Hasta La Gadget!

IBM is no stranger to energy concerns, and now its founded the Smarter Energy Research Institute in partnership with Canada’s Hydro-Québec, the Netherlands’ Alliander, and the US’ DTE Energy to help build a better grid. The partnership will leverage Big Blue’s computing and analytic oomph to help the utility companies predict and detect anomalies within infrastructure, identify areas of the grid that need to be developed, integrate new energy sources and increase efficiency among other improvements. What’s this mean for you? For one, power outages should be less frequent and shorter lived when they do occur. Thanks to the distributed nature of the project, research will be spread throughout IBM’s worldwide network of research labs. If you’d like to hear more details straight from the folks involved, hit the jump for a video and the full press release.

Continue reading IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video)

IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla’s outspoken CEO, Elon Musk, said last week that he expects his company’s financials to be somewhat satisfactory in the very near future, but that’s not to say a $10 million grant wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms. Thanks to the California Energy Commission, Tesla will have some extra cash to work with during the production phase of its upcoming electric SUV, otherwise more formally known as the Model X. According to Forbes, Tesla will match California’s gesture with $50 million of its own — the total, naturally, will be used to ramp up production at its Fremont plant and to snag the necessary machinery and components to build that sleek Model X. There’s still a good amount of time before this EV hits the masses, so it looks like watching those select demos will have to suffice for now.

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Tesla gets $10 million grant from California to help with Model X production originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Tesla Motors’ recent SEC filing painted a picture of production delays, revenue shortfalls and stock sales to raise cash, CEO Elon Musk has gone on the record to say everything’s a-okay. The omnipresent executive said that “if the calendar were simply shifted a few weeks to the right” Tesla would have actually exceeded its vehicle delivery targets for the quarter, and said that the share release was merely held to mitigate risk from suppliers. He also claimed that the Department of Energy’s request for early repayment was not a poor reflection of the EV maker’s financial state, but actually a hearty endorsement — the government branch expects Tesla to make loads of cash, and wants it to repay the loan early rather than hoarding it. As such, Musk announced the Model S builder had initiated its first early payment today and would pay off the principal loan prior to its March 2013 due date. We’ll have to see if that’s enough to keep the automaker’s name out of any future presidential debates.

[Image credit: Tesla Motors]

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Elon Musk says Tesla will be ‘cash flow positive’ soon, announces early repayment of DOE loan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Smart’s second-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV has gotten its year of time on the roads, the company is ready to announce its successor. For 2013, the car has received some mild tweaks to its design, but the real news is about what’s hiding inside this rear-wheel driven EV. For the first time, you’ll have to option of owning one outright, rather than being limited to a four-year lease at $599 per month. It’s thanks in part to an improved battery, which is now rated for an average lifespan of 10 years. The car has also received a massive power upgrade to 47 horsepower (up from 27 previously), along with an extra boost if you floor the pedal — this courtesy of a beefier engine and drive-train that gives it about 50-percent more power. Put it this way, this EV will get you from 0-60 in about 11.5 seconds, with top speed of 78MPH. Sadly, there’s no concrete word on what kind of range to expect, but it should be well more than the 87 miles of its predecessor. Beyond that, Smart’s added in GSM connectivity, allowing you the abilities to pre-start the car and keep track of its vitals remotely, among other features.

A quick drive around Brooklyn also confirmed how peppy and smooth the car was in use, however, not exactly on-par with our experience in Audi’s A3 e-tron — but it is considerably less. As our friends at Autoblog detail, the base model coupe is set to sell for a $25,000 MSRP plus fees, along with your choice of two chargers, which can cost up to $2,200 with installation. Here’s the good news, the car itself actually works out to just $17,500 thanks to a federal tax credit. All in all, this currently makes the cheapest full-on EV you’ll be able to get your mitts on. If you’d prefer to spice it up a bit, Smart will also offer a spruced up cabriolet variant for an extra $3K. Check out our chat with Smart about the car and the press release after the break for all the details.

Continue reading Smart unveils third-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV, we take it for quiet and speedy spin (video)

Smart unveils third-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV, we take it for quiet and speedy spin (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Planning on juicing up your Chevy Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV or Nissan Leaf with Tesla’s Supercharger? Hold your horses, vaquero. The nighttime unveiling stressed that the quick-charge solution was Model S-friendly, but we should also note that it’s only compatible with the firm’s automobile. Vehicles from other automakers won’t be able to jack into the station thanks to a 20-kilowatt hour converter, which would zap other batteries with too much electricity, and a proprietary plug. Unless something changes, those planning cross-country trips using EVs from other manufacturers will just have to find an alternative to Musk and Co.’s white obelisk.

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Tesla’s Supercharger not compatible with competitor’s EVs, keeps electricity within the family originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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