Frankly Green

It's official: Toyota,Tesla, and Nummi

Big news in CA today!

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined President and Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors Elon Musk and Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado to announce an historic new partnership between the automotive companies that will benefit California's economy and environment.

Toyota announced it will invest $50 million in Tesla Motors and will partner with Tesla to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs).

Additionally, Tesla announced that it will acquire the NUMMI plant in Fremont and begin production of its Model S EV in 2012.

Today's action could create more than 1,000 green jobs in California.

Adventurer Sets Sights on the Sun for an 'Impossible' Dream

STORY HIGHLIGHTS - Bertrand Piccard is a ballooning record-setter; wants to fly around the world in a solar plane.  He says he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy to replace fossil fuel.  Piccard says in a TED Talk that thinking creatively requires the ability to jettison familiar ideas.  He says, "We have to get rid of certainties, habits, paradigms, common assumptions"

Link to Video via www.cnn.com

Around the World in an Electric Car

Four University of Chicago Alumni Prove Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Can Go the Distance

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Jeff Bladt says he has a penchant for traveling “by the seat of his pants.” The idea of buying a plane ticket and figuring out the rest of the trip once he gets there is very appealing to him. Next spring, Bladt plans to embark on an expedition with three of his friends that promises to be more extensive than any he’s been on previously: the first trip around the world in an electric car.

The group has titled their expedition Project EVIE (EV for Electric Vehicle) and for the last several months, they have been involved in rigorous planning, a search for sponsorship, and ongoing research in preparation. As Bladt anticipates the trip, he depicts it as simultaneously paying homage to the spirit of self-reliant, pants-seat travel and following a carefully mapped-out course, contingent on the support of other people.

PiCycle - The Electric Bicycle

Check out this LA Times video review of the PiCycle. The PiCycle is made by a company called PiMobility, based in Sausalito, Ca. Marcus, the founder, was kind enough to let me take the PiCycle for a spin one evening when we met at an event. In addition to the super cool design, the bike is rock solid, handles well and is quick! Very cool bike!! Check out the video.

 

California to Require Climate Friendly Car Windows

While I support the idea of reducing emissions, I think there are better ways to do it than to make mandates like this. Rather, I would prefer to see incentives for the automakers to address all aspects of emissions (not just glass). How about simply tightening overall emission requirements and let the auto makers figure out how to accomplish it. Glass may be one approach but there are certainly others. Sad thing is that most automakers, especially U.S. automakers, have been reactive, not proactive. Companies like Toyota have eaten their lunch. And companies like Tesla have gained real traction. Innovate or die!

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Carmakers, cell phone firms complained about sun-reflecting glass
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California air regulators voted unanimously Thursday for a mandate requiring auto manufacturers to include sun-reflecting glass on all vehicles sold within the state by 2014.

The move by the California Air Resources Board was intended to keep cars, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles cooler during hot weather, reducing the use of air conditioning.

That was expected to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"The end result of it is the customer gets a car that's more comfortable to ride in, air conditioners don't have to work as hard, and the atmosphere will be happier because we won't be emitting as much carbon dioxide," said board chairwoman Mary Nichols.

Toyota's Plug-in Hybrid

  -- we may start seeing them by the end of the year.
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More than 10 years ago, Toyota took a look at the alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles -- battery electrics, fuel cell, hybrids, diesel -- and made a decision that, for now, at least, hybrids was the way to go.

They built the Prius, now in its third generation, and we know the wild success that car has had. But it's still not enough. Even though the 2010 Prius is rated at 50 mpg on the highway, the nascent plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) industry has shown that you can get the equivalent of 100 mpg.

Now Toyota says it's making its own PHEV and it will available for lease by the end of 2009.

Video: New Crop of Electric Cars

Save Energy, Take the Car

In the race for fuel efficiency between cars and mass transit, put your money on cars.

By Patrick Bedard
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Some things everybody knows, just knows. Like the WMD Saddam had in his back pocket. Everybody just knew he had ’em.

Everybody just knows that mass transit is cleaner than cars, too, and saves fuel. And once again, everybody’s got it wrong.

Video: Greener Cars of the Future

Lithium Batteries Charge Ahead

Thanks to Terry G. for sending in this article!

Researchers demonstrate cells that can power up in seconds.

Geoff Brumfiel
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Two researchers have developed battery cells that can charge up in less time than it takes to read the first two sentences of this article. The work could eventually produce ultra-fast power packs for everything from laptop computers to electric vehicles.

Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge have found a way to get a common lithium compound to release and take up lithium ions in a matter of seconds. The compound, which is already used in the electrodes of some commercial lithium-ion batteries, might lead to laptop batteries capable of charging themselves in about a minute. The work appears in Nature1 this week.