ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND FUELS : SOLAR ENERGY - PROTOTYPE CARS, MOTOR BIKES - CLEAN FUELS

na ma!!!!!!!1

2010-04-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

#include
#include

/*structura ce contine parametrii transmisi fiecarui threrad*/
typedef struct {
int x[100]; /*vectorul */
int n; /*nr de elemente*/
} Parametri;

int x[100];
int n,a,b;
/*functia executata de primul thread*/
void* Citire(void *param) {
int i;
printf("Dati limita inferioara (a)\n");
scanf("%d",&a);
Printf("Dati limita superioara (b)\n");
scanf("%d",&b);
printf("Dati dimensiunea vectorului\n");
scanf("%d",&n);
for (i=0;i printf("Dati element pozitie %d/n", i+1);
scanf("%d", &x[i]);
}
printf("\n");
return NULL;
}
/*functia executa ala doilea thread*/
void* Afisare(void *param) {
int i;
printf("\n Elementele din vector cuprinse intre %d si %d sunt:\n", a, b);
for (i=0;i if (x[i]>=a && x[i]<=b) printf("% ",x[i]);
}
printf("\n");
return NULL;
}
/*functia executata de al treilea thread*/
void* Suma(void * param) {
int i,m =x[0];
float S=0;
for (i=0; i S=S+x[i];
if (m }
printf("\n Media elementelor este %g", S/n);
printf("\n Maximul este %d", m)
printf("\n");
return NULL;
}
int main()
{
pthread_t f1,f2,f3;
int rc,status;
pthread_attr_t attr;
Parametri sp;
/*cream primul fir*/
pthread_att_init(&attr);
pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&attr, PTHREAD_CREATE_JOINABLE);
rc=pthread_create(&f1, &attr,&Citire,(void*)&sp);

/*ateptam termnarea primului fir de executie*/
rc=pthread_join(f1,(void**)&status);
/*cream al doilea fir*/
pthread_create(&f2, &attr, Afisare, (void*)&sp);
rc=pthread_join(f2, (void**)&status);
/*cream al treilea fir*/
pthread_create(&f3, &attr, Suma, &sp);
rc=pthread_join(f3, (void**)&status);

pthread_attr_destroy(&attr);
return 0;
}

fara numar pt cel mai tare ungur

2010-04-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

#include
#include
#include
#include
#include

typedef struct {
char buf[BSIZE];
sem_t occupied;
sem_t empty;
int nextin;
int nextout;
sem_t pmut;
sem_t cmut;
} buffer_t;

buffer_t buffer;

void producer(buffer_t *b, char item) {
b=&buffer;
printf("\N dati un nr ")
scanf("%d",&item);
sem_wait(&b->empty);
sem_wait(&b->pmut);

b->buf[b->nextin] = item;
printf("\n S-a pus %d ", item);
b->nextin++;
b->nextin %= BSIZE;

sem_post(&b->pmut);
sem_post(&b->occupied);
}

char consumer(buffer_t *b)
{
char item;
int i,x,y;

sem_wait(&b->cmut);

item = b->buf[b->nextout];

printf("\n a= ");
scanf("%d", &x);
printf("\n b=");
scanf("%d", &y);

for(i=2;i if ((item>x) && (item
printf("\n Numarul %d depus de producator NU este prim",item);
b->nextout++;
b->nextout %= BSIZE;

printf("\n S-a citit %d ", item);
sem_post(&b->cmut);
sem_post(&b->empty);

return item;
}

int main()
{
int i;
pthread_t t1,t2;

sem_init(&buffer.occupied, 0, 0);
sem_init(&buffer.empty,0, BSIZE);
buffer.nextin = buffer.nextout = 0;

pthread_create(&t1, NULL, producer,NULL );
pthread_create(&t2, NULL, consumer,NULL);

pthread_join(t1, NULL);
pthread_join(t2, NULL);
return 0;
}

SUB 2 PT TANTALAI :)

2010-04-28T23:19:00.001-07:00

pt noi

2010-04-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

#include
#include

//structura cu parametrii fiecarui fir

typedef struct {
int x[30]; // stocare vector
int n; // numar maxim de elemente
} Parametri;

int x[30];
int n;

///// Functia primului fir
///// CITIREA

void* Citire(void *param )
{
int i; // contor

printf("\n Dati numaru de elemente a vectorului: ");
scanf("%d",&n);

for (i=0;i {
printf("\n Dati element: %d=", i+1);
scanf("%d", &x[i]);
}

printf("\n");

return NULL;
}

//// functia ce va fi executata de cel de-al doilea fir.\
//// SORTAREA SI AFISAREA

void* Afisare(void )
{

int i, aux;

printf("\n Sortare vector ... \n");

for (i=0;i {
if x[i]>x[i+1]
{
aux=x[i];
x[x]=x[i+1];
x[i+1]=aux;
}

printf("\n Sortare incheiata. ");

printf("\n Afisare - vectorul este :\n");
for (i=0;i {
printf(" %d ",x[i]);
}
printf("\n");

return NULL;
}

///// functia efectuata de firul 3
///// media valorilor

void* Suma(void * param)
{
int i,med,a,b,nr;
long S;
S=0;

for (i=0;i S=S+x[i];

printf("\n Suma elementelor este %ld",S);

med=S/n;

printf("\n Media elem. vectorului este: %d ",med);
printf("\n Dati intervalele a, b ");
printf("\n a= ");
scanf("%d", &a);
printf("\n b=");
scanf("%d", &b);
for (i=0;i if ((x[i]>=a) && (x[i]<=b))
nr++;
printf("\n in intervalul [a,b], sunt%ld",S);

return NULL;
}

int main()
{

pthread_t f1,f2,f3; //declararea firelor

int rc,status;

pthread_attr_t attr;
Parametri sp;

//// crearea primului fir

pthread_attr_init(&attr);
pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&attr, PTHREAD_CREATE_JOINABLE);
rc = pthread_create(&f1, &attr, &Citire, (void *) &sp);

/// se asteapta incheierea executiei primului fir

pthread_attr_destroy(&attr);

rc=pthread_join(f1, (void **)&status);

///se creaza al doilea fir

pthread_create(&f2, &attr, Afisare, (void *) &sp);
rc=pthread_join(f2, (void **)&status);

/// se creaza al treilea fir

pthread_create(&f3, &attr, Suma, &sp);
rc=pthread_join(f3, (void **)&status);

return 0;
}

Venturi Fétish High End Electric Supercar Sports Car

2008-01-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

Just when you figure you’ve seen everything, something comes around that sets you back on your heels. Such is life in the world of advanced technology vehicles.

This is especially so when it comes to electric cars. By most accounts in recent years, the battery electric vehicle had died an untimely death. Green Car Journal editors didn’t believe it then and we don’t now. But realistically, in the eyes of most folks there wasn’t much going on to dispute this. That view is turned on its ear by the Venturi Fétish, an unlikely and curvaceous example that epitomizes what the ultimate electric supercar should be.
The Venturi Fétish made its U.S. debut earlier this year in Los Angeles and then followed suit in Monaco, showings that followed an appearance in Paris. Here, it was eye-opening even by car-crazed California standards, with a sleek body drawn by French designer Sacha Lakic and engineering handled by Gérard Ducarouge of Lotus Formula 1 fame. It is assembled in California, where this elegant carbon fiber bodyshell is wrapped around a carbon aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis, creating a 2,424 pound sports car that’s as aesthetically pleasing as any of the high-end exotics plying the roads of Hollywood or Beverly Hills.
But this car isn’t all looks. A 300 horsepower, 14,000 rpm AC Propulsion electric motor propels the rear-drive Fétish from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, achieving a top speed above 100 mpg. A T-shaped battery pack incorporating 770 pounds of lithium-ion batteries provides the power, a configuration similar to that of the nickel-metal-hydride battery design in GM’s EV1 electric car. This 58 kilowatt-hour Li-Ion pack reportedly allows the car a single-charge driving range of 200 miles. Regenerative braking recaptures energy during deceleration or braking and feeds electricity back to the batteries. Unlike most electric cars, the amount of regeneration is driver-adjustable at the dash. The car rides on Michelin Pilot Sport tires wrapped around aggressive 18 inch alloy wheels up front, with Michelins over 19-inch alloys at the rear.

Inside, Venturi offers its buyers a choice of leather or neoprene upholstery, form-fitting racing style seats, a thickly-wrapped steering wheel, and digital instrumentation. A wide array of advanced electronics is at a driver’s fingertips including an Apple Mini i-Pod MP3 player and an Alpine touch-screen multimedia station, which includes GPS navigation and DVD.

Vectrix VX-FCe Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Electric Hybrid Scooter

2008-01-13T23:26:00.001-08:00

Fuel cell-powered vehicles have been getting a lot of attention, but these efficient and fast two-wheeled runabouts have a lot to gain from this zero-emission propulsion system, too. Case in point: The Vectrix VX-FCe fuel cell-electric hybrid scooter shown here. By adding a small 500 watt fuel cell to its battery-powered electric scooter, Vectrix has been able to double this two-wheeler’s range and forgo the need to recharge at a power outlet. The fuel cell supplies a continuous trickle of charge to the battery, while the battery provides varying bursts of power to the electric motor as required by driver input. The VX-FCe has a 150 mile range at 25 mph, a top speed of just over 60 mph, and accelerates from 0-50 mph in 6.8 seconds. With recent investment from industrial and aerospace systems company Parker Hannifin, Vectrix says the VX-FCe will be set to go on sale in select U.S. and European cities in the next two to three years for around $9,000. And here’s another: Intelligent Energy, a British company that recently relocated to Los Angeles, is hoping its ENV motorcycle will go on sale in 2006 for $6,000. If that happens, this fuel cell-powered motorcycle will be the first production fuel cell vehicle on the market. The ENV features what the company calls CORE, a fully detachable 1 kW fuel cell that could potentially be used to power other appliances when the motorcycle is not in use. Installed in the vehicle beneath the seat, the fuel cell is aided by a battery pack to give the ENV a top speed of 50 mph – which it reaches in 12 seconds from a stop – and a driving range of about 100 miles or 4 hours of continuous use.

Fast Times in a Mustang 300E Electric Musclecar

2008-01-13T23:16:00.001-08:00

A battery powered musclecar? Yeah, it sounds like oxymoron, but San Diego, Calif.-based Ronaele, Inc. doesn’t think so. The company showed its electric version of a musclecar at the recent EV23 in Southern California. The bright orange Mustang 300E drew lots of attention and some orders. It also helped put to rest some performance car fans' fears that “driving green means driving without tire squealing performance.”

Ronaele builds the Ronaele 350 hp, 450 hp, and 550 hp High Performance Mustangs. For the all-electric Mustang 300E, Ronaele purchases new Mustangs and strips out the engine and other components associated with the internal combustion engine. A 300 horsepower, modified forklift electric motor replaces the transmission. Either lithium-ion or lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs sourced from K2 Energy Solutions replace the fuel tanks with little compromise in trunk space. Aluminum boxes housing the power electronics go under the hood. Most importantly, overall weight is retained.

With 1000 lbs-ft of torque available from 0 rpm, the 300E can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under four seconds. Top speed is 130 mph and, driven conservatively, the range is said to be 100-125 miles. Charging is done via a plug where the fuel filter once resided and takes 3 ½ hours at 220 volts or 8 hours at 110 volts.

The price of entry for the 300E is about $80,000 plus the cost of a Mustang base vehicle. With an estimated operating cost of two cents per mile, some might consider this a good investment considering the price of gasoline. If the 300E isn’t enough, Ronaele offers the 600E with two motors and twice the number of batteries, offering a whopping 600 horsepower and 2000 lbs-ft of torque.

Sharing the Ronaele platform at EV23 was a silver Shelby Cobra EV built by HST Automotive, also in San Diego. The Cobra looked like any other HST Shelby Cobra replica with its carbon fiber body … until you notice there’s neither gear shift nor exhaust pipe, and the Le Mans-style fuel filler now holds an electric plug. Look closer and you’ll see the fuel tank has been replaced by battery packs, again from K2, with the 427 cubic-inch V-8 replaced by large polished aluminum housings that contain the car’s power electronics. A 300 horsepower electric motor also replaces the transmission in this electric musclecar variant. At under 2400 pounds, the all-electric Cobra is still a featherweight with under 4 second 0-60 mph times and 150 mph top speed. The HST Cobra EV costs about $125,000 a copy.

In case you’re wondering where the name Ronaele comes from and why the “e’s” are reversed in the logo, here’s the answer: Spelled backward, the name is “Eleanor,” after the Mustang in the movie, Gone in 60 Seconds.

T3 Motion Zero Emission Vehicle Meets Mobilcop

2008-01-13T23:13:00.000-08:00

To serve and protect...and drive clean. The T3 Series from T3 Motion in Irvine, California (www.t3motion.com) is a battery electric-powered personal transport that aims to fill the needs of law enforcement agencies. The T3 features a 25 mph top speed, zero-degree turning radius, flashing blue and red lights plus tilting spotlight, and a driving platform that puts the driver eight inches above the ground for visibility above crowds.

All of these are features the company expects police units and security patrols at campuses, malls, airports, and other high density areas to find highly desirable. Of course, zero emissions is a plus, too. T3 Motion claims that operating its three-wheeled personal transporter costs less than 10 cents per day. Four different lithium-ion battery options can provide a range of up to 75 miles, though with field-swappable battery modules the range is virtually unlimited. Charge time for the dual on-board lithium-ion batteries is four to six hours.

VW Conjures Up a Hydrogen Powered Microbus

2008-01-13T03:15:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the Volkswagen Space Up! Blue concept car, and the company hopes you’ll conjure up fond memories of the 1950s VW Microbus. With four roof windows, butterfly doors, and a motor at the rear, the concept resembles a modern, 7/8th scale take on the original. But unlike the “hippy van” of yore that came to symbolize the eco lifestyle, this concept’s powerplant actually bears it out.

Replacing the boxer engine is a 60 horsepower electric motor that draws its power from a dozen lithium-ion batteries. These batteries provide enough energy for a 65 mile all-electric trip. After that the Space Up! Blue is either refueled by plugging into an electrical outlet or seamlessly powered by an on-board fuel cell for another 155 miles.

A nice touch is provided by a large solar panel on the roof that feeds up to 150 watts to the battery. Fueled by an underbody compressed hydrogen tank, the fuel cell is a new high temperature unit developed by VW’s dedicated research center in Germany. A new high temperature membrane and electrodes allow operating temperatures of up to 320 ºF, far beyond current low temperature fuel cells whose water-containing membranes are limited to water’s boiling point. VW points out that higher operating temperatures mean a much simpler cooling and water management system is needed, making the whole system more compact, affordable, and efficient.

The Space Up! Blue concept is the third variant of VW’s new small family of concept cars to appear at major auto shows in just a few months, following the Up! Concept from Frankfurt and the larger Space Up! concept from Tokyo. Despite the resulting unwieldy naming scheme, the concepts collectively offer VW’s vision for a new kind of small car that is cleverly packaged and simply styled. Now with electric drive, plug-in capability, and advanced fuel cell technology, we like where this vision is aimed.

Electric VentureOne Morphs Car and Motorcycle

2008-01-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

Venture Vehicles says driving its three-wheel, tilting VentureOne is like "flying a jet fighter two feet off the ground." As if that isn't exciting enough, this innovative vehicle's drivetrain configurations are sure to endear it to fans of both electric and hybrid cars alike.

Though classified as a motorcycle, the Los Angeles, California-based company claims the two-passenger VentureOne is more than 30 times safer. It will be offered in three versions with two types of propulsion. The base Venture E50 and higher performing Venture Q100 have a series hybrid drivetrain with plug-in capability, while the Venture EV will be all-electric.

All three versions will use Carver Engineering's DVC (Dynamic Vehicle Control) system. Originally conceived by this Netherlands-based company in 1994, DVC is now in its 18th iteration. It allows the passenger compartment and the front wheel to automatically tilt up to 45 degrees side-to-side at a rate of 85 degrees-per-second while cornering. This maintains the ideal tilting angles under all driving conditions, including emergency maneuvers and while driving on slippery or slanting road surfaces. The hydro-mechanical system splits the driver's steering input into a front-wheel steering angle and a tilting chassis angle.
The hybrid system uses a small rear-mounted gasoline engine to drive a generator, which in turn produces electricity that powers the vehicle's electric motors. Electricity is stored in an A123Systems lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery. The all-electric EV model has a Li-Ion battery pack and two in-wheel electric motors. Both versions feature ventilated disc brakes, ABS, and regenerative braking, but no transmission. Top speed for the 1,200 pound VentureOne is over 100 mph with acceleration pegged at 0-60 in 6 seconds.

While the VentureOne does carry a motorcycle classification because of a three wheel configuration, it's quite unlike a motorcycle because it has a fully enclosed body. Car-like features include a reinforced steel safety cell, front and side impact protection, three-point driver and passenger restraints, driver's airbag, rear bumper, engine shield, collapsible steering col

umn, safety glass, and digital traction control. A front-wheel capture collar transfers the energy of a front impact to the welded moly-steel frame.

About the same height and length as a MINI Cooper, the VentureOne measures in at an overall width of 48 inches with a length of 140 inches, and features a 106 inch wheelbase. It will have car-like standard and optional equipment including GPS navigation, cruise control, heating/air conditioning , and personal entertainment. Prices will range from $18,000 for the E50 to $23,000 for the EV model. The company says that deliveries are expected to start sometime in 2008.
This is all good news. The challenge, of course, is that the market for three-wheel vehicles has been virtually nonexistent, so there are marketing hurdles ahead. That said, a great many motorists are ready to consider new and different alternatives to today's often fuel inefficient vehicles that contribute to poor air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and growing dependence on oil. Innovative vehicles like the VentureOne could be part of the solution.

New Models Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show

2008-01-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

EVs SHOW PROMISE

From a Green Car perspective, electric vehicles are a priority awaiting technical advances. Two notable EVs debuted in Tokyo: the Subaru G4e and Mitsubishi
i-MIEV Sport.

The G4e is a sporty five-seater showcasing Subaru's "next-generation" vanadium technology lithium-ion batteries. Developed in-house by Subaru, the batteries are said to double energy density and allow the G4e to travel 200 km on a charge. A full charge requires eight hours, but the batteries can be juiced up with quick charge in just 15 minutes to bring them up to 80 percent capacity.

Mitsubishi's iMIEV Sport is the company's environmental flagship. It features an advanced 330 volt lithium-ion battery and an electric powered four-wheel-drive system utilizing three motors. Two in-wheel motors drive the front wheels and a single motor powers the rear wheels. The driver never needs to plug the iMIEV in, thanks to a wireless charging system that utilizes a microwave transmitter that can be mounted in a location like the garage floor and a receiver that's located in the underside of the car.

THE PODS HAVE LANDED

Sci-fi aficionados always feel right at home at the Tokyo Motor Show. Pod shaped bubble cars aren't a new idea because they maximize space and Tokyo was flush with them.

Honda showed the funky Puyo concept that pushes the pod design way out there. The bubble top gull-wing door design is unique in many respects, with no feature on this car more bizarre than its soft gel-like rubber body panels that are kinder to the touch. The material incorporates a special light technology that glows in changing colors to alert pedestrians of Puyo's running condition.

The Suzuki Sharing Coach (SSC) is a two-seat fuel cell powered transporter that utilizes front wheel mounted motors and a battery that can regenerate through roof and window solar panels. The Sharing Coach is a mobile garage for the Suzuki Pixy personal low-speed mobility device. The egg-shaped Pixy incorporates a fast charging capacitor and collision sensors for added safety.

Perhaps the most bizarre concept in Tokyo was Toyota's RiN, a mood

ring on wheels. RiN takes driver-vehicle interaction to new levels to promote a healthier lifestyle. The steering yoke, for example, is fitted with an electrocardiogram sensor intended to "mood-train" the driver through bio-feedback. Many other calming effects are employed so that you arrive healthier than when you left.

The somewhat more conventional Toyota Hi-CT is a plug-in hybrid that seats five with an outward form reminiscent of a diesel locomotive or cabover heavy truck. A rear truck box can be removed to reveal a functional rear deck area that can expand into the rear seat area when the rear hatch is open.

Not to be left out, Nissan took the Pivo rotating cab concept, first shown in 2005, another step with the Pivo2. The electric Pivo2 features multi-directional in-wheel motors and a lithium-ion battery pack for propulsion. A dash mounted cartoon-like robot head moves to entertain occupants and hopefully help road-rage drivers calm down. You certainly can't take the concept too seriously, although its electric drive system is no doubt the real deal.

HOT GREEN CONCEPTS

Honda pulled the cover off its latest hybrid concept, the sporty CR-Z. The CR-Z's nose hints at the Honda S2000 sports car but the lines are much crisper. CR-Z is clearly a new generation of the popular Honda CR-X compact sports coupe and while still fun, lightweight, and efficient...it's clearly much greener. Honda did not reveal many details about the hybrid powertrain, but we expect that it is a front drive four-cylinder gasoline engine with Honda's integrated hybrid drive, and it will likely use supercapacitors for added punch during hard acceleration. CR-Z could be production-ready as early as 2009.

Mazda added a fourth chapter to its recent generation of Nagare design series concepts with the unveiling of the Taiki in Tokyo. Roughly translated, Taiki means "Atmosphere" in Japanese and this aerodynamic form is sleek and slippery, if not a bit busy. Importantly, the Taiki is powered by what is said to be the next generation rotary engine that's more powerful while offering cleaner emissions. Still the only major automaker to embrace the rotary internal combustion engine, Mazda is aggressively pursuing hydrogen as an alternative fuel source and naturally Taiki makes use of H2 as a super-clean fuel.

LIGHTEN UP

One of the simplest — yet technically most difficult — ways to improve efficiency while also improving performance is to remove weight from an overall vehicle package. In modern cars, with all their mandated safety equipment and advanced technologies, that's easier said than done. To this end, Toyota showed off its latest weight-saving concept called the 1/X. Essentially, the unibody structure of the 1/X is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic rather than steel. Toyota teases that adding plug-in hybrid and flex fuel strategies to the powertrain will make the 1/X ultra green, but only a body shell was on display here. Perhaps we'll get a further glimpse of what Toyota has in mind next time as part of the dazzling automotive spectacle that's sure to be on hand at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show

Plug-In Electric Motorcycle by Brammo Motorsports

2008-01-10T02:53:00.001-08:00

Those who lean toward two wheels rather than four will be interested in this: A stylish, cutting-edge electric motorcycle that will be brought to market by its Oregon manufacturer in early 2008.

Brammo Motorsports’ electric motorcycle features a permanent magnet DC pancake motor with energy supplied by six Valence lithium-phosphate batteries in a 3.1 kilowatt-hour battery pack. It has a top speed of over 50 mph, range of 45 miles, and requires three hours to fully recharge. With 100 percent torque available from start, the Enertia can accelerate from 0 to 30 mph in a snappy 3.8 seconds.

The design’s heaviest components –the batteries – are cradled in the monocoque frame, down the spine of the chassis. Also, the motor sits as low as possible and directly in line with the rider’s vertical centerline. The Enertia’s motor output shaft drives the rear wheel directly through the chain to minimize noise and maximize efficiency without much of the mechanical losses inherent with gearboxes. The rear suspension swing arm, made from high strength steel tubing, directly actuates the adjustable air shock. A USB port allows the rider to download the company’s Momentum software for customizing performance – beginner, maximum range, ultimate performance, etc.

Brammo notes that the Valence Saphion battery technology is the safest available for motorcycles because the cathodes use phosphates, which are extremely stable under overcharge or short circuit conditions and can withstand high temperatures without decomposing. When abuse does occur, phosphates are not prone to thermal runaway and will not burn. The Saphion technology does not contain any heavy metals and also does not exhibit the memory effect of nickel-cadmium batteries. It also has excellent shelf life, long cycle life, and is maintenance free.

A battery management system monitors current delivered by the batteries to the controller, as well as the state of charge of each cell to keep the six modules in balance. This system also controls the charging cycle to ensure each battery module gets just the right charge for a fully charged, balanced battery pack.

ast Electric Scooters / Mopeds - ride green, ride clean, ride happy

2008-01-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

FalconEV Electric Scooters/Mopeds, are special Hi-powered models offered nowhere else in the USA. Better quality motors and controllers are used to get the performance people want. Only LiFe batteries are used to power these E-scooters. As the Distributor of the- Matrix, Proton, Verada, Falcon and Forsen E-Scooters; ( technically mopeds ) we can offer you what is without a doubt, the finest electric propulsion machines in the market today. One year warranties, technical support and parts(if ever needed), means we stand behind our products. All Scooters are D O T Certified. We ARE out to change the way America gets around.

Remember - E-scoots pay for themselves within one year with daily use. Not paying for gasoline, oil, parts, repairs and the reduced insurance rates for driving your car less all add up to a nice return on your investment.

Some of you may wonder- why can't I find and buy a full size street legal E-scooter at a local scooter store, etc.??

Well...., that's a good question and there is a good answer...BUT..you may not be ready to hear it....A lot of you good people have to realize that gasoline suppliers and gas burning machine dealers are all trying to get your hard earned $$. From all levels of government down to your local scooter dealer.

Ok, sit down, take a deep breath...The reason 99% of scooter shops do not sell electric scooters is ; THEY DO NOT BREAK DOWN... All gasoline machines break down. Scooter shops that only sell gas scooters need those machines to break down so they can charge you to fix it ! Same reason Detroit doesn't build electric cars. It would collapse their parts and repair business. I have been told directly by a local scooter dealer that I was trying to sign up, that " our store will not and can not sell electric because our main business is repairs and parts sales."

"We have to sell scooters that breakdown so we can fix them..Now please leave before a customer see's your

E-scooter !"

W O W !

If you do know of a scooter store that is less interested in repairs and more interested in a quiet green clean air machine on wheels, please refer them to this website.

Also, contact your local electric power company and tell them to implement a power bill rebate program to get a $$ credit on your power bill if you buy electric transportation. No gov't involvement needed.!

For years, the oil companies have promoted gas engine vehicles. Now is the time for the power companies to provide the energy for tomorrows LEV'S / Light Electric Vehicles. The two wheelers come first, the 3 & 4 wheelers will come later.

The eGO Cycle - quick, safe and loaded with features

2008-01-08T02:10:00.000-08:00

For a ride that's smooth, safe and surprisingly quick, its hard to beat the eGO electric. It's also extremely easy to ride - just twist the throttle grip and away you go.

The eGO electric scooters are built on an annodized aluminum chassis and delivers 20 - 25 miles of range at a top speed of 24 miles per hour.

The eGO Cycle Classic includes the safety equipment necessary to be registered for road use in the states that require it.

Performance Modes - Two (Go Far / Go Fast)

Top Speed - 24 / 18 MPH

Range per Charge - 25 Miles (Go Far, 150 lb rider, flat terrain)

Motor - 1.5kw (2.0 hp,) 4320W max, 24V Brushed

Motor Controller - 180 Amps (max)

Max Load Capacity - 250lbs rider + cargo, +100lbs in trailer

Drive System - eGo WhisperTM belt drive

Throttle - Right hand twist grip

Battery Monitor - 10 segment LED display

Charger - 5 Amp internal smart charger

Charger input voltage - 100 to 250 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz

Recharge Time ~ 3 hours to 80% full, ~6 hrs to 100%

Safety

Wheels - 48 spoke double wall alloy rim, alloy hub

Tires - 100PSI, 20" x 1.96

Front Brakes - Disc

Rear Brakes - Caliper

Headlight - DOT Headlight

Tail / Brake Light - DOT tail/brake (LED)

Lighting Controls - Dash

Audible alert - Bell

Rear View Mirrors - Left only

Dimensions Features

Colors - Red, Black, Light Green, Light Blue

Frame - Annodized Aluminum

Length - 64 Inches

Width - 23 Inches

Height - 44 Inches

Weight - 130 lbs / 140 lbs shipping

Saddle - Suspension

Ignition - Keyswitch for increased security

Battery System - 24V 34Ah

Other features - Rear cargo rack, kickstand

General Motors Unveils Opel Flextreme Diesel-Electric Hybrid

2008-01-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

General Motors is aggressively rolling out variations on its E-Flex theme. In January, General Motors rocked the automotive world with the radical Volt concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In April at the Shanghai Motor Show, GM showed a fuel cell-charged version of the Volt. Now, the General has provided an encore at the recent Frankfort Auto Show by showing a variant adapted to the European market. Here, the gasoline engine used to regenerate the U.S. Volt's battery pack was replaced with a thrifty 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine.

E-Flex architecture uses electric drive to propel a vehicle with the ability to plug into the grid to recharge its batteries, plus a flexible choice of ways to provide electricity once away from the outlet. It's a plug-in, but rather than combining an internal combustion powertrain and electric drive to move a vehicle as traditional gas-electric hybrids do, E-Flex is driven strictly by electricity. The internal combustion engine — whether fueled by gasoline, E85 ethanol, or diesel — is used exclusively to power a generator that produces electricity for electric drive. Because of this the engine can be considerably smaller than would be needed otherwise and also run at a more efficient constant speed.

Clean diesel is well established and accepted in Europe, so it makes perfect sense for General Motors to use its European Opel brand to further illustrate the adaptability of the E-Flex architecture by incorporating a diesel-electric hybrid. In this application, the electric propulsion system delivers 120 kW of peak output and 322 Nm of peak torque. Opel's 1.3-liter CDTI turbo diesel is employed only when needed to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack to power the electric motor. This advanced technology diesel uses a pressure-based closed loop technology in the cylinders to control the combustion process. Utilizing the European ECE R101 test procedure for range extender vehicles, the Flextreme is expected to emit less than 40 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

On shorter trips, the Flextreme is able to operate as a zero-emissions vehicle traveling up to 55 kilometers, or 34 miles, before the battery relies on the diesel for recharge. That range is sufficient for many commuters' daily round trip and certainly enough for local errands without the need for internal combustion. Plugging in takes just three hours to fully charge the battery at 220 volts.

Boomerang-shaped headlamps are a signature design element. Each high-tech headlamp unit incorporates crossbeams, fog lamps, and brake cooling intake ducts. The sole engine cooling inlet is a narrow horizontal grille area below the nose. Using a small and highly-efficient diesel running at a low rpm range minimized the need for frontal radiator area.

The Flextreme delivers a very aggressive stance. Hunkered down on 195/45R21 low-profile tires mounted on huge 21-inch five spoke alloy wheels, the Opel appears assertive and confident. Sizeable wheel arches and a pronounced shoulder line over the rear wheels give Flextreme a muscular look.

Flextreme's transformer-like door configuration is quite dramatic. Side doors open to allow unobstructed access to the interior thanks to a rear hinged rear door and noticeably absent center door post. Rear cargo access is even more extreme. The rear hatch is split and opens in a gull-wing fashion to each side. This design allows rear cargo access when the vehicle is parked bumper-to-bumper with another car or other obstruction. With all six doors open, Flextreme looks as though it's ready for liftoff.

Below the rear cargo floor is an innovative underfloor luggage compartment that holds a pair of Segway Personal Transporters. The below-deck Segway "garage" is part of Flexload, a structure that provides versatile cargo handling. Loading and unloading the Segways or other cargo is a snap thanks to a platform that extends and retracts electrically.

pel utilized honeycomb structures for their lightweight and high rigidity throughout Flextreme's interior. The seats are secured on a mono track for improved floor space. Complementing the large expanse of glass above, Opel designers added a full-width panoramic widescreen display to the dashboard just below the base of the windshield. Display fields are configurable and allow the driver to view images from the two side cameras and front- and rear-facing cameras, in addition to the vehicle information screens.

Another display in the center console offers touch-screen operation and can be programmed with one-touch buttons for presets or multifunction tasks like computer shortcuts. The driving experience is designed to be futuristic in many respects. Below the center touch-screen display is another touch screen for gear selection. Drive, reverse, and park are initiated by touching the corresponding area of the screen.

General Motors is delivering on the electric drive promise made when the E-Flex platform was initially announced in Detroit. The trio of concepts shown thus far certainly show great potential. Let's hope they can keep the momentum and technology moving forward toward production.

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells Work

2008-01-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

What do batteries and fuel cells have in common? They are both electrochemical energy conversion devices that produce electricity. Also, they both have anodes, cathodes, and an electrolyte. There are also big differences. Batteries produce electricity until completely discharged, then they have to be replaced or recharged. A fuel cell continues to produce electricity as long as it is supplied with fuel and oxygen. In the typical fuel cell used in transportation, that’s hydrogen and air. A battery produces essentially no emissions and little heat, while a hydrogen fuel cell emits water and more heat.

While there are several different types of fuel cells, they all work on the same basic principle. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell will be discussed here. With rare exception, this is the technology being developed for use in cars, trucks, and buses. PEM fuel cells appear to be the most promising for vehicles because the reactions are about the simplest of any fuel cell design. They also have a high kilowatts-per-cubic-inch power density. Their relatively low operating temperature of 140 to 176 degrees F means they start to produce electricity quickly and don’t require expensive cooling systems.

In a PEM fuel cell, pressurized hydrogen gas enters on the anode side and is forced through the catalyst. Here, H2 molecules come in contact with catalyst, splitting it into two H+ ions (protons).and two electrons. The proton exchange membrane and electrolyte let positively charged proton through and block negatively charged electrons.

Electrons are conducted through the anode and travel through the external circuit as DC (direct current) electric power, which can useful for purposes such as powering an electric motor, and then they reach the cathode. Here they combine on the cathode’s catalyst with the proton coming through the membrane and with oxygen gas, or air, forced through the catalyst, where they form two oxygen atoms with a strong negative charge. This negative charge attracts the two H+ ions, which combine with an oxygen atom and two of the electrons to form a water molecule.

The proton exchange membrane is a specially treated material that looks somewhat like ordinary kitchen plastic wrap. The membrane must be hydrated to transfer protons and remain stable. Thus, fuel cell systems must be designed to operate in sub-zero temperatures, low humidity environments, and high operating temperatures. At about 70 degrees F, hydration is lost without a high-pressure hydration system.

Catalysts play the crucial role of separating hydrogen into ions and protons at the anode and combining them, plus water, at the cathode. Typically these use a platinum group metal or alloy with platinum nanoparticles very thinly coated onto carbon paper or cloth. The catalyst is rough and porous to expose maximum surface area to the hydrogen or oxygen. The platinum-coated side of the catalyst faces the membrane.

Precious metal catalysts plus proton exchange membranes, gas diffusion layers, and bipolar plates make up about 70 percent of a current fuel cell’s cost. Because of this, plus the rarity of precious metals and competition from other uses such as catalytic converters, some critics say platinum is the PEM fuel cell’s Achilles heel. Research is under way to solve this potential impediment. For example, researchers are looking at ways to use less of the precious metals and to find alternatives. Recycling platinum, especially from catalytic converters, is already common practice. More abundant gold, reduced to nanometer size, could be used as a catalyst as well. Enhancing a catalyst with carbon silk can also reduce the amount of precious metals required.

Another problem with PEM fuel cells is that impurities can poison the catalysts, resulting in reduced efficiency and activity so more dense catalysts are required and more platinum is used. Again, research is underway to solve the problem with various promising techniques being explored, like using a gold-palladium coating that may be less susceptible to poisoning.

Since a single fuel cell produces only about 0.7 volts, many separate fuel cells are combined to form a fuel cell stack. They can be connected in a parallel circuit for higher current and in series for higher voltage.

Fuel cells are very efficient. If supplied with pure hydrogen they can convert 80 percent of the hydrogen’s energy content to electric power. If the electricity is used by an electric motor and inverter in a fuel cell vehicle – which are about 80 percent efficient – the overall efficiency is 64 percent. This compares to the approximate 20 percent energy conversion efficiency of the typical gasoline-fueled vehicle, providing yet another reason why fuel cell vehicles hold such promise for the future.

The ultimate electric car that can outpace a Ferrari

2008-01-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

"Electric power has truly arrived in the performance market."
For drivers who want to be green but not boring, the new electric Lightning supercar could prove the ultimate eco-friendly boys' toy.

This emission free 130mph sports car - which has a hint of Jaguar, Aston Martin and TVR styling - can outpace a Porsche 911 or a Ferrari 575 - sprinting from rest to 60mph in under four seconds.

And though it will cost you a tingling £150,000, it is simply powered by 30 rechargeable batteries and doesn't use an ounce of fossil fuel.

The British-built two-seater 'Lightning' is fitted with four wheel-mounted motors that combine to power the car to 60 mph in under four seconds.

It develops 700 brake-horse-power - equivalent to about seven Ford fiestas.

The batteries have a range of 250 miles, take just 10 minutes to fully charge from home or on the road - thanks to 12ft cable which you simply plug into a socket.

The rechargeable nine inch high batteries - a sophisticated version of those used on the traditional milk float - form a system that the makers say will last 12 years.

The car's super-clean credentials mean it is exempt from road tax and London congestion charges.

Its designers claim the emission-free car could cost up to £10,000 less per year to run than a high-powered Audi RS4.

And the interior even comes complete with its own optional sat nav system and a dock to plug in your iPod.

A Ferrari 575 Maranello, which costs £150,000 , will reach 60mph in 4.1 seconds - the same time as a Porsche 911 Turbo S which sells for £100,000 pounds.

The Lightning, which is expected to be track tested later this year, began life as a petrol-driven vehicle so developers could come up with a suitable chassis.

Designers at the Peterborough-based Lightning Car Company eventually settled on an aluminium honeycomb and a structure drawn from Formula One technology.

The car is powered by four electric motors mounted in each of the hubs of the 20 inch wheels.

All four motors are revolutionary 'Hi-Pa Drive' units developed by UK firm PML Flightlink Ltd.

Because there are no gears - or even a gear-stick - the electric power is instantaneous, allowing the phenomenal acceleration.

The energy-efficient motors produce huge levels of torque - or 'pulling power' - but are still lightweight enough for a performance sports car.

The Lightning will also feature an advanced 'regenerative energy system', where the car's batteries are recharged by lost friction energy captured when the ant-lock brakes are applied.

Similar technology will be adopted into Formula One from 2008 when so-called kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) become mandatory.

The car also has traction control to stop skidding, electric doors and windows, and high-powered halogen headlamps.

Inside, the driver will be swathed in an all-leather or leather and alcantara interior. There's also a two piece removeable hard top.

Lightning Car Company technical director Arthur Wolstenholme said: "Ten, or perhaps even five years ago, electric power was dismissed as a poor substitute for petrol, diesel or liquid petroleum gas (LPG). But the world has now moved on significantly.

"Electric motor and battery technologies have been developed that will enable the Lightning to demonstrate 700 bhp performance over a range that exceeds some of today's petrol performance cars.'

He said:"The Lightning is intended to compete with premium market sport cars, but our electric power should outstrip the response rates, torque characteristics and driveability of most exotic performance super cars.

"Electric power has truly arrived in the performance market."

Flexing Ford Mustang Muscle with an E85 Performance Car

2008-01-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

These days, alternative fuels are getting a boost in more places than just the environmental arena. The reason is simple: We're far too dependent on imported oil, and in the minds of many, that's becoming an increasingly urgent energy-security concern. Add in all the obvious reasons why petroleum alternatives just make sense - from emissions reductions and decreased greenhouse gases to a strategic change in buying habits that finds us spending more on fuel at home than abroad - and it's easy to see why there's so much interest out there.

The effort to bring renewable fuels into the mainstream is taking many forms. One of the most high profile is their inclusion in motorsports. Last year, IndyCar racing made its move to ethanol fuel. Now, General Motors has proposed that NASCAR do the same. With the millions of fans watching these high-profile race venues exposed to the obvious and transparent use of renewable fuels, a growing use by auto enthusiasts is a certainty.

One performance-oriented driver who has taken the leap is North Carolina resident Steve Shrader, a Mustang enthusiast who prides himself on thinking outside the box. In his quest to do something proactive to embrace an alternative fuel, he found that ethanol is not only renewable, produced in America, and better for the environment, but happily it's also 105 octane. Being a self-professed performance buff interested in getting a few more horsepower out of anything with an engine, Steve decided to explore whether ethanol was a viable option for his '99 Mustang. The result is his "Brightmare"-project car.

"Cars after the late 1980s were built to withstand some amount of ethanol content in the fuel lines," says Shrader, "and ethanol can be used in an internal-combustion engine with some modifications to the computer. I also knew that an increased fuel volume of 20 percent to 40 percent more would be required for a performance machine such as mine." He upgraded to larger fuel injectors and fuel pumps after crunching numbers for injector size and fuel pumps, with the aim of keeping as many factory parts in the car as possible.

With no fuel sensor like a factory-produced FFV, he had to improvise. He uses a tool made by SCT that allows him to re-tune the car for gasoline and either summer E85 or winter E85, since the blends change by season. After nearly a year of driving his Vortech supercharged, E85 flexible-fuel Mustang, Sharder reports no negative effects, an engine that runs better than ever, and fuel lines free of corrosion. The car is also running 11.20s in the quarter-mile at 124 mph on ethanol fuel.
Converting to E85 is great for shaving off tenths of seconds when trips are measured in quarter-mile lengths, but how about vehicles used on the road? Those modifying cars for track duty are probably not concerned with passing smog tests or voiding vehicle warranties.

Hyundai i-Blue Fuel-Cell Vehicle Gets Serious About Hydrogen

2008-01-06T02:52:00.000-08:00

Korean automaker Hyundai is no stranger to zero emission fuel cell technology. Hyundai initially demonstrated fuel cell capability to the world by packaging FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) technology in the Santa Fe SUV back in 2000. Five years of development led to a second generation FCEV based on the Tucson platform in 2006, with power increased to 80 kW and lithium-polymer batteries added. This automaker’s fuel cell expertise has also been demonstrated at a mass transit level with fuel cell powered buses.

While utilizing the Santa Fe and Tucson did work well to forward the company’s fuel cell development program, packaging fuel cell technology into existing vehicle platforms has limitations that require engineers to accept compromises that can get in the way of optimum powertrain design. Recently, Hyundai moved beyond this with its introduction of an all-new, purpose-built FCEV concept that’s nothing less than stunning. The new Hyundai i-Blue was designed from the start to integrate the latest third generation fuel cell technology. According to Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee, Hyundai’s president of Research and Development, the i-Blue makes a tremendous leap forward for the automaker’s R&D program, with the company’s engineering team successfully designing a more compact fuel cell vehicle while retaining the safety, comfort, convenience, and driving range of a traditional internal combustion vehicle.

The i-Blue is a small “D” segment car, which Hyundai describes as a 2+2 crossover platform. Much more compact than the existing FCEV SUVs, i-Blue required significant engineering advancements. Downsizing requirements are addressed by the third generation fuel cell technology that enables placing the new and compact 100 kW fuel cell stack beneath the floor of the cabin, rather than in the engine compartment. Placement of the fuel cell and battery mass low and in the middle of the vehicle delivers an optimum 50-50 weight distribution and a low center of gravity for optimum handling dynamics.

This location frees up space in the engine compartment for greater cooling efficiencies and also allows a more cab-forward design for improved interior room. Hydrogen storage is handled by a pair of 10,000 psi tanks nestled in the frame kick-up behind the main passenger area. The hydrogen stored on-board allows a projected range of about 370 miles before refueling. Impressive, too, is the i-Blue’s estimated top speed of better than 100 mph.

Development of the i-Blue concept was handled at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Center in Chiba, Japan. Work on the third generation fuel cell technology is ongoing at the Hyundai
Eco-Technology Research Institute in Mabuk, Korea.

Visually, i-blue has a very sleek and sculpted form. According to Hyundai, the design team considered the Ying and Yang philosophy of TaeKuk, which balances opposite forces to create something new. In this case, two distinct shapes – the square and the circle – were melded to create the rhombus form of the main structure. The design is well suited for interior comfort while being aerodynamically efficient and very pleasing to the eye. As a crossover, i-Blue draws design cues from several different platforms. Evident are elements of SUV, minivan, and sporty compact car design. The leading edge clearly offers the look of the recent Hyundai Genesis concept car.

On the inside, i-Blue delivers a very high-tech cabin that’s intended to feel organic and natural. The design aims at providing a sort of jet fighter cockpit feel rather than the feel of a traditional automobile. That cockpit theme is further enhanced by the large windshield with an expanse of glass that carries well into the vehicle’s roofline above the front seat passengers. The driver sits in a deeply contoured bucket seat and is surrounded by a wraparound form that flows from the main instrument display.

The i-Blue has an aircraft inspired control yoke with touch-scroll pads so a driver can control various audio-visual systems while maintaining a hands-on-the-wheel position. Other interior innovations include a 3D heads up display (HUD) and a full surround camera system that displays exterior images on the dash for greater driver awareness. Rear seat passengers are treated to a wide and spacious cabin with seats that appear to draw their form from comfy video gaming chairs.

While not yet a drivable concept, i-Blue is a significant step in Hyundai’s fuel cell program. The company has ongoing fuel cell verification programs around the world and has been a member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership since 2000. In 2004, Hyundai partnered with Chevron and UTC to put a 32 vehicle fuel cell demonstration fleet on the road to promote FCEV technology and public acceptance. Hyundai has ambitious goals of mass production of fuel cell vehicles in the coming decade. With a concept like i-Blue, that future seems a little closer.

MAZDA RX-8 HYDROGEN ROTARY ENGINE: A SPORTS CAR (AND ENGINE) LIKE NO OTHER

2008-01-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

DETROIT – With a cat-like predatory stance, forward-thinking freestyle door system and enough room for four, not two, adults to enjoy all its benefits, the Mazda RX-8 has set itself apart from the pack. But if the recently introduced RX-8 production sports car truly is unique thanks, in large part, to its rotary engine, the RX-8 Hydrogen Rotary Engine (RE) concept, showcased this year at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), takes "unique" to all new levels.

Featuring a fuel system that consists of a high-pressure hydrogen tank, the vehicle balances the needs of the driving enthusiast and the environmentalist with a blend of alternative power and the exhilarating driving experience for which Mazda is known.

As the auto industry turns its attention to hydrogen fuel as a gasoline alternative, the RX-8 Hydrogen RE offers a hydrogen-powered version of RENESIS—Mazda’s next generation rotary engine that was introduced last year in the all-new RX-8. By virtue of its smooth performance, compact size and impressive driving characteristics, RENESIS was named International Engine of the Year in June 2003.

The RENESIS Hydrogen RE allows the RX-8 concept to run on either hydrogen fuel or gasoline and capitalizes on all the advantages of the rotary to assure RX-8’s ease-of-operation and reliability.

The RENESIS Hydrogen RE incorporates an electronically controlled hydrogen injector system, with the hydrogen injected in a gaseous state. The system draws air from the side port during the intake cycle and uses dual hydrogen injectors in each of the engine’s twin rotor housings to directly inject hydrogen into the intake chambers.

Because it offers separate chambers for intake and combustion, the rotary engine is ideal for burning hydrogen without the backfiring that can occur in a traditional piston engine. The separate induction chamber also provides a safer temperature for fitting the dual hydrogen injectors with their rubber seals, which are susceptible to the high temperatures encountered in a conventional reciprocating piston engine.

Also helping to maximize the benefits of the rotary engine in hydrogen combustion mode, the RENESIS Hydrogen RE features adequate space for the installation of two injectors per intake chamber. Because hydrogen has an extremely low density, a much greater injection volume is required compared with gasoline, thus demanding the use of more than one injector. Typically, this can be difficult to achieve with a conventional reciprocating piston engine because of the structural constraints that prevent mounting injectors in the combustion chamber. However, with its twin hydrogen injectors, the RENESIS Hydrogen RE is both practical and able to deliver sufficient power.

In addition to the revolutionary hydrogen-powered RENESIS rotary engine, the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE concept benefits from improved aerodynamics and optimized tires and weight-saving measures. A fast-fill tandem master cylinder reduces brake drag and friction hub carriers help cut power losses.

The vehicle also incorporates a host of other technologies for exceptional environmental compatibility. Three-layer, wet-on water-based paint on the RX-8 Hydrogen RE dramatically reduces the emission of organic solvents, saves energy by shortening the drying process and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, the plant-based plastics used for the vehicle’s interior parts provide an attractive alternative to plastics derived from fossil fuels such as petroleum.

The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE illustrates Mazda’s dedication to the future environment without abandoning true Zoom-Zoom and soul-of-a-sports-car thinking.

The Toyota FCHV: The future of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle

2008-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, the backbone of Toyota's hybrid powertrain, was a significant component in the development of the Toyota FCHV, or Toyota Fuel-Cell Hydrogen Vehicle.

Built upon the Highlander platform, which will include a Highlander hybrid later this summer, the Toyota FCHV was developed utilizing technologies honed by the Prius "to precisely regulate power flow from the fuel-cell stack and battery to achieve high efficiency, excellent acceleration and a smooth quiet ride," according to Toyota

According to Toyota, "Although discussion of hybrids often center around the unison of gasoline or diesel-powered engines and electric motors, Toyota's stance is that fuel cells will eventually replace internal combustion engines in this arrangement to create fuel cell hybrid vehicles, or FCHVs."

Currently, the FCHV has a top speed of 96 mph. An aluminum roof, fenders and other components, make the body shell of the Highlander FCHV lighter than a conventional hybrid. The FCHV is one of the world's most aerodynamic SUVs, according to Toyota, thanks to its flat, well-sealed underbody.

Not only has the Toyota FCHV been certified by CARB as a zero-emissions vehicle, its environment-friendly air conditioning system uses CO2 rather than CFC as a coolant.

At this time; however, the real problem with fuel cells is simply cost. Therefore, hybrids, particularly those that are full hybrids, i.e. - more reliant upon electric power - can gradually integrate the components necessary for fuel cell automobiles into their platforms.

Gas-electric hybrids, such as the Toyota Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400h hybrid, or Ford Escape hybrid, are just the first stage in the evolution of the hybrid vehicle.

Get ready, the future is here.

FUELS AND TECHNOLOGY ARE MOVING THE AUTOMOBILE TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

2008-01-04T03:14:00.000-08:00

CONSIDER THIS CHALLENGE : With 35 percent of the world’s energy needs currently being met by petroleum products and demand expected to increase by an average of two percent per year through 2030, the imperative for change is immediate, and real. Rather than viewing this as an obstacle, GM is approaching the need as an opportunity to lead the market with a diverse range of advanced technologies and vehicles.

The drive to bring better and more environmentally compatible vehicles to our highways begins by optimizing the internal combustion engine, with the aim of achieving maximum fuel economy and performance with the lowest possible emissions. This goes beyond focusing on just one or two high-profile models. Rather, higher fuel economy across the fleet can make substantial progress toward lessening petroleum dependency. While many extraordinary technologies are in development at GM and destined for future models, an ongoing focus on the here-and-now has brought meaningful advances to today’s powertrains and established GM as a leader in fuel efficient vehicles.

MAKING TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY BETTER

ANSWERS THAT SEEMED DISTANT NOT SO LONG AGO ARE UPON US. AT GM, MORE ADVANCED DRIVE SYSTEMS, GREATER EFFICIENCIES, AND ALTERNATIVE FUELS HAVE BECOME TODAY’S REALITY.

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES

Alternative fuel sources are critical as we move away from dependence on petroleum energy sources. Today, GM has over two million E85 ethanol FlexFuel vehicles on the road in all 50 states and is committed to the production of over 400,000 FlexFuel vehicles per year. In 2007, GM offers 16 different E85 ethanol-capable models.

E85 ethanol – a blend of 85 percent plant-based ethanol and 15 percent gasoline – offers benefits including fewer greenhouse gas and smog-forming emissions than gasoline. To make E85 ethanol more readily available to consumers, GM is actively working with state governments, fuel retailers, and others to raise awareness of the benefits of E85 ethanol and increase availability to make fueling more convenient

This mostly renewable alcohol fuel is but one of the fuel alternatives that will propel vehicles toward a cleaner tomorrow. Other biofuels, including biodiesel, show considerable promise. Hydrogen is another answer that’s being aggressively pursued by GM.

DRIVING ON NON-PETROLEUM FUELS IS AN IMPORTANT GOAL. GM VEHICLES DESIGNED TO USE RENEWABLES LIKE E85 ETHANOL AIM TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

MANY HOUSEHOLDS IN INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS have two or more vehicles, while increasing numbers of consumers in developing nations are eagerly acquiring their first. This is easily understood since mobility brings with it many things, including convenience and opportunity. The challenge is that with ever-growing numbers of automobiles comes mounting pressure on our environment and natural resources.

Automobiles powered by an internal combustion engine emerged well over a century ago and are still very much with us today. Vehicles are more efficient now, of course, and at GM they continue to evolve in important ways for the better. Yet, with almost all of the world’s 830 million cars based on mechanical drive and 98 percent of these operating on petroleum, it’s clear that a new direction is needed

ELECTRIC DRIVE, INTELLIGENTLY APPLIED, STANDS TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE CHALLENGES THAT LOOM LARGEST IN OUR FUTURE: FUEL EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENTAL COMPATIBILITY, AND ENERGY DIVERSITY

CHEVROLET VOLT CONCEPT

The need to create new products and technologies that go beyond incremental improvements in addressing sustainability is well understood. It is the focus of a great deal of research and development at GM. The result of this thinking is exemplified by the widely-acclaimed Chevrolet Volt concept car and the innovative E-Flex system that powers it.

We live in a world where diverse options are being explored and different markets may have their own unique needs, so the ability to maintain a flexible approach to powertrains and fuels is a requirement. As you might gather, flexibility is what E-Flex is all about.

GM’s Volt responds to the growing desire for an electrically-driven automobile offering the best of all worlds. It draws from GM’s considerable engineering and technical expertise developed over many years with its EV1 and hydrogen fuel cell electric car programs. The Volt continues GM’s path toward highly-efficient electric drive, but with important differences.

Porsche Shows its Cayenne Performance Hybrid

2008-01-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right. A hybrid from Porsche is on the way in the form of the automaker’s Cayenne SUV. Prototypes of the hybrid Cayenne are already on the road, combining Porsche’s 3.6-liter V-6 engine with an electric motor.

The Cayenne Hybrid will likely slot just above the base Cayenne in terms of speed, sprinting to 60 mph from a standstill about a half second quicker. But how green will it be?

With tighter automotive restrictions on the horizon in the European Union, even traditional sports car makers like Porsche are concerned with fuel efficiency. The goal for the hybrid Cayenne is over 26 miles per gallon, a large improvement over the 18 mpg average of the current base Cayenne.

The hybrid system will be optimized for high speed driving and will run on electric-only power at speeds of up to about 75 mph – much faster than today’s hybrids. Would you expect anything else from Porsche?

The new hybrid system – which the company is developing with help from Volkswagen and Audi – will also find its way into Porsche’s upcoming Panamera coupe/sedan. While earlier reports suggested the Cayenne Hybrid could start production as early as 2009, we’ve heard more recently that Porsche may wait until at least 2010 when the next generation Cayenne comes out, with a hybrid Panamera following later. Stay tuned.

Nissan Shows a Refreshing Electric Concept Coupe

2008-01-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

If the last generation of car enthusiasts grew-up with gasoline in their veins, Nissan thinks the next will likely have electrons pulsing through their circuits. This automaker’s innovative Mixim electric concept car was conceived to appeal to the computer generation with clean electric power and controls that mimic those of a game controller. Nissan clearly sees a disconnect with youthful buyers and the current X-Box crop of teenagers who text to communicate and have never known life without a personal computer.

Shiro Nakamura, Nissan Senior Vice President and Head of Design explains: “If the motor industry is going to survive beyond the next few years, we are going to have to work hard to attract future generations of drivers – people who currently find it difficult to love the car. Mixim is one way to do that. It combines a sociable three plus one interior with controls and visual projects that are familiar to the computer generation. And it uses environmentally friendly battery power.”

Mixim’s styling isn’t as far out as the Pivo2 bubble car shown in Tokyo, but it is a radical departure that blends elements of current Nissan production car styling with strong futuristic design cues. Think Nissan Versa gets a sci-fi makeover for TRON 2010. The hood line and nose, for example, hint Versa, but the pronounced, very rounded leading edge takes the eye in a different direction. Narrow HID headlights that extend rearward along the hood nearly to the A-pillar lend a fast and aggressive look. Three small diamond shaped driving lights in the transition from the front bumper area to the wheelwell add an interesting diversion.

Below the belt line, Mixim has rounded body lines, but from the top of the pronounced fenders up, those curves change to much sharper, more angular lines. The windshield has a fast profile that blends into a very unique roof. From the top of the windshield rearward the eye follows a strong downward diagonal roof line that yields triangular side windows. Triangular glass panels pointing the opposite direction are fitted in the roof to aide rear three quarter visability.

You can see a bit of the Versa Hatchback in the rear end styling as well, particularly the taillight treatment. The back end has that chopped-off theme that yields an aggressive, racy look. Mixim’s rear fenders are pronounced, delivering a broad-shouldered, somewhat muscular look, but unlike the front fender lines the rear fenders are angular with sharp edges. A pair of larger diamond shapes is chiseled into the door-to-rear-fender junction, carrying the front light treatment around to the side of the car. Even the rear wheelwell opening is distinctive. It is conventionally round in the front but ends in a straight downward diagonal line that follows the rear profile of the car. Flush alloy wheels are divided into three sections and are mounted with low profile, low rolling resistance tires.

Mixim’s signature design element is its door treatment. The side doors appear to open normally but actually hinge up and forward in a gull-wing fashion. With the doors open from the front, Mixim takes on a sort of sinister Darth Vader appearance, an interesting transition for a car that otherwise looks inviting from most angles. The door treatment allows easy access to an interior that is quite unique in its own right.

Inside, a single driver’s seat is mounted mid cabin, with passenger seats set back and to the rear in a layout Nissan calls “three plus one.” The dash and control layout is pure video game. Nissan designers devised a steering control – you can’t call it a wheel – that’s a cross between an aircraft front yoke and a gamer control. The steering system incorporates switches and other control functions for added versatility. Ahead of the steering control, a driver is greeted with a horizontal split screen virtual display to place all critical information well within line of sight.

Mixim is a pure, rechargeable electric car. A pair of Nissan’s electric motor/generator Super Motors is used – one for the front wheels and one for the rear – in an all-wheel-drive powertrain that’s engineered to deliver exciting performance. While no performance figures or projections are available, Nissan says the Mixim has “unusually rapid performance combined with a usefully extended range.” Compact lithium-ion batteries are used, but there are currently no details available on the source or specifications.

Nissan is quick to point out that there are currently no guarantees of the Mixim becoming a production vehicle, but it was developed as part of the Nissan Green Program so the door is open with sufficient interest.

Behind the Wheel of Chevy’s Hydrogen-Powered Equinox

2008-01-02T08:27:00.001-08:00

I’m behind the wheel of one of the most advanced vehicles on the planet, Chevy’s Equinox Fuel Cell. Yet, I’m chatting away with my GM passenger almost oblivious to the drive, as if this was an everyday occurrence.

It may be that this crossover vehicle is fueled with hydrogen, creates its power through an electrochemical process in lieu of combustion, and uses the same kind of technology that creates electricity and water onboard the Space Shuttle. No matter. Driving it feels so normal I’m completely at ease with the drive with little thought of the processes at work behind the scenes. And that’s just what GM is after.

Soon, drivers in suburban Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C. will also have the ability to experience such vehicles through “Project Driveway,” which will place more than 100 Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles in the hands of private motorists. Ranging from regular families to celebrities, the drivers will have free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell and the hydrogen fuel needed to run it for an average period of about three months. In return, the drivers will provide GM feedback about the vehicles’ performance and their views about the experience.

After our test drive, we don’t expect the Equinox Fuel Cell to have any problems keeping up with these drivers’ daily driving demands. Plenty of space for four passengers and 32 cubic feet of cargo volume are afforded by careful packaging of GM’s fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system, including a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack and three 10,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks. A 150-mile driving range meets the needs of most driving chores. Sub-freezing operating capability will also be of particular importance to East Coast drivers.

The Equinox Fuel Cell meets the same federal safety standards as all cars, but attains one benchmark that most only dream of: Zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) certification from the EPA, the ultimate goal for all motor vehicles of the future.

The Jackal electric bicycle is here.

2008-01-02T04:06:00.001-08:00

Get Ready for the Jackal.

We're talking about the awesome speed of an E-Tek motor and adjustable suspension for a ride that you will not believe.

The Jackal is a high speed, high performance, standing or sitting, electric bicycle hand built in California.

What is The Jackal ?
The Jackal is a high performance electric bicycle built using the highest quality parts and components. From the durable strength of the hand-crafted frame by Rotator Recumbent Bikes to the quiet power of the E-Tek electric motor, The Jackal is a masterwork of speed and agility.

Upgrade to the Jackal Performance

The Jackal Performance shares many of the same characteristics of it's brother, but is now

available with the best names in bicycle components.

Fitted with Marzocchi Bomber Junior T freeride forks and Hayes 8" mechanical disc brakes, the Jackal Performance glides over rough terrain with 7" of smooth travel and stops on a dime without a squeak, wet or dry. The Jackal Performance offers a longer travel rear shock with on-the-fly rebound adjustment. It also comes with the Soneil 3A CC charger for silent charging at 110V or 220V.

Jackal Specification

Top speed: 40+ mph

Range: up to 20-25 miles

Charge time: 3-4 hours

Power: 15 hp peak

Weight: 130lbs

Batteries: 48V, 22 Ahr

Wheel Base: 51 in

Brakes: 6.5 in disc

Charger: 48V, 3A stock (4-6 hrs charge time) Upgrade : 48V, 3A CC Soneil (3-4 hrs charge time) +$100

Wheels: double-walled alloy rims with 4-cross stainless steel spokes

Tires: 20 x 2.25" available in slick or knobby

Suspension: 4" front and rear

Frame: hand -crafted brazed chromoly tubing in Red, Dark Green or Black

Forks: 7" of travel

Mongoose CX Motocross - Electric Bike

2008-01-02T03:38:00.000-08:00

Though we could find no mention it on their own website, Mongoose have certainly joined the electric vehicle movement with their new CX Motocross. (Curries tehnologies seem to have provided much of the electrical savvy.) For $339 USD you can leap aboard a steel steed that has 24V 450W electric motor under the saddle. Your urban pony will not carry you across the width of the country, (unless you live in Liechtenstein !) but it will transport you within a range of about 18-25 miles (29-40 km) at a speed of around 15 mph (24 kph). At 80 lbs (36 kg) it is not too gruesomely heavy to pedal home should you run out of charge. Front disc brakes on 20” wheels with front suspended forks sound more interesting than a plug-and-play sealed lead acid battery (SLA), that is until you start going uphill and want to tap into some of that electrical grunt. Thanks to Summer Rayne Oakes for the tip. Available from Electric Transport.

Electric sport cars

2007-12-31T02:01:00.000-08:00

Combining classic British sports car design with racing car technology the Lightning is powered by four electric motors. The Lighting has been developed with exhilarating performance in mind with virtually no pollution. The car will be launched initially as the GT followed by a lightweight GTS and a longer range, more equipped GTSE model.

The Lighting is powered by four 120kw motors utilising Hi-Pa Drive technology. Power comes from state of the art NanoSafe battery packs. This all translates to 700+ bhp and 0-60 in 5 seconds for the GT and an estimated 4 seconds for the lighter GTS. Unlike a petrol engine full power is available from zero rpm.

The lighting can be charged from a conventional mains power supply. Charging takes approximately 10 minutes and delivers 250miles of motoring with the help of regenerative braking. The batteries are centrally located allowing for greater balance while still leaving space for the golf clubs.

As with all electric vehicles, the Lightning will be road tax and congestion charge exempt. Powering the car on a domestic power supply will cost approximately 2.2p per mile, a tenth of the price of a petrol car.

Motors in each wheel, provide phenomenal torque and power capability which is integrated in each wheel assemble. There is no gearbox, differential, axel, drive shaft or prop shaft to contend with. All the power is generated at the wheels, the point at which it is required which eliminates mechanical complexity and power losses experienced with standard sports cars. The lightweight and powerful motors also allow for regenerative braking on all four wheels.

The car is built from a carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque chassis making it light and safe with a carbon fibre body.

Petrol prototypes utilising a Mustang Cobra V8 are already in use however the Lighting Car Company are now focusing on the electric emission free GT which is available for pre-order. 2008 delivery is expected. Expect prices to be in excess of £150,000.

Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid Named 2008 Green Car of the Year

2007-12-30T03:13:00.000-08:00

First Full-Size Hybrid SUV Achieves 30 Percent Fuel Efficiency Increase Over Standard Model

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 15, 2007 – The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid – the first General Motors vehicle to use the company’s all-new two-mode hybrid system – has been named Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year®. The award was presented at a press conference this morning at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

“This is a milestone in many respects,” says Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan. “People don’t think ‘green’ when SUVs are concerned, and for generally good reason since SUVs often get poor fuel economy compared to most other vehicles. Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid changes this dynamic with a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 30 percent compared to similar vehicles equipped with a standard V-8.”

According to the EPA’s 2008 estimated fuel economy ratings, Chevrolet’s achievement is even more apparent during city driving where a large percentage of SUVs spend their time every day. In this environment, the 6.0-liter two-mode hybrid Tahoe achieves 50 percent better fuel economy than a Tahoe powered by a standard 5.3-liter V-8. What’s equally eye-opening is that the Tahoe’s 21 mpg city fuel efficiency rating is the same as that of the city EPA rating for the four-cylinder Toyota Camry sedan.

"We're thrilled to receive this recognition from Green Car Journal for our Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid,” says Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “We've felt that the Tahoe Hybrid represents the best of both worlds – the great utility you'd expect from a Tahoe with fuel economy on par with today's mid-size cars. It's satisfying to receive this validation from such an authority on environmentally-friendly vehicles."

The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid was selected in a majority vote by a jury of high-profile environmental and industry leaders, along with four Green Car Journal editors. Invited jurors this year included Carroll Shelby, Jay Leno, Carl Pope (Sierra Club), Christopher Flavin (Worldwatch Institute), Jonathan Lash (World Resources Institute), and Jean-Michel Cousteau (Ocean Futures Society).

"GM promised they would use hybrid technology, and use it where it would make the most difference – on their biggest vehicles. They have delivered with the Chevy Tahoe,” says Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, pointing out that this vehicle ends the argument that efficiency and vehicle choice are incompatible. He adds that automakers should now make their entire fleets fuel efficient as fast as they can retool.

The Tahoe Hybrid is the industry’s first application of hybrid technology in a full-size SUV. While a few vehicles with V-6 and V-8 engines are offered with hybrid options, most hybrid technology is incorporated into mid-size or smaller vehicles with four-cylinder engines because this is where big fuel economy gains are most readily achieved. It’s a different challenge to achieve meaningful mpg increases on large vehicles of greater weight where substantial cargo hauling and towing may be needed, and larger engines are required for the job. For instance, the Tahoe Hybrid features seating for up to eight passengers, a 60 cubic foot cargo volume with the second and third row seats folded, the ability to carry up to 1400 pounds of cargo, and a tow rating of up to 6,200 pounds.

“The importance of GM’s accomplishment can’t be overstated,” says Cogan. “For years, consumers have been buying SUVs in increasing numbers because of their functionality, making them the number one class of vehicle on the market. The problem has been obvious: With larger vehicles generally comes poorer fuel economy because of greater size and curb weight. An ‘equalizer’ has been needed…and the two-mode hybrid system in the Tahoe is clearly that equalizer.”

Along with the Tahoe Hybrid, the jury considered 2008 Green Car of the Year nominees including the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the Saturn Aura Hybrid. Dozens of 2008 model year vehicles using all technologies and fuels were considered by the Green Car Journal staff in narrowing down the field to five nominees.

Along with their considerable achievements in raising the bar in environmental performance, each of those making the final cut had to meet the requirement of being on sale and widely available to the public by Jan. 1, 2008. “Newness” was also a factor in the nomination process, with nominees ideally in the earlier phases of their production cycle rather than near the end. Other factors that weigh in on the decision making include production volume and the likelihood of a candidate vehicle’s environmentally-focused technologies leading to further implementation in other vehicles.

Toyota's Fine-N Hybrid/Fuel Cell Concept Car

2007-12-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

While every other car company is racing to match the Prius' ICE/battery hybrid design, Toyota has the next best thing in it's sights: a fuel cell/battery hybrid with drive-by-wire on all four wheels. Yes...we know its only a concept car. But it seems like only a few years ago that people said that very same thing about Prius. And, a TreeHugger can dream can't he? For some cool trade show jargon have look below the fold.

The Fine-N is a fuel cell hybrid concept vehicle designed to shape the future of motoring. Advances in fuel cell hybrid system technology promise to bring the future motorists more than just environmental benefits, a new freedom of vehicle form liberated from the usual power train layout ..

The Fine-N's overall package consist of a low-flat floor with the length of a Corolla, but with a cabin even more spacious than the luxurious sedan Lexus LS430. The vehicle employs four in-wheel motors in an innovative "cabin on wheels" configuration. Key to the fresh proportions of this ground-hugging, long-wheelbase-to-length design is Toyota's fuel cell hybrid technology, which allows freedom from conventional power train layout constraints so that individually electric-powered wheels can be positioned nearly at the vehicle's four corners. With a spacious interior cabin, a cockpit fit for your driving environment, interactive controls and gauges, and a large multi-information display, and a video camera, the Fine-N is truly designed with focus on driving requirements.

As a pioneer in making practical fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHV), Toyota now shows the way to an even more advanced fuel cell hybrid system... Electric power from the Toyota FC Stack and a lithium ion battery drives a motor to power the vehicle, delivering acceleration on a par with a gasoline engine vehicle.

The world’s smallest hydrogen car hits the showroom floor in 2006

2007-12-27T03:52:00.000-08:00

May 19, 2006 Educational toys are a gift that keeps giving for a whole lifetime and every now and again we see a toy that makes the perfect educational gift. It’s no secret that the hydrogen economy is dawning and hydrogen fuel cells will play a major role in the future energy equation of the planet. Similarly, 75% of the jobs which school age children will do have not yet been invented. Add all that together and its an unavoidable conclusion that the H-racer offers a compelling gift for any child at just US$80. The H-Racer hits the market next month as the world’s smallest hydrogen car and comes with its own matching Hydrogen Refueling Station. As a toy, it is a simple construction kit (no soldering required) within a valuable educational context. As a promotional gift, it combines concept, design and practicality, allowing observation of the car’s fuel tank filling up with Hydrogen. As a new energy kit, the car clearly demonstrates how to obtain unlimited storable fuel from just water and sun, then powering a car with it using a fuel cell. Manufacturer Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies makes a range of commercial and industrial fuel cell products and is hence seeking international distribution partners.

The Hydrogen Refueling Station supplies very small quantities of hydrogen fuel to the H-racer’s fuel tank. When producing fuel “on tap”, the refueling station is visually dynamic with flashing blue LEDs in the water tank and bubbles rising through the pure water. The fuel is produced from water using energy from the sun (solar panel included).

The volume of Hydrogen stored in the H-racer is very small and safe that adds to the concept of just how efficient this cutting-edge technology is. The H-racer is the working miniature version of what is being developed in real-size cars of the future. This palm-size fuel cell car contains an onboard hydrogen storage tank, a fuel cell system connected to the car’s electric motor, and a hydrogen refueling system linking the car’s storage tank to an external hydrogen refueling station.Given its small size, the H-racer is also very safe as only tiny quantities of hydrogen are needed to power the car.

FORD Freedom CAR

2007-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

In the quest to become less dependent on foreign oil, we're participating in the FreedomCAR program. FreedomCAR is the joint partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and the auto industry.

Creating a Hydrogen-Powered Transportation System

The "Freedom" in FreedomCAR represents the following:

Freedom from petroleum dependence
Freedom from pollutant emissions
Freedom to choose the vehicle you want
Freedom to drive where you want and when you want
Freedom to obtain fuel affordably and conveniently

The "CAR" in FreedomCAR stands for Cooperative Automotive Research. The DOE and USCAR (a partnership of Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors) represent the government and industry in FreedomCAR.

The ultimate vision of FreedomCAR is a transportation system powered by hydrogen.

Demonstrating Hydrogen's Potential

The demonstration program begins this year with the goal of validating hydrogen-powered vehicles and infrastructure in real-world operating conditions. We expect to participate in the demonstration with Ford Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles as the cornerstone of our participation.

To ensure that interim progress towards improving energy efficiency continues, FreedomCAR also has active research programs in battery development, lightweight materials, clean combustion and power electronics.

Currently, there are seven technical teams working on the FreedomCAR project:

Advanced Combustion and Emissions Control
Electrochemical Storage
Electrical and Electronics
Fuel Cells
Hydrogen Storage and Vehicle Interface
Materials
Systems Engineering and Analysis

2007 Frankfurt Preview: Volvo ReCharge Plug-In Hybrid Concept

2007-12-25T04:39:00.001-08:00

Volvo Cars will unveil the Volvo ReCharge Concept, C30-based plug-in hybrid vehicle with a grid-rechargeable lithium-polymer battery pack and individual electric wheel motors, at the 2007 IAA.

The Volvo ReCharge range on a full battery will be 62 mile (100 km), before the four-cylinder 1.6-liter flex-fuel engine kicks in to power the car and recharge the battery.

For a 150 km (93 mile) drive starting with a full charge, the car will require less than 2.8 liters of fuel, giving the car an effective fuel economy of 124 mpg or about 1.9 l/100km.

The combustion engine starts up automatically when the battery pack reaches a 30% state of charge.

A full charge when plugged into a standard power outlet takes approximately 3 hours, but according to Volvo even 1 hour plugged-in gives the car a 50% charge.

Press release: GROUNDBREAKING PLUG-IN HYBRID – THE VOLVO RECHARGE CONCEPT – UNVEILED AT FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW

* Plug-in hybrid with battery-only range of over 60 miles
* 66 per cent lower CO2 emissions than best hybrids available today
* 1.6 Flexifuel engine provides backup and recharge power

Volvo is unveiling an innovative plug-in hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The ReCharge Concept is a specially designed Volvo C30 with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be charged via a regular electrical outlet. When fully charged the Volvo ReCharge Concept can be driven approximately 62 miles on battery power alone before the car's four-cylinder 1.6 Flexifuel engine1 is needed to power the car and recharge the battery. The concept car also retains the Volvo C30's lively and sporty drive thanks to an acceleration figure of 0-62mph in 9 seconds and a top speed of 100mph.

"This is a groundbreaking innovation for sustainable transportation. This plug-in hybrid car, when used as intended, should have about 66 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today. Emissions may be even lower if most of the electricity comes from CO2-friendly sources such as biogas, hydropower and nuclear power. A person driving less than 60 miles per day will rarely need to visit a filling station. Also, thanks to the excellent electrical range from a fuel consumption angle, the Volvo ReCharge Concept is exceptionally kind to the car owner's wallet," commented Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Cars.

Operating costs are estimated to be about 80 percent lower compared to a similar petrol-powered car when using battery power alone and even drivers who cover more than the battery-only range will benefit from the ReCharge Concept. For a 150km (93 mile) drive starting with a full charge, the car will require less than 2.8 litres of fuel, giving the car an effective fuel economy of 1.9 l/100km (124mpg).

The only extra cost will be the electricity used during charging. The Volvo ReCharge Concept can be charged at any regular electric plug socket at convenient locations such as at home or work and a full recharge will take three hours. However, even a quick one hour charge provides enough power to cover just over 30 miles. During a journey the combustion engine starts up automatically when 70 percent of the battery power has been used up. However, the driver also has the option of controlling the four-cylinder Flexifuel engine manually via a button in the control panel. This allows the driver to start the engine earlier in order to maximise battery charge, for instance when out on a motorway in order to save battery capacity for driving through the next town.

An electric motor at each wheel

The Volvo ReCharge Concept combines a number of the latest technological innovations into a so-called "series hybrid" where there is no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels.

* The battery pack integrated into the boot uses lithium-polymer battery technology. The batteries are intended to have a useful life beyond that of the car itself.
* Four electric motors, one at each wheel, provide independent traction power.
* Four-cylinder 1.6-litre Flexifuel engine drives an advanced generator that efficiently powers the wheel motors when the battery is depleted.

"There is a considerable difference between the Volvo plug-in hybrid and today's hybrids. Today's hybrids use the battery only for short periods to assist the combustion engine. Volvo's solution is designed for most people to run on electric power all the time, while providing the extra security that comes with having a combustion engine as a secondary source of electrical power," says Ichiro Sugioka, project manager for the Volvo ReCharge Concept.

Photos: Green fuelcell cars of the future (part.2)

2007-12-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

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Aptera Electric Three Wheeler Prototype gets 300 mpg

2007-12-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Aptera can supposedly hit 60 mph in about 10 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph.

The Aptera has a 2 plus 1 seating configuration. The two front seats are arranged as standard side by side seating. There is also a center infant seat behind the driver and passenger. The side doors open to the front and upward completely inside the front wheel track so you never have to worry about hitting the vehicle parked next to you or damaging your door while exiting your Aptera in a tight garage. There is enough storage in the rear for 15 bags of groceries, or 2 full size golf club bags.

Here is what's available in every Aptera:

- Driver and passenger side Airbags
- Energy absorbing and impact deflecting passenger Safety Cell
- Advanced drive computer with GPS navigation, CD/MP3/DVD player, XM satellite radio, Large View Rear Camera, and complete vehicle diagnostic system
- "Eyes Forward" vision system with 180 degree rear sight picture displayed in the driver's field of view to enhance situational awareness
- LED interior and exterior lighting for maximum energy efficiency
- Solar assisted Climate Control System so you always enter a comfortable Aptera that is never too hot or cold
- And an RFID(Radio Frequency ID) key fob so you never have to pull out your keys to enter or start your Aptera. The key fob simply remains in your pocket or purse.

◊ All Electric – This Aptera is powered exclusively with batteries and will get you around town to the tune of approximately 120 miles depending on your driving conditions. At night you simply plug the Aptera into any standard 110 volt outlet and in just a few hours you will have a fully charged vehicle that will take you another 120 miles. The approximate cost of this option with all the features listed above will be $26,900.

◊ Plug-in Series Hybrid – This Aptera is also powered by an electric drive train but it is assisted by a fuel efficient gasoline powered generator which stretches your range significantly. In typical driving you may achieve over 300 miles per gallon and you will have range far beyond any passenger vehicle available today. The approximate cost of this option with all the features listed above will be $29,900

Part of the secret to that great mpg number is its weight of only 850 pounds and its drag coefficient of 0.11, extremely slippery.

Photos: Green fuelcell cars of the future (part.1)

2007-12-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

This are the cars of the future... it is inevitable because the petroll gas will run out sooner or latter!!!

Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell

Honda FCX Concept

Chevrolet Sequel

2007 Chevrolet Volt E-Flex Fuel Cell Concept Pictures

2008 Tesla Roadster - future car

2007-12-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

The first time you drive the Tesla Roadster, prepare to be surprised. You’re at freeway speed in seconds without even thinking about it. There’s no clutch to contend with and no race-car driving techniques to perform. Just the touch of your foot and you’re off, without any of the sluggishness of an automatic. How powerful is the acceleration? A quick story to illustrate. A favorite trick here at Tesla Motors is to invite a passenger along and ask him to turn on the radio. At the precise moment we ask, we accelerate. But who needs music when you’re experiencing such a symphony of motion. Rest assured that this responsiveness works at all speeds, as noticeable when you’re inching your way through parking lots as when flying along
The Tesla Roadster’s specs illustrate what it does (0 to 60 in about 4 seconds) — as well as what it doesn’t (zero emissions, zero motor oil). With one moving part in the motor, no clutch, and two gears, it’s not only a joy to drive, but to own as well. There is no motor oil to change; no filters, belts, or spark plugs to replace; no oxygen sensors to mistrust before an emissions test — in fact, no emissions test required ever. Other than inspection, the only service we recommend for the first 100,000 miles is brake and tire service.

TESLA ROADSTER SPECIFICATIONS
Style	2-seat, open-top, rear-drive roadster
Drivetrain	Electric motor with 2-speed electric-shift manual transmission with integral differential
Motor	3-phase, 4-pole electric motor, 248hp peak (185kW), redline 13,500 rpm, regenerative "engine braking"
Chassis	Bonded extruded aluminum with 4-wheel wishbone suspension
Brakes	4-wheel disc brakes with ABS
Acceleration	0 to 60 in about 4 seconds
Top Speed	Over 130 mph
Range	250 miles EPA highway
Battery Life	Useful battery life in excess of 100,000 miles
Energy Storage System	Custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery pack
Full Charge	As short as 3.5 hours

Vetrix Electric Bike Gets Fuel Cell

2007-12-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

An all electric, zero emissions scooter has been released by R.I.’s Vectrix Corp. Whilst the current model, runs on a nickel metal hydride battery pack, future versions could be powered by fuel cell technology from Southborough’s Protonex inc.

Energy conscious consumers will be able to reach speeds of 62mph. It has a range of 40-60 miles on a single charge. It can take up to three hours to generate a standard 110 volt battery.

The scooter is being launched in America by Vetrix.

The director of marketing for Vetrix in the United States says. “At 62 mph top speed, and zero to 50 in 6.8 seconds, this is a real machine.”

About 150 bikes are being produced at a factory in Poland. Its research and development is being carried out in New Bedford.

The company also says they hope to develop additional zero-emission vehicles in future. Fuel cell technologies will play apart in this as well.
About two years ago Vetrix and Protonex with the Parker Hannafin Corp., demonstrated such a project. It was shelved so Vectrix could concentrate on the electric bike. Each company hopes to revisit this project in the first quarter of next year.

Vectrix was founded in 2006 and has so far raised $80 million through investors

Mercedes-Benz to start low-volume B-Class fuel cell production in 2010

2007-12-18T02:51:00.000-08:00

Mercedes-Benz has become the first manufacturer to announce that they will start series production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In mid 2010 they will kick off low volume production of their B-calss F-cell using a next generation fuel cell stack. Compared to the current prototype, the stack is forty percent smaller with a thirty percent improvement in power output and sixteen percent less hydrogen consumption.

The electric drive system has also been re-worked with a smaller package size and better output. The fuel consumption of the new car is expected to be about the equivalent of 81 mpg (diesel equivalent). It's not clear how that's calculated but we'll look into it.

LA 2007: Deja Vu with Volkswagen space up! blue (new car concept)

2007-12-17T02:23:00.000-08:00

Volkswagen didn't appear to take this year's LA auto show very seriously – its press kit appears to have been assembled by a kindergarten class on a budget. The car it unveiled here in the City of Angels was little more than a redressed version the van concept they showed in Tokyo, as well.

The space up! blue takes the up! space and adds a hydrogen-electric hybrid powerplant and a solar panel on the roof. Volkswagen says the van will go into production, in one form or another, but without the advanced powerplant. And likely without the solar roof, either. They're "Pie in the sky" as the Volkswagen board member called it. And so, we're back where we were in Tokyo (only with a cameo by former pro baller John "Spider" Salley). That being said, the car itself is a quirky take on the retro-modern theme that could prove popular with young, trendy families if VW has its way.

Interior design The space up! blue is a full-fledged four-seater that is extremely comfortable, even on long trips. The reason: The cushions of the four seats – for driver, front and rear passengers – consist of an airflow foam that automatically adapts to individual anatomies. In addition, the seating position is pleasantly high, making it extremely comfortable. Despite the extensive powertrain equipment, no compromises are made in the amount of space offered compared to versions with "normal" internal combustion engines: interior height (measured between the seat surface and car headliner) is 40.6 inches in front and 40 inches in the rear.
With the exception of the driver's seat, all seats can also be folded and removed. If the seats are "only" folded, this creates a level cargo area with a capacity of up to 1,005 liters. With four people on board, cargo capacity up to the height of the window sill is still 220 liters.

PRESS RELEASE

The space up! blue Clean Drive Revolution "Made in Germany"Volkswagen presents the first car in the world with high-temperature fuel cell
space up! blue covers downtown distances with pure battery drive

Wolfsburg / Los Angeles, November 2007. Powertrain revolution in California: Volkwagen is presenting the space up! blue concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show (November 14 to 25) as a world exclusive – a compact, self-confident zero emissions van in the style of the legendary Volkswagen Samba Bus. On board: the world's first high temperature fuel cell and an array of twelve lithium-ion batteries. When the electric motor (45 kW / 61 PS) of the space up! blue is driven exclusively by battery, a range of 65 miles is possible – enough to handle nearly all distances in downtown areas. In the scenario of tomorrow's world, the four-seat Volkswagen is advancing to become the ideal vehicle for anyone who wants to drive – completely emissions-free – to work, recreation, school or university or just shopping.
Energy is "refueled" either via an electrical outlet or by the Volkswagen high-temperature fuel cell. In the latter case, the car's range is extended an additional 155 miles. This makes it possible to drive up to 220 miles on a single "energy charge". Aside from this, the microvan utilizes another energy source: the sun. And indeed with a large solar panel on the roof. It supplies up to 150 Watt of energy that is also fed into the battery.
With its new high temperature fuel cell (HT-FC) Volkswagen is introducing a system that represents a turning point in research on fuel cells for mass production. That is because, the HTFC offers crucial advantages compared to all other fuel cell systems: considerably lower weight, significantly greater everyday utility, substantially lower price, and therefore clearly the better chances of becoming a reality someday as a mass produced technology. The high temperature fuel cell was developed at a dedicated research center founded by Volkswagen in Germany.

Honda Debuts All-New FCX Clarity Advanced Fuel Cell Vehicle

2007-12-16T02:41:00.000-08:00

11/14/2007 - LOS ANGELES, -

Honda today unveiled the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show, announcing plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in summer 2008.

The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the entirely-new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the highly compact, efficient and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. Featuring tremendous improvements to driving range, power, weight and efficiency - and boasting a low-slung, dynamic and sophisticated appearance, previously unachievable in a fuel cell vehicle - the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car.

"The FCX Clarity is a shining symbol of the progress we've made with fuel cell vehicles and of our belief in the promise of this technology," said Tetsuo Iwamura, American Honda president and CEO. "Step by step, with continuous effort, commitment and focus, we are working to overcome obstacles to the mass-market potential of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell automobiles."

American Honda plans to lease the FCX Clarity to a limited number of retail consumers in Southern California with the first deliveries taking place in summer 2008.

Full details of the lease program will be set closer to launch, but current plans call for a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month, including maintenance and collision insurance. American Honda is also developing a service infrastructure that provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest quality of service. When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local Honda dealer. American Honda will transport the vehicle to their fuel cell service facility, located in the greater Los Angeles area, where all required work will be performed. At the completion of the work, the customer will pick up their car from the dealer.

How It Works

The FCX Clarity utilizes Honda's V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle's electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle's main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. The vehicle's only emission is water.

Honda V Flow Fuel Cell Platform

The FCX Clarity's revolutionary new V Flow platform packages the ultra-compact, lightweight and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack (65 percent smaller than the previous Honda FC stack) in the vehicle's center tunnel, between the two front seats. Taking advantage of a completely new cell configuration, the vertically-oriented stack achieves an output of 100 kilowatts (kW) (versus 86kW in the current Honda FC stack) with a 50 percent increase in output density by volume (67 percent by mass). Its compact size allows for a more spacious interior and more efficient packaging of other powertrain components, which would otherwise be unattainable in a sleek, low-slung sedan.

The FCX Clarity boasts numerous other significant advances in the performance and packaging of Honda fuel cell technology, compared to the current-generation FCX. These include¹:

a 20-percent increase in fuel economy - to the approximate equivalent of 68 mpg² combined fuel economy (about 2-3 times the fuel economy of a gasoline-powered car, and 1.5 times that of a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, of comparable size and performance);
a 30-percent increase in vehicle range - to 270 miles;
a 25-percent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, in part from an approximate 400-pound reduction in the fuel cell powertrain weight, for superior performance and efficiency despite a substantial increase in overall vehicle size;
a 45-percent reduction in the size of the fuel cell powertrain - nearly equivalent, in terms of volume, to a modern gas-electric hybrid powertrain;
an advanced new lithium-ion battery pack that is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the current-generation FCX's ultra-capacitor; and
a single 5,000-psi hydrogen storage tank with 10 percent additional hydrogen capacity than the previous model.

Breakthrough Fuel Cell, Twice as Efficient as Generators

2007-12-15T02:19:00.001-08:00

Acumentrics Corporation, a leading developer of solid-oxide fuel cells and uninterruptible power supplies, has won a 2007 New England Innovation Award from SBANE, the Smaller Business Alliance of New England for their novel solid oxide fuel cell.

Acumentrics manufactures 5000-watt solid oxide fuel cell systems (SOFC) for power applications. They are also developing combined-heat-and-power units (which are like boilers that produce electricity) for the home market. In 2000 they acquired a novel fuel cell technology. Since then, they have increased the output of a single fuel cell tube from 1 watt to 60 watts. Today they have over 30 units working in the field, including ones that power visitor’s centers at Exit Glacier National Park in Alaska, and Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio.

One of their key innovations was making ceramic fuel cell technology shatter resistant. It is shatter resistant because of its shape -- it is a tube, not a thin sheet as most others have used --with a special composition of layers that prevents them from flaking off. Solid oxide fuel cells must handle temperature swings from 20 to 800ºC. Many other solid oxide fuel cells crack when they are cycled on and off, because of thermal shock.

But what really makes Acumentrics different is that they aren't waiting around for the mythical hydrogen economy. The fuel cells run on natural gas, propane, ethanol, diesel, biogas, and biodiesel. While using non-hydrogen fuel means that the cell will produce CO2, Acumentrics fuel cells consume half as much fuel as a comparable small-engine generator, per kW. So they produce the same amount of electricity, while consuming half as much fuel, and producing half as much CO2.

CHEVROLET EQUINOX FUEL CELL

2007-12-11T03:26:00.000-08:00

Chevrolet is committed to bringing you drivable and practical vehicles that decrease our energy dependence and reduce our emissions. And now, as part of a market test, we’re bringing you a real-world vehicle with fuel cell propulsion technology. Announcing the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. It uses the same breakthrough propulsion system that powers our advanced Chevrolet Sequel concept vehicle.

Fuel cell technology is seamlessly integrated with all of the comfort and safety of Chevrolet’s current-production, gasoline-powered Equinox. The biggest difference is that Equinox Fuel Cell doesn’t run on gasoline. Still, it is fully functional, carrying up to four occupants and their gear. Plus, it’s engineered to reach a top speed of 100 mph.

Equinox Fuel Cell has been crash-tested and is designed to meet all applicable 2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. And you will enjoy the benefits of driver and front passenger air bags, the StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System, four-wheel antilock disc brakes with Traction Control, and OnStar. On the outside, you’ll notice premium Tricoat paint and unique styling that is distinctively Chevrolet.

This advanced vehicle puts us one drive closer to a future of sustainable transportation. And soon, we’ll be giving real consumers a chance to drive Equinox Fuel Cell in the test program Project Driveway.

Like the Chevrolet Sequel concept vehicle, Equinox Fuel Cell is an electric vehicle. It's powered by GM's fourth generation fuel cell system — our most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date. A single-speed electric motor traction system provides the vehicle with instantaneous torque. That means you get smooth acceleration.

Its ability to start and operate in sub-freezing temperatures is a major advancement in fuel cell technology. It handles repeated "real-world" freeze cycles over a 50,000 mile life.

Moreover, you can go an estimated 200 miles per fill up.

No petroleum whatsoever is used to power Equinox Fuel Cell. With hydrogen as the fuel, Equinox Fuel Cell emits only water vapor through vents in the rear fascia. That means zero tailpipe emissions. This helps remove the automobile from the environmental debate and reduce our dependence on petroleum.

Prototype: ENV Hydrogen Fuelcell Motorbike

2007-12-10T01:32:00.000-08:00

Intelligent Energy, a British hydrogen energy technology developer, unveiled their new ENV (Emissions neutral vehicle) motorcycle this week. The super-futuristic looking crotch rocket runs on compressed hydrogen gas, run through a fuel cell to power its 6kW electric drive motor. The drive is so silent that pedestrian safety advocates are petitioning the company to add an artifivial engine sound to warn pedestrians of the bike's approach... The current prototype zips from zero to its top speed of 50 mph in just 12.1 sec. Range is approximately 100 miles on a single tank. The hydrogen fuel is stored in a removable cartridge with the fuel cell, called the "CORE". The company hopes to develop this CORE platform to power other devices, like a portable generator would. Unfortunately, the bike is only a prototype, meant as a showcase for Intelligent Energy's new CORE technology platform. We'll have to keep wishing.

British company Intelligent Energy today unveiled ENV, the world's first purpose-built, fuel-cell motorbike - ahead of any of the world's leading automotive companies. The ENV bike is the creation of Intelligent Energy, a British energy solutions company, whose board includes Chairman Sir John Jennings, the former Chairman of Shell Transport and Trading.

The ENV (Emissions Neutral Vehicle) bike was designed to Intelligent Energy's brief by a British team, led by multi-award-winning designers Seymourpowell. The ENV bike is fully-functioning and has been engineered and purpose-built (based around Intelligent Energy's CORE fuel cell) from the ground up, demonstrating the real, everyday applicability of fuel cell technology. The CORE, which is completely detachable from the bike, is a radically compact and efficient fuel cell, capable of powering anything from a motorboat to a small domestic property.

The ENV bike is different. It offers an exhilarating glimpse of what can be achieved: a great-looking and exciting fuel-cell motorbike. "In the none-too-distant future", commented Intelligent Energy CEO Harry Bradbury, "people will be able to use a bike like ENV to leave work in an urban environment, drive to the countryside, detach the CORE and attach it to another vehicle, such as a motorboat, before going on to power a log cabin with the very same fuel cell, which could then be re-charged from a mini hydrogen creator, the size of a shoebox."

The ENV motorcycle

ENV is lightweight, streamlined and aerodynamic. In an urban or off-road environment, it can reach speeds of 50 mph. It is also virtually silent (with noise emissions equivalent to an everyday home computer) and its emissions are almost completely clean. On a full tank, the ENV bike could be used continually for up to four hours without any need for re-fuelling. The bike can also be used by riders of any skill level with simple controls, via a throttle directly linked to the applied power. The bike has no gears and is strictly defined as a motorbike, although it feels to riders more like a very quick and responsive mountain bike. "ENV is light, fast and fun", commented Seymourpowell director Nick Talbot. "It has good ground clearance, great off-road suspension travel and a very carefully considered power to weight ratio. I have ridden motorbikes for years", he added, "and, in the process of designing the bike, I have become a convert to fuel cell technology. The bike is usable, useful and great-looking. It was important on this project to demonstrate that new technologies don't have to be wrapped up in a dull product engaging public imagination and enthusiasm is key."

ENV has been produced in two monochromatic colourways: black supergloss and iridescent white. 'This was to express the bike's parallel natures', explained Nick Talbot. "On the one hand, it expresses a utopian future vision of clean power, anywhere - and on the other, it's an exciting, hard-edged bike and fun to ride."

The bike's primary frame and swinging arm are made from hollow-cast aircraft grade aluminium. At the bike's heart is a fully-integrated 1kW fuel cell generator providing power on demand directly to the drive-train. To enhance performance during peak power demand (ie when accelerating), the fuel cell is hybridised with a battery pack to provide a 6kW peak load to the motor. The result is a balanced hybrid concept which combines the main advantages of Intelligent Energy's CORE fuel cell, hydrogen storage and battery technology."

The design of the CORE

"When it came to designing the casing for the CORE", commented Seymourpowell's Nick Talbot, "we treated it as a standalone project, giving this radical fuel cell its due as a beautiful, valuable and useful energy resource. The CORE, which can be detached completely from the bike, is therefore designed to create interest as an enigmatic object. Although mostly encased in identical aluminium to the bike, of which it at first seems a completely integral part, the CORE is also part-covered on one plane in a micro-etched, textured and durable shell, in a pattern derived from brain coral. The pattern alludes to the fact that this is solid state technology but is also functional, in that the intricate patterns also disperse heat. We wanted this to be a finer and more beautiful object than, say, a diesel generator - and to make people look again at this new technology with a sense of wonder."

"The launch of ENV breaks new ground and opens up a whole new field of opportunities for low- and high-power fuel cell motorbikes,' commented Harry Bradbury. 'ENV and its successors are good for the consumer and the environment. This is a fun vehicle with a realistic role to play in the leisure environment, as well as a role in emissions reduction from Boston to Bangkok. There has been much talk about low-carbon emission vehicles. Here is one at last."

Key Components of the Bike Power System

Motor - 6kW, 48 VDC Brush motor (model LEM-170, supplied by LMC)
Motor Controller - Brusa Direct Current (model MD 206)
Fuel Cell - 1kW Intelligent Energy air-cooled (2 x AC32-48)
Hydrogen Storage - High pressure carbon composite cylinder (Luxfer L65)
Hydrogen Energy - 2.4kWeh
Storage Battery - 4 x 12V Lead Acid (15Ahr) connected in series

Up, up and away – the hydrogen car is here

2007-12-08T04:31:00.000-08:00

The hydrogen fuel cell is the holy grail of greener motoring and Honda has got there first

There was every conceivable type of environmentally friendly car on show at the Tokyo motor show last week, but Honda scooped them all by announcing it will be putting the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell car into production next year.

The car will travel an estimated 270 miles at speeds of up to 100mph and will produce only water vapour from its exhaust. It is expected to cost £50,000 and will be available initially only in America and Japan.

To be unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show next month, the car is expected to closely follow the design of the FCX concept car. Inside, it will provide space for four in a futuristic looking cabin. Instead of a fuel gauge there will be a range meter that tells you how far you can travel with the hydrogen left in the tank.

It is also expected to feature lithium-ion batteries to recover energy during braking. The transmission will be gearless so you will simply select neutral or drive.

The announcement by Takeo Fukui, president and chief executive of Honda Motor Company, is a landmark in new car technology. The fuel cell has long been the holy grail of eco-motoring because it produces a smooth, almost silent ride and zero emissions. Honda has been working on various forms of the FCX for more than five years. However, last week’s announcement took the motoring world by surprise: previous estimates for a viable fuel cell car ranged from 10 years to 20 years in the future, while the modest price tag means the Honda will cost less than many current prestige family saloons.

As well as technical difficulties, there are practical hurdles, too. Hydrogen takes up more space than the amount of petrol required to travel a similar distance, meaning that fuel tanks for hydrogen have been bulky, while the lack of infrastructure means there are few places where drivers will be able to fill up with hydrogen fuel.

“When the car was invented, countries weren’t full of petrol stations,” said Fukui in response to questions about the lack of infrastructure. “When the demand is there it [the hydrogen economy] will happen.” Other car companies are also vying to harness to the power of hydrogen. BMW last year built 100 hydrogen-powered 7-series cars (although they were not for sale and use a combustion engine rather than a fuel cell) and Mazda revealed its Premacy RE hydrogen hybrid at the Tokyo show.

The Premacy features a rotary engine that can run on hydrogen or petrol and will become part of a commercial leasing scheme next year. It has a range of about 120 miles on hydrogen and will be used as part of the HyNor project, a scheme to introduce a 110-mile “hydrogen highway” in Norway between Oslo and Stavanger.

Not all car makers at the Tokyo show see hydrogen as the future. Away from the spotlights and flashguns, Toyota – the world’s largest car company and maker of the hybrid Prius – was quietly testing the car it sees as the future of green motoring at its track at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Powered by a battery pack twice the size of that of the existing Prius, the new vehicle will be able to run much greater distances on electricity alone than the existing model.

It plugs into the mains overnight, and, says Toyota, has lower running costs and emissions than the Prius. Toyota hopes the newCO2 technology will be the solution to a problem that the company privately acknowledges: the Prius is not as fuel-efficient as many conventional cars.

The prototype on test last week was fitted with nickel-hydride batteries, but when the new model goes on sale – possibly in 2009 – it may be equipped with more compact and lighter lithium-ion batteries.

Toyota claims a twofold advantage for these vehicles. First, more energy can be stored, giving increased range. Second, mileage costs are reduced because electrical recharging is far cheaper than refuelling with petrol or diesel. The new Prius has been designed with an eye on the American market, where some Prius owners have been paying several thousand dollars to convert their car to make it mains-rechargeable.

A recent American study showed that applying the cost of US electricity at the typical rate of 9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), 30 miles of electric driving costs 81 cents.

Toyota also says that compared with the current Prius, the new model achieves a 13% reduction in CO2 emissions on a 15-mile journey. But the plug-in hybrid could add little environmental benefit unless the mains electricity comes from a source that does , such as solar or not emit CO2 nuclear power. “Otherwise there is the issue of just shifting the pollution from cars to power stations,” said Scott Brownlee, of Toyota UK.

Hydrogen cars ready to roll — for a price

2007-12-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

Intergalactic Hydrogen has converted the Hummer, at left, to run on nonpolluting hydrogen. And the Shelby Cobra, like the one at right, now has a hydrogen version courtesy of the Hydrogen Car Company. Both companies modified internal combustion engines to run the vehicles on straight hydrogen instead of gasoline.
If you can’t wait five, 10 or 20 years for the much-touted "hydrogen economy," then step right up: Several companies are ready to sell you vehicles that run on the fuel that's much cleaner and gets higher mileage than gasoline or diesel.

Like sports cars? There's a Shelby Cobra with a 351 engine that runs on hydrogen. How about a Nissan Frontier pickup powered by fuel cells and hydrogen? That will soon be available. Or hankering for a hydrogen Hummer? That, too, can be yours.

There are two significant catches, however. First is getting the hydrogen. Industrial gas suppliers sell hydrogen in cylinders but very few filling stations exist today. California has the most at 13 pilot stations run by utilities and carmakers, and plans some 170 commercial ones by 2010. The cost varies too, from $1 to $20 a kilo. A gallon of gasoline has the same energy content as a kilo of hydrogen, but vehicles using the latter get two to three times higher mileage.

Second is the price tag: The Shelby Cobras start at $149,000, the pickup is $99,995 and the Hummers run $60,000 for the conversion alone — you supply the Hummer.

A small price to pay for starting a green revolution, says Tai Robinson, who runs Intergalactic Hydrogen, a company converting Hummers and other cars. "It is time for the people to make a move, the vehicles they say they want to run on hydrogen are available now."

Hydrogen: The Perfect Fuel

2007-12-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

Hydrogen: The Perfect Fuel
The Pollution Problem

According to reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Spokane's carbon monoxide levels are among the poorest in the nation, and it will only get worse if we keep contributing to it with our polluting cars. Our precious cars that we use so often give off "carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide," and contribute to "urban smog, rural air pollution, acid rain, and the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere" (Nadis and MacKenzie 14). We need our cars, but we also need to reduce the pollution.

Carbon-based Fuel Alternatives

The best way to reduce the pollution while keeping our cars is to start buying emission-free vehicles. Some people will argue that we should just run our current cars on alternative carbon-based fuels, such as propane or natural gas. These fuels are cleaner than gasoline or diesel (Nadis and MacKenzie 69) and would help clean the air of some pollutants, but the inescapable facts are that they are fossil fuels, their supplies are limited, and the greenhouse gas contributions are expected to be about the same as those of oil-based fuels (151). In other words, they still pollute. In fact, combustion of any fuel produces some emissions. Combusted fuel and burning crank case oil produce hydrocarbons while heat from the engine produces nitrogen oxides (Cannon 107). The only way to completely escape this pollution is by using electric motors (Begley and Hager 108). Vehicles using electric motors are completely emission-free and generally get their electricity from batteries, the sun, or hydrogen fuel cells.

Pollution-free Vehicles: Battery-powered Cars

Battery-powered electric cars have many advantages over internal combustion engines, such as being emission free, being more efficient, and having fewer moving parts (Gary 12) that inevitably wear out and break. The problems with batteries, however, are their range, recharge times, size, and weight. The short driving range, typically about 100 miles, makes it impractical for driving long distances because it takes so long to recharge: about 8 hours (Nadis and MacKenzie 73). Furthermore, current lead-acid batteries consume over 17 times as much space and 45 times as much weight as gasoline tanks (45 cubic feet of space and 6,750 pounds for a driving range equivalent to 15 gallons of gasoline) (Cannon 138-9). Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler are jointly working on "better batteries than those currently available" (Sawyers S34) in order to solve these problems.

Solar-powered Cars

"Solar cars, simply put, are electric cars that derive some fraction of their energy from the sun" (Nadis and MacKenzie 81). Since the sun is not out at night or when it is very cloudy, solar cars are equipped with batteries. When the sun is out, the car can move, charge its batteries, or both. They have the advantage of not needing as much city power to charge them as battery-powered cars, and some solar cars have ranges of about 135 miles (81). The range is higher than that of battery-powered cars because they can charge themselves and run longer using the sun, but since they are dependent on batteries when the sun is not out, they have the drawbacks of their counterparts: namely, the size, weight, and range restrictions associated with batteries.

The Ultimate Alternative

The best pollution-free alternative to batteries while still using clean electric motors is the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen-powered "fuel cells hold enormous promise as a power source for a future generation of cars" (Zygmont 20). They do not have the restraints that batteries do, either.

Hydrogen is consumed by a pollution-free chemical reaction--not combustion--in a fuel cell. The fuel cell simply combines hydrogen and oxygen chemically to produce electricity, water, and waste heat (MacKenzie 62-3). Nothing else. And hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, constituting about 93% of all atoms. "It is found in water (H20), fossil fuels (basically, compounds of hydrogen and carbon), and all plants and animals" (61). "What better replacement for finite, nonrenewable gasoline?" (Zygmont 20). "Hydrogen has often been called the perfect fuel. Its major reserve on earth (water) is inexhaustible. The use of hydrogen is compatible with nature, rather than intrusive. We will never run out of hydrogen" (NHA).

Hydrogen can be obtained from water by the process of electrolysis, or splitting water molecules using electricity. We cannot, however, forget the external effects of getting the electricity from power plants. Many power plants across the country, producing electricity to charge batteries or to produce hydrogen, run on carbon-based fuels, such as coal, and therefore produce emissions (MacKenzie 61-2). Here in Spokane, however, where our electricity comes from the water-powered generators at Washington Water Power, this is not a problem, and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicles can be truly emission free.

The fuel cells are compatible with the cold winters we have in Spokane. There are several types of fuel cells, but the one most suited for cars is called the proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Some of its main features are its ability to start quickly and to run at moderate temperatures (150° instead of 1,900°, like some other versions), which will help because it does not need to heat up very much in order to run. The PEM fuel cell is compact and lightweight: a big advantage for cars. Furthermore, its maximum efficiency of 60% (energy delivered from hydrogen to motor as electricity) is about 3 times greater than the efficiency of internal combustion engines (most of the energy from combustion is lost in heat and friction before it even pushes down on the pistons) (Cannon 119, 112).

The range of fuel-cell-powered vehicles is not limited by batteries, but by the amount of fuel in the storage tank. Recent developments in hydrogen storage technology have come up with "carbon-adsorption" systems. These are refrigerated and pressurized tanks that can store massive amounts of hydrogen. Calculations estimate that over 7 gallons of hydrogen could be stored in a single gram of this new material. This allows a range of nearly 5,000 miles from a single tank! (Hill 20). These tanks would weigh less than 200 pounds, occupy about half the amount of space used by current gasoline tanks (H&FCL), and could be refueled in 4-5 minutes (MacKenzie 75). The carbon-adsorption tanks would also work well in Spokane's cold winters, as the process improves greatly as the temperature decreases. This tank could easily become the storage method of choice if research, improvements, and advancements continue (75). Even if nothing came from these or future developments, the current "range for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is comparable to that for gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles" (Winkler).

Hydrogen Safety

Many people are concerned with hydrogen's safety. And with good reason. Hydrogen is a fuel and is therefore combustible. Its combustion properties deserve the same caution any fuel should be given (NHA Handling). Hydrogen has been suffering an image problem since the Hindenburg tragically caught fire and burned in New Jersey in 1937. (There were 62 survivors and 35 fatalities; 27 of the deaths resulted from jumping from the airship. Some died from burns and injuries caused by the diesel fuel fire, not from the burning hydrogen (Nadis and MacKenzie 86; MacKenzie 69).) "Fortunately, . . . 'hydrogen is not a particularly dangerous fuel.' If it leaks or spills, hydrogen disperses and evaporates much faster than gasoline, which minimizes the explosion hazard" (Nadis and MacKenzie 86). "The hazards of hydrogen are different from but not greater than those of conventional fuels" (Williams 23). Hydrogen can be and has been handled carefully and safely, just like any other inherently dangerous fuel such as gasoline (Zygmont 20). Hydrogen tanks have been put through series of demanding safety tests. They have been completely engulfed in flames at over 1,650°F for up to 70 minutes, perforated by solid objects (such as armor-piercing bullets), and squeezed until they break with safety valves completely blocked. Sometimes the gas leaked out, sometimes it burnt, but it never exploded (Edwards 42).

On the Road

Many large and well-known corporations trust and realize the potential of hydrogen. Some companies that already have hydrogen fueled vehicles on the road are: (1) Mercedes-Benz, with about 20 cars and vans, (2) BMW, which is testing liquid hydrogen in two sedans and plans to have a fleet of 100 hydrogen vehicles on the road in the 1990s, (3) Mazda, which had 3 vehicles as of 1993, and (4) Ballard Power Systems, which is developing and selling fuel cells and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered buses (to the city of Chicago, for example) (Nadis and MacKenzie 84-5; Cannon 297-304). Various individuals and universities are also researching and developing hydrogen vehicles.

Conclusion

Hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered cars are the best alternatives to polluting, gasoline-powered cars for several reasons: (1) the cars are completely emission-free, (2) the fuel cells have no moving parts, (3) hydrogen is renewable and abundant, (4) the cars are compatible with cold weather, (5) the fuel cells are compact and lightweight--not overly bulky or heavy, (6) the cars are about 3 times as efficient as gasoline-powered cars, (7) the cars will have incredible mile ranges, (8) the tanks will be refueled quickly, and (9) hydrogen is safe, has been tested rigorously for use in vehicles, and is being used in many vehicles already.

Now we need to show car manufacturers that we want hydrogen fuel cells in our cars. We can do this effectively by communicating with the manufacturers. At a car dealer of your preference, inquire about cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Ask if the car company makes them, and if so, learn about the car and find out if it can be ordered. If the dealer does not know about the cars, ask for an address of the car manufacturer and write them asking for literature regarding cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Buying these emission-free vehicles is the best way to reduce the pollution in the Spokane area without giving up our cars.

Car Prototype Generates Electricity, And Cash

2007-12-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

A team of UD faculty has created a system that enables vehicles to not only run on electricity alone, but also to generate revenue by storing and providing electricity for utilities. The technology--known as V2G, for vehicle-to-grid--lets electricity flow from the car’s battery to power lines and back.

When the car is in the V2G setting, the battery’s charge goes up or down depending on the needs of the grid operator, which sometimes must store surplus power and other times requires extra power to respond to surges in usage. The ability of the V2G car’s battery to act like a sponge provides a solution for utilities, which pay millions to generating stations that help balance the grid. Kempton estimates the value for utilities could be up to $4,000 a year for the service, part of which could be paid to drivers.

The technology will work on a large scale, he said, because on average 95 percent of all cars are parked at any given time. One hour a day of car usage is the average in America.

“A car sitting there with a tank of gasoline in it, that’s useless,” he said. “If it’s a battery storing a lot of electricity and a big plug that allows moving power back and forth quickly, then it’s valuable.”

Kempton already has one of those large plugs at his home. He has a 240-volt plug that gives the battery a full charge--or a range up to 150 highway miles--in just two hours. A smaller, standard 110-volt plug works but provides a full charge in about 12 hours. The smaller plug also moves less power for the grid operator when the car is in V2G mode, Kempton explained.

“The bigger the plug, the more power you can move, the more revenue,” he said, explaining that it cost about $600 to have the larger plug installed.

But even though Kempton is supplying power to the grid with the prototype car, he’s not getting paid for it--yet.

PJM, the grid operator for 14 states, including Delaware, is keen on the technology and hosted a demonstration of the V2G car. But PJM requires at least 300 megawatts to purchase power. That means the UD team and its collaborators must get 300 cars up and running.

The prototype car is a stepping-stone to that goal. Kempton is working with UD mechanical engineers Prasad and Advani, who plan to add V2G to the University’s hydrogen fuel cell bus. Next, the team, including the company that created the car, California-based AC Propulsion, will test the prototypes and fix any potential problems they bring to light. Then they’ll begin creating a user interface that will let drivers, for example, tell the car to never go below 50 percent charge while in V2G mode.

hat last question gets Kempton, who also is involved in College of Marine and Earth Studies research on offshore wind farms, the most excited. He explained that even if the electricity used to charge the car is produced by a coal-fired power plant, the car itself produces no carbon dioxide emissions. If a wind farm fuels the electricity from the power plant, he explained, the car and its power source would be emissions free.

And even though the green aspect of the car is key for Kempton, he knows consumers might have some other, more practical, questions about the vehicle, such as, “What’s it like to drive?”

Zippy yet quiet, being behind its wheel is a thrill, he said. “I hate getting back in my gas car. It feels sluggish.”

Solar thermal

2007-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Solar thermal applications make up the most widely used category of solar energy technology. These technologies use heat from the sun for water and space heating, ventilation, industrial process heat, cooking, water distillation and disinfection, and many other applications.

Solar water heaters face the equator and are angled according to latitude to maximize solar gain.

Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water. Commercial solar water heaters began appearing in the United States in the 1890s. These systems saw increasing use until the 1920s but were gradually replaced by relatively cheap and more reliable conventional heating fuels. The economic advantage of conventional heating fuels has varied over time resulting in periodic interest in solar hot water; however, solar hot water technologies have yet to show the sustained momentum they had until the 1920s. Recent price spikes, erratic availability of conventional fuels, and other factors are renewing interest in solar heating technologies. Approximately 14 percent (15 EJ) of the total energy used in the United States is for water heating. In many climates, a solar heating system can provide 50 to 75 percent of domestic hot water use.

As of 2005, the total installed capacity of solar hot water systems is 88 GWth and growth is 14 percent per year. China is the world leader in the deployment of solar hot water systems with 80% of the market. Israel is the per capita leader in the use of solar hot water with 90 percent of homes using this technology. In the United States heating swimming pools is the most successful application of solar hot water.

Solar water heating technologies have high efficiencies relative to other solar technologies. Performance will depend upon the site of deployment, but flat-plate and evacuated-tube collectors can be expected to have efficiencies above 60 percent during normal operating conditions. In addition, solar water heating is particularly appropriate for low-temperature (25-70 °C) applications such as swimming pools, domestic hot water, and space heating. The most common types of solar water heaters are batch systems, flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors.

MIT's Solar House #1 built in 1939 utilized seasonal thermal storage for year round heating.

Heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) systems of buildings are closely interrelated. All seek to provide thermal comfort, acceptable indoor air quality, and reasonable installation, operation, and maintenance costs. Conventional HVAC systems account for roughly 40 percent of the energy used in the United States and European Union. Many solar heating, cooling, and ventilation technologies can be used to offset a portion of this energy.

Thermal mass materials store solar energy during the day and release this energy during cooler periods. Common thermal mass materials include stone, cement, and water. The proportion and placement of thermal mass should consider several factors such as climate, daylighting, and shading conditions. When properly incorporated, thermal mass can passively maintain comfortable temperatures while reducing energy consumption. More advanced thermal mass systems can be also be used for ventilation.

A solar chimney (or thermal chimney) is a passive solar ventilation system composed of a hollow thermal mass connecting the interior and exterior of a building. As the chimney warms, the air inside is heated causing an updraft that pulls air through the building. These systems have been in use since Roman times and remain common in the Middle east.

A Trombe wall is a passive solar heating and ventilation system consisting of an air channel sandwiched between a window and a sun-facing thermal mass. During the ventilation cycle, sunlight stores heat in the thermal mass and warms the air channel causing circulation through vents at the top and bottom of the wall. During the heating cycle the Trombe wall radiates stored heat.
Transpired air collectors are highly efficient and cost effective.

Solar roof ponds are a unique solar heating and cooling technology developed by Harold Hay in the 1960s. A basic system consists of a roof mounted water bladder with a movable insulating cover. This system can control heat exchange between interior and exterior environments by covering and uncovering the bladder between night and day. When heating is a concern the bladder is uncovered during the day allowing sunlight to warm the water bladder and store heat for evening use. When cooling is a concern the covered bladder draws heat from the building's interior during the day and is uncovered at night to radiate heat to the cooler atmosphere. The Skytherm house in Atascadero, California uses a prototype roof pond for heating and cooling.

A transpired air collector is a perforated sun-facing wall. The wall absorbs sunlight and pre-heats air as much as 22 °C as it is drawn into the ventilation system. These systems are highly efficient (up to 80 percent) and can pay for themselves within 3 to 12 years in offset heating costs.

Active solar cooling can be achieved via absorption refrigeration cycles, desiccant cycles, and solar mechanical processes. In 1878, Auguste Mouchout pioneered solar cooling by making ice using a solar steam engine attached to a refrigeration deviceThermal mass, smart windows and shading methods can also be used to provide cooling. The leaves of deciduous trees provide natural shade during the summer while the bare limbs allow light and warmth into a building during the winter. The water content of trees will also help moderate local temperatures.

Solar vehicles

2007-11-30T00:14:00.000-08:00

Development of a practical solar powered car has been an engineering goal since the 1980s. The center of this development is the World Solar Challenge, a biannual solar-powered car race in which teams from universities and enterprises compete over 3,021 km (1,877 mi) across central Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. In 1987, when it was founded, the winner's average speed was 67 km/h (42 mph)[76] The 2007 race included a new challenge class using cars with an upright seating position and which, with little modification, could be a practical proposition for sustainable transport. The winning car averaged 90.87 km/h (56.46 mph).

Helios UAV in flight

Helios, named for the Greek sun god, was a prototype solar-powered unmanned aircraft. AeroVironment, Inc. developed the vehicle under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program. On 13 August, 2001, it set an unofficial world record for sustained altitude by a winged aircraft. It sustained flight above 29,250 m (95,965 ft) for 40 minutes and reached 29,524 m (96,864 ft) altitude in the process.

A solar balloon is a black balloon that is filled with ordinary air. As sunlight shines on the balloon, the air inside is heated and expands, causing an upward buoyancy force, much like an artificially-heated hot air balloon. Some solar balloons are large enough for human flight, but usage is limited to the toy market as the surface-area to payload-weight ratio is rather high.

The first practical solar boat was constructed in 1975 in England.[78] By 1995, solar passenger boats began appearing and are now used extensively.[79] The first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a solar-powered boat was in the winter of 2006/2007 by the catamaran sun21.

Solar sails are a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion using large membrane mirrors. Radiation pressure is small and decreases by the square of the distance from the sun, but unlike rockets, solar sails require no fuel. Although the thrust is small compared to rockets, it continues as long as the sun shines and the sail is deployed and in the frictionless vacuum of space significant speeds can eventually be achieved.

BMW Hydrogen 7 Prototype

2007-11-27T23:14:00.001-08:00

Looks like: BMW 7 Series
Defining characteristics: Burns gas or hydrogen gas
Ridiculous features: Requires liquid hydrogen, which is rarer than hydrogen gas
Chance of being mass-produced: Up to 100 will be built; 25 percent for U.S.

If you don't sweat the details, it might seem like hydrogen cars are a reality in the U.S. market. The important details are that the fuel-cell cars presently in the hands of consumers are on lease and worth roughly $1 million each, and that the BMW Hydrogen 7 isn't a fuel-cell vehicle. Rather than using hydrogen to generate electricity in a fuel cell, it burns hydrogen gas in its conventional V-12 engine. It also can burn gasoline at the flip of a dashboard switch.

Hydrogen gas burns cleanly, producing only water vapor, which is the claim made for fuel cells, too. That's not really the point here. Neither is cost; burning hydrogen currently costs more than burning traditional gas. The point behind burning hydrogen in an engine is to give energy and distribution companies another incentive to provide hydrogen. The circle is vicious: Automakers don't want to build cars for which there's little fuel, and fuel companies don't want to provide a fuel that no one will use. Another use for hydrogen gas can only help build the infrastructure for our inevitable switch to fuel-cell/electric power.

Makes sense? It does until you find out that the Hydrogen 7 — a 7 Series sedan equipped with two tanks and two fuel systems — needs to be filled with liquid, not gaseous, hydrogen, which is even rarer. There are 31 hydrogen gas stations in the country, 23 of which are in California. Only a few dispense liquid hydrogen, but they all receive and store their hydrogen in liquid form. BMW says it's hoping to convince these outlets to dispense liquid hydrogen, too.

A pressurized hydrogen gas tank wouldn't give a car enough range. The Hydrogen 7's 125-mile range relies on liquid that's converted to gas for burning. A full gasoline tank adds 300 miles for a total of more than 400 miles at cruising speeds. BMW says the acceleration is the same whether the car is running on hydrogen or gasoline. That said, the zero to 60 mph time is more than 9 seconds — far longer than a conventional 7 Series with a V-8 or V-12 engine.

The other tradeoffs include trunk space, which is cut in half to accommodate the hydrogen tank, and the odd nature of liquid hydrogen overall. The liquid form is uncommon because it has to be kept at cryogenic temperatures to prevent its evaporation. Storage facilities require big-time refrigeration. The Hydrogen 7 uses a superinsulated storage tank. Its 1-inch-thick insulation is equivalent to 17 meters of Styrofoam, according to BMW. It could keep coffee hot for three months. Unfortunately, liquid hydrogen's requirements are greater. When the car isn't using the fuel, it builds pressure. When that pressure gets up to 87 psi — after roughly one day unused — it starts to "boil off," to vent harmlessly, mixed with oxygen by a catalytic converter to create water vapor. The problem is that it can boil off half your fuel in eight days.

Compared to fuel-cell cars, the Hydrogen 7 is relatively cheap, but BMW won't be selling it. Like the Honda FCX fuel-cell car, the BMW will be leased, to VIPs of the company's choosing.

Hydrogen Cars

2007-11-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

Hydrogen cars are not only the future, they are here, now. When hydrogen cars become the status quo, the U. S. can lessen its dependence upon foreign oil, achieve lower prices at the fuel pumps and cut down on the greenhouse gases that produce global warming. The future of hydrogen cars is not a pipe dream, as there are already many hydrogen cars on the road. California and Japan have many hydrogen cars being used as fleet vehicles now.

In 2005, Honda leased the first commercial hydrogen car to a family in Redondo Beach, California, pictured above.

For the past 28 years, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been conducting research on hydrogen fuel cells for use in transportation, industry and residential use. According to the LANL, "Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Research at Los Alamos has made significant technological advances in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), and related technologies such as the electrolyzer (a fuel cell in reverse, liberating hydrogen from electricity and pure water)."

Unlike many of the hybrid and "green" cars currently on the market, hydrogen cars offer the promise of zero emission technology, where the only byproduct from the cars is water vapor. Current fossil-fuel burning vehicles emit all sorts of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, ozone and microscopic particulate matter. Hybrids and other green cars address these issues to a large extent but only hydrogen cars hold the promise of zero emission of pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fossil-fuel automobiles emit 1 ½ billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year and going to hydrogen-based transportation would all but eliminate this.

Not only that, hydrogen cars will lessen the United States' dependence upon foreign oil. The so-called "hydrogen hyghway" will mean less dependence upon OPEC, the big U. S. oil companies, oil refinery malfunctions and breakdowns and less resistance from oil-selling nations like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia or from hostile nations who would rather sell elsewhere. Consumers will finally get a break from the never-ending rising prices at the gasoline pumps.

President Bush has already allocated approximately $2 billion in hydrogen highway research. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing to get 200 hydrogen filling stations built by 2010 stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way down to Baja, California. Since Californians buy one-fifth of the nation's cars, the new hydrogen car technology could simply replace the current gasoline engine automobiles in what is called "disruptive technology" where something so innovative comes along it simply replaces the old technology very quickly.

Then again, a more likely scenario is that dual-fuel automotive systems will be developed that can run on either gasoline or hydrogen as the hydrogen infrastructure is being developed. The conversion from gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to hydrogen powered combustion engines is agreed upon by most scientists and engineers to be a particularly easy transition and would buy time for hydrogen fuel cell cars to be fully adapted.

But, hydrogen cars are not isolated to those that burn the fuel in internal combustion engines. There are more hydrogen fuel cell cars being built currently than any other kind. Let's also not forget about hydrogen-on-demand vehicles that are either using a hydrogen compound or electrolyzing water to create hydrogen, avoiding the compressed or liquid hydrogen refueling scenario altogether. And, what about adapting hydrogen peroxide for fuel in car since it is currently being used in racecars and jet packs as a propellant?

Hydrogen cars are the future, so why not take a test drive of this website right now and see what you'll be driving a few short years from now. The hydrogen economy is just around the bend. Will you be ready?

All about solar panels

2007-11-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

1. Why should I consider using solar?

When the sun shines, you get power! No muss. No fuss. It's absolutely silent, and it's pretty much maintenance-free. All I (Libbie) do aboard s/v HOTWIRE is use a damp sponge or rag once in a while to wipe off dust, salt, and bird poop!

Where we are now, I clean ours a couple of times a year. When we were downwind from the cement plant at Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, I cleaned them much more often. The cleaner the surface, the better it works for you.

2. Which kind should I buy?

There are basically 3 technologies to choose from:

monocrystal (high output) -- the most efficient
polycrystal (high output) -- almost as efficient as monocrystal
thin film / amorphous (heat- and shade-tolerant) -- less efficient

Which type you should use depends on where you plan to install it. They all perform their best in full sun.

3. Where should I install solar on my boat?

In order of choice, we find that the best place aboard is high & aft, above davits or on top of an arch, where shadows are less likely (we have the mounting hardware for you).

If you can put solar up there, by all means go with a high output technology! Get the biggest bang for your buck! (Just don't put solar under a wind generator or radar shadow. If you must, I'd recommend a shade tolerant technology.)

A fixed mount above a bimini works well if there is bimini surface aft of the boom. Again, go with high output. And you get the added advantage that the solar modules shadow the bimini and keep the cockpit cooler! (Contact us for design advice for increasing bimini strength.)

Another choice is on a rail at or near the stern. If there will be few shadows, choose a high output technology. If shadows are likely most of the time, go with a shade tolerant module.

Above the dodger, you have a couple of options:

A high output module on each side of the boom will usually guarantee that at least one of them will be in full sun; and at anchor, you can settle the boom to one side or the other for maximum sun exposure. If one solar cell is fully shadowed, you're down to 50% power output. If a whole row of cells is shadowed, you're getting nothing.
A shade tolerant module on each side of the boom will give you charging capability even when a portion of the surface is shadowed. The percentage of output is equal to the percentage of surface exposed to sun. When 40% is shadowed and 60% is in the sun, you'll get 60% of the rated capacity of output.

4. What makes the monocrystal and polycrystal output drop so much in shadows?

The high output modules have individual cells, and each cell can be thought of as a small battery. When you shade one cell, it's like taking a battery out of the (series) circuit. Think of the old Christmas tree lights - when one went out they all did. Thin film modules don't have individual cells, it's more like one big cell.

The larger high output modules also have a bypass diode so that the cells are essentially divided into two separate circuits. When one cell in one of the circuits is shadowed, that whole circuit is down. But because the disabled circuit can be bypassed, the other circuit can still function.

5. Why would anybody buy such shade-sensitive stuff?

They're much higher output than shade-tolerant modules. Shell has a 55 watt monocrystal module that's in the exact same frame as their 40 watt shade-tolerant module! On a sailboat, space is an issue. I want more power from the space the module will occupy!

6. If monocrystal is the most efficient, why would I even think about buying polycrystalline?

They come in different shapes and sizes. The difference in efficiency is small enough that available space is the more important issue here. Measure your space and choose the module that fits best.

The most popular polycrystaline (Kyocera) tend to be more square, while the most popular mono-crystal (Shell) tend to be more rectangular.

Also, some polycrystaline modules such as those made by Solara, are thin, lightweight and flexible. They designed to be glued or screwed to the deck of your boat, giving you more options in positioning and mounting panels.

7. What's the difference between solar cell, solar panel, and solar module?

The solar cell is one small (approx. 4"x4") area on the surface of a solar module. The module is made up of many solar cells set into a frame for support. A solar panel is several solar modules installed together on a rack. Put some racks together and you have a solar array.

Hydrogen fuel cells

2007-11-24T00:15:00.000-08:00

What Is A Fuel Cell?

In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.

A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat.

A fuel cell produces electricity.

The fuel cell is similar to a battery. It produces electricity using chemicals. The chemicals are usually very simple, often just hydrogen and oxygen. In this case the hydrogen is the "fuel" that the fuel cell uses to make electricity.

Another very important difference is that fuel cells do not run down like batteries. As long as the fuel and oxygen is supplied to the cell it will keep producing electricty for ever.

The oxygen needed by a fuel cell is usually simply obtained from air.

Although the majority of fuel cells use hydrogen as the fuel, some fuel cells work off methane, and a few use liquid fuels such as methanol.

Fuel cells that use hydrogen can be thought of as devices that do the reverse of the well known experiment where passing an electric current through water splits it up into hydrogen and oxygen. In the fuel cell hydrogen and oxygen are joined together to produce water and electricty.

Fuel cells can be made in a huge range of sizes. They can be used to produce quite small amounts of electric power, for devices such as portable computers or radio transmitters, right up to very high powers for electric power stations.

Hydrogen fuel is fed into the "anode" of the fuel cell. Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through the cathode. Encouraged by a catalyst, the hydrogen atom splits into a proton and an electron, which take different paths to the cathode. The proton passes through the electrolyte. The electrons create a separate current that can be utilized before they return to the cathode, to be reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in a molecule of water.

A fuel cell system which includes a "fuel reformer" can utilize the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol, and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much smaller than emissions from the cleanest

THE CAR THAT MAKES ITS OWN FUEL

2007-11-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

A unique system that can produce Hydrogen inside a car using common metals such as Magnesium and Aluminum was developed by an Israeli company. The system solves all of the obstacles associated with the manufacturing, transporting and storing of hydrogen to be used in cars. When it becomes commercial in a few years time, the system will be incorporated into cars that will cost about the same as existing conventional cars to run, and will be completely emission free.

As President Bush urges Americans to cut back on the use of oil in wake of the recent surge in prices, more and more people are looking for more viable alternatives to the use of petroleum as the main fuel for the automotive industry. IsraCast recently covered the idea developed at the Weizmann Institute to use pure Zinc to produce Hydrogen using solar power. Now, a different solution has been developed by an Israeli company called Engineuity. Amnon Yogev, one of the two founders of Engineuity, and a retired Professor of the Weizmann Institute, suggested a method for producing a continuous flow of Hydrogen and steam under full pressure inside a car. This method could also be used for producing hydrogen for fuel cells and other applications requiring hydrogen and/or steam.

The Hydrogen car Engineuity is working on will use metals such as Magnesium or Aluminum which will come in the form of a long coil. The gas tank in conventional vehicles will be replaced by a device called a Metal-Steam combustor that will separate Hydrogen out of heated water. The basic idea behind the technology is relatively simple: the tip of the metal coil is inserted into the Metal-Steam combustor together with water where it will be heated to very high temperatures. The metal atoms will bond to the Oxygen from the water, creating metal oxide. As a result, the Hydrogen molecules are free, and will be sent into the engine alongside the steam. The solid waste product of the process, in the form of metal oxide, will later be collected in the fuel station and recycled for further use by the metal industry.

Refuelling the car based on this technology will also be remarkably simple. The vehicle will contain a mechanism for rolling the metal wire into a coil during the process of fuelling and the spent metal oxide, which was produced in the previous phase, will be collected from the car by vacuum suction.

Beside the obvious advantages of the system, such as the inexpensive and abundant fuel, the production of Hydrogen on-the-go and the zero emission engine, the system is also more efficient than other Hydrogen solutions. The main reason for this is the improved usage of heat (steam) inside the system that brings that overall performance level of the vehicle to that of a conventional car. In an interview, Professor Yogev told IsraCast that a car based on Engineuity's system will be able to travel about the same distance between refueling as an equivalent conventional car. The only minor drawback, which also limits the choice of possible metal fuel sources, is the weight of the coil. In order for the Hydrogen car to be able to travel as far as a conventional car it needs a metal coil three-times heavier than an equivalent petrol tank. Although this sound like a lot in most cars this will add up to about 100kg (220 pounds) and should not affect the performance of the car.

Engineuity is currently in the advanced stages of the incubator program of the Chief Scientist in Israel, and is seeking investors that will allow it to develop a full scale prototype. Given the proper investment the company should be able to develop the prototype in about three years. The move to Hydrogen based cars using Engineuity's technology will require only relatively minor changes from the car manufacturer's point of view. Since the modified engine can be produced using existing production lines, removing the need for investment in new infrastructures (the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars), the new Hydrogen cars would not be more expensive. Although Engineuity's Hydrogen car will not be very different from existing conventional cars, the company is not currently planning an upgrade kit for existing cars but is concentrating on building a system that will be incorporated into new car models.

Possibly the most appealing aspect of the system is the running cost. According to Yogev, the overall running cost of the system should be equal to that of conventional cars today. Given the expected surge in oil prices in the near future Engineuity's Hydrogen car could not come too soon.

Fuel cell design

2007-11-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

In essence, a fuel cell works by catalysis, separating the component electrons and protons of the reactant fuel, and forcing the electrons to travel through a circuit, hence converting them to electrical power. Another catalytic process takes the electrons back in, combining them with the protons and the oxidant to form waste products (typically simple compounds like water and carbon dioxide).

In the archetypal hydrogen–oxygen proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) design, a proton-conducting polymer membrane, (the electrolyte), separates the anode and cathode sides. This was called a "solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell" (SPEFC) in the early 1970s, before the proton exchange mechanism was well-understood. (Notice that "polymer electrolyte membrane" and "proton exchange membrane" result in the same acronym)

On the anode side, hydrogen diffuses to the anode catalyst where it later dissociates into protons and electrons. The protons are conducted through the membrane to the cathode, but the electrons are forced to travel in an external circuit (supplying power) because the membrane is electrically insulating. On the cathode catalyst, oxygen molecules react with the electrons (which have traveled through the external circuit) and protons to form water — in this example, the only waste product, either liquid or vapor.

In addition to this pure hydrogen type, there are hydrocarbon fuels for fuel cells, including diesel, methanol (see: direct-methanol fuel cell) and chemical hydrides. The waste products with these types of fuel are carbon dioxide and water.

Construction of a low temperature PEMFC: Bipolar plate as electrode with in-milled gas channel structure, fabricated from conductive plastics (enhanced with carbon nanotubes for more conductivity); Porous carbon papers; reactive layer, usually on the polymer membrane applied; polymer membrane.

Condensation of water produced by a PEMFC on the air channel wall. The gold wire around the cell ensures the collection of electric current.

The materials used in fuel cells differ by type. The electrode–bipolar plates are usually made of metal, nickel or carbon nanotubes, and are coated with a catalyst (like platinum, nano iron powders or palladium) for higher efficiency. Carbon paper separates them from the electrolyte. The electrolyte could be ceramic or a membrane.

A typical PEM fuel cell produces a voltage from 0.6 V to 0.7 V at full rated load. Voltage decreases as current increases, due to several factors:

* Activation loss
* Ohmic loss (voltage drop due to resistance of the cell components and interconnects)
* Mass transport loss (depletion of reactants at catalyst sites under high loads, causing rapid loss of voltage)

To deliver the desired amount of energy, the fuel cells can be combined in series and parallel circuits, where series yield higher voltage, and parallel allows a stronger current to be drawn. Such a design is called a fuel cell stack. Further, the cell surface area can be increased, to allow stronger current from each cell.

Fuel cell design issues

* Costs. In 2002, typical cells had a catalyst content of US$1000 per kilowatt of electric power output. The goal is to reduce the cost in order to compete with current market technologies including gasoline internal combustion engines. Many companies are working on techniques to reduce cost in a variety of ways including reducing the amount of platinum needed in each individual cell. Ballard Power Systems have experiments with a catalyst enhanced with carbon silk which allows a 30% reduction (1 mg/cm² to 0.7 mg/cm²) in platinum usage without reduction in performance.
* The production costs of the PEM (proton exchange membrane). The Nafion® membrane currently costs €400/m². This, and the Toyota PEM and 3M PEM membrane can be replaced with the ITM Power membrane (a hydrocarbon polymer), resulting in a price of ~€4/m². in 2005 Ballard Power Systems announced that its fuel cells will use Solupor®, a porous polyethylene film patented by DSM.
* Water management (in PEMFCs). In this type of fuel cell, the membrane must be hydrated, requiring water to be evaporated at precisely the same rate that it is produced. If water is evaporated too quickly, the membrane dries, resistance across it increases, and eventually it will crack, creating a gas "short circuit" where hydrogen and oxygen combine directly, generating heat that will damage the fuel cell. If the water is evaporated too slowly, the electrodes will flood, preventing the reactants from reaching the catalyst and stopping the reaction. Methods to manage water in cells are being developed by fuel cell companies and academic research labs.

* Flow control. Just as in a combustion engine, a steady ratio between the reactant and oxygen is necessary to keep the fuel cell operating efficiently.
* Temperature management. The same temperature must be maintained throughout the cell in order to prevent destruction of the cell through thermal loading. This is particularly challenging as the 2H2 + O2 -> 2H20 reaction is highly exothermic, so a large quantity of heat is generated within the fuel cell.
* Durability, service life, and special requirements for some type of cells. Stationary applications typically require more than 40,000 hours of reliable operation at a temperature of -35 °C to 40 °C, while automotive fuel cells require a 5,000 hour lifespan (the equivalent of 150,000 miles) under extreme temperatures. Automotive engines must also be able to start reliably at -30 °C and have a high power to volume ratio (typically 2.5 kW per liter).
* Limited carbon monoxide tolerance of the anode.

Peugeot 207 EPURE fuel cell concept car tipped as future model

2007-11-18T10:53:00.001-08:00

September 9, 2006 Peugeot is clearly talking up its latest Paris Motor Show concept car as a glimpse of a future 207 model and the prospect is very exciting – the 207 EPURE concept car uses an electric motor combined with PSA Peugeot Citroen Group’s new 20 kW GENEPAC experimental fuel cell which has been designed in partnership with the French AEC (Atomic Energy Commission). The electricity produced by the fuel cell is used to provide extra power and operating range to the lithium-ion battery and hence the 50kW electric motor. The combination fuel cell - electric powertrain gives the 207 EPURE a range of around 218 miles while still providing a maximum speed of 81 mph. The pearl white exterior of the 207 EPURE highlights the purity of the concept car’s lines while strengthening the ecological credentials of the technology that powers it.

The fascia panel is covered entirely with white leather, as is most of the passenger compartment: the detailing, the trim on all four seats, and even the steering column controls under the steering wheel. Touches of “absinthe green”, as used for the interior floor carpet, are subtly interspersed throughout the passenger compartment, particularly in the form of discreet highlighting on the fascia panel, the door panels, the rear of the front seats and the head restraints.

The instrument panel provides all necessary information for monitoring the battery charge level and the quantity of stored hydrogen onboard, while the colour multi function display mounted in the centre console displays the flow of power between the electric motor, the battery and the fuel cell.

From the purity of its colour with the only emissions being water, the “207 EPURE” not only protects the environment but will also ensure the pleasure of Peugeot “open top” motoring remains for many years to come.

Volvo multi-fuel prototype car - optimised for five different fuels

2007-11-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

Optimised for five different fuels
The Volvo Multi-Fuel is a five-cylinder, 2.0-litre prototype car (200 bhp) that runs on five different fuels; hythane (10% hydrogen and 90% methane), biomethane, natural gas (CNG), bioethanol E85 (85% bioethanol and 15% petrol) and petrol. The new concept is introduced at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2006 and is one of its kind.
– The whole car is optimised for high performance, driving on any of the five different fuels, says Mats Morén, Project Leader Engine at Volvo Car Corporation.
The Multi-Fuel is just as safe as all Volvo vehicles, with the added bonus of being exceptionally clean. One of its benefits is that combustion of pure renewable fuels like hydrogen, biomethane and bioethanol gives negligible net contribution of fossil carbon dioxide.
– It is a first step towards a hydrogen powered society, says Mats Morén. Perhaps we can develop the system even further, to run on a higher blend in the future.

Independent of local infrastructure
Volvo Car Corporation believes that the road to the future is not one but many. No renewable fuel type can alone replace the fossil fuels of today. Since local conditions vary, different markets need engines for different alternative fuels, together with cleaner conventional ones. With this in mind, Volvo Car Corporation has developed the Multi-Fuel, a prototype car that can be powered by five different fuel types, thus be driven on the energy source at hand – anywhere in the world.
– The idea is to make use of the fuels that are produced locally, says Mats Morén. This means that less fuel needs to be transported between continents, and you can fill up the car on the fuel that is available wherever you are.

Reinforced gaseous fuel tank
The Multi-Fuel vehicle contains one large and two smaller tanks of totally 98 litres for gaseous fuels (hythane, biomethane and CNG), and one 29-litre tank for liquid fuels (bioethanol E85 and petrol).
– The small gaseous fuel tanks are made of steel, whereas the large tank has a durable, gas tight aluminium liner, reinforced with high performance carbon fibre composite and an exterior layer of hardened fibre-glass composite, says Mats Morén.

The fuel tanks are fitted neatly under the luggage compartment floor, which means that full loading capacity is preserved. Two fuel fillers are used to fill up all five fuel types, one for gaseous and one for liquid fuels. The engine automatically adjusts itself to the right blend of gaseous or liquid fuels. To switch between fuel types, the driver simply presses a button.

High performance on any fuel with maintained fuel-efficiency
The whole Multi-Fuel vehicle – the engine, the tanks, the transmission and the fuel system – is optimised for the five different fuels. It can be started directly on gas, which is unique for this system. The Multi-Fuel has a motor effect of 200 bhp and accelerates quickly up to speed, 0–100 km/h in 8.7 seconds. This makes the car more responsive and smooth to drive.
– The Multi-Fuel is turbo charged to achieve high performance on any of the five different fuel types, says Mats Morén. That makes it great fun to drive and we are very proud of its performance.

Low regulated and unregulated emissions
The Multi-Fuel is remarkably clean and meets the emission standards for Euro 4 and the proposed levels for Euro 5. An alternative catalyst system has also been developed to meet the tough demands on extremely low tailpipe emissions for PZEV/SULEV on the US market. The vehicle has two catalysts, one close coupled to the engine that lowers initial start emissions, and one under the floor for reduced high-speed emissions. The double catalysts and advanced engine control system lead to very low emissions. High-temperature materials in the exhaust manifold and turbo allow extremely high exhaust gas temperatures of up to 1050 °C. This enables the car to run cleaner, accelerate quicker and operate smoother at higher speed.
– I love this concept, says Mats Morén, a turbo charged engine with high performance, low fuel consumption and low emissions. On top of that it has a brilliant tank installation and can be run on a multitude of fuels – all wrapped in one beautiful car.

CLEAN ENERGY

2007-11-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

renewable energy basics

No single solution can meet our society's future energy needs. The answer lies instead in a family of diverse energy technologies that share a common thread: they do not deplete our natural resources or destroy our environment.

Renewable energy technologies tap into natural cycles and systems, turning the ever-present energy around us into usable forms. The movement of wind and water, the heat and light of the sun, heat in the ground, the carbohydrates in plants—all are natural energy sources that can supply our needs in a sustainable way. Because they are homegrown, renewables can also increase our energy security and create local jobs.

clean energy policies

We can increase our reliance on renewable energy by enacting supportive federal and state policies, reducing barriers to the adoption of renewable technologies, and by encouraging individual, business, and government purchasers of energy to use renewables.

UCS is working for sustainable energy policies at both the federal and state levels. Much of our current work in this area has focused on renewable electricity standards and other policy incentives to speed the development of renewable technologies and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

UCS pays close attention to scientific research and government policies relevant to clean energy issues. We make comments, write reports and briefings, and send letters to help shape policies that will move us toward a cleaner energy future.

energy efficiency

An important strategy for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is improving energy efficiency (that is, getting more use out of the electricity we already generate). Energy efficiency measures such as advanced industrial processes and high-efficiency motors, lighting, and appliances have the potential to provide significant reductions in electricity use while saving consumers money in the long run.

Policies that support improved efficiency include federal appliance and equipment efficiency standards, enhanced building codes, tax incentives, and industrial energy efficiency measures.

fossil fuels

Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—are America's primary source of energy, accounting for more than 70 percent of current U.S. electricity generation. However, the extraction and burning of these fuels contributes to global warming, causes cancer and other chronic health problems, and degrades valuable land and water resources.

In fact, fossil fuel-fired electricity generation is the single greatest source of air pollution in the United States, and power plants are the leading U.S. source of carbon dioxide emissions—a primary contributor to global warming. Fossil fuels also produce nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, dust, soot, smoke, and other suspended matter.

To decrease our dependence on fossil fuels while improving human health and environmental sustainability, UCS engages in analysis and advocacy that encourages the implementation of energy efficiency measures and increased use of renewable energy technologies.

The energy world is buzzing with a level of excitement not seen in decades. Prices for gasoline and natural gas have shocked consumers. The costs of our dependence on oil are hitting home. In the 2006 elections, energy security, affordability, and the environmental effects of energy policy were higher in voter’s minds' than ever before.

The issues are pressing. Fortunately, there are many possible solutions. Renewable energy has found new champions in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street. Farmers see themselves as growing fuel as well as food and fiber. The debate about climate change is over and now we can focus on the solutions. All these tributaries have swelled interest in generating clean, home-grown energy. But after all the slogans and visions, what, in practical terms, shall we do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels and realize the promise of renewable energy?

Energy from the Sun

2007-11-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Solar power as it is dispersed on the planet and radiated back to space. Values are in PW =10¹⁵ W

Annual average insolation at the top of Earth's atmosphere (top) and at the surface (bottom). The black dots represent the land area required to replace the total primary energy supply with electricity from solar cells.

Earth receives 174 petawats of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphre at any given time. When it meets the atmosphere, 6 percent of the insolation is rflected and 16 percent is aborbed. Average atmospheric conditions (clouds, dust, pollutants) further reduce insolation traveling through the atmosphere by 20 percent due to reflection and 3 percent via absorption. These atmospheric conditions not only reduce the quantity of energy reaching the Earth's surface, but also diffuse approximately 20 percent of the incoming light and filter portions of its spectrum. After passing through the Earth's atmosphere, approximately half the insolation is in the visile electromagnetic spectrum with the other half mostly in the infrared spectrum (a small part is ultraviolet radiation).

The absorption of solar energy by atmospheric convection (sensible heat transport) and evaporation and condensation of water vapor (latent heat transport) drives the winds and the water cycle. Upon reaching the surface, sunlight is absorbed by the oceans, land masses and plants. The energy captured in the oceans drives the thermohalyne cycle. As such, solar energy is ultimately responsible for temperature-driven ocean curents such as the thermohaline cycle and wind-driven currents such as the Gulf stream. The energy absorbed by the earth, in conjunction with that recycled by the greenhouse effect, warms the surface to an average temperature of approximately 14 °C. The small portion of solar energy captured by plants and other phototrophs is converted to chemical energy via photosinthesys. All the food we eat, wood we build with, and fossil fuels we use are products of photosynthesis. The flows and stores of solar energy in the environment are vast in comparison to human energy needs.

The total solar energy available to the earth is approximately 3850 zettajoules (ZJ) per year.
Oceans absorb approximately 285 ZJ of solar energy per year.
Winds can theoretically supply 6 ZJ of energy per year.
Biomass captures approximately 1.8 ZJ of solar energy per year.
Worldwide energy consumption was 0.471 ZJ in 2004.

The upper map (right) shows how solar radiation at the top of the earth's atmosphere varies with latitude, while the lower map shows annual average ground-level insolation. For example, in North America, the average insolation at ground level over an entire year (including nights and periods of cloudy weather) lies between 125 and 375 W/m² (3 to 9 kWh/m²/day). At present, photovoltaic panels typically convert about 15 percent of incident sunlight into electricity; therefore, a solar panel in the contiguous United States, on average, delivers 19 to 56 W/m² or 0.45 - 1.35 kWh/m²/day.

Solar energy conversion

2007-11-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

If solar energy is to become a practical alternative to fossil fuels, we must have efficient ways to convert photons into electricity, fuel, and heat. The need for better conversion technologies is a driving force behind many recent developments in biology, materials, and especially nanoscience.

The Sun provides Earth with a staggering amount of energy—enough to power the great oceanic and atmospheric currents, the cycle of evaporation and condensation that brings fresh water inland and drives river flow, and the typhoons, hurricanes, and tornadoes that so easily destroy the natural and built landscape. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906, with magnitude 7.8, released an estimated 10¹⁷ joules of energy, the amount the Sun delivers to Earth in one second. Earth's ultimate recoverable resource of oil, estimated at 3 trillion barrels, contains 1.7 × 10²² joules of energy, which the Sun supplies to Earth in 1.5 days. The amount of energy humans use annually, about 4.6 × 10²⁰ joules, is delivered to Earth by the Sun in one hour. The enormous power that the Sun continuously delivers to Earth, 1.2 × 10⁵ terawatts, dwarfs every other energy source, renewable or nonrenewable. It dramatically exceeds the rate at which human civilization produces and uses energy, currently about 13 TW.

FIGURE 1

The impressive supply of solar energy is complemented by its versatility, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Sunlight can be converted into electricity by exciting electrons in a solar cell. It can yield chemical fuel via natural photosynthesis in green plants or artificial photosynthesis in human-engineered systems. Concentrated or unconcentrated sunlight can produce heat for direct use or further conversion to electricity

Despite the abundance and versatility of solar energy, we use very little of it to directly power human activities. Solar electricity accounts for a minuscule 0.015% of world electricity production, and solar heat for 0.3% of global heating of space and water. Biomass produced by natural photosynthesis is by far the largest use of solar energy; its combustion or gasification accounts for about 11% of human energy needs. However, more than two-thirds of that is gathered unsustainably—that is, with no replacement plan—and burned in small, inefficient stoves where combustion is incomplete and the resulting pollutants are uncontrolled.

Between 80% and 85% of our energy comes from fossil fuels, a product of ancient biomass stored beneath Earth's surface for up to 200 million years. Fossil-fuel resources are of finite extent and are distributed unevenly beneath Earth's surface. When fossil fuels are turned into useful energy though combustion, they produce greenhouse gases and other harmful environmental pollutants. In contrast, solar photons are effectively inexhaustible and unrestricted by geopolitical boundaries. Their direct use for energy production does not threaten health or climate. The solar resource's magnitude, wide availability, versatility, and benign effect on the environment and climate make it an appealing energy source.

Raising efficiency

The enormous gap between the potential of solar energy and our use of it is due to cost and conversion capacity. Fossil fuels meet our energy demands much more cheaply than solar alternatives, in part because fossil-fuel deposits are concentrated sources of energy, whereas the Sun distributes photons fairly uniformly over Earth at a more modest energy density. The use of biomass as fuel is limited by the production capacity of the available land and water. The cost and capacity limitations on solar energy use are most effectively addressed by a single research objective: cost effectively raising conversion efficiency.

The best commercial solar cells based on single-crystal silicon are about 18% efficient. Laboratory solar cells based on cheaper dye sensitization of oxide semiconductors are typically less than 10% efficient, and those based on even cheaper organic materials are 2–5% efficient. Green plants convert sunlight into biomass with a typical yearly averaged efficiency of less than 0.3%. The cheapest solar electricity comes not from photovoltaics but from conventional induction generators powered by steam engines driven by solar heat, with efficiencies of 20% on average and 30% for the best systems. Those efficiencies are far below their theoretical limits. Increasing efficiency reduces cost and increases capacity, which raises solar energy to a new level of competitiveness.

Dramatic cost-effective increases in the efficiency of solar energy conversion are enabled by our growing ability to understand and control the fundamental nanoscale phenomena that govern the conversion of photons into other forms of energy. Such phenomena have, until recently, been beyond the reach of our best structural and spectroscopic probes. The rise of nanoscience is yielding new fabrication techniques based on self-assembly, incisive new probes of structure and dynamics at ever-smaller length and time scales, and the new theoretical capability to simulate assemblies of thousands of atoms. Those advances promise the capability to understand and control the underlying structures and dynamics of photon conversion processes.

Electricity

Solar cells capture photons by exciting electrons across the bandgap of a semiconductor, which creates electron–hole pairs that are then charge separated, typically by p–n junctions introduced by doping. The space charge at the p–n junction interface drives electrons in one direction and holes in the other, which creates at the external electrodes a potential difference equal to the bandgap, as sketched in the left panel of FIGURE 1. The concept and configuration are similar to those of a semiconductor diode, except that electrons and holes are introduced into the junction by photon excitation and are removed at the electrodes.

FIGURE 2

With their 1961 analysis of thermodynamic efficiency, William Shockley and Hans Queisser established a milestone reference point for the performance of solar cells. The analysis is based on four assumptions: a single p–n junction, one electron–hole pair excited per incoming photon, thermal relaxation of the electron–hole pair energy in excess of the bandgap, and illumination with unconcentrated sunlight. Achieving the efficiency limit of 31% that they established for those conditions remains a research goal. The best single-crystal Si cells have achieved 25% efficiency in the laboratory and about 18% in commercial practice. Cheaper solar cells can be made from other materials but they operate at significantly lower efficiency, as shown in the table above. Thin-film cells offer advantages beyond cost, including pliability, as in FIGURE 2, and potential integration with preexisting buildings and infrastructure. Achieving high efficiency from inexpensive materials with so-called third-generation cells, indicated in FIGURE 3, is the grand research challenge for making solar electricity dramatically more affordable.

FIGURE 3

The Shockley–Queisser limit can be exceeded by violating one or more of its premises. Concentrating sunlight allows for a greater contribution from multi-photon processes; that contribution increases the theoretical efficiency limit to 41% for a single-junction cell with thermal relaxation. A cell with a single p–n junction captures only a fraction of the solar spectrum: photons with energies less than the bandgap are not captured, and photons with energies greater than the bandgap have their excess energy lost to thermal relaxation. Stacked cells with different bandgaps capture a greater fraction of the solar spectrum; the efficiency limit is 43% for two junctions illuminated with unconcentrated sunlight, 49% for three junctions, and 66% for infinitely many junctions.

The most dramatic and surprising potential increase in efficiency comes from carrier multiplication,⁴ a quantum-dot phenomenon that results in multiple electron–hole pairs for a single incident photon. Carrier multiplication was discussed by Arthur Nozik in 2002 and observed by Richard Schaller and Victor Klimov two years later. Nanocrystals of lead selenide, lead sulfide, or cadmium selenide generate as many as seven electrons per incoming photon, which suggests that efficient solar cells might be made with such nanocrystals. In bulk-semiconductor solar cells, when an incident photon excites a single electron–hole pair, the electron–hole pair energy in excess of the bandgap is likely to be lost to thermal relaxation, whereas in some nanocrystals most of the excess energy can appear as additional electron–hole pairs. If the nanocrystals can be incorporated into a solar cell, the extra pairs could be tapped off as enhanced photocurrent, which would increase the efficiency of the cell.

Hot-electron extraction provides another way to increase the efficiency of nanocrystal-based solar cells: tapping off energetic electrons and holes before they have time to thermally relax.⁵ Hot electrons boost efficiency by increasing the operating voltage above the bandgap, whereas carrier multiplication increases the operating current. Femtosecond laser and x-ray techniques can provide the necessary understanding of the ultrafast decay processes in bulk semiconductors and their modification in nanoscale geometries that will enable the use of hot-electron phenomena in next-generation solar cells.

Although designs have been proposed for quantum-dot solar cells that benefit from hot electrons or carrier multiplication, significant obstacles impede their implementation. We cannot attach wires to nanocrystals the way we do to bulk semiconductors; collecting the electrons from billions of tiny dots and putting them all into one current lead is a problem in nanoscale engineering that no one has solved yet. A second challenge is separating the electrons from the holes, the job normally done by the space charge at the p–n junction in bulk solar cells. Those obstacles must be overcome before practical quantum-dot cells can be constructed

Dye-sensitized solar cells, introduced by Michael Grätzel and coworkers in 1991, create a new paradigm for photon capture and charge transport in solar conversion. Expensive Si, which does both of those jobs in conventional cells, is replaced by a hybrid of chemical dye and the inexpensive wide-bandgap semiconductor titanium dioxide. The dye, analogous to the light-harvesting chlorophyll in green plants, captures a photon, which elevates one of its electrons to an excited state. The electron is then quickly transferred to the conduction band of a neighboring TiO₂ nanoparticle, and it drifts through an array of similar nanoparticles to the external electrode. The hole left in the dye molecule recombines with an electron carried to it through an electrolyte from the counter electrode by an anion such as I⁻. In addition to using cheaper materials, the scheme separates the absorption spectrum of the cell from the bandgap of the semiconductor, so the cell sensitivity is more easily tuned to match the solar spectrum. The cell efficiency depends on several kinds of nanoscale charge dynamics, such as the way the electrons move across the dye–TiO₂ and dye–anion interfaces, and the way charges move through the dye, the TiO₂ nanoparticle array, and the electrolyte. The development of new dyes and shuttle ions and the characterization and control of the dynamics through time-resolved spectroscopy are vibrant and promising research areas. An equally important research challenge is the nanoscale fabrication of dye-sensitized cells to minimize the transport distances in the dye and semiconductor and maximize the electron-transfer rate at the interfaces.

Fuel

Over the past 3 billion years, Nature has devised a remarkably diverse set of pathways for converting solar photons into chemical fuel. An estimated 100 TW of solar energy go into photosynthesis, the production of sugars and starches from water and carbon dioxide via endothermic reactions facilitated by catalysts. Although plants have covered Earth in green in their quest to capture solar photons, their overall conversion efficiency is too low to readily satisfy the human demand for energy. The early stages of photosynthesis are efficient: Two molecules of water are split to provide four protons and electrons for subsequent reactions, and an oxygen molecule is released into the atmosphere. The inefficiency lies in the later stages, in which carbon dioxide is reduced to form the carbohydrates that plants use to grow roots, leaves, and stalks. The research challenge is to make the overall conversion process between 10 and 100 times more efficient by improving or replacing the inefficient stages of photosynthesis.

There are three routes to improving the efficiency of photosynthesis-based solar fuel production: breeding or genetically engineering plants to grow faster and produce more biomass, connecting natural photosynthetic pathways in novel configurations to avoid the inefficient steps, and using artificial bio-inspired nanoscale assemblies to produce fuel from water and CO₂. The first route is the occupation of a thriving industry that has produced remarkable increases in plant yields, and we will not discuss it further. The second and third routes, which involve more direct manipulation of photosynthetic pathways, are still in their early stages of research.

Nature provides many examples of metabolic systems that convert sunlight and chemicals into high-energy fuels. Green plants use an elaborate complex of chlorophyll molecules coupled to a reaction center to split water into protons, electrons, and oxygen. Bacteria use the hydrogenase enzyme to create hydrogen molecules from protons and electrons. More than 60 species of methane-producing archaea, remnants from early Earth when the atmosphere was reducing instead of oxidizing, use H₂ to reduce CO₂ to CH₄. Anaerobic organisms such as yeasts and bacteria use enzymes to ferment sugars into alcohols.

In nature, the metabolic pathways are connected in complicated networks that have evolved for organisms' survival and reproduction, not for fuel production. The efficient steps that are relevant for fuel production might conceivably be isolated and connected directly to one another to produce fuels such as H₂, CH₄, or alcohols. Hybridizing nature in that way takes advantage of the elaborate molecular processes that biology has evolved and that are still beyond human reach, while eliminating the inefficient steps not needed for fuel production. For example, the protons and electrons produced in the early stages of photosynthesis could link to hydrogenase to produce H₂, and a further connection to methanogenic archaea could produce CH₄. The challenges are creating a functional interface between existing metabolic modules, achieving a competitive efficiency for the modified network, and inducing the organism hosting the hybrid system to reproduce. The ambitious vision of hybrids that produce energy efficiently sets a basic research agenda to simultaneously advance the frontiers of biology, materials science, and energy conversion.

FIGURE 4

Artificial photosynthesis takes the ultimate step of using inanimate components to convert sunlight into chemical fuel. Although the components do not come from nature, the energy conversion routes are bio-inspired. Remarkable progress has been made in the field. Light harvesting and charge separation are accomplished by synthetic antennas linked to a porphyrin-based charge donor and a fullerene acceptor, as shown in FIGUR 4. The assembly is embedded in an artificial membrane, in the presence of quinones that act as proton shuttles, to produce a light-triggered proton gradient across the membrane. The proton gradient can do useful work, such as powering the molecular synthesis of adenosine triphosphate by mechanical rotation of natural ATP synthase inserted into the membrane. Under the right conditions, the required elements self-assemble to produce a membrane-based chemical factory that transforms light into the chemical fuel ATP, molecule by molecule at ambient temperature, in the spirit of natural photosynthesis.

Such remarkable achievements illustrate the promise of producing fuel directly from sunlight without the use of biological components. Many fundamental challenges must be overcome, however. The output of the above energy conversion chain is ATP, not a fuel that links naturally to human-engineered energy chains. The last step relies on the natural catalyst ATP synthase, a highly evolved protein whose function we cannot yet duplicate artificially. Laboratory approximations of biological catalysts have catalytic activities that are often orders of magnitude lower than those of their biological counterparts, which indicates the importance of subtle features that we are not yet able to resolve or to reproduce.

Solar fuels can be created in an alternate, fully nonbiological way based on semiconductor solar cells rather than on photosynthesis. In photoelectrochemical conversion, the charge-separated electrons and holes are used locally to split water or reduce CO₂ at the interface with an electrolytic solution, rather than being sent through an external circuit to do electrical work.⁹ Hydrogen was produced at the electrode–water interface with greater than 10% efficiency by Adam Heller in 1984 and by Oscar Khaselev and John Turner in 1998, but the fundamental phenomena involved remain mysterious, and the present devices are not practical. A promising way to improve them is by tailoring the nanoscale architecture of the electrode–electrolyte interface to promote the reaction of interest. A better understanding of how individual electrons negotiate the electrode–electrolyte interface is needed before H₂ can be produced with greater efficiency or more complex reactions can be designed for reducing CO₂ to useful fuels.

Heat

The first step in traditional energy conversion is the combustion of fuel, usually fossil fuel, to produce heat. Heat produced by combustion may be used for heating space and water, cooking, or industrial processes, or it may be further converted into motion or electricity. The premise of solar thermal conversion is that heat from the Sun replaces heat from combustion; fossil-fuel use and its threat to the environment and climate are thus reduced.

Unconcentrated sunlight can bring the temperature of a fluid to about 200 °C, enough to heat space and water in residential and commercial applications. Many regions use solar water heating, though in only a few countries, such as Cyprus and Israel, does it meet a significant fraction of the demand. Concentration of sunlight in parabolic troughs produces temperatures of 400 °C, and parabolic dishes can produce temperatures of 650 °C and higher. Power towers, in which a farm of mirrors on the ground reflects to a common receiver at the top of a tower, can yield temperatures of 1500 °C or more. The high temperatures of solar power towers are attractive for thermochemical water splitting and solar-driven reforming of fossil fuels to produce H₂.

The temperatures produced by concentrated sunlight are high enough to power heat engines, whose Carnot efficiencies depend only on the ratio of the inlet and outlet temperatures. Steam engines driven by solar heat and connected to conventional generators currently supply the cheapest solar electricity. Nine solar thermal electricity plants that use tracking parabolic-trough concentrators were installed in California's Mojave Desert between 1984 and 1991. Those plants still operate, supplying 354 MW of peak power to the grid. Their average annual efficiency is approximately 20%, and the most recently installed can achieve 30%.

Although those efficiencies are the highest for any widely implemented form of solar conversion, they are modest compared to the nearly 60% efficiency of the best gas-fired electricity generators. Achieving greater efficiency for solar conversion requires large-scale plants with operating temperatures of 1500 °C or more, as might be produced by power towers. Another alternative, still in the exploration stage, is a hybrid of two conversion schemes: A concentrated solar beam is split into its visible portion for efficient photovoltaic conversion and its high-energy portion for conversion to heat that is converted to electricity through a heat engine.

FIGURE 5

Thermoelectric materials, which require no moving parts to convert thermal gradients directly into electricity, are an attractive possibility for reliable and inexpensive electricity production. Charge carriers in a thermal gradient diffuse from hot to cold, driven by the temperature difference but creating an electric current by virtue of the charge on each carrier. The strength of the effect is measured by the thermopower, the ratio of the voltage produced to the applied temperature difference. Although the thermoelectric effect has been known for nearly 200 years, materials that can potentially convert heat to electricity efficiently enough for widespread use have emerged only since the 1990s. Efficient conversion depends on minimizing the thermal conductivity of a material, so as not to short-circuit the thermal gradient, while maximizing the material's electrical conductivity and thermopower. Achieving such a combination of opposites requires the separate tuning of several material properties: the bandgap, the electronic density of states, and the electron and phonon lifetimes. The most promising materials are nanostructured composites. Quantum-dot or nanowire substructures introduce spikes in the density of states to tune the thermopower (which depends on the derivative of the density of states), and interfaces between the composite materials block thermal transport but allow electrical transport, as discussed by Lyndon Hicks and Mildred Dresselhaus in 1993. Proof of concept for interface control of thermal and electrical conductivity was achieved by 2001 with thin-film superlattices of Bi₂Te₃/Sb₂Te₃ and PbTe/PbSe, which performed twice as well as bulk-alloy thermoelectrics of the same materials. The next challenges are to achieve the same performance in nanostructured bulk materials that can handle large amounts of power and to use nanodot or nanowire inclusions to control the thermopower. FIGURE 5 shows encouraging progress: structurally distinct nanodots in a bulk matrix of the thermoelectric material Ag_0.86Pb₁₈SbTe₂₀. Controlling the size, density, and distribution of such nanodot inclusions during bulk synthesis could significantly enhance thermoelectric performance.

Storage and distribution

Solar energy presents a scientific challenge beyond the efficient conversion of solar photons to electricity, fuel, and heat. Once conversion on a large scale is achieved, we must find ways to store the large quantities of electricity and heat that we will produce. Access to solar energy is interrupted by natural cycles of day–night, cloudy–sunny, and winter–summer variation that are often out of phase with energy demand. Solar fuel production automatically stores energy in chemical bonds. Electricity and heat, however, are much more difficult to store. Cost effectively storing even a fraction of our peak demand for electricity or heat for 24 hours is a task well beyond present technology.

Storage is such an imposing technical challenge that innovative schemes have been proposed to minimize its need. Baseload solar electricity might be generated on constellations of satellites in geosynchronous orbit and beamed to Earth via microwaves focused onto ground-based receiving antennas. A global superconducting grid might direct electricity generated in sunny locations to cloudy or dark locations where demand exceeds supply. But those schemes, too, are far from being implemented. Without cost-effective storage and distribution, solar electricity can only be a peak-shaving technology for producing power in bright daylight, acting as a fill for some other energy source that can provide reliable power to users on demand.

Outlook

The Sun has the enormous untapped potential to supply our growing energy needs. The barrier to greater use of the solar resource is its high cost relative to the cost of fossil fuels, although the disparity will decrease with the rising prices of fossil fuels and the rising costs of mitigating their impact on the environment and climate. The cost of solar energy is directly related to the low conversion efficiency, the modest energy density of solar radiation, and the costly materials currently required. The development of materials and methods to improve solar energy conversion is primarily a scientific challenge: Breakthroughs in fundamental understanding ought to enable marked progress. There is plenty of room for improvement, since photovoltaic conversion efficiencies for inexpensive organic and dye-sensitized solar cells are currently about 10% or less, the conversion efficiency of photosynthesis is less than 1%, and the best solar thermal efficiency is 30%. The theoretical limits suggest that we can do much better.

Solar conversion is a young science. Its major growth began in the 1970s, spurred by the oil crisis that highlighted the pervasive importance of energy to our personal, social, economic, and political lives. In contrast, fossil-fuel science has developed over more than 250 years, stimulated by the Industrial Revolution and the promise of abundant fossil fuels. The science of thermodynamics, for example, is intimately intertwined with the development of the steam engine. The Carnot cycle, the mechanical equivalent of heat, and entropy all played starring roles in the development of thermodynamics and the technology of heat engines. Solar-energy science faces an equally rich future, with nanoscience enabling the discovery of the guiding principles of photonic energy conversion and their use in the development of cost-competitive new technologies.

The plot behind killing electric cars

2007-11-13T04:22:00.000-08:00

In order to protect out planet... sooner or latter...electric cars will be the new generation of cars.
In the past few years, a theory has developed hinging on the notion that oil producers, in cahoots with auto manufacturers, conspired with each other in the mid-'90s to throttle the electric car in its crib. As a result, we've all been consigned to environmental doom.

The doom part actually seems to be on track, but the rest of the theory doesn't hold up that well upon closer inspection. Don't get me wrong: I think electric transportation (along with clean diesel) will become more prevalent over the next 20 years. And automakers have worked to keep emissions standards low. But here are some reasons why we're not witnessing a modern-day version of the Knights Templar:

1. U.S. automakers. This is General Motors and Ford Motor we're talking about. U.S. automakers are the last bastion of industrial feudalism on the planet. The most innovative things they've come up with in three decades are the cupholder and the Lee Iacocca goggle glasses. These people are going to engineer a global conspiracy that eludes regulators around the world, financiers and competitors? GM execs are more concerned about who gets named to the Rolling Hills Country Club membership committee.
There is no Moore's Law for batteries that allows them to get cheaper, faster and better at a steady rate over time.

2. Japanese automakers. Toyota Motor and Honda Motor came out with electric cars in the '90s. Japan's economy at the time remained stuck in the doldrums and the government, fearful of competition from other Asian tigers, was scrambling to find a hot export. Instead of working with the government--something they've done in the past--Toyota and Honda were said to conspire with their natural enemies (GM and Ford) to help oil companies, which because Japan imports all of its oil, aren't well liked in that country. The conspiracy had the automakers, led by GM, touting reasons why there was no market for electric vehicles, including the vehicles' limited mileage range per charge. GM pulled its electric car, the EV1, off the market.

3. Hybrids. Toyota overtook GM as the largest car maker on the strength of the Prius, the part-electrical car that came out in 1997, the same year GM came out with the EV1. (GM leased 650 EV1s while Toyota sold 323 Priuses.)

To believe the conspiracy, you'd have to think of the Prius as a cover-up to keep the real reason under wraps. It wasn't because the Prius worked better. Follow the money, as crazy people like to say.

4. Sales weren't great and neither were the cars. There was a lot of customer curiosity, but few walked out of the showroom with a sales contract, according to Mary Nickerson, national marketing manager for Toyota.

"The Rav4 EV had a 100-mile range. That range was not sufficient for most people in the marketplace," she said at a conference earlier this year. "If it is the only vehicle in your garage, it is not enough for a typical American household."

Elon Musk, chairman of electric-vehicle company Tesla Motors, put it to me another way in July 2006: "Until today, all electric cars have sucked."

5. The fans were visible, but small in number. "The people who had the car (the General Motors EV1) loved it, but battery life was a bigger issue for the larger market," said Alan Gotcher, CEO of Altair Nanotechnologies, which makes lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. "I don't believe in the conspiracy theory. The battery still only had a five-year life. It didn't last the life of the car, so how do you handle that issue?"

Again, Gotcher, like Nickerson and Musk, works at a company that wants to make money from electric transportation.

6. Batteries are tough to make. Why did computer notebooks begin to explode more than normal last year? Battery makers pushed too hard to improve their products and the volumes of production. There is no Moore's Law for batteries that allows them to get cheaper, faster and better at a steady rate over time. The gains are generally slow and incremental.

"People have tried all of the elements of the periodic table for a long time," said Alain Harrus, a partner at Crosslink Capital, which invests in semiconductors and batteries. "The cycles, charge times, etc., are well known."

Right now, car makers are examining both lithium cobalt and lithium phosphate batteries. Cobalt ones store more energy, but are more likely to have a runaway thermal reaction. The phosphate batteries, however, weigh 30 percent more, he added. Trade-offs. Ugh.
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7. Batteries are expensive too. Making an electric Honda Accord would probably add about $30,000, estimated Ian Wright, CEO of electric sports-car company Wrightspeed, last year. Gasoline-fueled Accords on sale today cost less than that. That's a tough marketing pitch.

Battery expenses are one of the reasons plug-in hybrids haven't swept the world. The upgrade costs about $15,000. Even if gas cost $4 a gallon, you'd need to drive 150,000 miles--within the city--to recover the cost.

Companies are currently trying to figure out ways around this. Tesla and Wrightspeed are aiming at the high-end market, where performance rules over price. India's Reva makes cheap cars for emerging market customers whose governments have begun to pass strict emissions requirements. Phoenix Motorcars and others target fleet buyers whose vehicles don't need to go more than 100 miles before a recharge. How they tinker these pitches will be interesting to watch.

8. A car company is about the worst thing you can do to yourself. Ben Rosen helped found Compaq Computer and had a hand in a number of other tech enterprises, including Ask Jeeves. He was also behind Rosen Motors, a short-lived car company idea. Making cars involves constructing huge plants, assembling massive supply chains and undergoing millions of dollars' worth of crash testing. Then you have to visit a whole bunch of dealers and drink some really bad coffee in those glass showroom cubicles before they will agree to pick up your cars. Good luck. I'd rather sell air fresheners.

So to sum up, consumers are cheap and don't want to be inconvenienced by a car that will die on the freeway before they get to Ikeda's produce and burger stand when they're driving from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. And the people who win worldwide fortune and fame by bringing you an ideal mode of transportation have had more trouble than they thought.

I might be wrong...

Next Generation Rechargeable Hybrid Cars Gaining Wider Support

2007-11-13T04:03:00.000-08:00

April 12, 2005 -- An unusual alliance of the political left and the right is throwing its support behind a newly emerging, evolutionary adaptation of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. Unlike current hybrid models, these new plug-in hybrids will give owners the choice of running them off electric power, gasoline or renewable biofuels.

Background A relative recent phenomenon, hybrids from Honda, Toyota and Ford are expanding their market share in North America at an accelerating rate. In 2004, Toyota Prius sales were up 118%. Similarly, Honda saw its hybrid sales grow from just under 10,000 vehicles in 1999 to nearly 50,000 in 2003.

Hybrids use a combination of internal combustion engine and electric drive motors, powered by high energy battery packs deftly hidden from view, to deliver improved fuel efficiency, enhanced performance and reduced greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions. And while hybrid-drive architecture vary among carmakers, they do share one thing in common: no current models require owners to plug them in to recharge their batteries. The cars are self-recharging from the engine and brakes; and Toyota and Honda have labored hard to make sure potential buyers do not confuse hybrids with battery electric cars.New Transportation Paradigm Emerging But just as consumers are beginning to recognize the value of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles in terms of their improved fuel efficiency -- and increasingly better performance compared to non-hybrid models; as in the case of the new Honda Accord Hybrid and Lexus RX400h -- proponents of home-rechargeable, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are starting to make political inroads within Washington policy circles.

Here are some recent developments:

* Austin, Texas city council endorses flexible fuel, gasoline-optional, PHEVs

* Austin Energy, the city's public utility, plans to offer substantial consumer rebates on PHEVs

* Set America Free – a "green-neocon" coalition -- endorses development of PHEVs

* National Energy Policy Commission study finds PHEVs rank top among automobile development pathways

* Energy Future Coalition, made up of 31 former national security experts and Republican and Democratic Presidential advisers, recommends development of plug-in hybrids.

* New York Times and Business Week have featured major articles on plug-in hybrids.

* A recent technical workshop on plug-in hybrids in Monaco attracts three times the anticipated audience.

When hybrids can be recharged from the local utility grid -- or even a homeowner's solar panels -- some, or most, of the energy propelling the car comes from domestically-produced electric power, replacing imported oil. This has important national security, global warming and local air quality implications. While no hybrid car maker currently offers consumers PHEV, it would require relatively minor changes to facilitate this capability, especially in the current model Toyota and Ford hybrids, which already have some limited electric-only driving range.

While the barriers are not trivial -- primarily because of the initial cost of a larger battery pack -- two California-based organizations are solving the engineering problems; and one has demonstrated a home-rechargeable, aggressively-electric Prius hybrid that is capable of delivering 120-180 mpg fuel efficiency numbers for the first sixty miles of range, triple the range of the current Prius.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, CA. and Austin Energy project that consumers who home recharge their plug-in hybrids will pay electric costs equivalent of less than 60 cents a gallon of gasoline. And in the city of Austin's case, if home recharging is done at night on Austin's Green Rate, the vehicles will end up being recharged primarily by wind energy from farms in west Texas, making these cars almost entirely wind-powered.

This is why groups as politically disparate as the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security and the National Resources Defense Council Foundation have joined forces, with others, to endorse the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles. They believe it is not just good for the environment and the consumer's pocket book, it's critical to national security.

Shining a light to a solar century

2007-11-12T04:06:00.000-08:00

Revered by ancient cultures as a deity, the sun has a growing band of modern worshippers who believe that its abundant power can solve our dependence on fossil fuels.

From those behind developing photovoltaic technology - the means to turn the sun's energy into electricity - to governments providing alternative energy subsidies, more people are warming to the idea that solar power is a solution, not of tomorrow, but today.

In a single day the Earth's deserts receive as much energy as the world needs for the whole year. Capturing that energy is just one challenge. Making it affordable and accessible is another.

Innovation in solar cells and their application are happening apace.

Germany, a country not known for its sunny skies, is the world leader in producing solar panels and producing energy. It currently boasts 55 percent of the world's total photovoltaic capacity.

If Germany is proving that photovoltaic power can be effectively used as an alternative energy source, it is because of a supportive government. A law passed in 2000 meant that all energy companies had to purchase a portion of energy from renewable sources.

And it has helped spawn a booming market, which should make other governments sit up and take note. Solar industry analysts at Credit Lyonnais predict it to grow from $7bn in 2004 to $40bn by 2010 and the price of solar cell production to fall as their efficiency increases.

More than just solar panels

It is not just solar panels that are powering the dawn of what many advocates hope will be the solar century.

Europe's first solar thermal power station opened in April 2007 outside Seville, Spain. Over 600 mirrors are used to reflect light to a point on a 40-storey high tower, which is then concentrated to heat a liquid to a phenomenal temperature. The energy generated from it is enough to power 6,000 homes.

Even greater plans include capturing the solar potential of the world's deserts. It is a vision held by the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), a group of scientists, engineers, politicians and business people. They believe it could be a means to create a clean energy policy and sustainable future, plus provide an economic boost to an underdeveloped region.

According to Gerhard Knies, co-founder of TREC the so-called sun belt of North Africa and the Middle East could be developed to provide solar power to Europe and in exchange develop a new source of income for those countries.

"From concentrated solar power plants and transmission lines from desert regions to the populated regions of the world, we are ready to go. It could be operational in 10 to 15 years, but I'm afraid it will take longer because there are resistance to these changes."

"You cannot change the global energy system overnight. It will take 30 to 50 years to make solar energy the main source of energy, but we have to start now," Knies told CNN.

"While we can't rewrite the past, many believe that if the solar industry had received the same wide-spread backing and subsidies as nuclear power had, we would be at least 20 years further along the road to wide-spread, clean efficient power," Ian Byrne deputy director of the UK's National Energy Foundation told CNN.

Warming to off grid solutions

However some question whether solar technology is a solution for mainstream grid power or is better served as solving small-scale local problems and freeing homes from being reliant on a central power grid.

New materials are being researched that could kick-start the domestic application of solar power.

A Swiss start-up company Flisom has been developing a form of solar cell, made of a thin, ultra-light material, capable of being mass produced in large rolls rather than in sections like normal glass-based solar materials.

But currently costs of both the application of domestic solar technology and the energy they produce are still higher than from fossil fuel or nuclear sources.

Currently solar power is around three to four times more expensive compared to conventional sources.

"Solar power has more potential to be a small scale solution," said Byrne.

"It's not like wind power where you need space to site a turbine or wind farm, solar power has the great advantage that it can be integrated into housing."