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Yearly Archives: 2010
Purple-Painted Wind Turbines Wouldn't Kill So Many Bats, Researchers Say
In an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of wind turbines on wildlife, researchers from the Loughborough University in the UK have demonstrated that selecting a color different than grey or white affect the way these constructions affect insects.
IPT, The World's First Wireless Electric Car Charger Launched in UK
IPT (Induction Power Transfer) is the name of the world's first commercially-available wireless electric car charging system, just launched in London. The brainchild of UK start-up HaloIPT wishes to electrify the England's M25 motorway by using magnetic induction, a principle discovered in the 1800s.
Forces of Nature: The Car Featuring Solar-Powered On-Board Hydrogen Production
A professor from Middle Tennessee State University has succeeded creating a hydrogen-powered car that produces its own fuel using the sun. Dubbed "Forces of Nature," the car (a 1994 Toyota Tercel) uses hydrogen extracted from an onboard water supply using solar power.
Toyota Setting Up Recycling Facilities For Old Nickel Metal Batteries From Old Hybrids
To keep the planet as tidy as possible, and to make a good business, Toyota has decided that it's about time they recycled used NiMH batteries included in their old hybrid cars, such as the Prius, which has been produced from 2000 onwards.
New Titanium Oxide Electrode Increases Li-Ion Battery Energy Density By At Least 30%
A Japanese research group, having members among the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) developed a new oxide negative-electrode and a new synthesis method to fabricate it, at lower temperatures, of about 200 to 300 degrees Celsius.
THEKPV: A Real Solar-Powered Bike With Regenerative Braking Built by DIYer
THEKPV is more than a solar-powered bicycle. Designed and manufactured by Terry Hope, who has actually wrote to us about his bike, THEKPV (The Hybrid Electric Kinetic Photovoltaic Vehicle) is powered by a 50-watt solar cell array, has a battery and a capacitor for boosting its acceleration capabilities.
Capabilities for Automotive Research: Consortium Aimed At Finding Solutions For Future Cars
An international 11-member consortium, named Capabilities for Automotive Research have just launched ten research projects aimed at developing the technology necessary for future electric/hybrid vehicles.
Electric Audi A2 Sets New Distance Record For One Charge In Germany
An electric Audi A2 has just set a new world distance record by traveling 600 kilometers (372 miles) from Munich, in southern Germany to Berlin, without recharging its battery, this week.
Non-Intrusive Electricity Meter Could Identify Consumers By Their Signature To Help Saving Power
A special issue of Yale's Journal of Industrial Ecology presents a power consumption monitoring solution that could soon become popular among residential users for about $200 per household.
Germany's Solar Power Will Soon Overload The Grid
Germany could soon be confronted with a problem: they will have too much solar power, unadapted to their lifestyle. The electric grid, designed for times that had far less consumers and producers than they are now, will ultimately come to an overload, says Stephan Köhler, head of DENA, Germany's energy agency, to the Berliner Zeitung on Oct. 17.
