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‘Cut’s a 19” Path!’ Neuton proclaims about their battery powered eco-mower. On a single charge you can cover 15,000 sq ft or 1/3 of an acre. But with a second battery included you can double that number before you have to put the grass-cutting on hold for a recharge. This lean-mean-green-cutting machine utilizes 360 watt-hours of battery energy, dissuading those from thinking this is your grandma’s eco-mower. This kind of power means thick, wet grass is no match.
To be fair, Thorpe is an educated and experienced race car designer. And yet, something was lacking in his life. So he quit his job at McLaren and started working a new, greener form of transportation. He’s dubbed this bike-redux the GoCycle, which he designed in his London flat. This “new class of powered-two wheeler” uses an electric ‘turbo boost’ system it ranges between 6 and 20 miles, with the variable being how much you’re willing to help. The idea here is that you can take a bit of stress out of your daily ride by getting some assistance on those troublesome inclines (thus reducing the number of times you have to arrive at work ‘hot and sweaty’).
AutoBlogGreen speculates that one likely
candidate is a hybrid version of the Honda Fit (pictured above). This
diminutive automobile would be able to provide great fuel efficiency based on
its compact design. And with a rumoured price of just $15,800 it would be one
of the most affordable hybrids on the planet. Such a move, it is hoped, would
mark the beginning of an affordable, entry-level hybrid market, one that both
cash-strapped citizens and environmentally conscious drivers are in dire need
of (the all electric market, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter).
The Earth gets just a little greener this week thanks to a multi-purpose solar charger, a greener Windows, and government road map that isn't about fiscal stimulus
Have you been lugging around a clunky USB hub and a solar charger? Well, today’s your day. Thanks to Brando the two indispensable gadgets are contained in one single cube. Featuring 4 USB ports, the aptly named USB Solar Charging 4-Port Hub provides portable connectivity for the gadget aficionado. Bu wait, there's more! On the go and off the grid? Why not plug-in your cell phone (6 different connectors supplied*) or most any other USB-charging device and recharge nature’s way. The whole shebang only ways 56 grams, has a built in lithium-ion battery to store juice for later use, and can also charge from a wall outlet, tripling its use as an emergency backup power source. All this for a scant $20.
All in all there are 3 separate lines, each with a target audience. The AP line, for instance, offers battery-life extension for the iPhone in the form of a case-like shell (similar to the mophie's JuicePack and Incase's Power Slider). Two models are available, with the lower-end being dubbed the AP1000 ($50) which provides 3 additional hours of talk time (or 16+hours of music). The AP1500 ($100) bumps that number 5 additional hours.
Rather than being a completely stripped-down eco-gimmick, the Crest actually sports some competitive features like FM radio, MP3 ringtones, a flashlight, and a nifty ‘fake call’ feature to get out of those oh-so-awkward blind dates. The phone will also feature region specific features, such as in Southeast Asia where it utilizes profile screening for bikers to allow only incoming calls from selected contacts for a safer ride.
Tired of governments and farmers lording their eco-friendly wind energy over you? Well, now you can fight back! The EarthTronics miniature wind turbine will be hitting store shelves this fall under the name ‘Honeywell Wind Turbine’ (the name change is due to a licensing partnership with EarthTronic’s signed with Honeywell). Unlike tradition, large scale turbines, this diminutive household model does away with the clunky gearbox and using the wind to instead turn magnets located around the frame. This reformed design, called a “direct-drive” does away with many of the complications associated with traditional design by reducing the number of components and moving parts. The 2-kilowatt turbine can start producing energy with windspeeds as low as 2-mph and can generate up to 2,000 kilowatt-hours per year (weather permitting of course)
In a recent interview with Ars Technica, strategy director for the U of M solar team Alex Dowling discussed some of the progress that’s taken in solar racing over the years. One major advancement he cited was in overall body design. If someone put together a photographic timeline of solar racers you’d see a definitive evolution from bulky shapes to streamlined curves. Dowling notes that this is due to the relative lack of power designers were able to cull from the sun in the early years. And so, in lieu of wind-splitting shapes, solar cars were designed to capture as much sunlight as possible. But as efficiency improved and the amount of power increased, solar cars began adopting aerodynamic bodies to cut down on drag. The result is what Dowling calls the “rolling poptart” with the driver positioned in a bubble amidst a wide, streamlined vehicle.
From Tremont Electric, the PEG is a 9x1.5 inch portable kinetic energy converter, enabling users to harness the expenditures of humdrum activities such as walking down stairs and stepping into the elevator. And unlike many kinetic chargers, the PEG need not be strapped to your body to generate electricity. According to Tremont Electric, the PEG can function simply by being placed in a purse or backpack. Though, for better results, you can also strap the PEG to your leg while you bike or your wrist while you play Wii.
“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to get some shelter or you Wi-Fi may fade away.” Or so the lyrics might have gone had Scott McKenzie and Mick Jagger visited modern day San Francisco. The city that keeps on taking charge has built their first bus shelter that takes charge of those solar rays and turns them into router-powering kilowatts. The bus shelters have roofs made from thin film solar panels integrated into 40 percent post-industrial recycled polycarbonate material. Meanwhile, the rest of the structure is composed of recycled steel, among other things. Besides powering wireless routers, the solar panels will energize LED lights and an intercom. Any and all excess power will be fed directly into the SF power grid.
