Hasta La Gadget!

This week Inhabitat explored the high-tech side of green building, showcasing Shigeru Ban’s new design for the Pomidou-Metz art museum, and announcing the near-completion of the greenest skyscraper in the world. We also explored green building strategies ranging from super efficient LED lamps.

We also saw several signs that the next generation of efficient vehicles is right around the corner – this week Chevrolet rolled out its first production Volt while Nissan announced the final pricing of its Leaf EV – a remarkably affordable $25,280. Even the hard working vehicles at FedEx are getting some much-needed relief as the company rolls out its first round of electric delivery vans. And if you’re concerned about green vehicles going the distance, look no further than this student-built supercar that’s able to get 2,487 MPG.

This week biotech also blew our minds as researchers unveiled plant-based molecules that could create more efficient solar cells and a new type of photovoltaic frog foam that’s capable of capturing carbon. Finally, sticks and stones may break bones, but scientists have figured out a way to grow new ones — using liposuctioned human fat.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: hypermiling, electric FedEx, and frog foam originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PU_PA EV concept is cute, light, and deadly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For a car that’s been as eagerly anticipated and hyped as the Chevrolet Volt, seeing it in person is not exactly an awe-inspiring experience. In fact if you don’t look twice it’s very easy to mistake it for Chevy’s Cruze, an eco-friendly (though decidedly traditionally powered) small car. The Volt is, of course, a little more special — a car with both electric and internal-combustion engines on-board. That’s not a particularly rare thing in this age of the Prius, but Chevrolet is being very clear: the Volt is an electric car, not a hybrid, and if you read on after the break we’ll tell you exactly why — and what it’s like to drive one.

Continue reading Engadget test drives the Chevy Volt (video)

Engadget test drives the Chevy Volt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:15:00 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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Well, that was quick. Just weeks after hearing that Tesla would be nixing Roadster production prior to the world ending, it looks as if those planning to blow their life savings in the next 18 or so months took issue with the intentions. So much so, in fact, that Tesla has now “negotiated agreements with key suppliers that will increase total Roadster production by 40 percent and extend sales into 2012.” Better still, the iconic electric supercar will soon be hitting Australia and Asia, so even if you hit the relocate button in the next little while, you should still be covered should you choose to buy (or lease) in.

Tesla switches gears, plans to keep Roadster till 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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