Magna Steyr showcases green car platform
Car TechAt the Geneva International Motor Show, Magna Steyr, a maker of automotive parts, illustrated what its Mila automotive platform can offer to car makers: Magna Steyr would build a car's innards, with a car maker then slapping on a body shell and badges.
Mila is designed as a flexible platform for the manufacturing of either electric or hybrid cars, allowing car manufacturers to market their own green cars without having to do years of costly research. Continue reading...
Giugiaro Frazer-Nash Namir and Infiniti Essence: Supercars go electric 
Car TechAt the Geneva International Motor Show, Italian design house Giugiaro showed off the fruits of its collaboration with hybrid-systems maker Frazer-Nash: the Frazer-Nash Namir, a hybrid supercar.
This concept car uses a series hybrid system, with two motors -- one for the front wheels and one for the rear -- a lithium-polymer battery pack, and a 814cc rotary engine as a generator. Continue reading...
SunCat solar batteries charge themselves
Green TechSolar-powered phones such as the Samsung Blue Earth are great eco-friendly concepts, but we won't see these sun-worshipping devices replacing mainstream handsets anytime soon. Meanwhile, we still have a mountain of gadgets that need to be juiced regularly, which is why designer Knut Karlsen's idea of integrating flexible solar cells on to rechargeable batteries could be a more immediate solution to reducing our carbon footprint.
Named after a feline basking in the sun, SunCat involves flexible solar-cell strips glued to nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable cells. Continue reading...
Rinspeed iChange: Shape-changing electric concept car
Car TechRinspeed, a Swiss automotive design company, has a history of presenting ambitious concept cars at the Geneva auto show. The iChange, the company's offering for this year's event, which takes place from 5 to 15 March, doesn't disappoint either.
The shape of the electric iChange alters depending on whether it's carrying one or three people. Continue reading...
Sony Bravia 2009 line-up: Meet Sony's LCD TVs for this year
TelevisionsWe had a little poke at Sony recently for an ill-advised publicity photo that featured a half-naked model as its main focus, rather than a piece of technology. That shouldn't detract, however, from 2009 being a good year for Sony TVs in terms of innovation.
There are a number of new models due, so let's have a quick stroll around the telly orchard and munch on the fruit of flat-panel technological advancement. The mesocarp (yes, this fruit analogy will continue until it's truly putrefied) of Sony's advancement is Bravia Engine 3, which will ensure the best possible picture quality and smooth motion. Truly, this is enough to tempt Adam, Eve or even some serpent to part with their hard-earned cash. Continue reading...
Riti Printer: Uses tea or coffee for ink
PrintersWe've seen plenty of printers in our time, but this one is most definitely to our taste. Korean designer Jeon Hwan Ju, probably a beans person, has created the Riti Printer, which uses coffee or tea dregs in place of ink. It's probably good only for sepia printouts, but it's the kind of green tech we like very much.
Coffee or tea dregs are placed into the cartridge, mixed with a little water. You then move the cartridge left and right in the slot to print. It's not the most efficient printer for your home business, but, whether it's Lipton or Lavazza, it produces aromatic printouts you can personalise. Continue reading...
Voyage of the Wave Treader: Wind and wave work as one
Green TechBacon is good. Cheese is good. Put them together, you have a sandwich of champions. Also, wave energy is good and wind energy is good. If only there was some way of putting them together, you'd have a green energy double-whammy, right? Green Ocean Energy plans to do just that by hooking up a wave power machine to an offshore wind turbine. It's so simple we wonder why nobody's thought of it before. Maybe they should stick some solar panels on the top and go for the full house.
Joking aside, the benefits from this simple idea seem worthy of praise. Green Ocean Energy claims each Wave Treader machine, which is set to be developed as a prototype by 2010, could generate approximately 500kW: enough to power 125 homes, according to the company. The two methods of harnessing energy, from wave and wind, are captured through one set of cabling, saving on setup and maintenance costs for two separate offshore installations.
The project has benefited from 60,000 of funding from npower's Juice fund, which sinks 10 into new green schemes for every customer signing up. Continue reading...
Shelby SuperCars Ultimate Aero EV: World's fastest electric car
Car TechIn conjunction with the release of its 2009 Ultimate Aero at the Abu Dhabi International Motor Show in December, Shelby SuperCars announced details of an electric version of the same car, due to be launched in the second half of this year. We hope the oil sheikhs of Abu Dhabi took the news graciously, as Shelby's move seems rather like walking into a convention of cigarette makers and announcing a cure for tobacco addiction. Perhaps they merely smiled at the fairly outlandish-sounding claims of Shelby.
According to Shelby, the powertrain developed for the Ultimate Aero EV uses a lithium-ion battery pack, which can be fully charged from a 110V AC outlet in 10 minutes. This powertrain can be scaled from 200 horsepower up to 500 horsepower, with a special, dual-motor configuration that could produce 1,200 horsepower. Continue reading...
Concept cars go electric at Detroit auto show
Car TechA surprising number of electric concept cars were on display at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, including cars from GM, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Mini and Smart.
Some of these concept cars are currently on the road, being tested for eventual mass production. Continue reading...
Tesla unveils faster Roadster Sport
Car TechFor all you well-heeled auto fanatics, there's good news: Tesla Motors has made a faster car.
The luxury-electric-car maker on Sunday lifted the curtain on the Tesla Roadster Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla said it has begun taking orders for the $128,500 (£86,000) sports car, which will be available in the US late in June. UK availability and pricing have not yet been announced. Continue reading...
Photos: Electric vehicles on display in DC
Car TechEven though it's two years from delivery, the 2011 Chevy Volt is must-see in any conference on electric vehicles. General Motors showed off the Volt this week at the Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference & Exposition in Washington DC.
GM calls the Volt an extended-ranged electric vehicle to distinguish it from plug-in hybrid electric cars. PHEVs run primarily from an internal combustion engine, which is augmented by battery power. An extended-range electric vehicle like the Volt or the Fisker Karma is driven by the batteries. The internal combustion engine charges a generator to replenish the batteries. Continue reading...
Production Karma ready for Detroit Auto Show
Car TechThe world of plug-in hybrids is about to get a whole lot sexier when the production Fisker Karma debuts at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Fisker has released early photos of the production version of the Karma, which isn't that much different from the concept revealed earlier this year at the 2008 Detroit Show. Continue reading...
Mobile industry not green enough, report says
Mobile PhonesMakers of mobile phones produce few 'green' models with biodegradable, recycled, or fully recyclable materials. And although most vendors offer recycling options, less than five per cent of the world's handsets will be recycled ethically in the end, according to a report released by ABI Research Monday.
Mobile phones are a growing source of potentially toxic electronics waste. Among some 150 million handsets retired every year, fewer than 20 per cent are recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Continue reading...
Motorola debuts D10 and D11 eco DECT phones
Green TechFollowing lukewarmly on the heels of BT's energy efficient home phones in January, Motorola has launched two 'green' DECT phones. The D10 and D11 are designed to save energy and have a smaller carbon footprint than your average blower.
Both models are made from 20 per cent recycled materials and have an 'eco mode' which reduces energy consumption and bumps up battery life. Judging from how often Crave's usual DECT phones get left out of their docks and run flat, we'd welcome anything that extends their batteries.
Continue reading...
Wilting flower dies as your energy use blooms
Green TechIf powering up your amp and monster Freesat TV leaves your neighbours in blackout misery, this new energy monitor could be for you. Dubbed the Wilting Flower, it's a visual reminder of how much electricity you're guzzling at any one moment. When you're using very little juice, it's a perky little flower with its petals open, but as you use more energy it goes red and -- if you maintain your prolifigate ways -- eventually wilts and closes up. Subtle? No. Quirky? Yes.
Designed by Carl Smith of Doncaster, the Wilting Flower is essentially a fancy-looking version of the Wattson, Efergy Meter and OWL. It works by chatting wirelessly to a clip that you DIY install onto your electricity meter (if its as easy as the Wattson, you won't electrocute yourself). We like Smith's graphic approach to reminding us of our energy use, since most of today's energy monitors employ a rather boring screen that shows how many watts or pounds you're burning.
Photos: Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo is a hybrid!
Car TechRemember a few weeks ago when Lamborghini unveiled its fabulous Estoque 4-door supercar concept? Well Porsche has one, too, and it's called the Panamera Gran Turismo. Honestly, the car makers of this world must have bumped their collective heads and gone crazy.
Don't get us wrong, we're used to seeing bizarre contraptions, but the Panamera Gran Turismo takes the biscuit, not least because it'll come in hybrid form. Porsche will give buyers the option of six and eight cylinder engines ranging in power from 300 to 500 bhp, but will also produce an eco-friendly part-electric model, details of which will be announced in 2009. Continue reading...
Video: Electric Mini E debuts at LA Auto show 
The Mini E, BWM's first fully electric-powered car, made its debut at the LA Auto show on 19 November -- in this video Brian Cooley reports on just how this mini marvel is stealing the show. Powered by a 5,088 lithium battery situated in the backseat, the motor produces 204hp and 220Nm of torque, allowing the Mini E to travel up to 150 miles when fully charged. At its fastest, the Mini E's speedometer will hit 95mph. Continue reading...
Gadget-makers scolded in Greenpeace report
Green TechGreenpeace has ticked off the major electronics firms for failing to take climate change seriously. The eco charity's tenth Greener Electronics Guide singled out Dell, Microsoft, Lenovo, LG and Samsung for failing to trim their own carbon footprints and not supporting international cuts in CO2.
Only HP and Philips are awarded gold stars on climate issues, because both have made concrete pledges to cut their carbon. "All the other companies in the Guide make vague or essentially meaningless statements about global emissions reductions and have no plans to make absolute emissions cuts themselves," Greenpeace says, sternly wagging a green finger. Continue reading...
SmartPlanet stories on Crave
Green TechYou may have noticed that we have added a bunch of stories focusing on green technology and transport to Crave. They're all taken from our sister site, SmartPlanet, which has recently been moved to a new home here on CNET UK.
SmartPlanet was all about delivering news and reviews to make it easier to create a greener and fairer world. Continue reading...
White Knight intros gas-powered Eco Tumble Dryer
British firm White Knight has launched two low carbon tumble dryers that run on gas rather than electricity. Environmentalists argue that dryers are the work of the devil because of their energy-guzzling ways, but this new Eco Tumble Dryer duo may appease greenies and please families drowning under wet clothes.
Since natural gas has relatively low carbon emissions compared to the UK's predominantly coal-generated electricity, the Eco Tumble Dryers have a carbon footprint around half that of conventional electric dryers. Continue reading...
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