Electric Vehicle Volt Wins North American Car of the Year

Posted on January 16, 2011 by quest

DETROIT: The Chevrolet Volt is the 2011 North American Car of the Year. The winners were revealed Monday morning at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show. The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. The Volt won with 233 points followed by the Hyundai Sonata with 163 and the Nissan Leaf electric with 94. “The Volt seamlessly bridges the gulf between today’s liquid fueling infrastructure and the plugged-in electric future,” commented juror Lindsay Brooke of Automotive Engineering International.

During the 18 years of the awards: Domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year ten times. European automakers have won four times, Japanese automakers have won three times. A Korean automaker has won once. Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford Transit Connect.

GM reports the Volt can travel 25 to 50 miles solely on electrical power supplied by a lithium-ion battery. The EPA found in tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls that the Volt displaces the Toyota Prius as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States.

The Volt’s lithium-ion battery pack can be charged by plugging the car into a residential electrical outlet. No external charging station is required. After the Volt battery is depleted, it switches to extended range mode, when a small 4-cylinder internal combustion engine burns premium gasoline to power a generator supplying the electrical power to extend the Volt’s range. In addition, while in extended range mode and travelling at highway speeds, the engine can engage mechanically via a clutch to combine with the electric motors for propulsion. The electrical power from the generator is sent primarily to the electric motor, with the excess going to the batteries, depending on the state of charge of the battery pack and the power demanded at the wheels.

NPR Reports - Electric Cars Steal The Spotlight At Auto Show

ENERGY FROM WIND & WAVES

Honda to Showcase Electric Vehicle Innovations at Sundance Film Festival

Posted on January 14, 2011 by quest

At this year’s 2011 (Jan 20 – 30) Sundance Film Festival Honda will showcase unique Honda products highlighting innovation, environmental leadership and advanced technology. Festival attendees and local residents will have the opportunity to visit the “Honda Power of Dreams Experience.” The venue is open to the public free of charge. Honda’s FCX Clarity a fuel cell electric vehicle and a cutaway of the Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid, the first hybrid with a 6-speed manual transmission in addition to other Honda innovations will be display such as a 12-foot scale model of the HondaJet, Honda’s first advanced light business jet; and Honda motorcycle products, including a Honda Gold Wing with the industry’s first motorcycle airbag, a Honda CBR250R entry-level motorcycle, a Honda PCX mid-size scooter and an interactive motorcycle rider safety and training simulator.

The “Honda Power of Dreams Experience” will feature live 10-minute demonstrations of the world’s most advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility). Designed to someday assist people in their homes, ASIMO is the culmination of more than two decades of research and development by Honda engineers. ASIMO demonstrations will take place hourly starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. In the exhibit, Honda will also premiere “The Undying Dream,” the eighth and newest film in its popular “DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE” Documentary Series. “The Undying Dream” features Big Wave professional surfer Laird Hamilton, along with motorcycle racers and Honda associates (employees) sharing stories about what happens when a dream takes hold of you and drives you to succeed. “The Undying Dream” was directed by Sundance Film Festival two-time Grand Jury Prize Winner, Ondi Timoner (Cool It, We Live in Public, Join Us, Dig!). The film will screen at the Honda Power of Dreams venue every hour on the half hour.

Honda has been a supporter of the Sundance Institute and an official sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival for three years. Honda is also the exclusive sponsor of Sundance Channel’s “Interview” program at the Honda Power of Dreams Studio at the Sundance Film Festival. This program will feature talent from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival selections and will run on Sundance Channel, online and via Video on Demand. In addition, Honda is sponsoring a Sundance Institute video vignette that highlights the work of the Sundance Institute Labs in supporting independent filmmaking. The vignette will premiere at an official Dramatic Competition film premiere during the opening weekend of Sundance and will rotate prior to every Dramatic Film screening at the Sundance Film Festival. The vignette also will run on Sundance Channel, online and via Video on Demand.

EXPLORE ECOTOURISM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to Speak at UN Energy Summit

Posted on January 12, 2011 by quest

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will address Heads of State and international delegates at World Future Energy Summit (WFES), a forum that promotes collaboration, innovation and investment opportunities in renewable energy, environment and clean technology. The summit will be held in Abu Dhabi from 17-20 January 2011, and hosted by Masdar.

The visit by the UN Secretary-General underscores the growing role the UAE and Abu Dhabi are playing in driving the global adoption of renewable energy and clean technology innovation. Through Masdar, a multi-faceted initiative advancing the development and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies, Abu Dhabi has demonstrated its long-term commitment to discovering a viable roadmap for sustainability. “Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our times,” added Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. “The world needs to find the renewable energy and clean technologies which can mitigate its effects and set the world on a path to more sustainable economic growth and prosperity. The search for these solutions requires collaboration between governments, academia, enterprise and civil society. The longer we delay, the more we will pay – in resources, economic competitiveness, and lives.”

“The Secretary General’s leadership in ensuring climate change is addressed within a global framework and at the highest level of international cooperation has lead to significant progress,” said Dr. Al Jaber. “His enthusiasm and personal dedication, is one shared by the UAE’s leadership who have placed significant emphasis in ensuring the advancement of renewable energy and climate change mitigation are core elements of our economic development.”

The fourth World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi will be the world’s largest conference and exhibition on renewable and future energy solutions, innovations, investments, policy and vision. WFES, held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, expects more than 25,000 attendees from around the world. The Summit that will cover a wide range of themes including energy policy, investment and funding, green buildings, clean transport, solar, wind and biofuels.

VISIT THE SOLAR WALL

Solar Charges iPhones

Posted on January 10, 2011 by quest

GoSolar USA and Xiamen Solar Electronics have joined up to develop of the revolutionary Volt Solar Charger accessory for the Apple iPhone. Tyson Rohde CEO of GoSolar USA said, “I’m pleased to say that we’re developing a strong partnership with Xiamen Solar Electronics. “We feel that XSE is an ideal partner for GoSolarUSA because the Volt Solar Charger represents a true breakthrough in applying renewable solar energy to the world of consumer electronics. We are very impressed with the device’s worldwide sales potential. With Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile phone provider in the U.S., strongly rumored to be preparing to offer the iPhone to subscribers, we anticipate the growth of new Apple users to accelerate in the coming years.”

The Volt Solar Charger is an external battery pack that attaches to the iPhone and extends its battery life using a top-of-the-line, built-in solar panel. The Volt is capable of harvesting solar energy to charge all versions of the Apple iPhone with the same device. By capturing free, renewable solar power, the Voltrecharges the iPhone’s battery first before charging its own internal battery, nearly doubling the smartphone’s talk time. The Volt includes a larger battery than its competitors and is the only iPhone battery pack known to the company to include a reception corrector.

With so many iPhones in circulation, a battery pack such as the Volt has the potential to make solar energy a part of the daily lives of millions of North Americans. North America is the world’s largest market for Apple product accessories, and GoSolarUSA has been active in funding new accessory technologies for commercialization. In 2010, GoSolar USA inked a profit participation agreement with the PREE Corporation, developers of the PREEcharge accessory for the iPhone and iPad.

WORK RECYCLING

Solar and Energy Efficiency Key to Ecomagination

Posted on January 9, 2011 by quest

From the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas GE announced today a new phase of its $200 million open innovation challenge. Building on the record-breaking global success of the “ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid,” GE and its venture capital partners today announced the “Powering Your Home” Challenge, which begins January 18 and seeks the best ideas for harnessing and managing energy at home. GE and venture capital partners seek innovations to improve household energy efficiency and harness wind, solar, hydro and biomass power.

The global challenge invites technologists, entrepreneurs and start-ups to share their best ideas and come together to build and improve the eco home of the future with new technologies. The Challenge is one of the largest ever with more than 4,000 ideas submitted and more than 1,100 in the category of home energy use. In the next phase of the Challenge, these ideas will be reexamined and participants are encouraged to submit new ideas or resubmit an idea if it has evolved. The Challenge will be open between January 18 and March 1, 2011.

“We launched the Challenge to spur innovation that will help transform how we create, connect and use power, and the number of passionate and innovative people who got involved to collaborate on global energy solutions has been a real eye-opener for GE,” said Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer and senior vice president, GE. The Challenge launched in July 2010. The Challenge is part of GE’s ecomagination business strategy and was formed as a global commitment to build innovative, clean-energy technologies and help fund the most promising ideas. Proposals are sought in two broad categories of the eco-home: energy efficiency, including management software, appliances and air conditioning; and renewable power, including solar, wind, hydro and biomass. In addition to investment, commercial relationships and other partnership opportunities, the judging panel of GE executives and leading academics and technologists will select five $100,000 Innovation Award winners whose ideas represent pioneering entrepreneurship and innovation.

A GREEN CAREER

Focus Electric – First Electric Vehicle by Ford

Posted on January 8, 2011 by quest

Ford Motor Company has unveiled its all-new Focus Electric – the company’s first-ever all-electric passenger car. The zero-CO2-emissions, gasoline-free version of Ford’s popular small car is the flagship of the company’s growing fleet of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles coming to North America and Europe by 2013. “Focus Electric is the flagship of our new family of electrified vehicles, showcasing our commitment to offer consumers choice when it comes to fuel-efficient or fuel-free vehicles,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president for Global Product Development. “Its advanced powertrain will deliver significant energy efficiency advantages and zero CO2 emissions without compromising driving enjoyment. And its suite of smart driver information technologies will transform the way customers think about energy usage and their transportation needs.”

The Focus Electric will launch in late 2011 and is designed to offer enough range to cover the majority of daily driving habits of Americans. It will offer a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles. A full recharge is expected to take three to four hours at home with the 240-volt charge station –half the charge time of the Nissan Leaf. Focus Electric introduces new features and technologies – including a unique version of the MyFord Touch driver connect system especially for electric vehicles, a new value charging feature powered by Microsoft and a smartphone app called MyFord Mobile that helps plug-in owners control their vehicles remotely.

FOCUS ELECTRIC

The sleek and stylish five-door hatchback leverages Ford’s global C-car platform shared by the gasoline and diesel-powered Focus models, which debuted at the 2010 North American International Auto Show and were launched at the Paris Motor Show in September. Both Focus gasoline and electric variants to be sold in North America will be built at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., with production powered in part by one of the largest solar energy generator systems in the state. For European markets, a decision on where the Focus Electric will be built is currently being finalized. Focus Electric is one of five new electrified vehicles included in Ford’s electrification strategy. Initial deliveries of Transit Connect Electric began in North America at the end of last year and the vehicle will be launched in Europe later in 2011.