Tata Pixel

Tata Motors of India has introduced a car conceptually designed for Europe. The Tata Pixel benefits from challenges Tata experienced in designing the earlier Nano. The Pixel concept car is a bit over nine feet in length, and it is purported to be the most efficient car that can still seat four adults. Most fuel-efficient cars now can only carry two adults and two children.

The Tata Pixel has a 2.6m. turning radius, making it extremely easy to park, even in the tightest spaces. Their IVT Infinitely Variable Transmission allows the outer rear wheel to rotate frontwards and the inner one to rotate backwards, and along with the acute angle capability of the front wheels, allows the tight turning radius. The Tata Pixel boasts excellent fuel economy and still offers control and performance.

The Tata Pixel has scissor doors. This allows people to get in and out of the car even in tight parking spaces. The style of the car appeals to today’s youth, and it boasts a human-machine interface, known as HMI, allowing certain functions to be controlled with a Smartphone.

Tata Motors designers feel that there is a place in Europe for their city car. The Pixel has a diesel engine in the rear, and the car has other features like intelligent battery charging that allow it to be seen as a true concept car.

Tata calls the turning radius of the Pixel “zero turn”, playing on the ease with which it maneuvers in tight quarters. The glass of the doors gives the driver the best of visibility even while you are making extreme turns.

The roofline of the Pixel follows a sweeping line, and there are only minimal overhangs on the front and the rear. This adds to the car’s appeal to youth. The window graphics can be changed when the driver wishes to, giving the car a different look.

You’ll also find “My Tata Connect” with the Tata Pixel. This is their terminology for the Human-Machine Interface. This allows you to use a Smartphone with the vehicle’s “info-tainment” system, to allow you to control certain of the car’s functions. The car is very user-friendly, with a touch-screen display and the means for the driver to stay connected with the world outside even while driving safely.

Drivers can listen to their favorite music, sports results and stock updates. You can use the tablet to adjust the ventilation, temperature and air conditioner settings. The tablet will also show the driver important vehicle performance information.

The Tata Pixel’s small engine gives you a lively drive, and it warms up more quickly than standard diesel engines. The aerodynamic drag has been optimized, and the car comes with rolling resistance tires, giving it high mileage and low emissions.

The Tata Pixel is rear-wheel drive, with a manual 4-speed transmission. It comes with rack and pinion steering, and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in eight seconds. The maximum speed of the Pixel is 65 miles per hour, and the car gets an outstanding 69 miles per gallon.

Honda EV-Ster

Okay, so I’m a little late on this. I’ve been busy with the Holidays and ringing in the new year which I hope to the heavens is better than last year. Anyway, in case you’ve missed some of the eco car reviews from the recent Tokyo Auto Show, I’m going to recap them for you. Be green, my friend!

In the first major auto show since the earthquake and tsunami in March of 2011, companies showed off their most fuel-efficient vehicles at the Tokyo Auto Show. The cars made use of various types of technology, among them being hybrid, fuel cell and electricity. Most of the cars were compact in size, with domestic automakers trying to recover from the tragedy in March and the struggling global economy.

In addition to the earthquake and tsunami, Japanese automakers also had to contend with Thailand flooding, which shut down production on many Japanese car lines. The Electric commuter car, also known as EC-Miu, was a popular exhibit at the show.

Nissan, which is the second largest maker of automobiles, has several concept cars that are electric, as well as a car that can be controlled remotely with a smartphone. They have installed already a system that allows owners to control the air conditioning and check on their car’s battery with a PC or a smartphone.

Honda featured a smaller sports car known as the EV-Ster, which has a fully electric engine. The president of Honda said his company plans to install solar panels at the locations of their assembly lines, to eliminate carbon emissions in the entire operation. They look towards a time when we put stress on the environment much less than we do now.

Toyota, which already boasts the immensely popular hybrid Camry, has a green outlook, and they unveiled a compact hybrid known as the “Aqua”, and a more advanced car that runs on fuel cells, which they refer to as the most fuel-efficient car in the world. The president of Toyota also featured a hybrid car that plugs in, telling car show attendees that future consumers have a bright future, with more choices in vehicles that use cutting-edge technologies.

Mazda was also on hand at the Tokyo Auto Show, with their mid-sized “Takeru” sedan concept car, a vehicle with an energy-efficient diesel engine.

The Toyota Aqua will use a name outside Japan that drivers already know, the “Prius”. It will travel 82 miles to a gallon of gas, which is an outstanding increase over their existing mileage. Toyota also plans to roll out a five-seater vehicle in Japan in late December, 2011, and eventually that vehicle will also be marketed globally.

The automakers at the Tokyo Auto Show felt that it is important for people to know that the market in Japan is still relevant to carmakers in Europe, who have shown an interest in hybrid and electric cars. Some automakers in Europe skipped the previous auto show, but were back this year. They included Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and VW, from Germany; Peugeot-Citroen and Renault from France and the Land Rover and Jaguar, from Britain.

The Tokyo Auto Show also boasted manufacturers who do not compete in the automobile industry, at their show this year. They include Kowa Tmsuk, a joint operation between Kowa, who makes electric optical machines, and Tmsuk, which develops robots. They unveiled a completely new concept vehicle that they have dubbed the Kobot. The manufacturers say that the body is able to transform, through signals to its telematics from a smartphone.

Indeed, there were many vehicles that only a short time ago looked like they might be years in the making. The wider acceptance of these vehicles will be at least one step forward in using vehicles that have less impact on the environment.

bioluminescent plants

Glow-in-the-dark plants have been a novel creation for decades now, but as far as practical use goes, their benefits have remained to be seen. Without a useful purpose, the cost of genetically engineering plants to glow is simply not worth it.

However, there is perhaps no other source of light that is as eco-friendly as a natural-born glow from a living organism. Saving energy on traditional lighting is creating the market for bioluminescence that has been lacking for the last 20 years.

In fact, glow-in-the-dark plants aren’t the only bioluminescent that’s currently possible. According to CNN researchers in the United Kingdom have figured out a way for glowing bacteria cultures to be placed inside glass tubing. The result is transparent piping that emits the green glow of an equally green liquid within.

This liquid is composed of bacteria feeding off of methane gas. The bacteria has been genetically modified to glow green. Think of it as bio-born neon, just without the variety – at least so far.
But as far as the bacteria-based bioluminescent goes, practical use still needs to be sorted out.

No one particularly wants to be bathed in a sinister-looking green color within their home, no matter how environmentally sound it is. Not only that, but the light is admittedly limited in this regard. Step but three feet away from the source and your world becomes a dark place with only a faint green glow to keep you comfortable. Alternatives such as CFLs will reign supreme.

More hope is held out for the potential for bioluminescent plants, fungi, and other eukaryotes to help pave the way for a more eco-friendly approach to municipally-provided power. Road signs as well as road hazards could potentially be emphasized via such glowing plant matter, instead of wasting money on additional traditional lighting. It’s a feature of the future landscape that is edging closer to reality thanks to both the research and the demand. Inside the home bioluminescent plants may save money as well (and not only plants).

If you’re fan of “The Big Bang Theory” like an am, then you may recognize the one episode where Sheldon genetically altered goldfish to make them glow in the dark. These goldfish served as nightlights in his and Leonard’s apartment. What they needed, though, was to use Anywho to look up the name of another mad scientist with a dimmer switch for the goldfish when they were ready for bed. And such would be the case for plants as well.

One of the definitive presents of our time may very well be the gift of a glowing mini-colored ficus as a replacement for a bedside lamp. Other bioluminescent plants could replace solar walkway lamps and solar garden lamps.

Regardless of the domestic uses for bioluminescence, the future of our roadways has never looked greener. Imagine the landscaping business a few years from now when bioluminescence hits its stride.

Well, the Midsummer Place Shopping Centre has decided to stomp out this abuse of power this year by putting a pedestrian crosswalk next to their giant tree that uses the kinetic energy of holiday shoppers to provide the lighting.

According to the press release, “The slabs, made from low-carbon steel and recycled rubber, will power hundreds of LED Christmas lights for the Midsummer Place Christmas tree by capturing energy from this season’s holiday footfall.”

It is also rumored that when the mall closes and midnight both Santa and his elves are using the kinetic walkway like a treadmill to get in shape for delivering packages soon. With the amount of light put out by the tree as reported by the janitorial staff, the fat man may be rather svelte come game time.

But, all in all, this goes to show, not only how much energy is waste every year on holiday cheer, but also the people-power may be the answer to restoring the balance of power.

The charger is fast, as in 30 minutes or less to recharge a dead Leaf. This one product I thought was the kind of thing that every homeowner would want in his or her garage.

Just imagine, you come home tired at night, the kids all have issues and you forget to plug-in your electric car. No matter as in the morning you realize this and pop on the plug to quick charge your car in 30 minutes. How great would that be?

The only problem with this scenario is that in order to solve this problem you have to shell out $9,900 or roughly one-third of the price you paid for the Nissan Leaf in the first place.

According to Nissan, “The starting price for the charger will be $9,900, about a third of the cost of models available on the global market today. The quick charger will come in two different models: a version for indoor use, designed to help accommodate fleets such as daily rental cars; and an outdoor model, which is specifically designed for public and commercial charging uses – such as public spaces, corporate campuses, and retail centers.“

So, my excitement quickly turned to WTF disgust. Nissan forgot about the homeowner in this scenario. I’m sure that there are a few homeowners that will shell out ten grand for this convenience, but the other 99-percent of the population won’t. And will businesses really shell out this kind of dough? In this economy it’s hard to say yes. I give this product two yawns and a shake of the head.

iPhone 4S

When the iPhone 4S was announced a couple of weeks ago it was first met by some yawns along with some longing reminiscent memories about Steven Jobs and what a pioneer he was and will Apple survive in the long run without him.

But, now that people have been digging into the new iPhone 4S a bit, they are starting to like what they see, especially Siri, the intelligent assistant. But, that leaves the question of “What do I do with my old cell phone?

Now, some people already know about the problems with e-waste and the need to recycle cell phone, desktops, laptops, etc. But, with all this emphasis on going green over the past few years would it surprise you to learn that only 10 – 15 percent of the U. S. citizens actually do recycle their e-waste.

Really? Haven’t heard of eBay? Didn’t know that you could donate you e-waste to your local charity such as the Goodwill. I did this recently with a PC, scanner and printer I had laying in my garage for years (as backups). They stayed there so long as backups, however that they were no longer useful.

The point I want to make, though is that sometimes by going green you can make a little green. By donating your old cell phone you can write this off as a tax deduction. By selling your old phone at an online auction or store that buys used cell phones, you can actually make some moola.

One of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard about going green over the years is that it costs more money. Well, by recycling your e-waste you can actually help the environment and make a little money. It’s been estimated that Apple will sell up to 55 million new iPhone 4S models.

This means tons of old cell phones will need to go somewhere. So why not let someone recycle and refurbish your old cell phone and make some cash for doing so. It’s not only an environmentally-friendly act, it’s the smart thing to do.

Schools Going Green

The students at the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa, California are getting the chance to participate in sustainability just by going to school every day. The school is expanding their current capacity by 10,000 square feet through the use of recycled steel shipping containers. Forming four entirely new buildings, these shipping containers will be permanent additions to the school rather than temporary mobile classrooms like we’ve seen so many schools use in the past. Seeing sustainable building practices make their way into the mainstream to such an extent that schools are jumping on board is truly exciting because it accomplishes more than initially meets the eye.

Using recycled shipping containers for building materials solves the primary challenge of creating much needed space for classrooms in which students can learn. But going to school in recycled classrooms is an effective way to teach students good environmental practices. And there’s no better evidence that green, sustainable practices are finally going mainstream than to see schools adopting responsible building practices.

Green Homes

Earthship homes are one of the more intriguing examples of sustainability gradually starting to make its way into the mainstream. Back in the 1970′s when Mike Reynolds first began constructing these tire constructed and rammed earth homes, the earthship carried connotations of a hippy dippy fringe society.

But the practicality of these simple buildings has made them ever more popular and they can now be found in most parts of the United States and are becoming popular in Europe as well. Not only do these homes require very little energy consumption due to their passive solar design, the technique of pounding dirt into old used tires for their construction is another great example of using common materials in an innovative way.

What can You Do?

Sustainability as a way of living isn’t always going to be as appealing as building schools out of recycled shipping containers and incredibly cool earthship homes. But everyday actions can have a huge impact toward pushing sustainability farther into the mainstream. In your home and office, make a concerted effort to engage in less wasteful practices. At home, try to conserve water resources by fewer toilet flushes and not running the faucet while shaving and brushing your teeth. Keeping your home a few degrees warmer in the summer and a few degrees cooler in the winter can have a greater impact on reducing energy consumption than you might imagine.

In the office, try to print paper copies less frequently. Making company resources available electronically can go a long way toward cutting down on wasteful paper usage. Encouraging telecommuting is great for cutting down gas consumption. And if you absolutely have to go to the office to perform certain duties, think about consolidating them into the first part of the week and telecommuting the last day or two if possible. Businesses can make a big impact when sustainability becomes part of corporate culture. And as sustainability continues to encroach into the mainstream, irresponsible conspicuous consumption of natural resources may eventually find its way out of the mainstream and into the fringe.

External Videos

Waldorf Construction Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/CZs2PGpN_cQ

Earthship Homes Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/L9jdIm7grCY

Author Info:

Aaron Carlson lives near Chicago. He divides his time among work, writing and family life. He writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University and has a keen interest in green living and social media. He also writes for professionalintern.com.

Biodiesel is not the same as vegetable oil, and vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications or be used as a motor fuel. Biodiesel is the only alt fuel to have completed the health effects testing that is required of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Biodiesel has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel and biodegrades as fast as sugar.

Biodiesel is commonly blended with traditional diesel fuel. The most common biodiesel blends are B20, which is made up of 20-percent biodiesel and 80-percent petroleum diesel, and B2, which is 2-percent biodiesel and 98-percent petroleum diesel. Certified low-level biodiesel blends can be used in most traditional diesel vehicles without engine modification. The use of higher-level biodiesel blends tends to require engine modification.

Where to Find Biodiesel

Biodiesel is available at a national level. It can be purchased directly from biodiesel manufacturers and producers, petroleum distributors, or at several public pumps throughout the nation. Products can also be purchased on a variety of online resources to make your own biodiesel. Many biodiesel companies partner with local restaurants and food service establishments to collect their used cooking oil to convert into biodiesel.

Cost

The USDA has offered grants for the past few years for producing biodiesel through the Commodity Credit Corporation. The CCC payments effectively reduce the variable cost of additional soybean oil and yellow grease biodiesel. B100 or 100-percent biodiesel cost an average of 8.2 cents per mile, and gets 37 miles per gallon in the city and 45 miles per gallon on the highway.

B20 or a mixture of 80-percent petroleum-based diesel and 20-percent biodiesel cost 6.0 cents per mile, and gets 37 miles per gallon in the city; 45 miles per gallon on the highway.

Unleaded gasoline cost an average of 6.9 cents per mile, and gets 25 miles per gallon in the city; 31 miles per gallon on the highway. Conventional, petroleum-based diesel cost an average of 5.2 cents per mile, and gets 38 miles per gallon in the city and 46 miles per gallon on the highway.

Pollution

Diesel fuels can produce as much as 20 times more toxic particulates than gasoline. Diesels’ smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions have 20 times greater the emissions of a comparable gasoline vehicle. Biodiesel can result in significant reductions in a number of air pollutants. Particulate matter dropped by almost half when using B100 and by 12 percent when using B20. CO2 dropped by almost 80 percent using B100 and hydrocarbons were reduced by nearly 70 percent using B100 and 21 percent using B20. Carbon monoxide decreased 48 percent with B100, 12 percent using B20.

Biodiesel is overall a cleaner, efficient fuel choice. Find a biodiesel station at biodiesel.org, or research a self-made biodiesel option to help preserve our environment.

Author Bio

This has been a guest blog post by Chelsea Wyles of the Cooler Planet Blog.

Since most of us spend of our time at home when we’re not working, it makes sense for us to be aware of our energy consumption when we are there. For that reason, there are a lot of home technologies that help us to monitor our energy consumption and even save energy in the process. Most people are unaware of their daily carbon footprint or how sustainable their homes are, but there are simple ways that we can all move to being more eco-friendly and viable even when at home.

Some of the technologies that are providing people with easy ways to monitor and cut their energy and water usage include the following.

1. Low Flow Showerheads and Toilets

Low-flow showerheads and toilets are beginning to gain popularity in the home. Hot water can account for up to 25% of a home’s total energy costs and 15% of it being due to showers! So, it makes sense to try and reduce the amount of hot water used. By installing low-flow showerheads, you can reduce your water, and energy, consumption by up to half! According to BC Hyrdro, if “10,000 B.C. households switched to low-flow showerheads, the annual energy savings could power 300 Canadian homes for a year.”

Hand-in-hand with low-flow showerheads are low-flow, energy efficient toilets. By installing this type of high-efficiency toilet, you can “save over 30,000 litres of water a year”! This is not only better for the environment, but also results in you saving money.

2. Water Usage Meter

You can also seek to save water and energy by buying a water saver usage meter. These handy little devices show you exactly how much water you are using so that you can take steps in order to reduce your water usage by not over watering your garden, for example. These meters fit on standard hoses, have LCD displays, a reset button for every usage in addition to an auto shut-off to help conserve power.

3. Energy Star Appliances

One of the best and most efficient ways to save energy in the home is to switch to appliances and products that do the work for you! There are many options in the realm of Energy Star appliances including fridges, dishwashers, laundry machines, dryers and even the smaller items such as blenders.

By switching to an Energy Star appliance, you will use “10 – 50% less water and energy than standard models”.

4. Energy-Saver Light Bulbs

Another easy way to save energy in the home is by switching to energy-efficient lighting in every room. For example, ENERGY STAR® compact light bulbs use “75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs”. Another option is to switch to halogen lighting. It has light output “similar to a regular incandescent bulb but uses up to 40 percent less energy”.

5. Solar Powered Gadgets

A Technology that is becoming steadily popular these days includes solar powered chargers and gadgets. While solar power for your home in the form of panels is still very expensive, we can instead harness the suns energy in smaller portions. These days the market has everything from solar chargers for our cell phones and mp3 players to solar alarm clocks to solar powered lights for the garden. They even have solar powered TV’s now!

Regardless of what type of technology suits your fancy, by switching even a few of your gadgets over to solar power, you will benefit from cost savings. Not to mention that you will feel better knowing that you’re reducing your carbon footprint and saving the environment.

Other ways you can upgrade to more energy efficient lighting is by using a 100-watt bulb in place of two 60-watt ones. The single 100-watt not only produces the same amount of light, but it is also more energy efficient. There are also many energy-saving devices that can be used in conjunction with lighting such as motion sensors, dimmers and automatic timers.

While these are some of the top energy-efficient items for the home, there are many other options in today’s market and many more arriving all the time. Green technology, though not necessarily a new trend, has been picking up in the past few years as people start to become more and more environmentally aware and responsible. As a consumer, the next time you go shopping for new technology, appliances or gadgets for your home, be sure to check out some energy-efficient models instead!

Solar Record

A company called First Solar has just raised the bar for every other photovoltaic cell manufacturer by setting a record for PV efficiency. First solar, among other things, makes cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cells and increased their efficiency to 17.3-percent.

According to First Solar, “…it set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar cell efficiency, reaching 17.3 percent with a test cell constructed using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials. The test cell’s performance, confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), far surpassed the previous record of 16.7 percent set in 2001 … The average efficiency of First Solar modules produced in the first quarter of 2011 was 11.7 percent, up from 11.1 percent a year earlier, and the company has recorded full-module efficiencies over 13.5 percent, with a 13.4 percent module confirmed by NREL. First Solar’s module efficiency roadmap sets a goal for production-module efficiencies of 13.5-14.5 percent by the end of 2014.”

Now, this may not sound like a big deal on first glance, but from early 2011 to mid- 2011, First Solar has increased the efficiency of its solar cells from 11.7-percent to 17.3-percent which is a huge leap for an industry that measures itself by one-tenth of a percent increments.

Look, if you’ve read this far then this means I have you a little excited with this news. But, there is even bigger news in breakthrough solar technology. Just two days ago a startup in Santa Clara, California called Alta Devices scored a huge victory by upping its thin-film gallium-arsenide cell to 28.3-percent efficiency.

According to ieee Spectrum, “The key to achieving the record was photon recycling. When the photons in sunlight are absorbed in a photovoltaic material, they split into an electron and a hole. The electrons that pass out of the cell can be used as electricity, but many of them are lost in the semiconductor when they recombine with a hole to produce either waste heat or a new photon. By carefully growing a high-quality single crystal of gallium arsenide, the company managed to ensure that more than 99 percent of the recombinations would result in new photons.”

Both of these breakthroughs are exciting developments in the field of solar energy. We are at a tipping point my friend where efficiency goes up and cost comes down to a price that is starting to make solar energy competitive with fossil fuels.