It’s a prototype hybrid car that gets 150MPG, and goes 40 miles on electricity alone, drawing its power from a combination of lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors. The ultracapacitors provide a burst of energy to the engine, when needed. They are then recharged by the lithium-ion batteries. This avoids the problem of emptying the batteries too… [Continue Reading]
eZee Electric Bikes: Great Performance and Affordability
January 10, 2008 by 9 Comments
eZee’s Torq II electric bike. A to B Magazine is a comprehensive electric bike review magazine published in the U.K. Here’s their electric bike review page, where bikes are rated on a five star scale. Unfortunately, all of their 5 star bikes are only available in Europe. One brand that got a 4 star rating… [Continue Reading]
LED Bulbs Could Light Homes In Less Than Three Years
January 10, 2008 by 10 Comments
LEDs lights are very efficient, but because of their structure, much of the light in standard LEDs becomes trapped, reducing the brightness of the light. Because of this, LEDs are only useful for “task lighting” in the home — as floor lamps and desk lamps. Now researchers believe they have found a way of introducing… [Continue Reading]
Philips’ New Eco-TV Uses Only 75 Watts
January 9, 2008 by Leave a Comment
This new 42-inch LCD "Eco TV" by Philips was announced at CES 2008 (Consumer Electronics Show). The television certainly has a lot of energy saving features that make it possibly the most efficient TV on the market. CNET reports: [The TV] has the ability to dim the backlight–by up to five times peak brightness–in response… [Continue Reading]
Schwinn Electric Bikes Now Available
January 6, 2008 by 20 Comments
Schwinn’s new range of electric bikes are finally available. These innovative bikes have electric motors and batteries integrated seamlessly into their design. Schwinn claims that the four pound Protanium® lithium polymer battery included with these bikes is the lightest and most durable on the market. One charge will last 40-60 miles. The battery also charges… [Continue Reading]
Electric Mountain Bikes
January 6, 2008 by 6 Comments
There are only a few electric mountain bikes on the market, but electric motors can certainly assist with off-road riding. You can also build you own electric mountain bike by installing an electric motor kit onto an existing mountain bike. There’s also the Biontague, which is a mountain bike that has a electric kit pre-installed.… [Continue Reading]
Storing Solar Power In Molten Salt
January 4, 2008 by 17 Comments
Solar power is a truly efficient source of energy, but it tends to fluctuate, and, as you might know, it turns off at night. One clever way to alleviate this intermittence is to store solar energy in the form of heat using molten salt. An aerospace company, Hamilton Sundstra, has created a venture called SolarReserve,… [Continue Reading]
Bamboo Hangers
January 4, 2008 by 8 Comments
We’ve featured quite a bit of optimal and sustainable clothing over the years, but what about those devices you use to hang up your clothing? We mentioned the bioplastic hangers, available from Earthsaver. Now, the Great American Hanger Company has launched a new line of bamboo hangers, and these hangers really show off the beauty… [Continue Reading]
North America’s Largest Solar-Electric Plant Switched On
December 28, 2007 by 61 Comments
North America’s largest solar photovoltaic system is now running and generating power — about 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The 14 megawatt power plant is at the Nellis Air Force Base in the sunny desert of southern Nevada. It’s expected to save about $1 million in power costs annually, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions… [Continue Reading]
Aptera Test Drive A Success!
December 24, 2007 by 55 Comments
It’s the Aptera — a futuristic car that has generated a lot of buzz lately — and with good reason — the Aperta is a very, very efficient vehicle (just check out the video: you’ll see what I’m talking about). The car’s head-turning design has a purpose: the shape is highly aerodynamic (much like a… [Continue Reading]
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