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Toyota to build new Prius in Eco-Factory in Japan
While the argument about whether a Hummer H2 is actually more environmentally friendly than a Toyota Prius has long since been debunked (even if it keeps popping up its ugly head), it does raise a valid point. A major part of the environmental impact of transportation devices like cars and trucks comes during the manufacturing and disposal phases of their existences. Evaluating environmental impact requires total lifecycle analysis of the product, something that Toyota has done for the new 2010 Prius. The Tsutsumi plant that builds the Prius ... Read more →
Greenlings: Why don't we use solar to power our electric cars? Jeremy Korzeniewski
Venturi Astrolab concept - Click above for high-res image gallery For years, we've been watching as solar-powered race cars travel at relatively high rates of speed for hours on end – as ...
REPORT: Koenigsegg's purchase of Saab may bring electric Quant concept to production Jeremy Korzeniewski
NLV Quant by Koenigsegg - Click above for high-res image gallery Now that Koenigsegg's purchase of ailing fellow Swedish automaker Saab is all but officially official, our attention naturally ...
Meet the HST (Highly Sophisticated Transporter), a large, green semi truck Sebastian Blanco
Highly Sophisticated Transporter (HST) - Click above for a high-res image gallery As companies like Ford know, eliminating semi truck miles from the supply chain has a noticeable greening effect. ...
Police in Ohio go solar [w/VIDEO] Jeremy Korzeniewski
Click above to watch the video after the break The Ohio State Highway Patrol says it was able to save roughly $1 million in fuel costs in 2008 (reportedly a 16.4-percent savings) by increasing ...
More solar news
Meet a MINI E that will only use solar power 24 days ago on AutoblogGreen
MINI E - Click above for image gallery The all-electric MINI Es are starting to be delivered, and AutoblogGreen reader David VM. will do something a little extra with his new ride: power it completely by solar power. David has started up a new blog called MINI E 19 (his car is #19) and the ...
8th graders build solar human hybrid vehicle 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
A group of 8th grade students at Novato Charter School in Marin County in California have produced an interesting new project. They've created a solar human hybrid vehicle that combines the power of the sun with pedal power. The students started off with a four-wheeled, four-passenger pedal powered ...
Omaha man builds electric motorcycle in spare time (w/VIDEO) 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Electra Green DIY electric motorcycle - Click above for an image gallery A man from Omaha, Nebraska named Tony Parker (no, not that Tony Parker) recently found himself with a bunch of extra time on his hands after being laid off from his job, so he decided to try and put it to good use by ...
Kyocera offers details on solar cells used by 2010 Prius 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Want to know more about the solar moonroof option that's available on the latest third-generation Toyota Prius for 2010? Read on. According to Tech-On from Nikkei newspaper in Japan, the actual polycrystalline Si cells used by the automaker are supplied by Kyocera and are arranged in six columns ...
NREL hosts Colorado middle school teams to race solar, hydrogen models 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is hosting a Junior Solar Sprint and Hydrogen Fuel Cell car competition today out in Colorado. Even though grown-ups won't get any more Federal money for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, students from 29 Colorado middle schools will get to play with compete ...
Seat Brisa and Duna concepts point the way to solar power 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Seat Brisa and Duna concepts - Click above for a high-res image gallery At this point, vehicles covered in solar panels aren't yet able to offer a viable alternative to the fossil fuel-powered cars and trucks that we currently rely on. There's hope that this fact will someday change, but that ...
Phoenix man taps into the sun with his DIY solar motorcycle 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above to watch the video after the break Anyone living near Phoenix, Arizona would be able to tell you that there's a reason the area is nicknamed "The Valley of the Sun." It may be mildly oppressive from time to time (or just about all summer, depending on your point of view), but the sun ...
Xof1 solar car team victims of theft in New Orleans 2 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Marcelo da Luz and his team, world record holders for the furthest distance traveled in a solar-powered car, have had their share of ups and downs on their journey across North America in the Xof1 (Power of One) solar car. At one point, the car was even mistaken for a flying saucer with little ...
Shanghai 2009: Geely IG concept would make a great EV 2 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Geely IG Fantastic Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery One of the most interesting concepts at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show is the Geely IG Fantastic. We're happy to report that the car's styling is unique and doesn't appear derivative of any other designs. The seating position is ...
AAA picks 10 best new vehicle technologies, thinks green 2 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Ford SmartGauge cluster - Click above for a high res gallery It's no secret that automobiles get more technologically advanced every passing year. A good deal of these vehicular innovations have a lot to do with saving gas, reducing emissions, and, more recently, teaching the driver to pilot the ...
Biodiesel, Solar power come out ahead in Lexus Eco Challenge 2 months ago on AutoblogGreen
The 2008-09 edition of the Lexus Eco Challenge is over and high school teams from Illinois and Florida have captured the top $50,000 prizes. The competition is open to teams of middle and high school students nationwide and is intended to encourage them to get involved in projects that help the ...
Solar car from Cambridge University unveiled 2 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for hi-res gallery of "Bethany" Competition for the 2009 edition of the World Solar Challenge is shaping up to be somewhat formidable as the Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) team reveals the craft they're bringing to the party in Australia this October. Although its "Bethany" ...
Romag introduces PowerPark solar carport 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
A new solar carport has just been launched in the UK from a company called Romag Holdings, a firm that produces "specialist transparent composites" including laminated photovoltaic panels. Called PowerParks, these carports would act as a shelter and charging point for electric vehicles. Each unit ...
Porsche green has solar sheen 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Although Porsche may not employ a lot of green tech in their cars (though that is starting to change), the same can not be said of their facilities. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) has just installed a huge solar array atop their operations in Ontario, California. With design and ...
Sunny Green Box: Heating tires the green way 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for an image gallery of the Sunny Green Box Ever been to an automobile race? If so, you've surely noticed that every team on the grid has a pile of tires just waiting to be bolted on their race cars, and none of them goes on cold. Generally, the stacks of tires are placed inside ...
It's Friday: Home-built solar trike boggles the mind 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Solar technology, while promising, doesn't quite seem ready to power our vehicles. Large solar installations that constantly collect the sun's rays and store them for later use may be an excellent option to power electric vehicles, but even the best photovoltaic cells in the world are not yet ...
Xof1 (Power of One) solar car sets new distance record, reaches LA 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
We've kept you informed about the progress of the Xof1, also known as "The Power of 1," since the vehicle left Buffalo, NY last June (remember the UFO incident?). The original plan was to go from Buffalo, NY to Inuvik, NT (up in the Artic Circle) and back, but the trip has now been extended. But, ...
Should we "Just Say No!" to renewable energy zones? 3 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Mesila Valley Desert by Brian Stansberry Creative Commons A few days ago, Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar established a task force to identify zones on public lands where the department can help begin the development of mega-sized renewable resource projects. At first blush this sounds ...
MIT unveils "Eleanor" 2009 World Solar Challenge competitor 4 months ago on AutoblogGreen
The World Solar Challenge is back for its tenth outing across the wilds of Australia this October. Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the only ones to have competed in every single running and Eleanor is their tenth such effort. This Eleanor is nothing like the 1968 Mustang ...
Geneva Preview: Protoscar teases new LAMPO electric sportscar 4 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Protoscar LAMPOS concept Back in January, Swiss design company Protoscar revealed that it would debut a new electric sportscar called the LAMPO at the Geneva Motor Show. With that date right around the corner, the firm has released a bunch of new photos ...
Solar-powered pontoon boat gets official thumbs up w/video 4 months ago on AutoblogGreen
The Sunrider 6,2, a solar-powered pontoon boat by Navgathi Marine Design & Constructions Pvt. Ltd., has received a hearty endorsement from Malcom Moss, president of the Electric Boat Association UK. The 10-passenger craft, currently undergoing trials in India, gave Moss a taste of its charms ...
Geneva Preview: Details on Rinspeed iChange concept filter out 4 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Rinspeed iChange Last month, we learned that Rinspeed would be debuting another of its crazy concept vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show, now a few more details about the Swiss-designed vehicle, along with a ton of new images, are making the rounds. ...
Chicago 2009: Propane-powered Saturn Vue Hybrid 4 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for a gallery of the propane-powered Saturn Vue Hybrid Tucked away in a corner of the Chicago Auto Show was a booth from Shell Gasoline, and included amongst the tuner vehicles was a Saturn Vue Hybrid that was converted to run on propane. Other modifications to the vehicle include a ...
Aptera design team brings same philosophy to solar-powered boat 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Using the same high efficiency and "user first" philosophy they applied to the Aptera 2e, Jason Hill of Eleven and Nathan Armstrong of Motive Industries have done the impossible and re-made the pontoon boat into a thing of environmentally-sound beauty. On behalf of the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat ...
DC Auto Show: Destiny 2000 used to be a Fiero, now it's a solar electric 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
There is section of the DC Auto Show, called the Green Car Pavilion, that is intended to highlight alternative fuel vehicles. Before the show officially opens tomorrow, we managed to take a walk around the GCP and saw an interesting collection of vehicles parked there. One was the bright yellow ...
Ferrari goes green with rooftop solar installation 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above to enlarge the Ferrari solar roof What's red, green and Italian all at the same time? That would be the rooftop solar installation that Ferrari has recently installed on its Engine Mechanical Machining facility in Maranello, Italy. The system, created and installed by a company ...
RORMaxx Formula AE looks good on paper 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above for a high-res gallery of the RORMaxx What do 18-year-old high school students dream of these days? Superslick eco-friendly sports cars, apparently. The RORMaxx Formula AE is the alternative energy vehicle created by two seniors at Harvard?Westlake High School in California, Rory ...
Honda advertises cars with green hybrid billboards 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Click above to enlarge If you are going to bill yourselves as the World's Greenest Automaker, as Honda does from time to time, you'd better be willing to back it up. Luckily, Honda always seems to be looking for a way to do just that. Whether it's by offering the best overall fuel economy in the ...
Toyota denies plans to build solar car 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
I warned you not to hold your breath on that solar-powered Toyota. A recent story from Reuters indicated that the Japanese automaker was developing a solar-powered car although a plug-in car would be an intermediate step along the way. In spite of the excitement from some of our commenters, It now ...
China could get world's largest solar power facility 5 months ago on AutoblogGreen
The largest solar power generating station ever might soon be built could be installed at the Qaidam Basin in Northwestern China. China Technology Development Group is planning to build a 1 GW facility comprised of crystalline silicon and thin-film solar cells. The company and partner Qinghai New ...
Toyota developing solar-powered car for the road 6 months ago on AutoblogGreen
Don't get too excited yet, but reports are coming out of Japan that say Toyota is developing a solar-powered car. First of all an electric car that draws electricity solely from the sun is still quite a few years off. The first stage is a car that gets some power directly from vehicle mounted solar ...
