The analysis and interpretation of increase in average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and the oceans since mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation— Wikipedia
Don’t say ethanol never paid off for anyone. Summitville, Indiana resident Pamela Smith stopped off to buy E85 earlier this month and dropped a few bucks into the Indiana lottery. Luck was with her, and she won the $2.5 million Hoosier Lotto jackpot.
“I was looking for Ethanol gas,” Smith in a statement. “I actually went inside the gas station to thank the manager for carrying Ethanol because it’s so hard to find. It was an impulse buy for me to purchase one dollar of Lotto and one dollar of Powerball.”
Indiana lottery officials said that Smith will take her winnings as a $980,296 lump sum (before taxes). Anyone seen any ethanol company executives down at the corner store lately?
It’s been a little more than a year since we first started tracking the development of the wind-powered car by Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince. His latest video installment, part 9 of 6 (not a typo), is now available and in it, we catch up on all the latest news and are even assured that the completion of the vehicle is within sight. The former Lotus Exige is in the process of re-assembly and not only is the front end now complete, but the big battery box has also been bonded in. Right, so what’s holding things up? Well, one of the project engineers is in the process of inventing the new technology necessary to make it all work once it’s put together and they’re discovering it’s difficult to manage the rate at which such invention transpires. As Ian, the project manager states, “I can’t go and beat him with a stick and say, ‘You must have it done,’ because it just won’t work”. Indeed, it probably wouldn’t.
Fret not though, at the end of this episode, that includes a fascinating trip to Leeds University, Vince assures us that, “I’m confident we’ll have the car running in a couple of months.” We sure hope he does and we’ll be here waiting to show it to you. Hit the jump for another installment of wind car inventing action.
With the introduction of the new HS250h, Lexus brings forth the first dedicated luxury hybrid. In the process it’s also expanding the electrification of ancillary components. Ever since the original Prius, hybrid engineers have been replacing mechanically driven systems with electrically driven equivalents. For example, components like hydraulic power steering pumps are replaced by electric versions, as are air conditioning systems. This is partly to ensure that these systems continue to function when the engine has been shut off and electric drive is active.
These electric systems are also more efficient and can be controlled to provide their functions on demand, thus reducing parasitic losses from driving them continuously. The latest addition to this electrified drive lineup is the transmission oil pump on the HS250h. The oil now also flows over the electric drive motor, improving its efficiency. The new electric pump is actually the second on Toyota’s new for 2010 hybrids. The new Prius and HS250h both feature electric water pumps as well.
One of the most difficult tasks in achieving a greener and more resource efficient life on planet Earth is changing inherent patterns or attitudes in each and everyone of us. Because it is the direct grand collective impact of our actions in regards to resource usage and consumption that will determine the future of Earth’s environment. Creating awareness and eco-consciousness is a critical first step in this. The Bhagidari of Delhi (India) Government, a citizen-government partnership initiative, has been making serious attempts at creating awareness amongst the citizens of Delhi regarding environment and pushing them towards more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
The Japanese market has never been particularly fond of diesel cars, but Subaru is getting ready to try anyway. Subaru launched its first diesel boxer engine in Europe in 2008 and so far has sold over 30,000 examples. The diesel accounts for 54.1 percent of Legacy sales in Europe right now. With new emissions regulations set to take effect in Japan in 2010, Subaru is working on improving its diesel before offering it in the home market. At theNew York Auto Show we spoke to Subaru spokesman Dominic Infante who re-affirmed that Subaru still has plans to offer its diesel in the U.S. sometime in the next decade.
Subaru also plans to start leasing of its electric Stella mini car this summer in Japan for commercial fleet customers. At some point in the coming decade, Subaru also plans to offer hybrid vehicles based on Toyota technology.
After a year-long demonstration project, the U.S. Navy is poised add its own contribution to reducing the military’s carbon bootprint – or carbon wake, as the case may be. The Navy stands to gain up to 87% in savings for shipboard lighting, by switching from conventional light bulbs to high efficiency LED and HID systems developed through DARPA under the HEDLight (High Efficiency Distributed Lighting) program. One recent retrofit has been accomplished by Ohio-based Energy Focus, Inc. Saving energy is just part of the picture: the quantum leap to HEDLight is also expected to yield significant gains in the Navy’s strategic efficiency.
It’s never too early to begin teaching kids the merits of an eco-friendly lifestyle. This point was driven home by members of Cub Scouts packs 294 and 261, who were recently tasked with the responsibility of creating full-size derby carts completely from recycled materials. Says Patrick Martin, leader of Cub Scout Pack 261:
No. 1 is to teach the boys even though something may have come to the end of its useful life in one aspect, it may be helpful in another aspect. So think twice before you throw something away.
Brothers Joseph and Luke Redlawski created a derby car that featured a frame made from repurposed wood from a friend’s dismantled barn, front wheels from a wagon and rear wheels from a golf cart. Yes, there were a few crashes, but, judging from the story at The Times Herald, the kids had fun.
An October, 2002 the EPA-funded study on the health risks from Coal Ash dumps, which showed an increased cancer risk as well as the risk of non-cancer illnesses, was never released to the public.
The predicted cancer risk increase–up to 1 in 50 more cases per site–was due to arsenic leaching into the water table from unlined waste (coal ash) ponds. Non cancer health problems, including liver and kidney damage, were also shown to be at increased risk for residents living within a few miles of the waste ponds. Additionally, neurological damage from lead leaching was also a major risk finding.
The EPA did release an edited version of the study in August of 2007, but, according to environmental groups, it omitted the risks to marine animals. Environmentalist fear that the risk may be even greater than the study predicts, due to the fact that the EPA based its findings on a smaller survey data set (of total coal ash ponds)–40% less than the Industry reported in the subsequent year. Currently, there are at least 427 documented, coal ash waste ponds in the US.
Speaking in an interview with Robert Farago from The Truth About Cars, Malcolm Bricklin offered a few more details on his plans to convert existing vehicles from Chrysler and General Motors to hydrogen hybrids. To put it mildly, we remain unconvinced that the technology will work, but Bricklin once again asserts that he’s got a working prototype and will show off a functioning vehicle with the technology in about 90 days.
According to Bricklin, his hydrogen-on-demand unit measures just four by six by eight inches (about the size of a coffee cup, he says) and will increase the fuel mileage of any internal combustion engine by 50 to 100 percent. He further suggests that the biggest hurdles his team had to overcome in making the unit work was “overheating, blowing out the engine’s O2 sensors and corrosion of the stainless steel housing unit.”
Naturally, it will cost a lot of money to purchase up to 300,000 new vehicles from GM and Chrysler to start this venture, which is why Bricklin is hoping to get funding from the Department of Energy as part of its $25 billion AVTM program to promote the manufacture of eco-friendly automobiles.
Tata Nano – Click above for a high res image gallery
After 203,000 firm orders, Indian automaker Tata found out that most buyers had opted for the more expensive variants of the Nano: only 20 percent of orders have been placed for the base model. The consequence is that Tata is considering a new strategy for the Nano, introducing new variants to make it even more attractive for the local market. One of the most important features will be the introduction of a new 0.8-liter diesel engine, developed by German company FEV. A 3-door version hatchback Nano, an idea that was originally rejected, is also in the works. Plans for the European versions are, so far, unchanged, but will surely benefit from the diesel variant.
Orange County Choppers natural gas-powered motorcycle – Click above to watch a video after the break
Just about two years ago, the crew from Orange County Choppers built a custom motorcycle powered by E85. That bike was paid for by the Iowa Farm Bureau, which obviously has a vested interest in promoting the use of corn-based alcohol fuel.
Apparently, the Teutels haven’t given up on promoting alternative energy sources as they’ve just pulled the covers off the World’s First Natural Gas-Powered Chopper at a ceremony near their headquarters in New York. Naturally, this project will be seen by the millions of viewers who tune into TLC to watch American Chopper sometime within the next few months.
We’re woefully short on any actual details like how much horsepower the big, air-cooled V-twin engine makes, how much compressed natural gas the bike’s tank can hold or what it’s range may be, but we do have a video of the bike’s unveiling to the employees of the Chesapeake Bay Energy Corporation, which is the company that partnered up with OCC to get the custom bike built. Wanna watch? Click past the break for the video.
BMW will be launching its first two production hybrid vehicles late this year and some spy shots of the first one have turned up in Germany. The 755iH, as the name implies, is a gas electric version of the recently launched 7-Series sedan. While the upcoming X6 uses the two-mode hybrid system, the 755 pairs up BMW’s 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 with the mild hybrid system developed with Daimler.
The 755 looks pretty much the same as the standard 750 but this particular example has the usual accouterments that go with a development prototype including the lap stand in the front passenger area, extra power ports under the dash for data loggers and other test equipment. There is also a fire extinguisher by the driver’s door. The only external indication is the experimental hybrid bumper sticker.
The hybrid system uses a 20 kW electric motor between the engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. A lithium ion battery will provide electrical energy storage.
According to the journal Nature Geosciences,“increasing concentrations of black carbon have substantially contributed to rapid Arctic warming during the past three decades.”
A paper from that journal, “Climate response to regional radiative forcing during the twentieth century,” was authored by climate researchers Drew Shindell, at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Greg Faluvegi of Columbia University. Shindell, Faluvegi, and many other climate scientists believe that limiting black carbon sources may “buy the world some time” in the race to control climate change as richer nations develop their climate change policies and begin taking the slow steps towards overhauling their carbon heavy energy sources.
The researchers assert that aerosols are responsible for “half or more” of Arctic warming. Unexpectedly, their paper’s claims and recommendations sparked a flurry of critical emails, perhaps due to confusion over the atmospheric roles of different aerosols.
Marine biologists have discovered a dense population of mussels (the vent mussel Bathymodiolus brevior, a common, edible bi-valve “shellfish”), carpeting the sides of a submarine volcano, which has survived–despite the highly acidic environment–for the past 40 years. The results of this study were reported in a recent, on-line edition of the Journal Nature Geoscience.
The acidification of ocean habitats due to increased absorption of CO2 (which reacts with water to form carbonic acid) has become an issue of great concern over the past decade. Shellfish and other marine species (like corals and snails) that make their “homes” or shells from carbonates of calcium (CaCO3), are vulnerable to more acidic waters. A lower ph (generally below 8 on the ph scale) marine environment makes calcium ions less available to these creatures to fabricate their fortifications against nature’s predators and chemical forces. The result of this acidic exposure in shellfish is typically a much thinner shell, thus making the creature more susceptible to predation and even disease (as in the case of many corals; see: ).
Don’t say ethanol never paid off for anyone. Summitville, Indiana resident Pamela Smith stopped off to buy E85 earlier this month and dropped a few bucks into the Indiana lottery. Luck was with her, and she won the $2.5 million Hoosier Lotto jackpot.
As you know, 
