Home Blog Page 617
Currently, the U.S. Army's electricity generators are largely dependent on oil. This is the reason why Uncle Sam plans to install solar powered microgrids in Afghanistan in order to reduce its energy-related vulnerabilities in the field.
Last week, at the 89th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Yokohama-sponsored electric race car has set a new EV record. The eco-friendly race car powered by an AC Propulsion electric drive system broke its own record established in 2010.
It looks like the world doesn't care much about saving electricity, when gasoline is way more expensive and companies like Google or Microsoft are even thinking of charging their users for saving that power. The conclusion: Microsoft and Google have both decided that it's time to end their Hohm and Power Meter services, reasoning that they didn't have much success on the market, even if offered as free.
You may remember that about a week ago or so I've been writing an article about how Tesla Motors will end its Roadster production soon - in as little as a few months - and will concentrate more on building the company's future models. It looks like they won't stop production so soon, after all. GigaOM says that Musk has ordered another 100 gliders from Lotus for another 100 Roadsters.
According to some rumors, General Motors plans to launch its new plug-in hybrid Crossover at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show. This year, one of GM's brands, Chevrolet, has presented a similar concept, the Volt MPV5. GM's latest plug-in hybrid vehicle is likely to follow the concept of Chevrolet Volt 2011 model.
Since its appearance on mobile devices, the Wi-Fi technology has been draining the battery of Windows Mobile, iOS and Android phones continuously. The drain is due to the fact that the more wireless devices are within an area, the more they need to be awake to make data transfers, since so-called "collisions" between them appear all the time.
In a total defiance to what happened in Fukushima, and the negative reaction of Germany, Italy and Sweden to nuclear power, French president Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirms the country's reliance on nuclear power by announcing the investment of a billion euros in this field.
Gordon Murray, the man behind the McLaren F1, has presented the world's most efficient electric car at the RAC in London. According to him, the new three-seat T.27 city car will use less energy per mile, compared to Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the electric Smart car.
Unlike the U.S., Europe is well-known for its low emission cars, small and highly-efficient engines. A recent EU report claims Europe's fuel efficiency has even risen in 2010, bringing carbon emissions down about 3.7 percent. The target is to reach 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer by 2015.
Hybrid and electric cars are just the first step in the electrification of everything that moves us. VoltAir, presented at last week's Paris Air Show, is the next-generation electric airplane that may carry us between continents by 2035.