Porsche green lights electric vehicles


 

wheels Porsche 918 Spyder blogSpan Porsche green lights electric vehiclesIt will be interesting to see how many electric vehicles make it to the streets within the next few years. San Francisco and other cities around the country are creating  plans for electric charging stations.  Already Tesla and Toyota are teaming up in a big way and moving their manufacturing operations  to the old NUMMI plant in Fremont California. Nissan, Renault and Ford are also in the  EV (electric vehicle) space and now Porsche has announced it is developing a hybrid sports car the 918 Spyder. There has been no date set for release or how many will be made, but there has been speculation that the car could sell for as much as $650,000. It is also testing an electric version of the Boxer line.

Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG: “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base.”

The Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, gave the green light to series development of the Porsche 918 Spyder. Reflecting the overwhelming response from the public and customers to the Concept Study, the Supervisory Board gave Porsche’s board of Management the mission to develop a production model based on the car already presented. This concept version of an ultra-high-performance mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid technology made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and at Auto China in Bejing, hitting headlines worldwide.

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GREEN FOR ALL ANNOUNCES

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Green jobs are a reality, and now is the time to honor the innovative companies that are creating them. With support from the Citi Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, SJF Advisory Services and Green For All have partnered to launch a Green Jobs Award Program, which seeks to identify, recognize, and promote private companies that are leaders in quality green job creation.

APPLY HERE

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MOBILE SOLAR PHONES SPREADING IN INDIA

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The phone, known as the VF 247 is targeted at India’s huge rural mobile phone market. The solar powered device would be a boon to many users who face shortage of electricity in the villages of India. They will no longer be required to be near an electrical outlet to charge their phones. The VF 247′s launch comes almost a year after Samsung launched its first Solar powered phone in India the Guru 1107. According to Vodafone,  the VF 247 solar powered phone charges by itself, by exposure to ambient light.

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Sun Boost, the special inbuilt hardware and software ensures that the phone charges also in a room, under normal daylight. This means one  doesn’t require exposure to direct sunlight. Normal ambient light should be enough to power this one. The phone  requires  eight hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged. Once charged it will last for more than eight days and offers about  four hours of talk time. As for the features, it boasts of an FM radio, color screen and a powerful torch light.  More details are yet to be unveiled by Vodafone.

The phone is expected to be priced at around the Rs.1500 mark ($32 us) and would be available across India starting next month.

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JEFF OLSHESKY – BEYOND SOLAR

Jeff61439 Porsche green lights electric vehiclesListen to the work Beyond Solar has done in India below.

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Largest Rooftop Solar Project in Northwest Now Online for Portland General Electric Customers

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Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) has completed installation of the largest rooftop solar project in the Pacific Northwest — a 673,000-square-foot, 2.4-megawatt project atop the roofs of seven ProLogis distribution warehouses in Portland, Gresham, and Clackamas.

Working with local contractors, PGE and ProLogis began construction of the $14 million solar project in March 2010 and brought the project online in early July 2010. This is the second rooftop solar project with ProLogis, a distribution facilities company, bringing PGE’s total solar build-out with ProLogis to 3.5 megawatts of solar energy.

“Solar is clearly growing in Oregon and our customers are helping drive that,” said Carol Dillin, PGE’s vice president of customers and economic development. “We have seen unprecedented growth of residential and business solar projects in our area over the past two years which, coupled with the growth in solar manufacturing, helps develop more clean, renewable resources for the region and stimulate Oregon’s green economy.”

With the new 2.4-megawatt project, PGE will have more than 14.3 megawatts of solar capacity in its resource mix, including the 104-kilowatt solar highway demonstration project with the Oregon Department of Transportation and more than 10.7 megawatts of customer-owned solar energy projects PGE supports through its net metering program. PGE also expects another 17.5 megawatts of customer-owned solar energy projects to come online through the state’s recently adopted five-year solar energy incentive pilot program, the Solar Payment Option program.

In 2009, PGE ranked among the top 10 utilities in the western regionfor solar installations, according to the national Solar Energy Power Association.

PGE partnered with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, ProLogis, and several Oregon companies on the project. Northwest Solar Solutions, a division of locally-owned Snyder Roofing and the installer for this project, estimates 60,000 hours of family-wage electrical and roofing work in Oregon were created by this project.

The renewable energy generated from the solar project is now included in PGE’s energy resource mix and helps the utility meet the state’s renewable energy standard of providing 25 percent renewable energy by the year 2025. PGE expects it will be at nearly 9 percent renewable energy in 2010.

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GE ECOMAGINATION CHALLENGE

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The GE Ecomagination Challenge

Is a $200 million innovation experiment where businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and students

share their best ideas on how to build the next-generation power grid – and just might get funded.

I Dream Electric


 

spinner blade runner I Dream ElectricThere’s some question if the recent discovery of lithium in Afghanistan is so recent. The New York Times recently reported, “The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.”

001 1005195331 tesla electric car 150x150 I Dream ElectricLithium is also a key component used in rechargeable batteries of electric vehicles. Is that why we’re really there?

As the hole BP stabbed  23,000 feet into the ocean continues  to pollute the region: the reality that we need safe renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and wave is back on the forefront. The technological ideas that once seemed way out exist now. Think of it… Apple ‘s new Iphone IS a video phone that was once the stuff of cartoon character such as Dick Tracy and The Jetsons’.

Nearly 90 % of the oil used in the US is for car transportation. Electric vehicles and high speed transportation are not just cool they are critical to the economic and environmental survival of America. It’s time for a new national energy plan.

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Dirty Energy Independence Week July 1 – July 7th, 2010

Dirty Energy Independence Week July 1 – July 7th, 2010

President Obama gave an address about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico — and what it teaches us about America’s economic and ecological future.
President Obama has heard and joined our call for bold, decisive action to clean up
the spill and build a safe, clean-energy future for the Gulf region and for America.
Now, we must help him and Congress turn his words into the change we need.

In his address, the president called the BP oil spill “the worst environmental
disaster America has ever faced.” He vowed to hold BP accountable for the terrible
damage it has caused. And he promised to remove the threat of future spills by
ending America’s dependence on oil and building a strong clean-energy sector that
can power our economy.

This July, Green For All IS ASKING YOU TO TAKE ACTION: SIGN UP AT:

Dirty Energy Independence Week of Action:

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The windcatcher

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One of the most common uses of the malqaf (windcatcher) is as an architectural feature to cool the inside of the dwelling, and is often used in combination with courtyards and domes as an overall ventilation / heat management strategy. The malqaf is essentially a tall, capped tower with one face open at the top. This open side faces the prevailing wind, thus ‘catching’ it, and bringing it down the tower into the heart of the building to maintain air flow, thus cooling the interior of the building. This is the most direct way of drawing air into the building, but importantly it does not necessarily cool the air, but relies on a rate of air flow to provide a cooling effect. This use of the malqaf or windcatcher has been employed in this manner for thousands of years, as detailed by contemporary Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.

A windcatcher and qanat used for cooling.
The second usage is in combination with a qanat, or underground canal. In this method however, the open side of the tower faces away from the direction of the prevailing wind. (This can be adjusted by having directional ports at the top). By closing all but the one facing away from the incoming wind, air is drawn upwards using the Coandă effect, similar to how opening the one facing towards the wind would pull air down into the shaft.
As there is now a pressure differential on one side of the building, air is drawn down into the passage on the other side. This hot air is brought down into the qanat tunnel, and is cooled by the combination of coming into contact with the cold earth (as it is several meters below ground, the earth stays continuously cool) as well as the cold water running through the qanat. The air is therefore cooled significantly, and is then drawn up through the windcatcher by the same Coandă effect. This therefore brings cool air up through the building, cooling the structure overall, with the additionally benefit that the water vapour from the qanat has an added cooling effect.

Finally, in a windless environment or waterless house, a windcatcher functions as a solar chimney. It creates a pressure gradient which allows less dense hot air to travel upwards and escape out the top. This is also compounded significantly by the day-night cycle mentioned above, trapping cool air below. The temperature in such an environment cannot drop below the nightly low temperature. These last two functions have gained some ground in Western architecture, and there are several commercial products using the name windcatcher. When coupled with thick adobe that exhibits high heat transmission resistance qualities, the windcatcher is able to chill lower level spaces in mosques and houses (e.g. shabestan) in the middle of the day to frigid temperatures.

So effective has been the windcatcher in Persian architecture that it has been routinely used as a refrigerating device (yakhchal) for ages. Many traditional water reservoirs (ab anbars) are built with windcatchers that are capable of storing water at near freezing temperatures for months in summer. The evaporative cooling effect is strongest in the driest climates, such as on the Iranian plateau, hence the ubiquitous use of these devices in drier areas such as Yazd, Kashan, Nain, and Bam. This is especially visible in ab anbars that use windcatchers.
A small windcatcher (badgir) is called a “shish-khan” in traditional Persian architecture. Shish-khans can still be seen on top of ab anbars in Qazvin, and other northern cities in Iran. These seem to be more designed as a pure ventilating device, as opposed to temperature regulators as are their larger cousins in the central deserts of Iran.

TERI FLYNN HUB SOMA ARCHITECT

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Senator Bernie Sanders

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Toyota Tesla Team


 

Gov. Schwarzenegger Joins Tesla and Toyota Officials to Announce Acquisition of NUMMI Facility

Toyota to Invest $50 Million in Tesla and Partner to Manufacture Electric Vehicles, Create Over 1,000 Green Jobs

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger  joined President and Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors Elon Musk and Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado to announce an historic new partnership between the automotive companies that will benefit California’s economy and environment. Toyota announced it will invest $50 million in Tesla Motors and will partner with Tesla to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs). Additionally, Tesla announced that it will acquire the NUMMI plant in Fremont and begin production of its Model S EV in 2012. Today’s action could create more than 1,000 green jobs in California.

“What we are witnessing today is an historic example of California’s transition to a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future. We challenged auto companies to innovate, and both Tesla and Toyota stepped up in a big way, not only creating vehicles that reduce emissions and appeal to consumers but also boosting economic growth,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Tesla, just a start-up company a few years ago, will soon employ Californians in green jobs on a large scale at the former NUMMI plant. In fact, Tesla’s founding and expansion in California is a direct result of our nation-leading policies that support demand for green products and the companies and people who produce them. I am thrilled with today’s announcement and can’t wait to see what this partnership brings next.”

Tesla will use the NUMMI plant to begin production of its second generation vehicle, the Model S EV. This 300-mile range, seven-seat SUV will open Tesla Motors to a whole new market of car buyers. Once it reaches full production mode at the NUMMI plant, Tesla expects to produce 20,000 EVs per year. Tesla is a California company, founded in 2003 in Silicon Valley. Their first vehicle, the Tesla Roadster, was the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV with a range greater than 200 miles per charge that could go from 0-60 in under four seconds.

Governor Schwarzenegger has led the way in implementing policies that encourage auto manufacturers to be bold and innovate, and these policies are not only promoting job creation and influencing national policies, they’re also helping provide a cleaner, greener environment for generations to come. Some of the most significant policies that are allowing innovative green companies to create jobs and thrive in California include:
•    Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32): AB 32 established a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. The law will reduce carbon emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020. Mandatory caps will begin in 2012 for significant sources and ratchet down to meet the 2020 goals. The Governor has also called for the state to reduce carbon emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
•    Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS): California’s LCFS requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in the state, dramatically expanding the market for alternative fuels. To start, the LCFS will reduce carbon content in all passenger vehicle fuels sold in California by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.
•    Automobile Emissions Standards: After years of fighting the federal government for the authority to implement our greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted California’s waiver and the Obama Administration adopted it for the country.

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More Oil Than First Reported

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This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on May 10, 2010 and released by NASA on May 17, shows the oil spill which has remained in the Gulf of Mexico not far from the Mississippi Delta

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Health Care Bill Signed…Next!



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The late Senator Edward Kennedy must have seen something very special in Barack Obama. He has now signed into law a bill desperately needed to address the health of all Americans. Now that President Obama has signed the Health Care Bill you can bet that renewable energy and green transportation is in the Obama administration’s eyesight.

BM Health Care Bill Signed...Next!See the video

slide 5324 73101 large 150x150 Health Care Bill Signed...Next!California recently received  $2.25 billion in high-speed rail funding.The federal stimulus grant, the largest for any state, is intended to help bring the Anaheim-to-San Francisco project to fruition. this has got to be  a big boost for the long-discussed project aimed at accelerating the state’s economic recovery.

Overall, the Obama administration plans to distribute $8 billion for work on 13 rail corridors. Those include a Midwest line from Chicago to St. Louis and one in Florida running from Tampa to Orlando.map Health Care Bill Signed...Next!See High Speed Rail Video Here

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In the Bay Area a tireless champion for high speed rail has been:

State Assembly Woman Fiona Ma.
See a video of her here.

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Envison sustainable transportation & solar power now


11832 1273592004925 1383667688 769713 553787 n1 Envison sustainable transportation & solar power nowNot long ago I talked with Ginny Madeiros of ZAP electric cars, a pioneer in electric transportation based in Santa Rosa, California. Ginny drives an all electric vehicle, the Xebra . You can hear our interview on

QuestPoint n The Mix.

In that conversation we envisioned a world where solar power homeowners would be able to plug their electric cars into their home’s solar power system and get the energy their car needed for the day. Well seems as if these ideas aren’t just wishful thinking. The city of San Francisco has announced a plan to build electric charging stations around the city in anticipation of electric cars to come. This is a collaborative effort between Nissan Motors, which has launched LEAF, an all electric vehicle. It is interesting to note that ZAP currently offers a solar powered line of vehicles which you can plug into a 110 outlet. The series is called Xebra Xero. carpic xebra sol2 1 150x150 Envison sustainable transportation & solar power now

UPDATE – The United States Postal Service has awarded ZAP a contract for the design and development of an electric mail truck. US Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey recently toured the ZAP’s facilities and stated,

“I so appreciate ZAP for hanging in there all these years, knowing what we should be doing as a country. I think a majority of members of Congress, the House in particular, know that they were right and that this is where we need to be investing.
As we know, Congress is pushing to get at least 20,000 electric vehicles into the USPS fleet using a program called Edrive.org.” Here’s Jenny on the scene with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

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ZAP has got a lot going on. I wonder what George Jetson of cartoon fame would think if he could see how we are using technology these days. Oh that’s right it was a cartoon.

By the way ZAP also owns Thomas Edison’s  “electromobile” from 1910  and the Detroit Electric brand. Seems as if electric vehicles have been around for some time now…interesting.25470 1338236531447 1097149488 1036705 4198108 n 300x223 Envison sustainable transportation & solar power now

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Listen to the QuestPoint n The Mix

interview of GREEN ZEBRA founder

Anne Vollen

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ZAP… electric cars now!


 

It’s easy to loose sight of just how much effect the “green movement’ is having on our economy. Take for example, electric cars. It wasn’t long ago that the idea of driving a hybrid vehicle was so en vogue it was hard too imagine that electric vehicles ever even existed. But here we have ZAP, a northern California electric transportation firm that has been at this since the mid 1990′s.

Recently interviewed on QuestPoint N The Mix, ZAP driver and consultant Ginny Medeiros was able to show how more solar power availability aids electric transportation.

The politics and economics of the how we move forward as a local and world community in dealing with energy are being played everyday as innovators like ZAP,  meet the needs of profit, people and the planet.

You can read more about ZAP and other green transportation topics in QuestPoints’ new

Green Transportation section here.

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images ZAP... electric cars now!News from GREEN FOR ALL

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins – CEO

Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy.  They work in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of our agenda.

GREEN FOR ALL Announces

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