EV Cup: Green motor sport becomes a reality

From the Earth Times: The EV Cup will be a new green racing circuit to be held on world class racing tracks in UK, Europe and America over the summer and autumn seasons later this year. The London-based company proudly displayed the new 'green' racing cars at the recent Birmingham International Autosport Show and announced the new era of motor. They have also indicated plans for a city street race of the electric vehicles. The Director of the EV Cup, Sylvain Filippi says, "The electric car is already...

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What consumers need to know about electric car batteries

From the Contra Costa Times: A variety of electric vehicles will hit the market this year, raising questions about the most critical element of any electric car: the battery. How often do you have to replace the battery? Will it be recycled? Can you charge a battery even if it is not empty? How many charging cycles can the battery handle? Is it true there's a worldwide shortage of lithium? Lithium-ion batteries can be found in all kinds of consumer products, from laptops to cell phones, and they...

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Ghosn says Renault spies 'leaked electric car strategy', not technological secrets

From the AFP: Alleged spying at French car maker Renault targeted its business strategy for electric cars rather than technological secrets, its chief executive said in an interview published Sunday. "We have come to the conclusion that what got out was not technological information. It could be information on our economic model," the company's boss Carlos Ghosn was quoted as saying by French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche. "What was targeted was our strategy for the electric cars," he added in...

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Mitsubishi to launch eight new green cars by 2016

From the AFP: Japan's Mitsubishi Motors said Thursday that it will launch a new line-up of environmentally friendly cars by March 2016 and double operating profit in the next three years by focusing on emerging markets. Mitsubishi will launch a total of eight electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, starting with a mini commercial vehicle, the MINICAB-MiEV, the company said as it unveiled a new mid-term business plan. Japan's fourth-largest automaker launched the i-MiEV, the world's first commercially...

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Recharging posts for electric cars put into use in Hainan, China

From Xinhua: The first group of four recharging posts for electric vehicles were installed and made operational on Thursday in south China's island Hainan Province as part of the central government's promotion throughout the nation of new energy vehicles. The recharging posts were erected on Haifu Road in the provincial capital Haikou by Hainan Power Grid Corp., a subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG). The recharging posts will mainly be used for a government fleet of 30 electric...

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Smart to decide on electric scooter by the summer

From Automotive News Europe: DaimlerAG's Smart subsidiary, which is seeing its car sales decline, will decide by the summer whether to expand its lineup by launching an electric motorcycle and an electric scooter, the unit's boss, Annette Winkler, said."We want to reach a decision within the next six months. The question is whether the business case is positive," Winkler told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show. Winkler said the business case currently is looking positive.Smart...

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Portugal: 10% of all cars electric by 2020

Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates said his country wants at least 10% of the nation's car fleet to become electric by 2020. The announcement was made at Abu Dhabi's World Future Energy Summit (WFES 2011), where the Portuguese Government and some of the nation's top CEOs have showcased their latest renewable energy projects.Mobi.e, Portugal's electric mobility network, was one of the stars, with its stand attracting investors and particularly many young Emiratis interested in electric cars.CEIIA's...

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MobiCar desperta interesse internacional

Do Mobi-e: O MobiCar – primeiro veículo eléctrico a utilizar tecnologia portuguesa, integrado na rede de carregamento Mobi.E – está a despertar as atenções na World Future Energy Summit (WFES), em Abu Dhabi. "Há várias entidades interessadas na transferência de tecnologia associada ao carro",afirmou à agência Lusa Manuel Oliveira, director de prototipagem do CEIIA (Centro para a Excelência e Inovação na Indústria Automóvel).Além de "entidades ligadas ao governo do Líbano", Manuel Oliveira adianta...

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Einstein and car batteries: Without the magic of relativity, a car’s starter motor would not turn

From The Economist: Albert Einstein never learned to drive. He thought it too complicated and in any case he preferred walking. What he did not know—indeed, what no one knew until now—is that most cars would not work without the intervention of one of his most famous discoveries, the special theory of relativity.Special relativity deals with physical extremes. It governs the behaviour of subatomic particles zipping around powerful accelerators at close to the speed of light and its equations foresaw...

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VIDEO: Portugal apresenta Mobi.e e MobiCar em Abu Dhabi

A rede de mobilidade eléctrica Mobi.e e protótipo do primeiro veículo eléctrico de tecnologia portuguesa, o MobiCar, estão em destaque na World Future Energy Summit 2011, o maior evento mundial no sector da energia, que decorre por estes dias, entre 17 e 20 de Janeiro, em Abu Dhabi, nos Emirados Árabes Unidos.Texto de Mobi.e e vídeo da RTP:Soluções portuguesas na 'montra' mundial de Abu DhabiNa maior feira internacional de energia, que decorre de 17 a 21 de Janeiro em Abu Dhabi (Emirados Árabes...

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VIDEO: Tesla's Model S hits the road

Tesla has just released a video of its Model S silently rolling on a countryside road. And it sure looks and sounds awesome. From Tesla Motors' own blog: Model S, engineered from the ground as an EV, is meticulously designed for superior aerodynamics, stability and handling, crash safety, performance and range. Before Model S enters production it will have been thoroughly tested using both computer simulations and test vehicles. Tesla will complete two vehicle testing phases, Alpha and Beta. The...

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One-fifth of drivers likely to consider buying an electric vehicle

IBM's Institute for Business Value research on electric cars and a recent study of auto industry executives suggest eager drivers: Many automobile industry executives believe that sales of traditional vehicles will peak before 2020 and are looking to electric-only vehicles (EVs) as one of the next hot products, but they will first have to address stringent consumer requirements about EV performance, recharging, and convenience. Taken together, the two studies uncover significant differences between...

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Ford to hire 7,000 thanks to hybrids and electric vehicles

From the Detroit Free Press: Ford Motor will today announce that it is on course to add 7,000 new jobs through the end of next year, according to a person familiar with the planning. Of those jobs, 1,800 have already been announced for Ford's Louisville plant, where the Ford Escape SUV is built, and another 2,200 blue-collar jobs and 750 salaried jobs will come by year's end. Another 2,000 jobs will come next year. The move comes as Ford puts the finishing touches on its 2006 Way Forward turnaround...

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Mitsubishi iMIEV já pode ser alugado em Portugal

Do Mobi.e: O primeiro carro eléctrico da Mitsubishi já se encontra à disposição de todos aqueles que o queiram experimentar. Desde 1 de Janeiro já é possível alugar o i-MiEV nos stands Sixt rent a car, em Portugal. Em comunicado, a empresa alemã de aluguer de automóveis garante disponibilizar "uma tarifa diária exclusiva para este lançamento de modo a satisfazer a curiosidade daqueles que gostam de conhecer novas formas de mobilidade, entrando assim no futuro". A integração do i-MiEV no serviço...

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VIDEO: Ford Focus Electric is unveiled in Las Vegas

From the Autoblog: The Focus Electric is powered by 100-kilowatt electric motor with a 23-kWh battery, capable of producing 123 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque at its peak. Ford says its EV can reach a top speed of 84 miles per hour, and while the official range hasn't been disclosed just yet, we're told it should be able to travel up to 100 miles on a single charge (just like the Leaf). Speaking of charging, Ford says the Focus Electric can be fully charged in just three hours from its...

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Chevrolet Volt named North American Car of the Year

From the Associated Press: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt got another marketing jolt Monday, when it received the North American Car of the Year. The car that runs on electricity for 40 miles before a backup gas engine kicks in beat out the Nissan Leaf, another electric, and Hyundai Sonata in the annual ceremony on the first day of media previews for the Detroit auto show. The Ford Explorer won the truck of the year, the third year in a row the Dearborn-based automaker nabbed the honor. Truck finalists...

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UPDATE: Renault electric car espionage suspect was in 30-member panel headed by Carlos Ghosn

French carmaker Renault has said that suspected industrial espionage against its business poses a serious threat to its "strategic assets". The statement comes a day after Renault suspended three senior managers after an investigation into the possible leaking of electric vehicle secrets. Commenting on the matter, French Industry Minister Eric Besson warned the country was facing "economic war". Mr Besson said the situation at Renault "appears serious". "The expression 'economic war', while...

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Green Living: Nokia is the greenest electronics company, Nintendo still environmentally unfriendly

While we’re still waiting for Greenpeace’s latest edition of its guide to greener electronics, let’s recap October 2010 edition. Nokia ranked first among 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. All its current mobile phone models are PVC free and Nokia’s scheduled releases are on track to be free of brominated compounds, chlorinated flame retardants and antimony trioxide. Sony...

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Renault's electric vehicle programme target of espionage

From Reuters: French carmaker Renault suspended three executives for suspected industrial espionage after an investigation lasting several months, a source close to the company told Reuters on Wednesday. A Renault spokeswoman confirmed it suspended three executives on Monday after an "ethical alert" was transmitted to the group's compliance committee in August. But she declined to give further details about the suspensions. The source close to the company said: "It involves people who were caught...

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German electric airplane is ready to fly

From the Green Car Congress: PC-Aero, a German aircraft design, engineering and consulting company for general and business aviation, in December 2010 successfully performed the static tests on the 1-seat Elektra One prototype electric powered aircraft for German Ultralight Certification. The structure of the aircraft (wing, fuselage and tails) was loaded up to limit load. In November 2010, PC-Aero performed the rollout of the electric airplane with running engine. This event took place at the...

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Gaia inaugura estação de abastecimento rápido de veículos eléctricos

De Mobi-e: A primeira bomba de abastecimento rápido para veículos eléctricos foi inaugurada no final de Dezembro de 2010 em Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, fruto de um protocolo celebrado entre a Câmara Municipal de Gaia e a empresa Prio Energy (participada do grupo Martifer). Integrado na rede MOBI.E, o centro auto-eléctrico de Vilar Andorinho, junto à EN 222, dispõe de um sistema Fast Charge Drive Through, que funciona como uma ilha de abastecimento para o carregamento rápido de veículos eléctricos. «Já...

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Driving in a convertible increases risk of hearing loss

From the New York Times: At speeds greater than 55 miles per hour, driving in a convertible with its top down produces sufficient noise to increase the risk of hearing loss, a study has found. Occupants are advised to raise the roof — however many style points that may cost them. That is the conclusion of a joint study conducted by researchers from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine’s department of otolaryngology and the Ear Institute of Texas. The team’s findings were recently published...

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Leaf can go 100 miles between charges, 95% of U.S. commuters drive less than that each day

From CNN / Fortune, the diary of an electric car commuter: When an argon-blue Nissan Leaf, the first production all-electric, zero-emission family car to hit the U.S., whispered into my garage last month, I knew instantaneously that it was a game changer. New relationships come with hopes, fears, and surprises, and ours -- the Leaf's and my union -- went quickly from blind date to a marriage of convenience. The Leaf is nothing short of a bellwether of the automotive revolution that is headed to...

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GM sold 250 to 350 Volts in December, Nissan still ramping up

From the The Californian / Associated Press: This was the year General Motors Co. and Nissan made good on their promise to bring mass-produced electric cars to the market. But don't count on seeing one in traffic soon. Sales so far have been microscopic and they're likely to stay that way for some time because of limited supplies. GM sold between 250 and 350 Chevy Volts this month and Nissan's sales totaled less than 10 Leaf sedans in the past two weeks. Production for both is slowly ramping up. It...

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Green Living: 5 natural hangover remedies

An useful piece of advice from Mother Nature Network. Happy New Year! Bananas: When it comes to home hangover remedies, reaching for a humble banana or two is one of the most effective ways to combat a case of the post-Champagne nasties. Excessive alcohol intake can eliminate your body’s supply of potassium. Bananas fill you back up with this essential mineral quickly, safely and cheaply. If you anticipate that the morning after is going to be a rough one, place a couple of bananas on your bedside...

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