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BMW's C Evolution electric scooter does 62 miles on a charge, maxes out at 75 mph
All things considered, we think it's safe to say BMW very rarely disappoints with its latest road-friendly creations, and one of the outfit's most recent concoctions is this eco-friendly C Evolution electric scooter. According to the German company, the prototype two-wheeler's quite close to hitting its final production stages, noting "it might soon become a part of everyday road traffic in cities throughout the world" and that it is "outstanding in terms of performance, functionality and design." On paper, the C Evolution appears to be rather promising, with BMW also claiming the environmental hog can ride out about 62 miles on a single charge -- all while being able to reach max speeds of around 75 mph. No word yet on how much you'll have to save up for one of these, but for now, there's a video of the C Evo in action waiting on you just past the break.
ViewSonic announces a duo of budget-friendly LED monitors
As gorgeous as huge, expensive monitors are, most situations just don't call for the inches or wallet-dents associated with today's luxury screens. With this in mind, and barely a breath after outing its $299, 27-inch LED offering, ViewSonic is back with two budget displays from the VA12 series. First up is the VA2212m-LED, which rocks a 1080p widescreen, 21.5-inch panel, 10,000,000:1 contrast Ratio, DVI and VGA inputs, as well as a pair of 2W integrated speakers. Its little brother the VA1912m-LED shares most of the same genes, but with an 18.5-inch, 1,366 x 768 resolution screen. Running with ViewSonic's eco-friendly theme, both mercury-free LED monitors also boast the eco-mode feature for low power consumption and a longer life. If either of the new displays are grabbing your attention, you'll be able to pick up the $149 VA2212m-LED imminently, with the $125 VA1912m-LED hitting North American retailers in mid-August.
ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020
ARM isn't content with dominating the mobile space. It's been by the far the most vocal about an Internet of Things where everything is connected -- and to make that happen, it just established an industry forum in the UK that it hopes will establish common ground for all those internet-linked light bulbs, refrigerators and thermostats. Home energy firm Alertme, cloud-aware sensing outfit AquaMW, lighting maker EnLight and white space wireless guru Neul will start meeting with ARM from August 24th onwards to hash out our automated, eco-friendly future. There's a certain urgency in this for the chip designer: it expects 50 billion devices on the grid by 2020. With IDC estimating a billion new connected devices just in 2011, the clock on that connected device transition is ticking very loudly.
US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moon's gravitational benefits
Solar may be the green energy source that's been hogging the headlines lately, but there are other fossil-fuel free ways that can help meet society's electrical needs. One of these is tidal power, and the US is set to start harnessing the ocean's electricity-generating potential this summer with the TidGen Cobscook Bay project -- the first such commercial project in the States. Located just off the coast of Eastport, Maine, turbines will be placed in 50-100 feet deep water to take advantage of the 100 billion tons of water that flow in and out of Cobscook Bay each day. When the project goes live, it'll feed into the public power grid and generate enough juice to power between 75 and 100 homes, and the plan is to eventually install enough turbines to generate 3MW of power -- which should cover the needs of over 1,000 homes and businesses. There's more info, plus plenty of political self-congratulation in the source below.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: liter of light project, space tourism and a 'Hyperloop' train
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This summer has been one of the harshest in recent memory in the US, with record heat waves and more than half of the country experiencing the worst drought conditions in more than 50 years. And in an even more troubling development, an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan broke away from Greenland this week. The need to develop clean alternatives to fossil fuels and water-saving technologies is more urgent than ever, but we're making progress in several key areas. In California, scientists fired 192 lasers onto a single point, producing an amazing 500 trillion watts of energy and bringing them one step closer to starting a nuclear fusion reaction that would produce an unlimited supply of clean energy. In another promising development, a teenager in Egypt figured out a way to turn the country's plastic waste into $78 million worth of fuel.
Researcher calls platinum wrong for fuel cell development, looks elsewhere for efficiency
Hearing that fuel cells aren't the most efficient thing in the world shouldn't take you by surprise, but a determination by one Alfred Anderson just might. The chemistry professor from Case Western Reserve University is now making a case for using something other than platinum as the "catalyst most commonly used to convert chemical energy to electricity." According to him: "Using platinum is like putting a resistor in the system." To be fair, Anderson still isn't sure which material should replace it, but he's adamant that wizards in the field should be spending their time looking for substitutes instead of tweaking platinum further. Currently, he's working with other researchers in order to find something that'll one-up what we're using today, and if you're into oodles of technobabble, you can dig into the ins and outs of his claims in the source link below.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: origami Yoda, high-speed rail line and a self powered building
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. It's been a great week for two of our favorite things over at Inhabitat: LEGOs and Star Wars. First, a group of LEGO builders from LEGOLAND Windsor built the tallest LEGO tower ever, snatching the title back from South Korea and returning it to the UK. Then, using 152,455 LEGO bricks, Rolls-Royce built a half-size replica of the jet engine that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In one of the most ingenious LEGO constructions ever built, LEGO pro Rene Hoffmeister built a barrel organ that plays the Star Wars theme song. And in other Star Wars news, we reported on the renovation of Luke Skywalker's boyhood home in Tatooine (actually it's in Tunisia). And finally, we shared a photo of this 7-centimeter-tall origami Yoda -- the most adorable bit of Star Wars memorabilia ever made.
Bob Mansfield: 'all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT'
Here's something you don't want happening when you're trying to wrap up a career, plan a jaunt to Moorea and generally goof off while waiting for the final checks to clear: large numbers of people demanding that you change something. That's probably what one Bob Mansfield is dealing with, just weeks before he'll turn in his Apple employee badge and do... well, whatever he wants. Just six days after the company yanked its products out of EPEAT's green registry, all eligible Apple products are back. Why? Well, many cities, entities and organizations (San Francisco, we're glaring at you) won't purchase products that aren't on the list, and according to a letter from Bob (embedded in full after the break), the removal "was a mistake." He also notes that "Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry," and that no other company in this industry can say that its entire product line "exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard." Curiously, he also states that Apple's relationship with EPEAT "has become stronger as a result of this experience," which sure makes one wonder what went down to begin with. Now, Bob -- retirement. No more emails. Focus.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: rise of solar power, cardboard forts and a Death Star ping pong ball
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. It was a big week for superlatives in clean tech and green architecture -- particularly in Europe. First, construction on The Shard, architect Renzo Piano's shimmering, 72-story skyscraper, wrapped up in London, making it the tallest building in Europe. A nighttime celebration, complete with a laser light show accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra was held. Just about a mile down the river, construction is moving forward on Blackfriars Station, the world's largest solar bridge. The historic bridge is being fitted with a solar array that will produce 900,000 kWh of clean electricity per year. And in Germany, solar producers have set a new world record, pumping an astounding 14.7 TWh of electricity into the grid during the first six months of 2012 -- 4.5 percent of the country's total power production during that period.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: energy-harvesting toilet, LED lightbulb overhaul and a floating, solar-powered resort home
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. LED technology shone brighter than the summer sun this week as artist Bruce Munro unveiled plans for his largest lighting installation ever -- a field of thousands of LED flowers that will spring up next year at Australia's Ayers Rock. Best of all, the entire installation will be powered by solar energy! We also saw Rice University flip the switch on its new Epiphany Skyspace -- a green-roofed pavilion that's topped with a brilliant blue canopy of light. If you're still not convinced that LEDs are the future, we recently produced two videos that are sure to show you the light -- check out our interview with five professional lighting designers on today's state of the art LED bulbs and watch as we give Inhabitots editor Julie Seguss a light bulb overhaul that shaves over $400 off her utility bills. And if you're ready to make the switch, check out our guide to 24 gorgeous green lamps that look great with LED bulbs. This week saw some exciting new developments in the realm of renewable energy. First, a group of scientists in the UK developed a new energy-harvesting device that attaches to the joint between the thigh and shin. The device could be used to power monitors and mobile devices, to name a few possible applications. Meanwhile, scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have invented a new toilet that turns human waste into electricity while reducing the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 percent. That's what we call, win-win!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Sky City One, remote-controlled light bulbs and the Zero-G Olympic Games
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. It took five years to build the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building -- but this week Inhabitat reported that Chinese company BSB plans to build the next world's tallest tower in an astounding 90 days. Dubbed Sky City One, the soaring spire will be constructed using prefab building techniques in record time. In other architecture news, Singapore officially unveiled its lush, sprawling Gardens by the Bay in advance of their opening next week -- and the stars of the show are these spectacular solar-powered supertrees that harvest rainwater and light up the night. We also took a peek inside a bomb-shelter-turned-nightclub that is blowing up in Beijing, and several internet titans unveiled new building projects -- Twitter moved into a new green-roofed headquarters in San Francisco and eBay announced plans to power its flagship data center with a Bloom Energy fuel cell farm.
Air Canada embarks on its first biofuel-powered flight from Toronto to Mexico City
Not looking to be left out of the biofuel party, Air Canada is the latest to try out the eco-friendly alternative for its jet engines. An Airbus A319 will make the outfit's pseudo-sustainable flight from Toronto to Mexico City powered by a 50 / 50 mixture of the aforementioned material and regular ol' jet fuel. This particular blend is derived from recycled cooking oil and meets all standards to avoid any modifications to the aircraft's existing systems -- while still offering a 40 percent cut in emissions. In addition to green-powered trips, the airline is implementing several other measures to improve its impact on Mother Nature, including the use of iPads over paper documents for pilots. Here's to hoping that the company will be fueling it's own 787s with the blend in the near future. [Thanks, Renaud]
Sassor wants to let users know just how much electricity their gadgets are wasting (hands-on)
Everyone knows that their game consoles, appliances and HDTVs are energy vampires, and while Energy Star-certified products tell us which gadgets are more green-friendly than others, we still don't know just how much juice they're actually sucking down in a given day. Enter Sassor, a start-up from Japan that's created a system to monitor the electrical consumption of anything plugged into a wall outlet -- from PCs to refrigerators. It tracks power consumption using current sensors clamped onto power cords, which communicate wirelessly via ZigBee with a module (based on an Arduino design) that uploads the info to the cloud. Through the web portal, users can track energy consumption on a per-device basis in real-time, letting them figure out which gadgets are most responsible for their sky-high utility bill -- and take appropriate steps to correct the problem. Currently, it's aimed solely at businesses, but once Sassor's on its feet, funding-wise, the plan is to also put them in people's homes. The company told us it'll ditch ZigBee in favor of a WiFi solution in such future iterations, and it'll make an SDK and the system APIs available to all so that people can program for the platform and improve it in ways currently not contemplated. Alas, there's neither a timetable nor a price for the consumer version just yet, but you can see some pictures of the hardware's innards below.
AT&T officially acknowledges Samsung Exhilarate's existence, will be available on June 10th for $50
It's alive! The budget-friendly Samsung Exhilarate was announced alongside several other LTE phones at the AT&T Developer Summit in January, and we never heard about it since. Pricing, availability and most other major details were left out of the conversation, but it turns out this isn't another case of the Skyrocket HD (a phone that was announced at the same time but was eventually cancelled). The Exhilarate will finally arrive on June 10th and can be yours for $50. So what about the missing details AT&T's kept tight-lipped about for the last five months? The Exhilarate sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED panel, Android 2.3 (as far as we can tell from the press images), 1.2GHz dual-core Scorpion CPU, LTE connectivity, 5MP rear camera capable of taking 720p video, a 1.3MP front-facing cam and UL Platinum certification. Essentially, this particular status from Underwriters Laboratories means the phone passed a set of minimum requirements and can now be considered "environmentally preferable." The rear casing is made from 80 percent recycled material, and the device itself is slated to undergo AT&T's new eco-rating system which will launch later this summer. We can't imagine that too many people will exemplify the feeling portrayed in the device's name, but we're glad this one didn't mysteriously disappear.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, floating eco-resort and a G-POD
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Next month, all eyes will be on London when the English capital hosts the Summer Olympics. In preparation, this week London officials unveiled an impressive new LED light installation on the Tower Bridge. The new lights, which cut the landmark's energy consumption by 40 percent, will be turned white to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (her 60th year as monarch). Speaking of London, we also took a look at the new 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park. The maze-like underground pavilion is the first collaboration between Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and architects Herzog & de Meuron since they teamed up to produce the Bird's Nest at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion isn't the only subterranean architecture project we've been buzzing about this week. In fact, we were amazed to report that all of the apocalypse-proof condos in an underground converted nuclear missile silo in Kansas have been sold. The 1,820-square-foot units were purchased for an amazing $2 million apiece. If you prefer to spend your time (and money) above ground, may be suggest your very own solar-powered floating eco-resort? The aptly-named Solar Floating Resort sleeps six and it comes with an underwater observation room. And for the landlubber in search of a unique space to pass the time, feast your eyes on the spherical G-POD! The sleek, prefabricated structures are made of Norwegian spruce, and they'd be perfect for rooftops and gardens.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Jake Dyson's lamp, wooden light bulbs and weed-killing lasers
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat has been reporting live from New York Design Week, where we've witnessed countless innovative green designs from around the world. To kick things off, we were pretty impressed with this desk lamp designed by Jake Dyson (son of the vacuum god) that extends the life of its LED bulbs by a whopping 37 years. Also in the category of "bright shiny things we love" is QisDesign's Aurelia lamp, which bears a striking resemblance to a glowing jellyfish. We were also dazzled by UM Project's collection of retro, robot-inspired lamps, Light & Contrast's cute LED flower lights, and we were absolutely floored by Alessandro Jordão's larger-than-life LEGO chair. Can't get enough of NY Design Week? Check out all of our favorite green designs from this year's shows. Continuing with the topic of innovative green lighting technology, artist Ryosuke Fukusada has created the impossible: a glowing wooden light bulb. Confused? The light was created using a technique called Rokuro, and it consists of an LED light bulb wrapped with a very thin layer of wood. When the bulb is turned on, it illuminates the grain of the wood. As Fukusada's creation demonstrates, LED lighting technology has taken some incredible strides recently, and we took some time to round-up 24 of our all-time favorite green lamps that look great with LED bulbs.
Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample
Dr Jonathan Rossiter, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol's Department of Engineering and Mathematics, has snagged a two-year research grant of over £200,000 to develop robots that decompose once their mission if complete. This means instead of our automaton friends rusting away, devoid of purpose, they could return gracefully (and more importantly non-toxically) back to mother earth. Not only would this be a boon to the environment, but scientists would no longer need to track and retrieve their mechanical progeny once it reached the end of its usable life, further sparing resources and allowing mass deployment. At least we know, when the day comes, the planet won't be harmed.
Helium-filled floating wind turbine, renewable energy with style
There's no doubting that the cause of renewable energy is a noble one. But, ethics aside, it also gives birth to the occasional technical marvel. Altaeros Energies, a company from Massachusetts (with MIT and Harvard blood in its veins) has created one such curiosity. The prototype is a wind-turbine that doesn't just languish on a hill-top, cutting a line in the horizon. No, this one has a helium-filled outer-section which allows it to deploy itself to 1,000 feet, where it can benefit from stronger, more consistent winds and gives nearly twice the power yields of its land bound brethren. That's all very nice, but we just thought it looked dang cool in action.
Philips' L Prize-winning light bulb goes on sale Sunday, priced between $20 and $60
It's a little strange crowning a "winner" when only a single company enters the contest, but that's exactly what happened during the L Prize celebration in August of last year. Philips was the only outfit to take the US Department of Energy up on its offer, earning some $10 million to develop what might go down as the most radically designed, wildly expensive bulb your table lamp has ever seen. That said, the victorious bulb is a big fan of Ma Earth (and her of him), using just 10 watts of energy while outputting light similar to that of a 60 watt incandescent. It'll hit retailers like Home Depot this Sunday (Earth Day) for around $50 a pop, while some utility companies may subsidize 'em in an effort to hit the magical $20 price point. Hey, no one said saving energy would be remotely affordable, right?
Boeing 787 set for first biofuel-powered flight tonight
Biofuel in planes is hardly a new idea, but when Boeing's latest and greatest aircraft gets in on the green game, we take notice. That's right, a ANA 787 Dreamliner is currently preparing to take off from Everett, Washington this evening and will make its way across the Pacific to Tokyo powered by biofuel. Well played, Boeing, we're all for celebrating Earth Day a little early, and it's always good to see someone giving Sir Richard Branson a run for his money. [Photo credit: Boeing, Flickr]
