Hillsoboro has announced that they will be installing 16 charging stations in the state of Oregon. These charging stations will be supplied by Coulomb Technologies, the leader in charging station infrastructure which will be situated in key locations for the preparation of the expected demand for plug-in and electric vehicles.

The 16 charging stations will be installed in downtown Hillsboro including their new “green” intermodal transit facility to be built in 2009. The charging stations, available for public use, are part of the city’s large-scale sustainability and green movement, designed to showcase conservation, environmentalism and eco-friendly design.

The ChargePoint Network enabled charging stations provide:

• A revenue stream to pay for electricity, capital equipment and maintenance
• The ability for drivers to find unoccupied charging stations via web-enabled cell phones
• Notification by SMS Text or email when charging is complete
• Authenticated access to eliminate energy theft
• Authorized energizing for safety
• Remote monitoring and diagnostics for superior quality of service
• Smart Grid integration for utility load management with future V2G capabilities

(Source) Press

Tags: capabilities, cell phones, charging station, coulomb, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, electricity, email, energy theft, hillsboro oregon, large scale, load management, quality of service, remote monitoring, revenue stream, showcase, state of oregon, sustainability, transit facility

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T3 Motion unveils the latest addition to the growing roster of electric cars offered in the market. T3 Motion lifts the covers on the CT3 Electric Vehicle that is based on the CT Micro Car. T3 Motion Inc. is not a new player in the electric car market. In fact, it has made a good account for itself, acknowledged as a global leader in Electric Vehicle Design, Battery Technology and Power Management Systems.

A version of the CT3 is competing for the Progressive Automotive X Prize in the Alternative Vehicle Class. The “CT3-S” is specifically designed and engineered to be capable of speeds up to 80 miles per hour yet delivering the energy equivalent of over 100 miles per gallon.

“We are very honored to be competing in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. It is energizing for T3 Motion, Inc. to be alongside so many different interpretations of creating the 100 mile per gallon car,” said Ki Nam, T3 Motion, Inc. C.E.O. “With electricity being the most readily available source of fuel today, our zero gas emission CT3-S exemplifies the ‘real world’ opportunities electric vehicles have both today and in the future.”

(Source) Press

Tags: battery technology, car market, electric car, electric cars, electric vehicle design, electric vehicles, electricity, future source, gas emission, global leader, latest addition, micro car, miles per gallon, miles per hour, power management systems, real world

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Rough times compounded by retirement has become a concern for most former employees of General Motors who were not part of the United Auto Workers which was responsible for the negotiations prior to the bankruptcy of the famed automotive manufacturer. In fact, not all are covered which only means that more than the ones represented during the talks are likely to be suffering all the more.

Benefits will be slashed severely for these non-members, something that has been able to support them in their daily livelihood. Now, they are left with lesser things to survive on, the only recourse they have of which is to seek Congressional Protection for their losses.

“For people living on a fixed income, the benefit losses proposed by GM are breathtaking,” said Karen DeOrnellas, Director of Communications for GMRA. “These retirees are old. Many are sick or disabled. In almost all cases they cannot make this money back or return to work.”

GM retirees have written GMRA to say the latest proposals for benefit losses will make them choose between paying for prescription drugs and paying for food, electricity, and housing. Many will be unable to replace lost life insurance, jeopardizing the ability of their spouses to remain in their homes.

(Source) Press

Tags: automotive manufacturer, Bankruptcy, benefit, electricity, fixed income, General Motors, GM, gm retirees, life insurance, livelihood, losses, negotiations, prescription drugs, proposals, recourse, rough times, united auto workers

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Businesses today are going green and if there is one company that is certainly placing emphasis on that aspect, it has to be Schoonover Bodyworks. Known as a premier shop for collision repairs and fine detailing, Schoonover has partnered with AkzoNobel and its new waterborne paints, while outfitting its shops with newly developed eco-friendly equipment.

“As an individual and a business owner, doing the right thing for the environment is simply good business,” said Mike Schoonover, president and CEO of Schoonover Bodyworks. “Our consumers like the idea of lessening their environmental impact, but they also want the beautiful, long-lasting finish they’ve come to expect. We’ve been watching the technology evolve and finally found a product and equipment that meets our high standards for both.”

Without sacrificing the quality of their service, Schoonover has employed an overall eco-friendly effort for its operations which include:

• Water-borne paint reducing paint material usage and emission
• Conserving 15 percent on electricity and 4 percent on gas per month
• Less Hazardous Materials
• Sheet Metal and Cardboard Recycling
• Paperless Office Setting

(Source) Press

Tags: akzonobel, bodyworks, business owner, cardboard, collision repair shop, collision repairs, consumers, doing the right thing, electricity, environmental impact, good business, hazardous materials, material usage, mike schoonover, Paint, paints, premier shop, sheet metal, twin cities

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With lesser need to kick up the cooling system of cars, PGW Glass has proven that it can make a difference as far as in-car temperature and fuel consumption issues are concerned. Apparently this is because a car’s air-conditioning system adds load towards a car’s performance.

However, if they are properly aided by shielding sun rays from making changes within the desired car temperature, car engines such as this one from the PHEV can perform better.

“Over repeated UDDS cycles, the Sungate EP glazing reduced the air conditioning power and resulted in an increase in fuel economy,” said John Rugh, Senior Mechanical Engineer for NREL. “The adjusted, utility factor-weighted fuel economy increased from 36.8 to 42.9 mpg for the Sungate EP thermal load case, while the adjusted, UF-weighted electrical energy consumption was roughly equivalent.”

Even in gas-fueled cars, this is the same. The only thing different here is that the PHEV runs totally on electricity. Either way, the impact of proper cooling can change the fuel-consumption or energy-consumption level of cars if the load is attended to. And it looks like Pittsburgh Glass Works has given motorists something to smile about.

(Source) Press

Tags: air conditioning system, car engines, consumption issues, consumption level, cooling system, electrical energy consumption, electricity, fuel consumption, fuel economy, fuel efficiency, glass works, mechanical engineer, motorists, phev, sun rays, sungate

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The Toyota Prius is all the rave these days as far as new cars in the market is concerned and to further convince motorists on the availability of parts, Kyocera has announced that they will be supplying the new Prius with Solar Modules for their solar ventilation system.

The system ventilates the air inside of the car by using the electricity generated by the solar module on the rooftop to drive the fans while the car is parked during the daytime. This feature automatically moderates temperature rise inside of the vehicle even during hot seasons.

The eco-friendliness of the Toyota Prius is evident and Kyocera aims to be of assistance towards this new vehicle offering from the touted Japanese manufacturer. With so much attention focused on the Toyota Prius, there is no doubt that this vehicle is certainly trying to cover all bases including its solar power requirements.

(Source) Press

Tags: electricity, japanese manufacturer, kyocera, motorists, new cars, solar module, solar modules, solar power, solar ventilation, Toyota, toyota prius

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A new kind of car may be headed your way and it may not be the usual alluring vehicle you see today. Known as the MDI AirPod, the design is something that certainly needs a lot of improvement but it is really the concept that matters for now.

The MDI AirPod is a three-seat vehicle that runs on compressed air and was originally displayed last autumn. It has a range of 137 miles on a 46-gallon tank and will be priced around $7,500 when it rolls off the production line in the next two years.

What makes this vehicle unique of course is that it doesn’t rely on electricity or hydrogen to fulfil its claim of being a “zero emission” car – instead it uses air. However, much of this air would be produced from the energy from coal or gas fired power plans unless more renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal powers can be used. The compressors could then use this “clean air” to fill the AirPod and drivers could claim to have zero impact on the environment.

No official release information has yet been announced, but the MDI Airpod is expected to be rolled out in select European cities where high speeds are not an issue within 24 months.

(Source) The Green Car Website

Tags: airpod, car website, compressors, electricity, geneva motor show, geothermal, green car, Hydrogen, mdi, renewable energy sources, solar wind, zero emission

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It was recently announced that McDonalds restaurants in Sweden will begin testing an array of yellow-posts that do none other than charge your hybrid vehicle.

This comes as an alliance recently formed with Swedish company Elforsk which will provide the posts with enough juice given McDonalds pays for the installation of the posts.

This seems like a ploy from McDonalds to create a green image so people will forget that their food causes all sorts of obesity and malnutrition and remember them as the environmentally friendly fast food chain.

Read (TreeHugger)

Tags: charging, Electric, electricity, mcdonalds, source

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No matter how many great cars are being launched and revealed at the Detroit Auto Show, we still have to keep our eyes out for great concept car designs.

Sergio Loureiro is a student of the Royal College of Art in London. And he’s not just a student! He designed the car in the picture. It’s a sports concept car which runs on electricity which is generated by a central kinetic axis. When the car moves and thus it generates energy which is being used for powering it. Not to mention it looks really good. We’d love to see an actual model being tested somewhere, but I guess we’re a few years away of that, aren’t we?

via tuvie

Tags: concept car, electricity, Energy, Sports

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What will fuel the cars of the future? Will the cars of 2025 run on electricity, hydrogen combustion engines, ethanol or bio-diesel, solar power, or some hybrid combination of any number of these? Ethanol was touted by the U.S. government very briefly for reasons that seem in retrospect to be more political than practical. Ethanol has lower emissions than gasoline and can be produced right here in the United States, but recently studies suggest that it actually takes more energy to produce than is contained in the fuel itself, making the environmental impact kind of self-defeating.

Ethanol costs about $2 per gallon, which is less than Petroleum based fuel, but cars using E85 (an 85% Ethanol blend) get 10-20% few miles per gallon that run on regular gas. On the up side, some cars specially made to run on Ethanol based fuels (like the Chrysler Sebring, Ford F150, and GMC Yukon) are already on the market and are no more expensive than regular models.

Tags: electricity, Ethanol, Gas, Hydrogen, solar

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