Jan 28

Battery wars: automakers seek profits in supplying EV parts

Posted in: automobile, business, car, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, ev, green, industry, tesla, Today's Chili, Toyota

We already knew that Daimler was looking in Tesla’s direction for electric vehicle batteries, but we certainly didn’t know that those passing glances were only the beginning of an underground battle for supply chain supremacy. As automakers struggle to move cars from lots, it’s being reported that some — Toyota, Tesla, Daimler and Nissan, in particular — are looking to parts fulfillment for profit. Toyota already has an edge on its rivals by being one of the only companies to actually produce its own batteries, and if demand begins to outstrip supply, other car makers could come running in hopes of stocking up. Of course, you’ve also got Nissan ramping up production in order to equip some 200,000 electric / hybrid vehicles annually over the next few years, so who knows if all this scheming will eventually backfire. Though, if one firm can somehow figure out how to make their battery stronger, more potent, lighter and cheaper — well, we needn’t tell you how that would play out.

[Image courtesy of AutoBeYours]

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Battery wars: automakers seek profits in supplying EV parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 27

Baby steps: new solar cell efficiency record isn’t awe-inspiring

Posted in: green, science, solar, SolarPower, Today's Chili

Granted, we’ve no idea what it takes to really push the efficiency level of a solar cell, but we’re getting pretty bored with these incremental improvements year after year. If you’ll recall, the record for solar cell efficiency sat at 40.7 percent in 2006, and that was raised to an amazing 40.8 percent last August. Today, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have announced an all new milestone: 41.1 percent efficiency. According to team head Frank Dimroth, the crew is simply “elated by this breakthrough.” Meanwhile, the rest of planet Earth is suddenly depressed by the thought of perishing from old age before this data point ever breaks the big five-oh.

[Via Gizmag]

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Baby steps: new solar cell efficiency record isn’t awe-inspiring originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 22

Tesla admits to underpricing Roadsters, still hopes profitability is near

Posted in: automobile, business, car, green, industry, price, pricing, tesla, Today's Chili

Here’s a tip: you should probably research the bill of materials before pricing the item you’re building to sell. In an effort to calm down potentially irate early buyers, Tesla Motors Elon Musk has issued an email confessing that it had no idea actual production costs for the $92,000 Roadster would run closer to $140,000. The automaker is hoping the changes in “manufacturing approaches, the car’s drive train, heating and air conditioning system, wiring and even the supplier of body panels” will lower production costs to somewhere between $90,000 and $100,000 soon, which certainly gives a little insight into the $128,500 starting price of the recently unveiled Roadster Sport. In order to recoup some of the losses, Tesla is asking pre-orderers to pony up an extra six large for a high-speed charging cable and custom wheels — both of which consumers were expecting to be included in their original purchase price. At any rate, the firm is aiming to get build costs down to $80,000 by summer, with profitability following close behind. And you thought the automotive problems began and ended in Detroit.

[Via Edmunds]

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Tesla admits to underpricing Roadsters, still hopes profitability is near originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 18

CherryPal calls its Bing netbook a nettop, can’t win for losing

Posted in: green, Linux, netbook, nettop, Today's Chili

We know, these newfangled terms can certainly get confusing, but you’d think a company producing miniature laptops would do a little research before assuming that “nettop” is actually just another word for “netbook.” CherryPal has made it exceptionally easy for us to joke on it by introducing the first nettop we’ve ever seen that actually looks nothing like a diminutive desktop. In fact, the eco-friendly Bing has a fold-up 10.2-inch LCD — you know, exactly like a laptop. Inexplicably launched this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, the machine includes a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard drive, three USB 2.0 ports, an SD / MMC / MS card reader, WiFi, dual speakers, a 1,024 x 600 resolution panel, 0.3 megapixel webcam and a headphone jack to boot. Pricing is expected to hover around $250, but for a limited time, users interested in an actual nettop (imagine that, right?) can snag the Bing along with the C114 PC for a grand total of $399.

[Via Liliputing]

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CherryPal calls its Bing netbook a nettop, can’t win for losing originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 07

Sony’s BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting

Posted in: green, hdtv, LCD, sony, Today's Chili

During the run-up to CES, we heard through the grapevine that eco-friendly and well-connected HDTVs were going to be all the rage in early January, and so far, those premonitions are spot on. Sony’s new BRAVIA VE5 line sucks down around 40% less power than many of the company’s other LCD HDTV models, and there are two main developments to thank. First, the 52-inch KDL-52VE5, the 46-inch KDL-46VE5 and the 40-inch KDL-40VE5 all tout a zero-watt standby switch, which — when flipped on — cuts power usage to “nearly zero watts.” Additionally, this Energy Star 3.0-compliant trifecta is the first from Sony to sport the micro-tubular Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HFCL), and as if that wasn’t enough, there’s even a motion sensor that can turn the set off if no action is sensed and a ambient light sensor for good measure. All greenness aside, each of the three also boasts Motionflow 120Hz technology, a USB port for loading up digital media files, the BRAVIA Engine 2, BRAVIA Sync, four HDMI inputs and 24- True Cinema. Check ’em this summer for currently undisclosed prices; full release is after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting

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Sony’s BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 05

MSI at CES: Wind U115 / U120, NetOn all-in-one PC, gaming laptops galore

Posted in: concept, msi, netbook, nettop, Today's Chili

If you thought that MSI would allow CES to pass it by without unleashing a veritable smorgasbord of new kit upon us, you’re dead wrong. For starters, the company will be showcasing its Wind U115 and U120 netbooks for the first time in the public eye at CES, and those oh-so-intriguing NetOn all-in-one machines we spotted overseas will also be making their US debut. Said rigs will arrive in 16-, 19- and 22-inch flavors, and it’s expected that Intel’s dual-core Atom will be powering the trio. Carrying on, we’ve got the EX625 and EX623 entertainment lappies joining the EX family with inbuilt subwoofers and Blu-ray drives, and the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 will all be sliding into the gamer-centric GX line. Finally, MSI will be demonstrating its first “eco-friendly carbon fiber concept gaming notebook,” so we’ll definitely be sashaying over to wrap our paws around that. Head past the break for the full release.

Continue reading MSI at CES: Wind U115 / U120, NetOn all-in-one PC, gaming laptops galore

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MSI at CES: Wind U115 / U120, NetOn all-in-one PC, gaming laptops galore originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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