Hasta La Gadget!

We don’t know what charlatanism is afoot here, but word is that Australian company Digital Works has come up with a way to recharge non-rechargeable batteries. We’d usually scoff at such blasphemy, but the tech has been convincing enough to at least get PC Treasures (who?) to distribute the ReZap Battery Engineer on the North American continent. This little do-it-all device will juice up rechargeable and standard batteries alike — allowing up to 10 recharges for the latter type — and is also capable of electrifying up to four cells of varying sizes at the same time. You can expect the ReZap to arrive in May with an SRP of $59.95, which we’d consider cheap if it does everything it promises, or extortionate in the somewhat more likely event that it doesn’t. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Digital Works’ ReZap recharges disposable batteries, coming to North America in May

Digital Works’ ReZap recharges disposable batteries, coming to North America in May originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talk about a revival story. Recently saved from the brink of disaster, Think Electric is back in a big way. Fittingly announced around the New York Auto Show, the company has revealed that it will begin selling its Think City — one of the planet’s first highway-capable electric vehicles, it’ll have you know! — in New York and “other select cities” later on in 2010. Think’s currently working in conjunction with the US Department of Energy’s local Clean Cities chapters to make it happen in the Big Apple, but exact details (you know, like an on sale date and MSRPs) are nowhere to be found. Considering this company’s position just six months ago, though, we’ll take whatever progress we can get.

Think to start selling City electric vehicle in New York, other locales this year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ll be forgiven for letting the PlanetSolar boat slip your mind in the year that’s passed since we last heard of it, but the engineers behind the project haven’t been slacking and today we’re hearing that the multihull vessel has been put into the water to begin its seafaring tests. With nearly 5,400 square feet of photovoltaic cells adorning its roof, this is by far the biggest and most ambitious solar-powered boat yet, so it’s no surprise that it won’t be casting off on its globe circumnavigation attempt until at least April 2011. For now, you can enjoy photos of the vast ray-muncher at the PlanetSolar link below or skip past the break for the latest video from the team.

[Thanks, Pavel]

Continue reading PlanetSolar boat aims for Earth circumnavigation with Sun’s help, enters testing stage (video)

PlanetSolar boat aims for Earth circumnavigation with Sun’s help, enters testing stage (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll confess — the Segway did a lot of damage to urban mobility as a whole, but General Motors (of all companies) might have just mended a wound we thought un-mendable. Unveiling today in Shanghai, the two-seater EN-V concept is a play on last year’s altogether riveting (albeit forgotten) P.U.M.A., and yes, it seems as if some of those design cues have worked their way into this one as well. The Electric Networked-Vehicle was engineered to “alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability for tomorrow’s cities,” and they’re also fully capable of transforming this place we call Earth into a next-generation Epcot. A trio of designs made their debut — Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh) — and we’re told that twin electric motors and “dynamic stabilization technology” allow ’em to turn on a dime and operate autonomously (!) using integrated GPS. The Li-ion batteries can be juiced from a conventional wall outlet, and the expected range is around 40 kilometers on a single charge. Best of all? There’s built in wireless of some sort, enabling your fellow EN-V owner-friends to keep track of your late-night escapades if you so allow. We know — you’d buy one of each if these were available today, but mum’s the word on when (or if) they’ll ever hit the production line; meanwhile, expect something called a “Malibu” to remain in the product pipeline for the better part of next decade.

GM’s two-seater EN-V concept makes ‘urban mobility’ hip again originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Curvy, sumptuous concept and prototype electric vehicles are definitely easy on the eyes, but if you’ve been searching for something a touch more “real,” fresh-out-of-bankruptcy Chrysler has one car that’s not going back to the drawing board. Our compatriots over at Autoblog report that the all-electric Fiat 500 EV — which saw a limited run of 100 in Europe and made a cameo at this year’s Detroit Auto Show — will actually be produced and sold in the US starting in 2012. Since the automaker’s not talking specs, it’s hard to say how it’ll compare to a Volt or a Leaf, but history (peek the ‘More Coverage’ link down below) tells us the original electric Fiat 500 got up to 120 miles on a charge. We’d caution you not to get too worked up by that hot hatch action, though — despite the fact that the Peapod made it briefly to market, this isn’t the first time Chrysler’s told us to expect a commercial vehicle we can charge. Here’s hoping for better results this go ’round.

Chrysler says all-electric Fiat 500 will carry Americans, American Touristers in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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