Hasta La Gadget!

Incredible feats of green architecture reached for the sky this week as Inhabitat reported that the world’s first vertical forest skyscraper is rising in Milan and an outdoor cinema made entirely from refrigerators popped up in London. We also took a look inside a crazy mountain lodge that resembles a hill-like hobbit high-rise and we spotted a Finnish hotel that rents out glass-domed geodesic igloos for viewing the northern lights. We also launched a brand new video that takes an inside look at this year’s winning Solar Decathlon homes, we kicked off a contest where you can win one of 25 $600 home energy audits, and we learned that China’s coal-powered energy grid negates the green benefits of electric vehicles.

Speaking of green transportation, this week we caught a glimpse of several next-generation electric vehicle technologies as Nissan unveiled a ten minute electric vehicle charger and Chevrolet announced plans to produce a Spark mini EV. We also took Honda’s new Civic hybrid for a spin, and we learned that Tesla’s new Model S sedan will be powered by highly efficient Panasonic batteries. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to cut its carbon footprint in half by fueling airplanes with waste gas and Germany announced that 100 percent of its trains will run on renewable energy by 2050.

In other news, techy fashion got a jolt of affordability as we spotted an economical LED jacket for night cyclists and runners, and we took a look at the story behind Steve Jobs’ iconic black turtlenecks. We also got into the Halloween spirit by bringing you an adorable Star Wars AT-AT costume for dogs, and we showcased a creepy set of “stained glass” windows made from x-rays. Finally, we shined the spotlight on India’s solar-powered water ATMs, and we brought you a can’t-miss set of tips for recycling e-waste.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Civic hybrid gets driven, AT-AT dog costume gets worn

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Civic hybrid gets driven, AT-AT dog costume gets worn originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading GM puts Spark EV all-electric vehicle into production, begins development of next-gen EN-V concept

GM puts Spark EV all-electric vehicle into production, begins development of next-gen EN-V concept originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After winning the X-Prize, Edison2 decided the next logical step for its Very Light Car was to put an electric engine in it. Well, what is now known as the eVLC has been put through the EPA-certified ringer and come out boasting a jaw-dropping 245MPGe. Using the latest, more stringent, 5-cycle EPA tests the strange looking vehicle posted a miles-per-gallon equivalent almost 250-percent that of the Nissan leaf. The four-passenger eVLC also scored an impressive 114 mile range on its tiny 10.5 kWh battery (the Leaf gets 117 miles out of its 24 kWH battery) and sucked down a full charge in six hours from a standard 110v socket. For a few more details check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading The very light, very electric, very efficient Edison2 eVLC scores 245MPGe rating

The very light, very electric, very efficient Edison2 eVLC scores 245MPGe rating originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla’s been teasing us with the Model S electric car for what seems like a cruelly long time. But, we gadget fans need to remember that designing and releasing a car is a rather different prospect than something like a phone. If your new iDevice crashes you might lose your patience, but if your new car crashes, well, the results could be rather more disastrous.

Tesla is keeping up the teasing act with the Model S Beta launch, an opportunity for a lucky few to come and check out the company’s factory (once the NUMMI facility in Fremont, CA) and to take a quick ride around the company’s test track — and we do mean quick. How do we know? Well, we got to come along. Join us for our impressions after the break.

Continue reading Tesla Model S test ride and factory tour (video)

Tesla Model S test ride and factory tour (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A “racing” team for the Czech electric scooter company Akumoto, with the assistance of the energy conglomerate ČEZ , is claiming the world record for longest distance traveled by such a vehicle in 24-hours — 706.1 miles. Over the course of the 1,136.3 kilometer trip, the slightly modified scooter used a grand total of 40.8 kWh of electricity, which costs a measly 190 Czech Korunas (about $10.35). Akumoto already has a network of charging stations across the Eastern European country, but there was no stopping to juice up. Instead pre-charged batteries were swapped in when the “tank” was empty. We just hope that there were several drivers taking turns at the handlebars — spending a full rotation of the Earth with your rear planted on a souped-up Vespa doesn’t sound particularly comfortable.

Czech electric scooter company covers 706 miles in 24-hours, claims world record originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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