High mileage, low emissions: GM revisits sparkless compression ignition engines
By Loz Blain
23:48 August 26, 2007 PDT
August 27, 2007 General Motors has eliminated the spark from the engine cycle in a bold and challenging effort to produce a powerplant that delivers the fuel efficiency of a diesel with the low emissions of a petrol motor. The company has released two concept cars that use Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) technology to burn leaner and cleaner at lower temperatures and deliver up to 15% higher fuel economy. Read More
New waste management design mimics the human respiratory system
By Kyle Sherer
05:58 August 23, 2007 PDT
August 23, 2007 A new method of separating carbon dioxide from flue gas based on a similar mechanism at work in the human lung has been proposed by Hans Fahlenkamp, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Dortmund. If successful, the method will be far more efficient than existing techniques, lessening the environmental impact of power plants and easing the stress on countries that seek to meet tightening emission guidelines. Read More
High-spec Honda Civic EX Hybrid includes satellite navigation
By Gizmag Team
05:53 August 23, 2007 PDT
August 23, 2007 Honda (UK) have launched a high-spec, voice controlled Sat Nav-equipped version of its Civic Hybrid - the first time a Hybrid has featured factory-fitted Sat Nav as standard equipment. Read More
Hydrogen powered Ford Fusion 999 tops 207 miles per hour
By Kyle Sherer
16:36 August 16, 2007 PDT
After a year of construction and ten years of research, the fuel-cell powered Ford Fusion 999 has scorched across the Salt Flats of Utah at the Bonneville Speed Week, clocking an incredible 207.297 miles per hour and giving Ford the mantle of the world’s first automaker to set a land speed record for a production-based fuel cell powered car. Read More
157mpg Loremo enters Automotive X PRIZE
07:04 August 13, 2007 PDT
The super fuel-efficient LoReMo motor car (that’s 157mpg of super-efficiency) is set to enter the Automotive X PRIZE, a competition designed to foster a new generation of viable, ultra-economic vehicles that are both accessible and affordable to the consumer. The car is among 30 teams that have signed a letter of intent - another 300 are actively considering entry - to compete once the prize is officially funded and launched. Read More
Solar reflective film boosts home heating efficiency
05:57 August 13, 2007 PDT
August 13, 2007 A rural family home built recently in Massachusetts has used, among other eco-friendly technologies and systems, insulating glass units that will significantly cut the amount of energy used in the home. The Heat Mirror insulating glass unit from Southwall Technologies is a solar reflective film applied to a window’s interior that prevents the loss of radiant heat through the window at least three times more efficiently than double-pane glass. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
