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Nissan LEAF Connected Mobility IT System
The LEAF is Nissan’s new electric car target for sale in 2010. Image by Getty Images via Daylife While industry observers and electric car salespeople will make a big deal about the car’s connection to a global data center, providing support...
High Performance EVs need Dependable Thermal Management
Power electronics and electrical machines (PEEM) are essential elements of electric-drive vehicles. PEEM technology comprises three main elements: power electronics (e.g., boost converters and inverters); electric motors; and thermal control and...
Prius will plug-in by 2010
In an exclusive interview for Autocar, Toyota’s Executive Vice President responsible for research and development, Masatami Takimoto, confirmed with Autocar’s Matt Sanders that the company will offer for sale a Toyota Plug-in HV. AG readers may...
Any Hope for Cheap NiMH for Light Electric Vehicles?
Image via Wikipedia It has been some time since this blog featured the Korthof NiMH rant. Not much has changed since musing whether improvements in NiMH cells (and their availability), plus better BMS (battery management systems) could...
Goodbye, Life on the Planet, It’s Coal Zombie Time
HuffPo contributor Bruce Nilles1 warns that [in its current form] ACES (The American Clean Energy and Security Act) is a disaster in the making. As the current version is written, this policy further threatens life on the planet as we know it, not...
Winning the Challenge to design a Cleaner Tuk-Tuk
A more environment friendly auto-rickshaw has been the subject of several After Gutenberg posts. Via Andy Revkin, we learn of student teams from Dutch and Indian universities that took part in a competion to design the cleanest, cheapest and most...
Buy, Bye, Gaia, hate to sea you go
It has been a while since this blog ranted about destabilizing feedback. So, let’s step off-screen, shall we, and pull in James Lovelock, father of the Gaia Theory. In an interview with the New Scientist, Lovelock explained that his latest book,...
Environmental Integrity
Gristmill1 informs about a recent Environmental Integrity Project report that identified, in terms of toxic metals, the 50 worst coal-fired power plants. A summary of the pollution from these “wet dumps” includes:Overall pollution. Between 2000...
Greater Incidence of Disruptions in Food Production Projected
Green Car Congress1 relays a report recently published Science that reiterates concern for the effect that climate change could have upon global food production. The blog previously relayed a similar concern expressed by William Cline, who authored...
Condensing Flues
Writing for World Changing, Eric DePlace advocates that large institutions — universities, hospitals, schools, prisons, hotels, and certain manufacturers — should increase the energy efficiency of large boiler systems by installing condensing flue...
So How Come
By the close of Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, all 3 American car makers (Yes, there were 3 back then) proved they could make a mid size sedan that achieve 80 mpg, with no loss of acceleration.So, the obvious question: Why are they...
Sun to Wheels Hits the Asphalt
Rather than thin film BIPV (Building Integrated Photo Voltaic) or photo voltaic car ports, how does this sound, “a solar collector that could turn roads and parking lots into ubiquitous—and inexpensive–sources of electricity and hot water”? Science...
