greentechmedia Archives - Page 2 of 4

Why Americans Aren’t Buying more EVs

Are we worried we'll be stalled on the side of the rode with a juiceless ride? Do we balk at the sound of a quiet car? Maybe we're afraid we'll miss the smell of burned petrol. Here's a new study that shows why more Americans are not plugging in and jumping on the EV bandwagon. Nino Marchetti for Earthtechling Are we as Americans so addicted to our gas guzzling vehicles that we are unwilling to consider the benefits of more environmentally friendly forms of transportation, such as electric cars, unless it can be proven to us in a dollars and sense kind of way? That’s one take away to be considered from a recent global survey of electric vehicle opinions by research firm GfK. In its study, GfK found only 36 percent of Americans think highly of electric vehicles, which ranks us a little above China only amongst six national markets looked at. Those who outrank us in terms of “very or mainly favorable opinion” were Japan (82%), Russia (72%), Spain (65%) and France (61%). …

Geothermal, Solar Put Oregon Tech On All-Renewables Course

Pete Danko for Earthtechling Oregon Tech thinks it’s back on track with its ambitious goal of becoming the first university in North America to generate all of the electrical power it requires – from renewable sources, no less. The university, in Klamath Falls on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon, is in a great spot for renewable energy. Klamath Falls boasts that it gets nearly 300 days of sunshine a year, and the Klamath Basin sits atop a geothermal reservoir. Geothermal already serves campus heating needs and there’s a 280-kilowatt geothermal combined heat and power plant on campus. Geothermal also provides process heat to the local wastewater treatment plant and keeps dozens of city buildings, schools, swimming pools and more warm. Two-megawatt solar array going in at Oregon Tech (image via Oregon Institute of Technology) What the 3,900-student university has been aiming to do for some years now is add a 1.75 megawatt geothermal power …

GM Drops Sticker Price For Chevy Volt For 2014

Nino Marchetti for Earthtechling General Motors is set to debut the 2014 Chevrolet Volt, and with the new model year of what’s noted as being the best selling plug-in vehicle in America comes a price drop. The extended range electric vehicle will start for $34,995 which, with a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, could drop the starting price to $27,495 before one applies other price reductions such as green vehicle rebates in select states. GM is looking to broaden the vehicle’s exposure to price-sensitive prospective buyers, especially in regards to trying to make the Volt competitive against lower cost gas-powered sedans. Those who pony up for the car will be joining those, according to the automaker, who, when charging regularly, drive 900 miles between fill-ups and visit the gas station about once a month. The 2014 Volt will continue to provide owners with [a] fuel economy of 98 MPGe (electric) and 35 city/40 highway on gasoline power without any need to change thei…

Interns Help Create Solutions For Clean Energy Challenges

by National Renewable Energy Laboratory on Earthtechling They travel far and wide, from all corners of the country. They come from a diverse set of backgrounds, and they have very different plans for their futures. But the 54 student interns at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) this summer all have something in common — a thirst for knowledge and a desire to apply what they have learned in school to real-world science in a state-of-the-art laboratory environment. Each summer, students make their way to NREL’s facilities in Golden, Colorado, seeking an opportunity to work side by side with top researchers investigating the solutions to our energy challenges. “Students get to take their knowledge from school and apply it in a national laboratory environment,” said NREL Education Program Coordinator Linda Lung. “The students are contributing members of these research teams. It’s an invaluable experience for both the interns and their ment…

Clemson’s Deep Orange 3 A Striking Hybrid Design

by Nino Marchetti by earthtechling Clemson University in South Carolina is known for its International Center for Automotive Research, and in particular the Deep Orange sustainable mobility program. We profiled one of the program’s first concept vehicles designed by students back in 2010, and now those involved in it have just unveiled their third next generation ride known as Deep Orange 3. The Deep Orange 3 vehicle, according to Clemson, is a Mazda concept vehicle designed in collaboration with the automotive company. It sports what’s described as a unique hybrid powertrain that automatically chooses front-, rear- or all-wheel drive and consists of a downsized turbocharge 4-cylinder internal combustion engine mated to an electric motor with peak output of 80 kW that all total offers a combined horsepower of 208 hp. The motor is powered by a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. image via Clemson University Offering drivers a five-speed manual transmission, th…

Tree-Power? Scientists Test Battery Made Of Wood

Beth Buczynski for Earthtechling Get ready to throw all of your assumptions about how to make a battery right out the window. Scientists at the University of Maryland are working on a powerful new battery that could help reduce hazardous waste usually associated with power storage. The main ingredient? Wood. A thousand times thinner than a piece of paper, the battery is made of a sliver of wood coated with tin. Researchers say the low cost of these relatively abundant materials would make the new battery ideal for storing huge amounts of energy at once – such as solar energy harvested at a power plant. Image via Nano Letters According to researchers Liangbing Hu, Teng Li and their team, the inspiration for the wood battery came from the trees themselves. “Wood fibers that make up a tree once held mineral-rich water, and so are ideal for storing liquid electrolytes, making them not only the base but an active part of the battery,” said Hu, an assistant professor of m…