Hasta La Gadget!

Ever wonder how the world would still turn after MPG stickers were updated to take hybrids and EVs into consideration? Wonder no more. Purportedly, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to decide by July’s end whether it’ll require “emissions grades” on all new vehicles. We’re told that said stickers would resemble those shown above, complete with a QR code that could be scanned by any smartphone for more detailed information on how a grade was decided upon. As the story goes, cars would be graded from A through D, with a score of F presumably omitted for political correctness. If implemented, it wouldn’t require automakers to slap these onto their rides until the 2013 model year, but as you’d expect, said car companies aren’t exactly pumped about the idea. As of now, 40 percent of the vehicles on American roads would receive Cs or Ds, and Ohio’s own Rep. Steven LaTourette had this to say about it: “Those who live in Planet Reality might need a minivan or SUV to haul around four kids in child and booster seats, and have room for luggage and a family dog. Thanks to the EPA, they’ll be lucky to find a vehicle that gets a C.” In truth, he’s dead right, but there’s always two sides to every story. To counter the obvious, automakers are instead backing “a more modest labeling redesign” that’s not quite so jarring to consumers. Ah, the wonders of compromise.

EPA’s letter grade automobile stickers could bring QR codes to car windows in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Germany started with electric cars and bikes, and now they are taking things to the air with the PC-Aero Elektra One. This single-seat ultralight plane has a composite airframe and a 16-kilowatt motor with a range of 400 kilometers and a max flight time of three hours. At a cruising speed of 160 km/h (about 99 mph for us anglophiles), the aircraft won’t be setting any speed records, but given that it’s being designed as an eco-friendly way to enjoy “leisure aviation,” you should’ve expected to travel at a leisurely pace, indeed. The Elektra One hasn’t taken to the air just yet, but PC-Aero plans to perform the first flight test later this month, so we can look forward to seeing another electric plane flying overhead in the near future. Check the video after the break to see and hear the future of aviation for yourself.

Continue reading PC-Aero ready to fly the Elektra One, Germany’s latest electric-powered plane

PC-Aero ready to fly the Elektra One, Germany’s latest electric-powered plane originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes! Another reason to write about the darling and awesomely-named Wheego Whip LiFe! This time, it’s good news indeed, as the all electric micro-car has received EPA certification. The cars, which are priced at a reasonably affordable $32,995 (or $25,495 after the Federal tax credit), are now simply waiting for final approval from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration before they can roll into dealerships. It looks like the cars will ship at the beginning of the year now, with production well underway for the past few months. We’ll take two, please.

Wheego Whip LiFe grabs up EPA certification originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, sure — gas is bound to hit $4 a gallon before 2020, but you can buy an awful let of petrol with the money you’ll save from dodging Fisker’s increasingly expensive Karma. ‘Course, those looking to blow 100 grand on an eco-friendly automobile are probably doing so just to throw Ma Earth a bone, but still — money matters. Originally teased way back in the fall of 2007, Fisker’s first plug-in hybrid still hasn’t ended up anywhere near mass production, but it has managed to see two rather significant upticks in price all the while. Right around two years ago, we saw the $80,000 MSRP boosted by $7,000, and today, prospective customers are being notified via email that the Karma’s base price is now sitting at $95,900 before a $950 destination fee. Granted, the company insists that this includes an integrated solar roof panel (valued at $5,000), and it still starts at $1,400 less than a Panamera S. And yeah, that base price does shrink to $88,400 after you include federal tax incentives. That said, we’re doubting high-rollers that were dead-set on handing over $73,000 or so after tax breaks are currently stoked about an increase this large, particularly when there’s still no definitive ship date. To Fisker’s credit, we’ve seen General Motors go through similar trials and tribulations surrounding the Volt, and even at $95k, you’ll be hard pressed to find more sexy than this on four (street legal) wheels.

Fisker raises Karma plug-in hybrid base price to $95,900, brings that 750i back into consideration originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hard to say when (or if) these beauts will ever hit the market, but we’ve all ideas they’d move quite briskly if positioned in a nondescript kind of store that tends to sell fruit, peripherals and things heavily prefixed with “i.” Designed Michael Young has teamed up with EOps to create the Noisezero i+ Eco Edition earbuds, which are constructed with cornstarch (you know, in honor of Ma Earth), equipped with an iPod / iPhone-friendly inline remote and outfitted with a unique design that purportedly makes it easier for these to be inserted into one’s ear canal. We’re told that they’ll eventually be available in charcoal, rustic brown, midnight blue and sage green, and yes, a carrying case would be included. Too bad there’s nary a hint as to where you can actually buy ’em, but the video just below the break will give you a better idea of what to hunt for.

Continue reading EOps Noisezero i+ Eco earbuds get cornstarch construction, finger-friendly design (video)

EOps Noisezero i+ Eco earbuds get cornstarch construction, finger-friendly design (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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