Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment — from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones — most of which don’t really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new “Cool Cars” regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun’s energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide — which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming — although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you — when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone’s a victim.

[Via AutoBlog]

Filed under: Transportation

California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The future, kids — we’re living in it. Sensationalism aside, we are pretty jazzed to hear that Toyota’s long-awaited, much-teased plug-in Prius hybrid will be making its bona fide debut to the public next week. The image above is expected to be near-final, though we’re reserving judgment until we see if the actual model on stage is plastered with 80s era stick-on graphics. Of note, the Hybrid Synergy Drive system has been upgraded for this whip, enabling it to slowly rocket from 0 to 62 without using a drop of gasoline. Once there, it can cruise for up to 12.5 miles in electric mode, and should you need to juice it back up, it’ll take 1.5 hours when charged from a 230V source. Further details are expected to flow as Frankfurt heats up, though the whole “not shipping to retail until 2012” kind of puts a damper on our excitement.

Filed under: Transportation

Toyota’s plug-in hybrid Prius gets pictured, detailed further originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not long after establishing a prototype EV battery switching station in Japan, Better Place is now partnering with Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, to put the thing through its paces, swapping out batteries for up to four electric hacks scheduled to run from the Roppongi Hills shopping and office complex beginning in January next year. In Tokyo, cabs account for only two percent of the traffic, yet they produce twenty-percent of its CO2 emissions — a fact that further drives home the point that greening our public transportation is an important first step in cleaning up the environment. The study comes hot on the heels of other deals in the works for Israel, Europe, and the San Francisco. Albert Hockenberry would be impressed.

[Via PhysOrg]

Filed under: Transportation

Better Place tests its EV battery switching stations on Tokyo cabbies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leave it to a gaggle of brilliant wood science researchers at Oregon State University to figure out that we’ve been doing this whole “tire” thing wrong for generations now. While studying some uses of microcrystalline cellulose, which can be made easily from practically any type of plant fiber, these Earth-loving gurus discovered that said material could actually improve the efficiency of vehicle tires when used in place of silica. Granted, only about 12 percent of the silica — which is used as a reinforcing filler in the manufacture of rubber tires — was swapped out, but the resulting tires gripped just as well in wet weather while decreasing the rolling resistance during those dry summer months. Furthermore, tires constructed with these fibers could be made with less energy, though long-term durability studies are still needed to prove that this whole plan is viable for more than a few thousand miles.

[Via Gizmag]

Filed under: Transportation, Science

OSU foresters swap tree fibers for rubber in fuel efficient tires originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mind you, we’re talking just one of the 30,000 or so McDonalds around the world. Nevertheless, the first “green” version of the ubiquitous US “restaurant” will offer NovaCharge ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations when it opens in Cary, North Carolina on July 14th. The idea is to recharge your plug-in Electric Vehicle while “enjoying your meal.” Unfortunately, the current generation of EV batteries won’t likely benefit from the 10 minutes or so it takes to gulp down a value meal. However, Mickey D’s might be on to something should drivers choose to stay for the additional 2-hours of regret that follows.

[Via RedFerret]

Filed under: Transportation

McDonalds to offer ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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