Keyword: battery

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  • Electric Car Living of Rocklin to Roll Out ZAP Sedan and Truck on May 30th & 31st

    05/21/2008 7:28:23 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 40 replies · 226+ views
    money.cnn.com ^ | 05/21/2008 | Staff
    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...
  • Mexican donkey jailed for ornery behavior ("doing time for assault and battery")

    05/19/2008 11:17:18 PM PDT · by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle · 20 replies · 276+ views
    Yahoo! News ^ | 05/19/2008 | AP
    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...
  • All-Electric Car by Nissan to Go on Sale in 2010

    05/15/2008 10:17:52 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 72 replies · 159+ views
    www.voanews.com ^ | 05/13/2008 | By VOA News
    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...
  • Firefly Raises $16 Million in Third Round Funding (Mega Battery Technology)

    05/09/2008 6:08:42 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 12 replies · 44+ views
    venturebeat.com ^ | 05/05/2008 | Jeremy Jacquot
    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 Ox Concept (Norwegian Electric Car)

    04/25/2008 8:45:50 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 25 replies · 607+ views
    blogs.cars.com ^ | 04/25/2008 | Staff
    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 Motion Systems E+ ebike: great features, high price [Greenies version of the ZR1]

    04/25/2008 7:52:27 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 21 replies · 49+ views
    www.autobloggreen.com ^ | 04/25/2008 | Staff
    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...
  • Tjaarda and HST International now taking orders for all-electric Mustang and Shelby Cobra

    04/18/2008 7:16:55 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 14 replies · 446+ views
    www.autobloggreen.com ^ | 04/18/2008 | Source: HST International PR
    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...
  • A favor to MacBook Pro users

    03/02/2008 12:12:20 PM PST · by Chris DeWeese · 28 replies · 630+ views
    me | 3/2/08 | Chris DeWeese
    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.
  • Xcel Energy to store wind power with new battery

    02/29/2008 2:36:35 AM PST · by shove_it · 10 replies · 197+ views
    reuters ^ | 2/28/2008 | Nichola Groom
    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...
  • A tenfold improvement in battery life?

    01/15/2008 8:48:16 AM PST · by Red in Blue PA · 50 replies · 40+ views
    News.com ^ | 1/15/2008 | Alex Serpo
    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....
  • Travelers Advisory: U.S. limits lithium batteries on flights

    12/30/2007 4:14:11 PM PST · by Cagey · 12 replies · 283+ views
    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...
  • Nanotechnology yields a breakthrough in battery life

    12/27/2007 11:43:25 PM PST · by PeaceBeWithYou · 52 replies · 244+ views
    Nanotechwire ^ | 12/27/2007 | Staff
    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...
  • Breakthrough lithium battery charges to 90% in just 5 minutes

    12/13/2007 11:42:31 AM PST · by Restore · 77 replies · 607+ views
    gizmag.com ^ | Dec. 13 2007 | gizmag staff
    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...
  • 'American Idol' finalist jailed again ( Jessica Sierra )

    12/02/2007 10:55:43 AM PST · by george76 · 14 replies · 82+ views
    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,...
  • S. Korea: Phone 'did not kill' South Korean (It did catch fire, though)

    11/30/2007 5:43:54 AM PST · by TigerLikesRooster · 10 replies · 89+ views
    BBC ^ | 11/30/07
    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...
  • Finally, a breakthrough in batteries (FireFly update)

    11/28/2007 5:52:05 AM PST · by Red Badger · 47 replies · 69+ views
    www.suntimes.com ^ | 11/27/2007 | Ted Pincus
    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 says film may lead to car battery like laptop's

    11/28/2007 4:12:21 AM PST · by thackney · 72 replies · 63+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | Nov. 27, 2007 | BRETT CLANTON
    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...
  • Lennox, Gates butt heads -- Roscoe bans videotaping on campus without permission

    10/17/2007 8:05:37 AM PDT · by RedsHunter · 7 replies · 76+ views
    Central Michigan Life ^ | 10/17/07 | Frank Wisswell
    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 Expands Into Truck Market With Group 31 Battery

    10/03/2007 12:43:31 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 15 replies · 438+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 03 Oct 2007 | Staff
    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....
  • What's wrong with my laptop?

    09/02/2007 1:27:43 PM PDT · by Freedom4US · 15 replies · 425+ views
    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 to Show New Electric Concept Car at Frankfurt

    08/30/2007 5:38:12 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 36 replies · 620+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 08/29/2007 | Staff
    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

    08/24/2007 12:29:53 AM PDT · by monomaniac · 1 replies · 388+ views
    LifeSiteNews.com ^ | August 23, 2007 | Elizabeth O'Brien
    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...
  • Cheney gets new battery for heart device (device was successfully replaced without complication)

    07/28/2007 10:46:45 AM PDT · by NormsRevenge · 58 replies · 1,727+ views
    AP on Yahoo ^ | 7/28/07 | Deb Reichmann - ap
    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

    07/04/2007 4:04:45 AM PDT · by TigerLikesRooster · 21 replies · 1,110+ views
    AP ^ | 07/04/07
    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...
  • Lawmaker convicted of battery facing lawsuit

    06/22/2007 11:44:09 AM PDT · by Turret Gunner A20 · 2 replies · 195+ views
    World Net Daily ^ | 22 June 2007 | Staff
    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...
  • Kansas Abortion Protester Sues Lawmaker Who Attacked Him at Event

    06/18/2007 7:50:38 PM PDT · by monomaniac · 3 replies · 539+ views
    LifeNews.com ^ | June 18, 2007 | Steven Ertelt
    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...
  • UK Researchers Develop Promising Hydrogen Storage Material for Mobile Applications

    05/29/2007 9:20:47 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 11 replies · 706+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 05/25/2007 | Staff
    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 Introduces Battery-Operated Anti-Idling System

    05/27/2007 8:55:03 PM PDT · by P-40 · 25 replies · 1,022+ views
    Green Car Congress ^ | 5/24/2007 | Staff
    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...
  • New lithium battery material created

    05/09/2007 7:59:11 AM PDT · by nypokerface · 31 replies · 1,031+ views
    UPI ^ | 05/09/07
    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...
  • Idaho [female]softball coach arrested for [sexual] battery of minor

    04/30/2007 11:26:22 AM PDT · by bedolido · 69 replies · 2,686+ views
    NWCN ^ | 04-30-2007 | KAYCEE MURRAY and DON DAY
    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.
  • Ex-'Idol' finalist charged with battery

    04/29/2007 5:29:22 PM PDT · by NormsRevenge · 6 replies · 394+ views
    AP on Yahoo ^ | 4/29/07 | AP
    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...
  • Bad battery insertion botched February bus bombing near Tel Aviv [connected wires incorrectly]

    04/20/2007 10:09:21 AM PDT · by bedolido · 23 replies · 945+ views
    israelinsider.com ^ | 4-20-2007 | staff writer
    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.
  • Where can I buy, at retail, a Toshiba / Toshiba-compatible laptop battery?

    04/20/2007 5:02:52 AM PDT · by rudy45 · 5 replies · 189+ views
    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.
  • Hand Cranked Cell Phone Charger

    04/06/2007 10:44:12 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 25 replies · 1,055+ views
    www.treehugger.com ^ | 04/04/2007 | Lloyd Alter
    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...
  • A New Battery Takes Off in a Race to Electric Cars

    03/11/2007 2:19:19 PM PDT · by aculeus · 124 replies · 2,636+ views
    The New York Times ^ | March 11, 2007 | by Jason Pontin
    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 recalls 100,000 laptop batteries

    03/01/2007 3:03:20 PM PST · by xcamel · 6 replies · 377+ views
    businessweek ^ | March 1, 2007 | STEVE HARTSOE
    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 [U.S. company plans to mass produce all electric car]

    02/21/2007 8:39:02 PM PST · by grundle · 52 replies · 1,093+ views
    msnbc.msn.com ^ | Feb. 21, 2007
    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...
  • Ryan O'Neal accused of assaulting son

    02/04/2007 1:09:39 PM PST · by EveningStar · 66 replies · 4,422+ views
    AP - Yahoo ^ | February 4, 2006
    MALIBU, Calif. - Authorities have accused Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O'Neal of assaulting his adult son at the actor's home over the weekend...
  • Second Electric Car Fire Occurs in San Francisco Bay Area

    01/31/2007 10:18:52 AM PST · by Red Badger · 64 replies · 1,464+ views
    www.evworld.com ^ | 01/27/2007 | Staff
    A fire at San Francisco's Crissy Field sparked by an electric car was the second blaze in just over a year at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that was caused by an apparently defective electric vehicle, a parks spokesman said today. The vehicle was not plugged in when it caught fire while parked outside the Warming Hut, a historic building in the Presidio of San Francisco renovated as a showcase for sustainable design. UPDATE: ELECTRIC CAR WAS NOT PLUGGED IN BEFORE SF FIRE 01/26/07 4:20 PST SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A fire at San Francisco's Crissy Field sparked by an...
  • GM Urges Feds to Fund Major Battery Research and Development Effort

    01/31/2007 8:22:14 AM PST · by Red Badger · 16 replies · 391+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 01/30/2007 | Staff
    In testimony before the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today, GM Vice President for Environment and Energy Beth Lowery urged the government to fund a major effort to strengthen domestic advanced battery capabilities—specifically lithium-ion batteries. Her stance was echoed during the hearing by statements from other witnesses, including John German, Manager, Environmental and Energy Analyses from Honda and Dr. Menahem Anderman, President, Advanced Automotive Batteries. In her testimony, Lowery argued for the development of a range of alternative sources of energy and propulsion, the better to mitigate many of the issues surrounding energy availability. ...the fact of...
  • ZAP and Lotus to Use APX Concept as Basis for High-Performance In-Wheel Motor Electric ZAP-X

    01/30/2007 9:18:29 AM PST · by Red Badger · 36 replies · 678+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 01/30/2007 | Staff
    The Lotus APX will serve as the basis for the new electric ZAP-X AP and Lotus Engineering are beginning the first phase of an engineering project to use the British consultancy’s APX ("Aluminum Performance Crossover") as a basis for designing a production-ready electric all-wheel drive crossover high performance vehicle for ZAP—the ZAP-X—in the US market. A combination of the lightweight aluminum vehicle architecture, a new efficient drive and advanced battery management systems is intended to enable a range of up to 350 miles between charges, with a rapid 10-minute recharging time. An auxiliary power unit is planned to support longer...
  • 2007 – Year of the electric car

    01/11/2007 11:00:00 AM PST · by dangerdoc · 32 replies · 852+ views
    cosmosmagazine.com ^ | 1/10/07 | William Moore
    Breakthroughs in battery technology could make 2007 the year that electric cars finally come into their own. The company claims that their battery shows a cycle life in excess of 20,000 charges and discharges while still retaining 85 per cent of its capacity to store energy. Altairnano's data show that their battery has a power density of 4,000 w/kg and the ability to safely operate from -50° C to 75° C. Each credit is worth US$5,000 (about AU$6,500), so a type 3 vehicle is worth US$200,000 (about AU$260,000) in California. Carmakers either have to build their own type 3 vehicles...
  • Big Three Seek Battery Subsidies

    01/09/2007 3:54:12 PM PST · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 30 replies · 642+ views
    Wall Street Journal ^ | January 9, 2007 | NEAL E. BOUDETTE and JOHN D. STOLL
    DETROIT -- The Big Three auto makers have asked the federal government to spend roughly $500 million over five years to subsidize the development of advanced batteries required to power future vehicles such as the electric prototype generating buzz for General Motors Corp. In a follow-up to a November meeting between President Bush and their chief executives, GM, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group last month submitted a white paper to a White House technology adviser saying the U.S. is trailing Japan in development of batteries for fuel-efficient automobiles and could suffer economically if the government doesn't help...
  • Harvesting RF energy

    01/08/2007 4:29:23 AM PST · by HarmlessLovableFuzzball · 16 replies · 1,152+ views
    Cnet ^ | January 7, 2007 | Erica Ogg
    A Pennsylvania start-up says it has the answer to one of the biggest problems in mobile phones: battery life. After three years of keeping its technology under close guard, Powercast has come to CES 2007 to get consumer and manufacturer attention. Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is "harvested"--wirelessly--to give power to small devices like cell phones. While it's presented as wireless power, Powercast isn't just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it's meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need for them altogether. It works like...
  • Get your battery running

    12/21/2006 1:27:16 PM PST · by Red Badger · 32 replies · 1,009+ views
    www.davisenterprise.com ^ | 12/21/2006 | Staff
    Think of it as “Easy Rider” meets “An Inconvenient Truth.” Or, maybe, the perfect Christmas gift for the environmentalist with everything. A solar motorcycle. Well, not solar, strictly speaking, but electric — with its battery charged by the solar panels on Rob Thayer’s Village Homes roof. Thayer, a UC Davis professor emeritus of landscape architecture, recently purchased the custom motorcycle for $7,000 from electricmotorsport.com, an Oakland company that’s one of a handful modifying or building electric motorcycles. His is a 2003 Spanish-built Derbi Grand Prix racer, its gas engine replaced with a battery and low racing handlebars replaced with...
  • Ethylene for Hydrogen Storage

    12/08/2006 12:34:35 PM PST · by Red Badger · 50 replies · 1,183+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 12/08/2006 | NIST
    Attaching titanium atoms (blue) to the ends of an ethylene molecule (yellow-green) will result in a capsule-shaped complex that absorbs 10 hydrogen molecules (red). Results of modeling studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Turkey’s Bilkent University indicate that attaching titanium atoms to the ends of an ethylene molecule will result in a capsule-shaped complex that absorbs 10 hydrogen molecules. The results open a new avenue in the pursuit of materials that will enable efficient solid-state storage of hydrogen. Ethylene is the inexpensive building block of the most common plastic. The team’s calculations show that...
  • Stark Joins in $10 Million Round For Peoria, Ill.-Based Firefly Energy

    12/05/2006 1:30:30 PM PST · by Red Badger · 3 replies · 417+ views
    www.midwestbusiness.com ^ | 11/13/2006 | ADAM FENDELMAN
    PEORIA, Ill. – Batteries have a very simple job: to work and to last. Just as today’s computer processor is nearing its theoretical limit, experts say current widespread battery technology is also approaching its ceiling. That imminent reality has motivated a wide array of companies to develop advancements that travel down various lines of thinking. Beyond lithium-ion power, some believe fuel cells are the future while others swear by a more hybrid approach. Others, like a small firm in Peoria, Ill. with 26 employees, are taking roads less traveled. Firefly Energy is going the route of developing new technology based...
  • Free Electric Car Rides & Alt-Wheels Geekery

    12/05/2006 1:03:46 PM PST · by Red Badger · 32 replies · 548+ views
    www.lavoice.org ^ | 12/05/2006 | Staff
    Electrum Spyder: Tesla-killer?f you're looking for a next-gen "green" car - or if the bloat and spectacle of the L.A. Auto Show just turns you off - you might want to check out the AltCar Expo this weekend at Santa Monica Airport. More than 50 firms will be showing off the latest in hybrid, electric, biodiesel and alt-powered technology. The events schedule looks very promising: Among other things, there's an alt-car rally from the SM Pier to the airport, u-drive-it hydrogen fuel-cell-car demos and Left Coast Conversions' Reverend Gadget will be converting a gas-breathing Triumph from internal combustion to battery...
  • 3M Awarded $17.3 Million for Fuel Cell Research

    11/30/2006 12:33:48 PM PST · by Red Badger · 35 replies · 550+ views
    www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 11/29/2006 | Staff
    The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded 3M a set of grants totaling $17.3 million to further the progress of projects aimed at improved fuel cell membranes and advanced electrocatalysts—two of the key components of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). In all, eight companies and nine universities and national laboratories were selected for a total of $100 million in funding from the DOE. Company scientists are working on advanced membranes with improved chemical and mechanical properties and expanded operating temperature ranges. In addition, 3M is further developing its proprietary nanostructured, thin-film electrocatalyst technology that has produced more robust performance with less...
  • Altairnano Reveals Battery Pack Details

    11/29/2006 5:58:42 AM PST · by Red Badger · 36 replies · 1,374+ views
    energy.seekingalpha.com ^ | 11/08/2006 | James Fraser
    Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (ALTI), has produced and showcased their fast charging, long life, safe nano-Titanate batteries at the SEMA show. The batteries can be found in Phoenix Motorcars’ zero emission, all electric, freeway ready, full sized sports utility truck [SUT] and sports utility vehicle [SUV]. During the show, Altairnano gave numerous interviews on the performance of the nano-Titanate product technology and demonstrated the battery packs safety and fast charge performance. Altairnano’s nano-Titanate battery packs allows the Phoenix vehicles to exceed all specifications for the State of California Type Altair logoIII ZEV. Altairnano offers two nano-Titanate battery pack configurations: a 35...