Click above for more images of the Aptera Typ1 e

Way back in September of 2006, Google.org, the philanthropic part of the Internet giant, announced that it would be investing in PHEVs. The following year, Google followed that bit of news up by launching its RechargeIT initiative which would begin investing in some for-profit manufacturers in an effort to see these fuel-saving products make it to market as quickly as possible. The first two investments from RechargeIT have now officially been announced, and at least one of the companies benefiting from the $2.75 million investment should be well known to our readers: Aptera.

We've been covering the futuristic new vehicle since it was first introduced, and its exciting to see the project mature to the point where people, in California at least, are anxiously awaiting the first electric Apteras to be delivered. This financing should only help matters as the company works to get its electric and hybrid vehicles to customers as quickly as possible.

The other company receiving some funding is known as ActaCell and is based in Austin, Texas. Based at the University of Texas, Actacel is hard at work refining its lithium ion battery technology with the goal of producing low cost, high output cells while retaining a high degree of safety. A tall order for sure, though one that could be made easier with its newfound cash outlay. We've pasted ActaCell's press release after the break. Thanks for the tip, Karen!


[Source: Google.org via Cleantech]

Google - they of the all-knowing search and the more apropros RechargeIT plug-in hybrid project - wants to see your video. The Google.org project will be hosting a conference in Washington, D.C. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in mid-June and is looking for homebrew videos that either a.) make a strong case for buying a plug-in electric vehicle or b.) explain why your own plug-in car or truck is the best ride. Don't get too preachy or wordy, as all the videos in the "Why I Want to Drive a Plug-In" contest need to max out at 90 seconds.

The videos must be uploaded to YouTube by June 4 and the "most informative, original and funniest videos" will be shown at the conference and will be featured on an interactive map on Google.org's RechargeIT website. If you can't make it to D.C., the conference will be webcast here on the 11th and the 12th.

[Source: Google]

Last year, Google made some waves when they announced the RechargeIT project to convert a fleet of Toyota Priuses and Ford Escape hybrids to plug-in capability. The company has just issued their first progress report on the program, and the results may be disappointing for those promoting plug-in conversions. Right now the only way to get a plug-in hybrid is to buy an off-the shelf model like the Prius or Escape and than install a $10-15,000 conversion kit. Unfortunately, as we learned from a recent interview with GM's Pete Savagian, a conversion PHEV provides a limited additional benefit over a conventional parallel hybrid because the motors typically don't have enough power to drive the vehicle under most conditions without the engine turning on.

The other issue is that as fuel efficiency increases, the incremental savings in fuel use actually decrease. This is more apparent if you use the European units of fuel consumption which is measured in L/100km. If consumption is reduced from 12L/100km (19.6mpg) to 6L/100km (39.2mpg) you would save 6L on a 100km trip. Doubling mileage again going to 3L/100km (78.2mpg) only saves an additional 3L. This is apparent when you take an already efficient car like the Prius which starts at 44.6mpg and increase it to the 66.2mpg that Google saw. The result over 12,000 miles of annual driving is 88 gallons of fuel saved. At $3/gal, that's $158/year (after factoring in electricity costs). At that rate the $15,000 conversion would take 95 years to recover the cost. Ouch.

Google points out that most of the driving was on short runs where the engine often runs early in the drive to power certain vehicle subsystems. Longer runs would increase the mileage further, but you still have the issue of diminishing returns. With gas at $5/gal and a conversion cost of $10,000, the payback drops to a mere thirty years. Until vehicles are actually engineered from the ground up as PHEVs and mass produced to bring down cost, the cost benefits simply won't be realized by people doing conversions. Reduced emissions and oil use, though, should still take place.

[Source: Google.org via CNet]

As a part of Google's never-ending quest to photograph the entire world from cameras mounted on the tops of cars, the Internet giant has added Switzerland to the list of countries covered by Street View. According to this article, Google has hired some 300 new drivers for this project, although the company doesn't have any vehicles for them to drive yet. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, seems to have wanted to bolster Google's green-cred by using the Toyota Prius for the operation, but engineers could not find a suitable way to attach the cameras to the roof of the hybrid.

We have a suggestion: add a roof rack to the Prius and go from there.

[Source: ValleyWag]

Google.org has $10 M they want to invest in your for-profit company. That is, if you have a great idea to advance sustainable transport. Google.org already gave a million to not-for-profits and launched the RechargeIT initiative. Now, Google.org wants to put some money into something that can make some money.

Google.org plans to invest as little as $500,000 per company so 20 companies may win investment. The request goes out to any company in the world "whose innovative approach, team and technologies will enable widespread commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, electric vehicles and/or vehicle-to-grid solutions." They are looking for early state technology ventures and green car product or service companies. Sounds like you? They only want 5 pages describing the product, staff, plans, etc. Deadline is October 22, 2007. Read the official request for investment proposals for more details.

Good luck.

[Source: Google's official blog via Hybrid Car Review]

Google consumes a lot of electricity in order to run all those server farms that provide us with all their free services like GMail, Maps, and all their other apps. In an effort counteract that carbon footprint, they are now offering free bicycles to many of their employees. Everyone who works for Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will be offered a free Raleigh bike. Of course the company wants everyone to know who the source of the largess is so they will be carrying the Google brand name. So far their is no word on whether American Googlers will also be offered free bicycles to get out of their SUVs.

[Source: The Guardian via GreenOptions]

There's nothing worse than sitting in traffic, especially knowing that your vehicle, and all those around you, are contributing to carbon emissions while achieving next to nothing in terms of useful work. The ideal situation of course is to avoid the traffic jams in the first place and most modern satellite navigation systems are helping to do that. But for everyone else with access to a web browser and a moment's spare time before heading out the door to work in the morning, Google is out to help us dodge the traffic congestion too.

Google have just updated their Maps website service to offer up-to-date traffic conditions in more than 30 major U.S. cities to help everyone plan their route and schedule. When traffic information is available, it can be overlaid via a single button in the updated Maps interface to give a fast, colour-coded readout of the current traffic speeds. Red indicates a stop-and-go commute of less than 25 mph, yellow means that cars are moving along at a moderate 25 - 50 mph, and green is what everyone wants - a comfortable cruise at more than 50 mph.

Analysis: Optimising traffic flows is an intricate science with big rewards environmentally and socially every time you can tweak a traffic system to get people home five minutes earlier. Knowing what roads to avoid on a particular day should see everyone win, especially you and your fuel budget.

Related:

• Aussie car round-up ranks economy and practicality
• Who will decide fuel economy requirements: NHTSA or Congress?
• Kiplinger site shows how much sticker mileage will drop next year

[Source: Google blog]

If you happen to work for either Google or Bank of America, and you were thinking of buying a hybrid vehicle, you're in luck. Both companies are offering cash back to their employees if they buy a hybrid car. As we noted, on February 2nd, Bank of America announced that their employees would be eligible for $3,000 back for buying green. Since starting a pilot program in the Boston area last year, the bank has seen hybrid purchases by their employees quadruple. The rebate is in addition to any tax credits that are available on the car, and employees can only get the rebate one time.

Google's offer is even sweeter: $5,000 if your car gets more than 45 mpg. It's been offered for a while, but we wanted to mention it again, to give the BoA deal some comparison.

Related:

• Bank of America gives hybrid-buying employees $3,000 each

[Source: MSNBC.com via eGMCarTech]

British supermarket chain Tesco, the fourth-largest retail chain in the world, is teaming up with Los Angeles-based Solar Integrated Technologies to build what is claimed to be the world's biggest roof-top solar panel installation. Solar Integrated won the $13 million contract to install solar panels on the roof of Tesco USA's new distribution center in Riverside, California.

The 2 MW Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system will cover 500,000 square feet of the 640,000 square footage of roof space at the facility and is set to provide one fifth of the depot's power supply. This will effectively reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200 tons per annum. Solar Integrated Technologies has previously provided BIPV solutions for other large corporations including Frito-Lay (100 kW at one facility) and Cola-Cola (329kW at one facility).

This is not the first example of Tesco taking the lead in reducing their environmental impacts, just two weeks ago they pledged to set an environmentally friendly example to its millions of customers by spending more than 500 million pounds ($987 million), cutting prices on energy-efficient products and reducing pollution. Previously, Tesco reduced their energy consumption per square foot by 35 percent over the eight years to 2006.

Running a chain of petrol stations in addition to their supermarket chain, Tesco is also the United Kingdom's market leader in the sales of biofuels. Their sales of biofuel blends will see emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, cut by more than 70,000 tonnes per annum.

Tesco has embraced biofuels in their own distribution fleet, announcing last month that is now running run three-quarters of its fleet on a B50 biodiesel blend which is made from 50 percent biodiesel and 50 percent petroleum diesel. The Tesco fleet of 2,000 lorries will be the first major fleet in the U.K. to use B50. The reduction in the whole-of-life emissions through the move to B50 is equivalent to the removal of over 20,000 medium sized cars off the road.

Last year Google made headlines by announcing that they would install around 9,000 solar panels at their corporate campus as parking shades and on roofs to provide 1.6-megawatts of solar power - enough to cover 30 percent of Google's power needs.

Analysis: Corporate solar is a growth industry providing companies with an opportunity to reduce their often massive electricity bills while highlighting their green credentials. Expect to see more and more companies with a reputation for aggressively focusing on their bottom line to install BIPV systems which will have a positive impact on the grid as a whole.

As Michael Brylawski of the Rocky Mountain Institute said in part three of his feature interview, "(plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) PHEVs could form a synergy of sort with 'intermittent' renewables like wind and solar... PHEVs being plugged in at night, and quite possibly at the office during the day, could offer a strong alternative for buffering renewables." Increased renewable electricity generation goes hand in hand with the take-up of PHEVs providing a holistic alternative to simply generating enough electricity to meet peak demand and wasting the rest.

Related:

• Interview with Michael Brylawski of RMI
• Google to build solar car ports at headquarters
• Portugal wants 45% renewable electricity output and 10% of all fuels to be biofuels

[Source: Reuters]

Not wanting to let a sprawling parking lot go to waste, Google will build car ports topped with solar panels at its headquarters. The entire project involves some 9,000 solar panels, a third of which will be used in overhanging parking shades. The others go on rooftops at the million-square-foot campus. The 1.6-megawatt solar system could power 1,000 homes but covers only 30 percent of Google's electron appetite. Officials say that by building the parking-lot panels the company makes a visible statement of its commitment to the environment. Energy Innovations will handle the work. The photo shows one of the company's other solar parking lot projects that includes charging stations for EVs. Engineers say that building these "solar trees" is easier than installing solar panels on rooftops. One company, Envision Solar, is developing a residential-friendly, do-it-yourself solar car port.

Related:

• Google co-op search for hybrid cars

[Source: Wired]

For the last three years, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transporation have ranked 20 companies that they feel offer the best benefits for commuters and for three years Intel has come out on top. Why shouldn't they? They offer their employees vanpools, subsidies for public transportation, showers and storage for those who bike or run and even a dry-cleaner to lessen the demand for driving. And what if you could measure your commute times in milliseconds? In 2005, a whopping 40 percent of their employees got to work via the Internet.

According to Reuters, the ranking is part of a federal government effort to reduce traffic congestion and auto emissions by eliminating the American habit of driving to work alone.

You can view the full list after the jump. See if you can find the patterns. Reuters was kind enough to point out that almost all are technology companies and only eight are in states that do not touch the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and don't immediately fret if your company didn't make the cut. The ranking was only open to 133 firms with at least 700,000 employees.

[Source: Reuters via MSNBC]

Google.org, the philanthropic organization set up by the Google founders, was given seed money of about $1 billion with the mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming. The organization is unlike most charities, since it is a for-profit entity. This allows Google.org to form partnerships with venture capitalists and fund start-up companies. It also means the organization will pay taxes, something most charities are exempt from.

Since one of its goals is to tackle global warming, Google.org plans to develop an ultra-efficient plug-in hybrid car that runs on ethanol, electricity and gasoline, in collaboration with hybrid-engine scientists and automakers. They also plan for the purchase of a small fleet of cars with plans to convert them to achieve 100 miles per gallon or better mileage. Dr. Larry Brilliant, the executive director of Google.org, declined to comment on the car project specifically.

[Source: The New York Times, via KickingTires]

Sibling blog Gadling posts about Green Summer Tours, a Google-created website of "green" trips in five major U.S. cities. The video tours of the cities--Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, and San Francisco--include information on activities ,parks, restaurants, and hotels, all aimed at environmental-friendliness. Check it out. We would add dashing about in a NuRide or Flexcar to make such a trip the ultimate green experience.

[Source: Google via Gadling

The hybrid incentives offered by the Bank of America that Joel wrote about earlier today are just some of the many city- and company-sponsored hybrid special offers available to employees and members across the country. The Boston Globe had a run-down of these incentives in yesterday's edition, and, as you can see in the graphic, some companies are really putting their money where their mouths are. The incentives – ranging from Google's $5,000 to buy a hybrid to St. Paul Travelers getting a 10 percent discount on car insurance to parking for free in the city of New Haven – can help offset the initial high price of a hybrid vehicle compared to a conventional one. According to the Globe, hybrid car registrations increased 139 percent to 199,148, in America last year.
Also, to update the Bank of America story, the company incentive could be offered to employees across America if it successful.

[Source: Boston Globe, Thanks to Matt Saunders]