By Nicholas Brown. Matt Farah and Zack Klapman of The Smoking Tire went on an electric car test drive to compare the value of the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR. Zach Klapman drove the Cadillac ELR, and Matt Farah drove the Chevy Volt. Video Credit: The Smoking Tire on Youtube. Unsurprisingly, the ELR was found…
By Nicholas Brown. Panasonic, a major manufacturer of batteries, is hesitant to join Tesla Motors’ ‘Gigafactory’ project, because it would raise investment risks, according to Panasonic’s CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga. “Our approach is to make investments step by step,” Tsuga said yesterday. “Elon plans to produce more affordable models besides Model S, and I understand his thinking…
General Electric (GE) has revealed its Ecomagination research and development centre in the Incubator Building of Masdar City. It was inaugurated by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE minister of state and CEO of Masdar. The Incubator Building is for housing small startup companies, small-and-medium-sized enterprises, and regional offices for multinational companies. Apart from GE,…
The title may appear a bit simplistic, or even ridiculous. After all, more speed causes more accidents, doesn’t it? If using cars, it does. If using trains, not so much (train accidents are rare, car accidents are a much more prevalent issue). I’m not referring to an increase in the speed of road-based transit, which…
First Solar has announced that they intend to construct a set of solar power plants amounting to 200 MW in Australia, to provide mines with power. These plants, assisted by diesel-fueled generators, are expected to reduce the electricity cost of mining firms in Australia, and shield them from rising electricity prices, which will eat into…
Brainstorm Project – Home Autonomous cars open a window of opportunity for amputees, people who suffer from visual impairment, Parkinson’s disease, and any other condition that could have an effect on their safety, such as severe cases of ADHD. It enables them to get around privately without soliciting lifts. That’s a godsend, but how is…
The Filipino island of Palawan has been reliant on bunker and diesel fuel, but now they aim to transition to 100% renewable energy. But wait…Isn’t that impossible? After all, wind turbines and solar panels don’t generate electricity all the time. That isn’t true, as they can be relied on all the time with the use…
Originally published on Cleantechnica by James Ayre. Only 613 MW of solar PV capacity was installed last year in France, according to data recently published by the French General Commission on Sustainable Development. That’s a significant drop from 2012, when 1.15 GW of capacity was installed — a 45% drop to be exact. Given the…
Originally published on Cleantechnica by James Ayre. The e-NV200 — essentially a compact commercial electric van inspired by the LEAF — was recently unveiled by Nissan. The electric van will be only the second battery-electric vehicle to feature into Nissan’s global line-up — the first being, of course, the highly successful LEAF. The general idea…
The Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research has developed a non-toxic insulation using wood, which is renewable, instead of petrochemicals. They claimed that it insulates as well as traditional polymer-based foams. “Our wood foam can be used in exactly the same way as conventional plastic spray foams, but is an entirely natural product made from sustainable…
Cattle waste will be used to halve the $1.7 million annual energy cost of a beef plant in Darling Downs, Australia. How? The plant, Oakey Abattoir, will convert its cattle waste into biogas. Biogas consists primarily of methane, and in this case, it would substitute natural gas as a fuel. ‘On a single shift, between 1000 and…
At the 2014 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS), the Lexus RC F made its global debut, and what makes it unique is the combination of the fuel-efficient Atkinson cycle technology with the conventional, more powerful Otto cycle to achieve fuel efficiency without compromising horsepower. This Otto-Atkinson cycle engine, uses the Atkinson cycle for lower speeds, and…