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Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'Deathproof' vehicles and more!
Many automakers are working on self-driving cars, but Volvo is the first to announce plans for completely "deathproof" vehicles by the year 2020. Meanwhile, General Motors invested $500 million in Lyft to create a network of autonomous vehicles. Snowstorms snarl traffic, but engineers have a solution: electric roads that de-ice themselves without the need for road salt. We also spotted a unique circular bridge in Uruguay that encourages drivers to slow down and enjoy the view. And Ford teamed up with fashion designers to debut a collection of couture made from recycled upholstery.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Fisker Karma gets a price cut, and more!
Architects are constantly pushing boundaries to redefine what buildings can do. Baca Architects just unveiled the UK's first "amphibious house," which is able to rise up and float when floods strike. Designer Michael Weeks has developed a self-sufficient dome home called the Life Pod that can be transported virtually anywhere. In Kazakhstan, architects are proposing the world's first apartment building topped with a ski slope. And Franek Architects just unveiled a spiraling mountaintop walkway in Czech Republic that features a 330-foot slide.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The Detroit Auto Show, SOTU and more!
The North American International Auto Show kicked off this week in Detroit, and we hit the floor to bring you seven of the best green cars, including a hot hydrogen sedan and the world's first electric minivan. The Obama administration heralded the age of autonomous vehicles with a new plan to invest $4 billion in self-driving car technology. As usual, Tesla is ahead of the curve: This week Elon Musk announced that the automaker's first fully autonomous cars will hit streets by the year 2018. And Tesla also took honors as the Model S was declared the world's top-selling electric car of 2015.
Inhabitat Week in Green: All the EVs at CES, and more!
Want to see the future of transportation? Look to CES 2016, where innovators debuted the state of the art in high-tech mobility. Chevrolet kicked things off by launching the first electric car for the masses, the 2017 Bolt EV. It gets 200 miles per charge and will cost around $30,000. (Check out our interview with GM engineering chief Pam Fletcher here.) Meanwhile, the mysterious startup Faraday Future showcased an insane 1,000-horsepower electric vehicle that looks like a rocket ship and Ehang showcased an autonomous helicopter that can carry you up to 11,000 feet without a pilot. And a Chinese "hoverboard" company made the news when federal marshals raided their booth over copyright concerns.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: A Volkswagen van, and more!
Sea levels are rising as arctic ice melts, so what will cities do to combat rising tides? According to architect Vincent Callebaut, they'll set sail. This week Callebaut unveiled plans for a futuristic floating village that can be 3D-printed from plastic waste. Meanwhile, the team behind the world's largest 3D printer announced plans to create a life-size replica of Syria's Palmyra arch, which was destroyed by Islamic State militants. In other architecture news, Thomas Heatherwick wants to build a tree-covered mountain in the middle of Shanghai, and a team of Harvard students built an amazing tiny home that you can rent for $99 a night.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Ford's self-driving cars, and more!
Energy bills tend to spike in the wintertime, but this incredible UK home costs just $2 a month to run. The secret? Tons of insulation and a massive set of rooftop solar panels. We also spotted a futuristic Russian dome home that's able to withstand massive loads of snow, and a team of Finnish engineers are building the world's longest ice bridge at the start of next year.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Elon Musk's solar energy plan
It's been a good week for environmental news. For starters, world leaders sealed the deal on a historic climate agreement in Paris, President Obama announced the largest energy efficiency rule in US history and congress extended solar and wind tax credits for another five years. Elon Musk found a way to power the entire United States with solar energy, and Bernie Sanders declared war on global warming in his ambitious climate plan. Google expanded its free online solar power calculator to nine more states, while SolarPod launched an innovative line of photovoltaic panels that can be installed on any roof without drilling a single hole.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Paris climate talks, and more!
This week marked the close of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, where world leaders from 195 countries voted to adopt a climate change agreement on Saturday that aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a historic move that has been decades in the making. Meanwhile, we took an in-depth look at the rise of clean energy in the United States, and researchers revealed a road map for how the entire planet can switch to renewables by the year 2050. Uruguay in particular is way ahead of the curve: The nation currently gets about 95 percent of its energy from sustainable sources. We also showcased several energy innovations, including a sea wall that harvests electricity from the motion of the ocean, and a new floating solar plant that's coming to the US next year.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla Model S recall, and more!
When a problem comes along, you must fix it. This week Tesla noticed a defective seatbelt in one of its Model S sedans, so the automaker immediately issued a recall for all 90,000 vehicles on the road out of "an abundance of caution." In other transportation news, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin beat out Elon Musk's SpaceX in the race to develop a rocket that can return intact from space. Porsche announced plans to offer a hybrid version of one of the most-loved sports cars of all time. We also spotted several outlandish infrastructural hazards: a three-day traffic jam snared drivers in Kenya and a highway suddenly lifted towards the sky and splintered into pieces in California.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The new Prius and a two-legged puppy
2016 is shaping up to be a tremendous year for green transportation. This week Honda announced plans to launch its Clarity Fuel Cell car next year in the US, while Gogoro is getting ready to roll out its battery-swapping Smartscooters in Europe. Chevrolet scored a grand slam as the 2016 Volt won the Green Car of the Year award, and we jumped behind the wheel of the completely redesigned 2016 Toyota Prius to give you the scoop. We also showcased two wild pedal-powered vehicles: a folding bike that weighs less than a watermelon and the world's longest bicycle, which stretches an absurd 117 feet.
Inhabitat Week in Green: An EV that could last a million miles, and more!
Here's something we never thought we'd hear: Wind farms in Texas are generating too much energy -- and some utilities are actually giving it away for free. In other news, the world's largest nuclear fusion reactor is set to switch online this month, and it could unlock the key to limitless cheap electricity. Clean energy is on the rise around the world: A new study shows that renewables account for half of all power plants built in 2014, Taiwan is building the world's largest dual axis solar tracker station and a Swiss company built a giant machine that sucks up CO2 and transforms it into electricity.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Obama's Keystone XL pipeline veto
The world's oceans contain an immense amount of energy -- and this week two pioneering projects sought to unlock it. First Australia announced the world's first wave energy microgrid, and then Scotland gave the green light to construct the largest floating wind farm on the planet. Germany is betting big on clean energy: The nation just announced that it's on track to produce 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources this year. Meanwhile, Sweden is moving ahead with plans to become the world's first fossil fuel-free nation by the year 2050, and President Obama officially vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline ahead of the Paris climate change conference.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: hoverboards and a 3D-printed car
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. A working hoverboard has been the elusive dream of Back to the Future fans and transportation nerds for decades. Now, Lexus claims that it has built a prototype. The company's SLIDE hoverboard uses magnetic levitation technology, similar to high-speed bullet trains, and it is cooled by liquid nitrogen. In other transportation news, the US Department of Defense is working with Malloy Aeronautics to develop a hoverbike for the Army. Getting stuck behind a big truck isn't just annoying -- it can be very dangerous. So tech giant Samsung has designed "see-through" trucks with rear-mounted video panels that display the road ahead.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Self-driving Audis and free solar panels
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. California is giving away free solar panels to its poorest residents. Between now and 2016, the state will donate 1,600 free photovoltaic systems -- and each array will save a household $22,800 in energy costs over 30 years. Meanwhile in Southern California, director James Cameron gifted his wife a field of solar sunflowers to power her sustainable school. In other energy news, Tesla's battery-producing Gigafactory is starting to take shape in Nevada -- and this week we took a first look at the gigantic building thanks to an aerial drone.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla's Powerwall and the 2015 Milan Expo
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. Tesla capped the week off with the announcement everyone's been waiting for -- its new $3,500 10kWh Powerwall home battery is coming soon. All eyes were on Elon Musk this past week as he took the stage to show off the stylish new battery that could help take your home off the grid. The internal combustion engine has been around for more than 150 years, and for most of that time it has run on petroleum, which isn't exactly a friend of the environment. But what if we removed gas from the equation and replaced it with something more harmless? Audi recently invented a synthetic "e-diesel," which is made with water, CO2 and electricity derived from renewable energy sources. The new fuel could revolutionize the car industry and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: floating cities, solar bikes and a Dr. Seuss house
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. The Volkswagen Camper van is one of the most iconic vehicles of the 20th century, but VW hasn't put out a new model of the hippie standby since 2003. That could all change soon, as a VW board member recently revealed that the carmaker is planning to unveil an electric concept Camper in the near future. In other automotive news, Tesla has launched a new edition of its Model S sedan. The Model S 70D will replace the Model S 60, and it will be powered by Tesla's dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. Most industry observers acknowledge that self-driving cars are the future, but one car company believes they're also the present. Korean automaker Hyundai is set to release a semi-autonomous car later this year. The car won't exactly drive itself, but it will have the ability to stay in a lane on the highway and adjust the car's speed in response to traffic conditions.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: e-paper shoes, superhighways and solar ovens
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. Fans of green cars are eagerly awaiting the release of the Tesla Model X, but you won't have to wait to see what it looks like on the road -- a YouTube user spotted the new car cruising down the freeway in Palo Alto, California. The electric vehicle, which was originally supposed to be released in 2013, is now set to launch in the third quarter of 2015. In other automotive news, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to release 10 new plug-in hybrid models by 2017. The new models will be designated with a simple "e" instead of the longer "plug-in hybrid" branding. Toyota is currently testing its i-Road three-wheeled electric vehicle in France. The i-Road is seen as a "last-mile" vehicle, and Toyota wants to see how it can integrate with public transportation to decrease traffic gridlock.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: self-driving cars, library tanks and bionic arms
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 Tesla. CEO Elon Musk just announced the end of electric vehicle range anxiety thanks to a Model S software update that makes it "impossible" to stray too far from a charging station. Tesla also got a big break in New Jersey as Governor Chris Christie lifted the state's ban on the automaker's direct sales model. Elsewhere on the automotive front, BMW just unveiled the X5 eDrive40e, which can travel up to 19 miles in fully electric mode and is rated at 71 mpg. An Audi is set to embark on the first-ever cross-country trip for a self-driving car. The electronics company Delphi is the driving force behind the road trip, and they've rigged up an Audi SQ5 with the necessary sensors, cameras and controls for the trip.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Google's new HQ, folding bikes and fancy beehives
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. Buildings are among the biggest energy users, but new developments in the design world could help change that. ArchiBlox recently unveiled Australia's first carbon-positive prefab home -- in other words, the house produces more energy than it uses. The gorgeous 800-square-foot structure is now on display in Melbourne's City Square. In other architecture news, Google just unveiled plans to build a giant bubble in Mountain View! The new Googleplex headquarters will be a biosphere-filled utopia designed by Heatherwick Studio and BIG. Speaking of BIG, the Danish architecture firm recently unveiled plans for a luminescent, geodesic dome biomass power plant. The rainbow-colored dome wouldn't just produce green energy; it would also serve as a public park.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Solar-powered yachts, windmills and Apple car rumors
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. Tesla has owned the electric car space in recent years, but another major Silicon Valley company could be nipping at its heels -- rumor has it that Apple is developing an electric "minivan-like vehicle" of its own. It's not clear if the rumors are true, but this week electric vehicle battery manufacturer A123 Systems sued Apple for poaching its employees. Porsche is also taking aim at Tesla with plans to launch an all-electric rival to the Model S by 2019. In other green transportation news, Volkswagen has announced plan to build 100 fast electric car-charging stations in the US, and it will invest $10 million to support electric vehicle infrastructure by 2016.
