America’s First EV Quick Charge Station in Portland

Portland, Oregon became the first city in the US to have a public* quick charging station for electric vehicles. This charging station should charge a battery to about 80% in just half an hour. It was installed by Portland General Electric (PGE) in a parking lot located at their headquarters.

 

*Even though technically public, this charging station is located in their parking lot and not on the street. So the station is really only public for PGE pass holders only.

[Update]: From an Engadget reader; apparently it costs $3 to park, but the charging is free. So charge away Portland!

 

The grand opening was led by Governor Ted Kulongoski, charging a Nissan Leaf.

The Governor had this to say:

Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon. By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles.

 

It’s good to see some states taking the steps necessary to move towards EV’s. Hopefully other states will come on board soon.

 

What do you think of the new wave of Electric Vehicles?

 

Read more about the EV Quick Charge Station at Engadget and Inhabitat.

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China to Build Bus-Tram Hybrid That Cars Can Drive Under

Called the “Straddling” bus, this crazy idea is a cheaper, greener and faster alternative to commute.

 

Some of China’s major cities have huge traffic problems. The 3D Fast Bus or 3D Express Coach was proposed by Shenzhen Hashi Furture Parking Equipment Co. Ltd. The 3D Fast Bus looks like a subway or light-rail train but above the street on rails. It has two levels; one for the passengers on the upper level and the lower for vehicles no taller than 7 feet.

 

 

The 3D Fast Bus will be powered by electricity and solar energy. It will also go to speeds up to 37 mph carrying 1200-1400 passengers at a time without blocking other vehicles. It is estimated that the 3D Fast Bus will cost approx 73 million to build and a 25 mile path for it only about 10% of building a subway. Shenzhen is hoping to reduce traffic jams by 20-30%.

 

 

 

Read the full post at China Hush.

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British Develop the Most Powerful Wind Turbine

British architects Grimshaw and engineers Arup have unveiled this design for an offshore wind turbine and possibly the the most powerful.

 

Could our future oceans have thousands of these 885-foot-wide structures? It’s an interesting thought, but the engineering needed to commercialize these wind turbines seems immense.

 

The video above is the new Aerogenerator X Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. This new design in wind turbines it to be completed by 2014 and instead of using a traditional vertical structure, it will rotate horizontally.

 

The design for British company Wind Power would produce twice as much power and have half the weight of the company’s current design. It’s about 10 megawatts per hour. It would take about 50 these to replace a typical coal plant. Hey but it’s a start right?

Top and above images are by Grimshaw

 

Wind Power Limited had this to say:

“The Aerogenerator X is considered one of the only real alternative solutions available to help deliver the UK’s offshore wind strategy in a reliable and cost effective manner. It does not have the same weight constraints as a normal wind turbine and the blades do not suffer weight-induced fatigue. This new design is half the height of an equivalent horizontal-axis turbine and its weight is concentrated at the base of the structure.”

 

Above diagram is by Arup. Click for larger image.

 

What do you think? Will we see these bizarre looking wind turbines in our future oceans?

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Wind Farm Energy To Power Google For 20 Years

Mashable is reporting that Google has just signed a contract with an Iowa wind farm to purchase clean energy at a set rate for the next 20 years.

 

This move is in keeping with Google’s strong environmental stance; with specific regard to energy consumption and wind-generated energy, the company has been pushing PowerMeter and has invested $38 million in wind farms this year alone.

 

Google gained the ability to buy and sell electricity like any other public utility in February in order to reach its goals for carbon neutrality and more efficient energy use in its expansive data centers. This Power Purchase Agreement is the first deal brokered under the guise of Google Energy.

 

Official Google blog:

“On July 30 we will begin purchasing the clean energy from 114 megawatts of wind generation at the NextEra Energy Resources Story County II facility in Iowa at a predetermined rate for 20 years… This power is enough to supply several data centers. While we are happy to be purchasing renewable energy as part of our environmental commitment, this is also a structure that makes long term financial sense for Google. Through the long term purchase of renewable energy at a predetermined price, we’re partially protecting ourselves against future increases in power prices. This is a case where buying green makes business sense.”

 

Do you think Google is doing enough to stay green?

 

Read the full post at Mashable.

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Bill Gates Invests in Cleaner Car Technology

Mashable has a post on Bill Gates and his vision for a cleaner world and invest in better car technology.

 

Companies and individuals around the world are looking for better modes of transportation to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, and Bill Gates is joining that group in a fascinating way: He’s investing in a company that wants to completely rethink, reinvent and redesign the internal combustion engine as we know it.

 

The post continues to state that the cars we drive today hold some of the same essential components as a Model T Ford from 100 years ago; in fact, the core technology of the internal combustion engine is largely a product of the 1800s.

 

EcoMotors, the company Gates is investing in, is a Detroit-based startup that’s trying to change how our engines operate. But instead of simply changing the kinds of fuel we use, it wants to completely change our cars’ propulsion systems.

 

 

The engine the company is trying to build will have less mass, will cost less to make, will be more fuel-efficient and will generate lower emissions. Its first commercial product is the turbo-diesel version of the innovative opposed-piston, opposed-cylinder (opoc) engine, which uses half the parts and is half the size of a traditional automobile engine.

 

Gates gave the company $23.5 million for its Series B because he thinks the opoc engine could be a big hit in developing areas. “The opoc engine can be an important step in providing affordable, low-emission transportation for the developing world,” he said in a release.

 

“EcoMotors has developed a promising technology that could help reduce levels of greenhouse gas emissions in a low-cost, globally relevant way,” he added.

 

Read the full post at Mashable.

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U.S. Will Invest $2 Billion in Solar Power

Over the weekend, President Obama announced the Department of Energy would be giving almost $2 billion in conditional funding to two solar energy companies, Abengoa Solar and Abound Solar Manufacturing.

 

Money will come from the $863 billion economic stimulus package. Projects funded by this move are expected to create more than 5,000 construction and permanent jobs.

 

One of these initiatives is the Solana project, which Abengoa says will be the largest concentrating solar power plant in the world when it’s completed. The Arizona-based plant will produce enough energy to power 70,000 households and will save the environment from about 475,000 tons of CO2 each year.

 

Most of the development and permitting for Solana is already complete, and the project has a green light from the Department of Energy (DOE), as well.

 

The President had this to say:

These are just two of the many clean energy investments in the Recovery Act. Already, I’ve seen the payoff from these investments. I’ve seen once-shuttered factories humming with new workers who are building solar panels and wind turbines; rolling up their sleeves to help America win the race for the clean energy economy.

 

Solar power has become an increasingly interesting alternative for providing energy for all kinds of purposes, from our homes to our gadgets  , from airplanes to spaceships.

 

Green and clean tech in general have been surfacing as exciting areas of investment recently; Google   recently invested $38 million in wind farms.

I personally think this is great news! We need hundreds more of these solar projects. Clean tech is the future. The sooner we stop using oil, coal and other finite resources, the better our children will be in the future.

Photo by picturebuilder

 

So what do you think? Do you think more people should be investing in and working on greener sources of power? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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First Electric Highway From Canada To Oregon

Washington state is about to turn a section of Interstate-5 -- all the way from Canada to Oregon -- into the nation's first electric highway.
Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives

Thanks to a $1.32 million federal grant, they’ll be able to install 10 Level-3 electric charging stations along the route. Each station is capable of charging at 400 volts and 30 amps or more and at these stations a typical EV would be 80% charged in just about 30 minutes. Plug in, grab a cup of coffee, chat with fellow travelers, and be on your way.

The state is planning on building the electric transportation mecca in the fall of this year, after a bidding process this summer by electric charging station manufacturers takes place. The state is hoping to be able to install stations every 80 miles, as most new electric vehicles — like the Leaf and the Volt — have a charging range of 100 miles.

See the full gallery on posterous

Level-3 charging stations generally don’t charge a battery completely and cold and inclement weather are also an issue.

Electric vehicle battery ranges change as the temperature varies around them and with Washington’s notoriously cold and rainy seasons, it could prove to be a problem.

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