GoodCleanTech

Clean Energy Prize to Be Awarded Feb. 12

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:44:22 -0500

Where are tomorrow's clean energy ideas coming from? From students, of course. To encourage Michigan college and university students to develop clean energy technology, DTE Energy and the University of Michigan created the Clean Energy Prize in 2008, which awards $100,000 to the team with the best business plan.

This year eight teams will face off in the semi-finals Friday at 8 AM at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, with the finals at 11:30 and the award ceremony at 2 PM. The eight remaining teams include a radically enhanced battery management system for electric vehicles, a service that motivates people to incorporate energy efficient practices into their daily routines, a tool for harnessing kinetic energy to enhance the lifetime of wireless electronics, and an anaerobic biodigester food disposal to help restaurants save energy and waste disposal costs.

Toyota Recalls 2010 Prius Hybrids Over Brake Concerns

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:38:28 -0500

Toyota has announced a voluntary but expected safety recall on 133,000 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles and 14,500 2010 Lexus HS 250h vehicles to correct a defect in the software controlling the anti-lock brake system (ABS).

Normally, ABS engages and disengages the brakes many times per second in the event of wheel slippage. Hybrids also employ regenerative braking, which charges the battery as part of the braking process. It turns out the 2010 Prius and HS 250h sometimes exhibit inconsistent brake feel, particularly during slow and steady applications of the ABS brakes on slick or rough road surfaces.

Toyota had actually "fixed" this issue in a running production change last month for the 2010 Prius, blaming it on a software glitch, and was about to do so for the HS 250h later this month. But the company wasn't planning to retrofit the fix on 2010 models produced beforehand until now, after 124 owners reported issues with braking. Four of those owners were involved in crashes as a result, according to the Department of Transportation, which opened an investigation on Feb. 4.

"Last Thursday, NHTSA [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] opened a formal investigation of 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles in response to consumer complaints about braking difficulties, and today, Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement. "When I spoke with Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, he assured me that his company takes U.S. safety concerns very seriously. The U.S. DOT will remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise. In the meantime, if you are concerned about your car's braking performance, contact your Toyota dealer."

Toyota has spent the past week in an epic PR battle, as it struggled to get ahead of necessary recalls for over eight million late-model Toyotas for numerous accelerator pedal issues. The NHTSA, meanwhile, said it is continuing its investigation.

Green Police Invade the SuperBowl

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:54:41 -0500

Those of us who work in or cover green technology got a good laugh last night during Audi's Green Police SuperBowl commercial. Accompanied by a rock soundtrack (Cheap Trick rewrote "Dream Police" for the spot), we saw what sometimes feels inevitable: a special police force cracking down on infractions such as choosing plastic over paper and improper composting. If you missed the spot, you can see it on YouTube (I bet editor Carol loves the police anteater at 0:41).

If you're curious about the three-wheeled vehicles that the Green Police drive at the end of the spot, T3 Motion wants you to know that they're real and available for purchase. The T3 Series Electric Stand-up Vehicles are green indeed, with swappable lithium-ion batteries, zero emissions, and an LED lighting system. They're used daily by safety, government, and security agencies, including police departments in Los Angeles, New York, Miami-Dade, and Dallas. They can cruise at up to 20 miles per hour and have a zero-degree turning radius. Plus, they look cooler than Segways, slightly.

Fisker Bags Michigan Office After One Year

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:50:20 -0500

So much for that whole jobs-in-Michigan thing: one year after opening an office in Pontiac to much fanfare, Fisker Automotive has begun relocating all two dozen employees to its Southern California headquarters, and said it would "dramatically" boost hiring in CA, according to Green Car Advisor.

Fisker has yet to begin selling its flagship first car, the $88,000 Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in hybrid.

Company CEO Henrik Fisker said that the company is closing its Pontiac, Mich. office in order to "consolidate the entire team in California" to speed up development of its next-generation, lower-cost Project Nina cars, according to the report.

TrickleStrip: The Surge Protector that Pays for Itself

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:18:12 -0500

Funny how often earth-friendly products are also budget-friendly. Consider the TrickleStar TrickleStrip. You've probably read about TrickleStar's smart power management devices before. Now you can get a six-outlet strip that's a surge protector and a power manager. The strip offers two outlets that are always on, one that acts as a control, and three that switch power off when not in use. When the control device is off, then the three variable devices are off, and vice versa. So if your computer is the control and it's off, your printer, monitor, and speakers could turn off automatically. That saves you money since they aren't using power in standby mode.

TrickleStar sells a PC version and a TV version of the strip, both for $44.95, and estimates that the typical user will save that much in energy costs in under a year. My only problem with it is that the outlets are so closely spaced together. Haven't the TrickleStar people noticed that electronics plugs are usually bigger than the standard size?

Tesla Unveils Right-Hand-Drive Roadster

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:36:50 -0500

Tesla Motors has unveiled a right-hand-drive production version of its limited-production Roadster electric sports car in London.

Anyone interested in test-driving it can head over to the Tesla showroom at 49-51 Cheval Place in London's Knightbridge district (SW7 1EW). For reasons only known to Tesla, the right-hand-drive version includes additional noise-reduction materials, an upgraded sound system, and numerous other unnamed "enhancements."

Tesla said the car plugs into conventional 220-volt sockets found throughout Europe, and can be charged via solar or wind power.

To date, Tesla Motors announced that it has sold about 1,000 Roadsters. Recently, the company announced via an SEC filing that it will terminate Roadster production in 2011 ahead of a shift to a new Lotus Elise platform.

Govt Opens Investigation Into Toyota Prius Brake Issues

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:04:10 -0500

The Department of Transportation has opened a formal investigation into brake issues with the Toyota Prius hybrid model. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) within the agency will investigate whether 2010 models are incurring momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole, or bump.

NHTSA has received 124 complaints from drivers, including four where the alleged defect resulted in crashes. Investigators have already started pre-investigatory field work and spoke with those affected, DOT said.

President Gives Biofuels a Boost

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:35:52 -0500

The nation's biofuel industry got a major push yesterday as President Obama announced a plan to produce 36 billion gallons of ethanol and advanced biofuels a year by 2022 to meet a mandate in the 2007 energy bill. The New York Times reported that the country now produces 12 billion gallons of mostly ethanol per year. The plan is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases while spurring the country's clean-energy industry.

At the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency, said that new data showed that biofuels can improve the climate by displacing fossil-based fuels.

"Today's action by the EPA will help expedite the development and deployment of an entire new slate of high performance advanced biofuels," said Advanced Biofuels Association President Michael McAdams. "A more robust advanced biofuels industry will not only help put Americans back to work, but will also ensure a better tomorrow for future generations as it lowers greenhouse gas emissions."

Toyota: Prius Brake Problem a Software Issue

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:11:19 -0500

It turns out good ol' Woz may be onto something, though it's not necessarily the accelerator pedal in this case: Toyota said Thursday that a software glitch is to blame for braking problems on the brand-new 2010 Toyota Prius, but didn't yet commit to a recall for that vehicle.

"We would want to be given a little time," Hiro Yuki Yokoyama, Toyota's managing officer, said according to CNN.

Toyota had changed the regenerative braking system software in January, but has yet to say what to do about vehicles manufactured before then. The issue involves a "disconnect" in the anti-lock brake system that causes a slight lag of less than one second--still enough for a car to travel 90 extra feet at 60 mph before the brakes grab.

The Prius issue comes at a really bad time for Toyota. The automaker is currently slogging its way through a confusing, multi-issue recall involving over five million late-model Toyotas that could potentially cost over $1 billion to fix. The Prius hadn't been involved until Wednesday.

Super Bowl: Greener Pepsi Coolers

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:08:23 -0500

When people converge on Miami for the Super Bowl this weekend, they won't notice it but their Pepsi is likely to be a little bit greener. The soft drink giant is starting a pilot project there to test new earth-friendly soda cases. The 35 test cases are hydrofluorocarbon-free and use less energy than a 100-watt light bulb, the company says. That means they use 44 percent less energy than 2008 cases and reduce greenhouse gases by 99 percent. They also consume 20 percent less power than Energy Star requirements.

"Energy consumption accounts for at least 95 percent of GHG emissions in coolers, and introducing these energy-efficient, HFC-free coolers is the next step in PepsiCo's strategic sustainability initiative to reduce harmful emissions from all of its refrigeration equipment," says Robert Lewis, vice president of packaging and equipment for PepsiCo.

The test cases will be at Sun Life stadium for the Super Bowl, as well as at American Airlines Arena, Florida International University, and other retail spaces throughout Miami.

Lamborghini Project Generates Hybrid Concept Proposal

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:09:19 -0500

Two days, two hybrid supercars--though this one is still in the proposal stage. Nevertheless, it could be in your driveway some day.

Munich University of Applied Scientists is hosting an event called the Lamborghini Raw Materials Project for automotive design and engineering. Participant Slavche Tanevsky has come up with the Lamborghini Madura (pictured), a proposal for the first hybrid Lamborghini scheduled for 2016.

As EarthTechling reports, Tanevsky is a car enthusiast who believes that designing a more environmentally friendly vehicle "doesn't mean it shouldn't be exciting, good-looking and fast."

Tanevsky's concept includes an electric engine underneath a curved front hood, an even-sleeker-than-usual design for the body that takes cues from the current Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago, and spoilers that grow out of the side panels and "connect with laser beams when breaking, as a symbol of the electric drive system." Oh come on, that's cool. I don't care what anyone says. (Click for more pics.)

Get Solar Training the Green Way

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:24:32 -0500

Looking for a new line of work? Want to get into the rapidly expanding world of solar installation? Then you'll be happy to know that the Solar Living Institute (SLI) is now offering an online training course. The SLI is a non-profit that promotes renewable energy and sustainable living through training programs. Getting that training used to mean traveling to the organization's center in California, but SLI is now partnering with Sify Technologies to offer a course, "PV Design and Installation Training," online. ("PV" stands for "photovoltaic," by the way.)

"For over 15 years, the Solar Living Institute has been offering our PV Design and Installation training at our 12-acre sustainability center in Northern California. We are happy to take another stride in our journey toward sustainability not only by going 'paperless,' but also by encouraging people to learn more and travel less, saving fossil fuels, time, and money," says John Schaeffer, SLI's chairman and founder.

This course is currently only offered in English, but will soon be translated and localized for India, China, and Latin America. SLI and Sify plan to roll out other e-learning courses on subjects such as technical training, sales, marketing, finance, and sustainable personal and business practices.

Swedish Ideas Will Have U.S. Seeing Green

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:10:00 -0500

There's more going on in Sweden than disposable furniture and tasty meatballs. There's ahead-of-the-curve green technology, and House of GreenTech LLC, a Swedish-American trading house, is looking to bring it to our shores.

House of GreenTech is currently raising capital for its U.S. operations. The company opened shop in Baltimore on January 1, and has just secured an additional $714,000 U.S. from Swedish investors, for a total of $1.1 million in funding. The company expects to get $2.1 million in investment capital this year, and hopes to reach $70 million in revenues by 2015.

"I joined House of GreenTech as I have seen the potential for Swedish energy and environmental solutions in the USA. I believe it is extremely important to get these leading edge products to the U.S. market which will encourage energy efficiency in the US and help companies to profit and grow," says Katarina Bonde, House of GreenTech's newly appointed chairman of the board.

Report: BMW to Produce Vision EfficientDynamics Supercar

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:18:38 -0500

If this doesn't kick-start car enthusiast interest in alternative fuel vehicles, nothing will: A senior BMW executive has told Inside Line that the automaker plans to produce the stunning Vision EfficientDyanmics plug-in hybrid concept car for consumer sales.

The Vision EfficientDynamics sports car outputs 356 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, using a combination of two electric motors, a lithium-polymer battery back, and a lightweight, three-cylinder diesel range-extending engine mounted in the middle of the car.

Current estimates are that BMW will produce between 5,000 and 10,000 units per year, and will probably include less of the concept car's synthetic glass in order to come up with a viable production version, the report said. The car may also exceed its current 0-62 time of 4.8 seconds in final form, and could assume the mantle the legendary BMW M1 supercar currently holds for the automaker.

Solar Lights Help Haitian Relief

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:20:26 -0500

Thanks to Sol, Inc., relief work in Haiti has been going a little easier. The Florida-based solar lighting company has pledged to provide $300,000 in solar lights to the shaken country, and the first phase has already been completed. Sol isn't just delivering lighting, however, but has also sent a ground team to make sure the lights are delivered and correctly installed. This picture shows one of the new lights at a medical camp near the Port-au-Prince airport, where Doctors without Borders, the Red Cross, and Partners in Health are all treating quake survivors. The lighting has helped with medical care and security.

While one-third of Sol's promised donation is either already delivered or is in transit, the company is looking for air cargo or ocean freight transportation assistance for the rest. To read about the company's efforts in Haiti, download this PDF.