Car batteries could be used to store excess solar energy The high cost of powerful lithium-ion batteries electric cars  run on could be  offset their cost by earning money for their owners, reports Helen Knight in New Scientict. Electricity companies and car makers are looking  at  using electric cars to store power for the grid (say, on… Continue reading →

So is this the BP, the “beyond petroleum” moment? Whoever is right and wrong here, a British company that employs more Americans than Britons, drilling to a lax US regulatory regime, being attacked by a US president who began his term inspiring high hopes in anybody concerned with the health of the planet, but who… Continue reading →

photo credit: zenity79 Electric cars — and the first mass-market models are due on our roads in February 2011 — could be the first big step towards a clean transport revolution,  or a conscience salver for the green minded rich who keep the Audi six series for longer trips, as well as lots of lesser steps… Continue reading →

Range anxiety. Now here is is a problem that is on its way to being solved — at least in certain areas — even before you can before you have time to worry about it. It’s that peculiar neurosis that affects drivers of electric cars, the fret about not making it home to recharge their vehicle… Continue reading →

Solar and Wind Powered Hybrid Street Lamps http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/13/hybrid-wind-solar-street-lamps/ This is a very good example of designers coming up with a neat, zero energy alternative to an everyday street feature. It’s a hybrid wind and solar powered street lamp, that looks like a piece of urban art the same time.  It uses renewable energy to provide illumination,… Continue reading →

The LEAF goes on sale in the UK in February 2011. It’s the first “purpose designed and built” electric vehicle (EV) to arrive in the UK and Europe.
Headline features: powered by compact lithium-ion batteries for fast-charging, with a range of approximately 100 miles.