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Although it is the home of hulking C-130 cargo planes and scorching F-16 fighter jets, I headed out to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in St. Clair, Michigan, for a drive in something more green than mean: electric Chevrolet S10 pickups. The transportation department at Selfridge has been constantly tinkering with alternative fuel vehicles (including a hybrid-electric tow tractor, CNG-fueled pickups and hydrogen fuel cell-powered SUVs), but the use of the electric S10s came by chance. When other military installations were finished with the trucks, they offered them up to Selfridge, who happily placed them on active duty around...

WHITE BEAR LAKE — The ignition key is turned and all you hear is a “click.” For most automobile owners this would illicit a sinking feeling, followed by a scramble for jumper cables and assistance — for Thomas Birkeland, the “click” is a signal that his electric powered car is turned on and ready to roll. Early morning bird songs and the sound of the neighbor’s sprinkler are clearly audible as Birkeland quietly backs his vintage 1974 Volkswagen Beetle out of the garage. He shifts out of reverse and then begins whirring forward down Lake Avenue on his daily commute...

I don’t really know many people who have not looked up GM’s Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle and what it might be able to offer. And it seems that most people have two key concerns. The potential price of the, which appears to be climbing and may be closer to $40,000 than to $30,000 and the tiny range of just 65 km – about 40 miles. 40 miles would make the Volt a car almost useless for a typical use. You may make it to work or the grocery store and back, but you may have to take another car for...

Owners’ effort to go green suffers blackout HINGHAM — Greenhouse gases and melting polar ice caps were never pressing concerns for Hingham carpenter Ben Burnham. Still, Burnham found himself buying an electric-powered ZAP Xebra last month to do his small part for the environment. The three-wheeled vehicle has become a neighborhood oddity, a futuristic looking pickup truck with no tailpipe and a row of batteries instead of a gas tank. Drivers point cell phone cameras at Burnham as he zips nonchalantly past $4.19-a-gallon gas pumps, albeit at a top speed of 40 mph. But the state has put the...

An Ocoee police sergeant was arrested today after allegations that he pulled down a Seminole County woman's pants and spanked her with a belt at a party Monday night. Sgt. Thomas Maroney, an eight-year veteran, was charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment and battery, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He is being held at the Orange County Jail. . . The woman told deputies she was attending a party in an apartment with Maroney and other police officers when she left the apartment to speak with Maroney, said Sam Filler, the woman's attorney. At some point, Maroney threw...

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd exhibited "Plug-in Stella Concept," a new electric vehicle, at the G8 Hokkaido-Toyako Summit. Fuji Heavy Industries brought five of the vehicles to the site of the summit and showcased them to government officials and journalists from all over the world. The company plans to commercialize an electric car in 2009. The Plug-in Stella Concept is based on "Stella," the company's practical wagon-type kei car. The main characteristic of the vehicle is that it has a secondary battery in the lower part of the vehicle, securing as much interior space as the Stella. The secondary battery...

With all the news yesterday around Tesla Motors signing a deal with Governor Schwarzenegger to manufacture its next electric sedan in California instead of New Mexico (see video), a potentially much bigger deal slipped by almost unnoticed. German magazine AutomobilWoche is reporting that Tesla will be supplying lithium ion batteries to Mercedes. The German car maker plans to make electric versions of its A- and B-class vehicles, as well as its Smart cars as soon as 2010. When I called Tesla for confirmation, the spokesperson there had “no comment,” but did not deny the report either.

It could travel 150 miles without using a drop of gasoline, accelerate from zero to sixty mph in about eight seconds, and handled crisply. Total cost? Below $40,000, in monthly lease payments sometimes as low as $299. In a world of $4 gas, it sounds like the car that could save General Motors. There's only one problem. Every single one of these cars was sent to the crusher in 2003. The EV1, GM's short-lived electric car experiment, was cancelled when gas was selling for slightly more than one dollar per gallon. Now, with gas four times as expensive, consumers demanding...

The "HUVO" electric vehicle weighing 150kg: The resin parts were manufactured by RP systems. HUVO's body frame Topia Corp, a company engaged in designing and prototyping automobiles, prototyped a single-seater electric vehicle "HUVO," which weighs only about 150kg (330 lb). The vehicle was exhibited at the booth of Marubeni Information Systems Co Ltd in the 19th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS), which is an IT solution exhibition for manufacturers and runs from June 25-27, 2008, at Tokyo Big Sight. The HUVO was developed by using Topia's proprietary design and production technologies, the company said. If a vehicle...

BOULDER, Colo., June 28 (UPI) -- Backers of all-electric cars say they're relieved a fire that destroyed a Toyota Prius prototype this month wasn't caused by the battery. A report from the Boulder, Colo., firm that built the Prius prototype said the blaze was instead caused by loose electrical connections that set fire to the vehicle's upholstery, and not by the sophisticated lithium ion batteries it carried, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

ON THE WAY: Norway-based Think plans to sell its City electric car in the U.S. in 2009 and has an eye toward the Southern California market. OSLO, NORWAY -- Ingvil Ladehaug is battery challenged.

New Delhi: After 13 years of research and development, India's first electric car 'Reva' was launched in the national capital by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Wednesday morning. Describing Reva as 'a little cute car', Sheila Dikshit said her government was committed to taking steps to improve the city's environment. “It is a green day for Delhi. I have been using the car myself for short distances and I like it a lot," she said. "I appeal to all those who have several cars to at least buy one Reva," Dikshit added. To popularise the battery-operated car, the government...

FRESNO, California (Reuters) - Republican John McCain said on Monday if elected president he would challenge American experts to develop a futuristic battery to power cars and win a $300 million prize. McCain, a week after taking heat from Democrats for reversing his stance on offshore oil drilling after long opposing it, sought to portray himself as a forward-looking leader on solving America's energy crisis. With Americans reeling from record-high $4-a-gallon gasoline during the prime summer driving season, both McCain and his Democratic opponent in the November election, Barack Obama, are pressing their proposals for tackling energy problems that are...

Affordable Electric Car Design Just in Time for Record Gas Prices Xebra Electric Sedan Reservation $100 Xebra Electric Truck Reservation $100 As gas prices hit new record highs, an entrepreneurial mother has bought a golf cart business (Golf Carts of Lincoln) and transformed it into an electric car dealership in Rocklin, California called Electric Car Living. On May 30th and 31st she is introducing a new affordable electric car design called the ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) Xebra.....[snip] Miki DeZorzi, a mother of two young children (Tatum, age 6 and Wesley, age 3), has opened an electric car dealership in Rocklin in...

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - A donkey is doing time in southern Mexico for assault and battery. The animal was locked up at a local jail that normally holds people for public drunkenness and other disturbances after it bit and kicked two men near a ranch in Chiapas state, police said Monday. Officer Sinar Gomez said the donkey will remain behind bars until its owner agrees to pay the men's medical bills. "Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed," Gomez said — "no matter who they are." The owner, Mauro Gutierrez, told The Associated Press he would try...

The motor of Renault-Nissan's electrically-powered vehicle, built on the Megane model, is shown to the media in Tel Aviv, 11 May 2008 Record high oil prices and sluggish sales are forcing the world's biggest automakers to turn to electricity to power their vehicles. Nissan Motor Company is the latest automaker to move in that direction, officially announcing Tuesday it plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle for sale in the United States and Japan by 2010. Nissan's chief executive officer says the company will mass-market electric cars globally by 2012. Nissan also forecast its profits will decline by 30 percent...

SYNOPSIS: It also has received over $3.2 million in federal funding from the DOE to develop its 3D advanced batteries. The Peoria, Ill., startup capped off a $16 million third round of funding to continue developing and marketing its carbon and graphite foam-based battery technologies for commercial and military use. Khosla Ventures and Infield Capital, which signed on as new investors to lead the deal, were joined by Stark Capital, Caterpillar and other previous investors. Firefly, which claims its lead acid batteries are cheaper, lighter and more powerful than conventional ones, will release the Oasis battery this summer. Intended for...

Think is a Norwegian company specializing in small electric vehicles. Its new concept, called Ox, looks to be a much more mainstream vehicle than any of the minicars the company sells overseas. Roughly the size of a Scion xB, the front-wheel-drive Ox MPV will have a 60-kW electric motor and a range of 124 miles on a full charge. It can be charged via a normal household outlet. Charging the car to 80% will take just an hour using a special charger, while a full charge will take 12 hours. The company is planning to use either sodium or...

Electric bikes are becoming an increasingly intriguing option for commuters who live relatively close to work or for avid outdoor enthusiasts. As battery and motor technology forges ahead, the speed and range of ebikes surges with it, as evidenced by the new Electric Motion Systems E+. Although DOT requirements force a road-going electric bike to twenty miles per hour, tops, the E+ is actually capable of thirty when traveling off the beaten path. With no pedaling at all, the E+ can manage twenty miles on a single charge of its 36 volt nickel metal hydride pack, which is mounted...

HST International and Tjaarda Design have announced a new partnership that they say will "change the face of electric cars." Actually, what's going on here is that the partnership is changing whats under the hood of two iconic vehicles, the Mustang and the Shelby Cobra. As we learned when we spoke with Michael Kadie and Ed Monfort late last year, these conversions aren't going to be cheap, but the Tjaarda EVX Mustang and the HST Shelby Cobra EVX will certainly turn heads. The vehicles will be on display this weekend at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long...

The battery in a MacBook Pro is only good for about a year. If you have a MacBook Pro, get the battery replaced in the 11th month or you will have to shell out $150. Symptom, power meter says 25% left and computer shuts down. Will not turn on again until you plug it in.

Utility company Xcel Energy (XEL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it will begin testing a battery to store wind energy so it can be distributed consistently, no matter if the wind comes in strong gales or light breezes. The one-megawatt (MW) battery, when fully charged, could power 500 homes for over 7 hours, Xcel said. "We are going to use it to shape the output of the wind farm," Xcel Director of Corporate Planning Frank Novacheck said in an interview, adding the battery would serve as a sort of "shock absorber" that will charge when the wind blows and...

Stanford University researchers have made a discovery that could signal the arrival of laptop batteries that last more than a day on a single charge. The researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to give rechargeable lithium ion batteries--used in laptops, iPods, video cameras, and mobile phones--as much as 10 times more charge. This potentially could give a conventional battery-powered laptop 40 hours of battery life, rather than 4 hours. The new batteries were developed by assistant professor Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. "It's not a small improvement," Cui said....

TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) - Flying well-equipped for business and pleasure gets a bit more complicated on Jan. 1, as the U.S. Transportation Department bars travelers from packing loose lithium batteries in checked luggage. The move is designed to help minimize the risk that such batteries could overheat and catch fire on board, the agency's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a statement on Friday. The new rules say travelers can bring a laptop computer, digital camera, cellphone and other equipment on board or in checked luggage if their lithium batteries are installed in the items. And flyers can...

Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices. The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers. "It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development." The breakthrough is described in a paper, "High-performance...

Toshiba have stunned the world with their announcement of what's pretty much the holy grail in Lithium battery technology – the Super Charge ion Battery, which recharges up to 90% of its energy in just five minutes, and has a lifespan of over 10 years. Slow charging has been the key hurdle to public acceptance of battery-electric vehicles as viable distance travelers, so this breakthrough has all sorts of implications for the automotive industry as well as being a very welcome upgrade to a whole host of other portable devices. The first of Toshiba's groundbreaking SCiB packs will ship in...

Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was jailed early Saturday after a drunken confrontation with police and onlookers... The arrest comes less than two weeks after she pleaded no contest to charges of battery and possession of cocaine. Sierra, 22, was charged Saturday with disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest and violating conditions of her parole on earlier felony battery and possession charges. She was being held without bond. Sierra, who was supposed to be completing a drug-rehabilitation program to be televised nationally, was arrested at a bar in Ybor City at 2:10 a.m. Saturday. "As the defendant was taken into custody,...

Phone 'did not kill' South Korean A South Korean man initially thought to have been killed by an exploding mobile phone battery was in fact crushed by a quarry vehicle, police have said. The man was found dead on Wednesday with a melted battery in his pocket and his heart and lungs punctured. But police in Cheongju said a colleague later confessed that he had backed into the victim while reversing a construction vehicle. They said the colleague had tried to cover up the accident. Police are investigating whether the battery exploded during the accident or the colleague set it...

For more than a century, mankind has been struggling to make its prime portable power source -- the battery -- a smaller, lighter and longer-lasting package. It's a pivotal factor in the quest for everything from a practical electric auto to a silent army Jeep to a power lawn mower that's as light as a garden rake. So far, it has been rough going. But a hardy band of engineers in Peoria now has scored scientific breakthroughs that are making that quest attainable. Beyond the portents for all of us, a notable aspect is that this group was spawned not...

Exxon Mobil Corp. believes it has found an answer to a problem that has bedeviled the auto industry in recent years: using rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, like those found in cell phones and laptops, to power cars and trucks. This weekend, at a conference in Anaheim, Calif., Exxon Mobil will unveil a super-thin plastic sheeting the company says can improve the power, safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries for use in automobiles. Exxon Mobil considers the film a breakthrough because it allows battery makers to build smaller and cheaper battery systems — removing key obstacles that have kept automakers from building...

Isabella County [Michigan] prosecutors will not press charges in two related cases filed this week involving a CMU [Central Michigan University] student and a university administrator, said Steve Smith, director of media relations. Topinabee junior Dennis Lennox II and Pam Gates, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, each filed incident reports and charges with CMU Police following a Monday incident. CMU Police handed the reports to the prosecutor's office. Even though the county isn't pressing charges, the university is going forward with an investigation of its own. "I would just say that the university...

Firefly Energy’s micro-cellular-based foam plates offer much greater surface area for optimizing the lead-acid chemistry than conventional lead plates. Firefly Energy, the carbon-graphite foam lead-acid battery company (earlier post), is expanding into the trucking market with the commencement of a BCI Group 31 battery development program. Battery Council International (BCI) provides standardized definitions for physical dimensions of a wide variety of batteries, and the Group 31 size battery is a broadly-deployed battery type in trucks. The company said the Firefly Group 31 battery will be initially available next summer with full production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008....

Okay, I have a vaiio laptop that I love dearly. But let's backup a bit and explain how this almost impossible occurence.... (I screwed up, ok!!) We were going away on vacation and decided to 'safe' the laptop, as it was not needed, and lurking in the back of mind was my ever present near paranoia 'did we remember to turn the stove off, honey??' and memories of internet pictures of laptop fires caused from faulty batteries ; No, we're gonna unplug this thing - and remove the battery. That is safe enough, right? Remember when I said I was...

Nissan will introduce the Mixim, a three-seat, all electric, all-wheel drive concept vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Mixim is powered by two Nissan Super Motors (earlier post), one for each axle. Nissan also used the Super Motor in the Pivo concept introduced in 2005. Lithium-ion batteries provide the power. In April, Nissan Motor, NEC Corporation, and NEC TOKIN Corporation, signed an agreement to establish a joint-venture company—Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC)—to develop and market lithium-ion batteries for wide-scale automotive application by 2009, including applications such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles. (Earlier post.)...

Pro-Abortion Protestors Arrested for Harassing "40 Days for Life" Witnesses By Elizabeth O'Brien AURORA, Illinois, August 23, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two pro-abortion protestors were arrested on misdemeanor battery charges, for harassing a group of pro-life witnesses outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility during a prayer vigil on Sunday. The Chicago Tribune, normally silent on pro-life events, reports that 24-year old Shawn R. Pawlak and 27 year old Kelly L. Maha, shouted obscenities at pro-life witnesses who were peacefully participating in the 24-hour, 40-day prayer rally to prevent the newly-constructed abortion facilities from opening near Chicago this fall. Joseph Williams, from...

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday had minor surgery to receive a new battery for an implanted device that monitors his heart rhythms, his spokeswoman said. "The device was successfully replaced without complication," Megan McGinn, the vice president's deputy press secretary. Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, arrived with his wife, Lynne, in the morning for the procedure at George Washington University Hospital, and walked out about four hours later. He smiled and waved at photographers as he left. Cheney returned to his home at the Naval Observatory and then resumed his normal schedule, McGinn said....

Report: Welder in western China killed by exploding phone battery AP - Wednesday, July 4 BEIJING - A welder in western China was killed when a mobile phone battery exploded in his chest pocket, state media said Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT The official Xinhua News Agency said that welder, Xiao Jinpeng, died on June 19 while working at the Yingpan Iron Ore Dressing Plant in Gansu's Jinta county. Xinhua quoted Bai Shixiong, an official with the county public security bureau, as saying a Motorola cell phone in Xiao's chest pocket suddenly exploded, and he died at a local hospital after emergency treatment...

Kansas representative attacked abortion protester at state fair A state representative who earlier was convicted of battery and fined $100 for an attack on a pro-life protester who donned a cockroach costume for a gubernatorial debate in 2006 now is being sued by the protester. Bryan J. Brown, executive director of the ArchAngel Institute is representing Troy Newman, the chief of Operation Rescue in his claim against state Rep. Vaughn Flora, D-Topeka. The civil action was sparked by Flora's attack on Newman last September as Newman was protesting a gubernatorial debate at the Kansas State Fair. Flora pleaded no contest...

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-abortion Kansas state lawmaker who received only a slap on the wrist for attacking a pro-life advocate at a campaign rally for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is now the subject of a lawsuit. Rep. Vaughn Flora, a Democrat, was found guilty of battery and fined $100 but the pro-life protester says that was a light punishment. Flora attacked pro-life advocate Troy Newman at the rally while Newman poked fun at Sebelius over the issue of abortion. During the September 9 rally, Newman dressed up in a cockroach outfit and donned a Sebelius mask and pretended to...

Lithium hydride storage. Hydrogen (H) atoms are shown in green, lithium (Li) atoms in dark grey, nitrogen (N) atoms in blue and boron (B) atoms are in grey and inside the pyramids. UK scientists have developed a new variety of lithium hydride that shows promise as an on-board storage medium for hydrogen that could support a vehicle range of more than 300 miles. The new quaternary hydride is formed through the reaction of the two potential hydrogen storage materials, LiNH2 and LiBH4, and has an ideal stoichiometry of Li4BN3H10. The development was achieved by a team from the Universities of...

Mack Trucks has introduced a battery-operated anti-idling system to replace engine idling as a power source for heating and cooling and amenity loads for stationary trucks. The environmental and financial benefits of reducing idling are significant. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates heavy-duty truck idling in the US consumes 960 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, and the average heavy-duty truck burns 0.8 gallons per hour. According to the EPA, truck idling results in annual emissions of 11 million tons of CO2, 180,000 tons of NOx and 5,000 tons of particulates. The Idle Free system uses a bank of high-efficiency...

ARGONNE, Ill., May 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's Argonne National Laboratory has improved the capacity and stability of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The technology is based on a new material for the positive electrode that is comprised of a unique nano-crystalline, layered-composite structure. Argonne scientists said they used an active component that provides for charge storage, which is embedded in an inactive component that stabilizes the structure. In testing, the new materials yielded exceptionally high charge-storage capacities more than twice that of conventional rechargeable lithium batteries. In addition, by focusing on manganese-rich systems instead of the more expensive cobalt and...

MERIDIAN - A Centennial High School softball coach is charged with sexual battery of a minor. Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Andrea Dearden confirms 22-year-old Lauren K. Palmer was arrested early Saturday morning in Eagle. Dearden says a sheriff’s deputy spotted a car in a local park after 1 a.m. - and witnessed what is described as “inappropriate touching” between Palmer and a female minor. The arrest report indicates the minor is aged 16 or 17 years old.

TAMPA, Fla. - Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was arrested early Sunday on felony battery charges for allegedly hitting a man on the head with a heavy glass at a cafe, police said. Sierra, 21, was booked in the Hillsborough County Jail on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She was also charged with possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility after officers found a small amount of the drug while searching her, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said. Sierra was released Sunday afternoon on $11,500 bail. There was no immediate indication if...

New details emerged about a massive bombing that was averted two months ago when the explosive device failed to go off, YnetNews reported. 25-year-old Omar Ahmed Abu al-Rob traveled from Jenin to Tel Aviv via Jerusalem, exploiting gaps in the separation barrier. The whole time, he carried the explosive device in his backpack, with the batteries not yet connected. When he arrived in Tel Aviv, he connected the batteries to the explosive device, apparently incorrectly.

Wife is leaving on trip tomorrow. Of course, the battery is dead/dying, and the only way to run it is on AC adapter power. The only way I know right now of getting a replacement battery is via mail/telephone/web, via Toshiba or OEM mfr. Is there any place, in Philadelphia / NYC area, that I can buy such a battery at retail? I don't think Radio Shack carries, but maybe there's somewhere else. Thanks.

We have shown many solar phone chargers, but the sun isn't always shining when you need to make a call. We have seen crank-up chargers as well, but we like this combination flashlight and crankup charger for cell phones for a lot of reasons: 1) it is good emergency backup (designed in Japan for earthquakes and other disasters) 2) it has built in red and white LEDs for additional emergency use, which can be set to white to act as a flashlight or flashing red as an emergency beacon; 3) with cellphone bills as high as they are, one...

A123Systems, a start-up in Watertown, Mass., says it has created a powerful, safe, long-lived battery. If the cell fulfills the ambitions of its maker, that softer sound will be the future of automobiles. To date, all-electric vehicles have failed because their batteries were inadequate. General Motors’ futuristic EV1 car of the late 1990s was doted upon by environmentally conscious drivers who admired its innovative engineering, but because the car used large, primitive nickel metal hydride batteries, its range was limited, its acceleration degraded as the batteries weakened with age, and its two-seat layout was not very comfortable for big, corn-fed...

Lenovo Inc. recalled about 100,000 laptop computer batteries Thursday, warning that they could overheat and cause a fire. The battery recall was the second for the company in the past six months and comes as Lenovo, the world's No. 3 computer maker, tries to gain ground on its better-known competitors. The latest recall involves batteries made by Japan's Sanyo Electric Co. and follows four reports of overheating. In one case, a user suffered minor eye irritation, the company said. The Chinese PC maker, which has its world headquarters in Research Triangle Park, said consumers should stop using the recalled products...

Electric cars? Company chooses production site Tesla aims for 10,000 a year at N.M. plant; but each will top $50,000 SANTA FE, N.M. - Electric cars could begin rolling off an Albuquerque assembly line in 2009 — and they'll look nothing like golf carts. New Mexico's biggest city will be home to an automobile assembly facility for Tesla Motors' all-electric, four-door, five-passenger sedan that will sell for at least $50,000. "I really believe the future is electric vehicles. I think we will look back upon gasoline-powered cars ... as a temporary aberration," company Chairman Elon Musk said at a news...