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Sebastian Blanco

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EnerDel gets ready for the smart grid with one-megawatt systems in Oregon

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 29th, 2009 at 3:27PM

EnerDel Th!nk City - Click above for high-res image gallery

Indianapolis-based battery maker EnerDel is tied closely to the Th!nk electric car company – which has yet to bring the car to the U.S. market – but they're also looking beyond the next generation of plug-in electric vehicles. EnerDel has announced a new partnership with Smart Grid Leader and the U.S. Department of Energy to use EnerDel batteries in five separate one-megawatt power system out in Portland, Oregon that can supply energy to up to 400 homes for an hour during peak load times. The batteries in the system will use the same core chemistry that is used the EnerDel's batteries "designed for the emerging new generation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles." This is the second time we're hearing about this PHEV system (first mentioned here), but we still don't know details about which company EnerDel is working with. We like that EnerDel is testing the same chemistry in cars and home power storage, since it's almost a given that the big packs from plug-in cars will be used to stabilize the grid once they've served their vehicular purpose.

Gallery: EDTA 2008: Ener1 Th!nk City


[Source: EnerDel]

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Volvo introduces CO2-tracking Commute Greener mobile app

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 29th, 2009 at 12:20PM


Got a little OCD in you (and, yes, we understand if you think that should be CDO so it's in alphabetical order) and want to track your CO2 emissions while traveling around? Volvo's got you covered with a new mobile phone (i.e., iPhone) app/website called Commute Greener. The idea is that you tell the app or website how far you're going on a particular mode of transportation and it will tell you what your CO2 emissions will be for that trip. By switching the modes, the app recalculates the emissions, letting you figure out the cleanest/best way to get to where you're going. By the sound of it, the app is currently only geared to specific emissions in Volvo's home town: Gothenburg, Sweden, but we assume it's easy enough to apply the results to your own commute and green it up a bit.

[Source: Volvo]


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Speak No Evil: Latest Aptera newsletter stays mum about company turmoil

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 28th, 2009 at 6:09PM

Aptera 2e final design rendering - Click above to enlarge

Aptera Motors has been in the news recently because there's been a lot of trouble behind the scenes, with company founder Steve Fambro being let go and the vehicle being pushed back to 2010. The latest company email newsletter is out and it mentions three items:
  1. An Aptera 2e that was on display at the Reliant Football Stadium in Houston, Texas for the Texan/Titans game five days ago.
  2. That the company is resubmitting its application to the DOE, now that three-wheelers can be considered.
  3. Some information on "Aptera's Beach Body" and the evolution of the 2-series composite body.
Can you see what's missing? The official website, too, doesn't mention the trouble. We can understand that the company doesn't want to spend all of its communication bandwidth on problems it is having, but to not acknowledge them in any way gives off a bad feeling. Combine this with what we've heard (but haven't proved) about the Aptera website's RSS news feed being recoded to reduce the number of stories that show up about the troubles, and it's not exactly looking transparent over at there. Here's hoping for a bit more sunlight. Thanks to Richard H. for the tip!

[Source: Aptera]

High price for a hybrid: Lexus sets MSRP for LS 600h at $108,800

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 28th, 2009 at 3:10PM




2010 Lexus LS 600h - Click above for high-res image gallery

Lexus' LS 600h may look modest on the outside, but the 2010 version of the hybrid sedan will set you back a cool $108,000, plus an $875 delivery fee, when it arrives at dealerships soon. The flagship LS line was given a mid-cycle refresh earlier this year and the hybrid version was upgraded with the same ECO mode that boost efficiency and can also be found on the 2010 Prius for a quarter of the price. Read more about the LS 600h's updates here.

In addition, Lexus has announced "MSRP adjustments" to most of its models. The price of the GS 450h went up $900, for example. See the complete list after the jump.
[Source: Lexus]




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Something to be thankful for: getting off of gas might reduce road rage

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 7:58PM



Turns out, getting off of gasoline might save more than parts of the environment. According to a study published in BMC Physiology, rats exposed to unleaded gasoline fumes for 30 minutes a day for six weeks "exhibited an increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in AChE and superoxide dismutase activities." What does that mean? The rats got mad and had "a higher tendency towards aggressive behaviour as a consequence to gasoline inhalation." Basically, gasoline vapors can piss us off.

The study was conducted by Amal Kinawy of Cairo University, who says that the results might be applicable to humans help cause road rage. It'll take a long time to eliminate all gas-powered vehicles from the road, but doesn't the fight between hydrogen and pure electric seem slightly less important considering the benefits of reducing gasoline usage in general?

[Source: BMC Physiology via Wired]
Photo by david drexler. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Electric Smart Fortwo gets shot in Berlin

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 7:05PM

The next-generation Smart Ed, which just started production in France this week, is out and about on the streets of Berlin being filmed for some sort of promotional video, we think. Treehugger spotted the little all-electric city car zipping around the famous Siegessäule (victory column) landmark with a lens pointed at it. Berlin is home to other electric vehicles, including the Mini E and the first-gen Smart Ed.

In other Smart news, the Visionaire 57 plug-in calendar is now available. Designed to promote the Smart Ed, the calendar is limited to 4,000 copies and sells for $295.

[Source: Treehugger]


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iQ not unusual enough for you? Toyota will decorate it for free

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 6:01PM

Toyota iQ – Click above to enlarge

There's no doubt that the Toyota iQ gets noticed. The unusual car – like the Smart Fortwo – stands out in traffic while the frugal 1.0-litre VVT-i model emits only 99 grams of CO2 per km. How can you make the city runabout stand out even more? By plastering your company's name all over the sides, of course. For a limited time, business iQ buyers in the UK can take advantage of a new deal from Toyota and Motor Mode UK to cover the door panels plastered in whatever graphics they want. For more coverage (as pictured above), shelling out a bit of cash is required.

[Source: Toyota]

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REPORT: Tesla IPO could be more a financing event than a way to cash out

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 11:58AM


Tesla Roadster - Click above for high-res image gallery

We recently asked if the Tesla IPO is for you, and the results of that poll are about even. Just over half of you (51.4 percent as of this writing) think that investing in the electric car start-up is a good idea. Over at Businessweek, our friend Josie Garthwaite looks at how a Tesla IPO fits into the venture capital and green scenes. If it happens, it'll be the first automaker to go public since Ford did so a half-century ago, and it comes at an interesting time in the markets. The short version is that "public offerings now serve more as "financing events" for alternative energy and other cleantech startups, rather than as a way for investors and founders to cash in on equity." After more than $200 million in financing and $465 million in DOE low-interest loans, raising money from an IPO is a logical step.

To compare, A123's recent IPO had a great opening but then came back down. Garthwaite says that A123's venture capital investors averaged a four-fold return on their money, which isn't at all bad in today's economy, but doesn't come close to the returns of the dot com era (isn't this sort of a good thing, given "irrational exuberance" and all that?).

As for what the Tesla shares might be worth or how many there are, read this, and do some research before investing anything.

[Source: Businessweek]

Tesla sets up shop in Monaco

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 8:02AM



The Tesla Taxi was but one of the all-electric Roadsters on display at the inaugural party at Tesla Motor's latest store opening this week. And blog readers are not the only ones who like to look at the purty cars. In this shot, the orange roadster is being ogled by the Prince of Holland.

This isn't the company's first time visit to Monaco – they chilled with Bono a bit at the Top Marques Monaco last year. While not really in the same league as the $109,000 sports car, electric vehicles from the Nissan-Renault Alliance and Mitsubishi will make their way to the Principality in the near future. Makes sense, since the Prince is a fan of EVs and a statewide recharging network is coming.

Gallery: Tesla Store Monaco


[Source: Tesla]

Consumer Federation of America pushing CAFE to climb to 45 mpg by 2020

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 7:50PM

America's CAFE standards will climb to 35.5 mpg (42 mpg for cars, 26 mpg for light trucks) by 2016, thanks to the Obama Administration declaring not long after taking power how conflicting national and state (well, California) standards would be turned into one set or rules. But what comes after 2016? The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) says that 45 mpg is the new black and is pushing Obama to look long-term. CFA also believes that the technology to reach a 45 mpg average is available and just needs to be put to use. CFA's director of research, Mark Cooper, said in a statement that:

There is no question that the EPA should take the lead in developing the next generation of standards for the sake of the consumer and the industry. NHTSA not only has statutory limits that prevent long-term planning, but they have a history of close alignment with the domestic car companies, whose current financial woes stem from a lack of fuel efficient vehicles. If they were not in such bad shape, NHTSA could have set the 2016 standard at more than 38 mpg.

Read the CFA's statement here (PDF). The Administration will decide on it's final rules in April, and we can expect a lot more voices to weigh in before then.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

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Featured Galleries

  • Toyota iQ Livery
  • Tesla Store Monaco
  • 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom
  • Smart ED production
  • Tesla Roadster audio recording for video games
  • Production i-MiEVs in the UK
  • Hyundai 2.4L direct injected Theta II
  • Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid bus
  • Chevy Volt hits the streets in Royal Oak
  • 2010 Nissan LEAF
  • 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid
  • Renault Fluence ZE concept

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