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Posts with tag Prius

Hybrid 'Googlemobile' Ticketed!

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 17th 2008 at 12:23PMBreaking News

Hybrid Googlemobile Ticketed!
We've seen the Googlemobile before, captured in a window's reflection as it wove its way through the streets capturing images for Google's Street View feature on Google Maps. Since that earlier photo was taken, it seems Google's gone a bit green, ditching that big ugly van and choosing a Prius with a silly tall camera mounted on the roof. Being green doesn't mean necessarily being lawful, however, as this hybrid Googlemobile apparently broke some traffic violation and is about to be on the receiving end of a ticket from a California motorcycle policeman.

CHiPs it ain't, as we're guessing there wasn't a high-speed chase before this picture was taken, but it's an interesting look at the tech that makes Street View possible. [Source: The San Francisco Citizen]
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High School Students Build 2,843 MPG Car

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 15th 2008 at 3:15PM

Eco-Marathon Winner's Car Nets 2,843 MPG

Thought you were saving the environment by hitting 55 MPG in your Prius on your way in to work? Think again. A team of students from Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Indiana have laid the eco-smack down -- They developed a car that managed a whopping 2,843 miles-per-gallon in an eco-marathon competition sponsored by Shell. The event, consisting only of high school teams, saw submissions ranging from traditional gasoline-powered to somewhat more exotic fuels like solar and fuel cells.

The Mater Dei team wasn't the most efficient car out there, with a solar car achieving an equivalent mpg-rating of 2,861.8 (measured by figuring out how much electricity the car uses and then converting that to an equivalent fuel usage), but the teams also scored points for innovation and teamwork, resulting in the Mater Dei's gasoline-powered vehicle netting the $10,000 first prize.

Unfortunately, their contraption is more bicycle than auto, seats just one skinny high school student, and tops out at around 15 mph, so don't expect to see them on your morning commute. However, Mater Dei's final efficiency numbers were far beyond an anticipated 1,693 mpg, which means we're probably nowhere near the end of seeing just what this team can do.

From AutoblogGreen

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Green Tech to be a Major Theme at Next Week's Gadget Show

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 4th 2008 at 1:35PM


green tech to be a major theme at cesNot like we couldn't see it coming, but news is that a big theme at this year's CES will be "green technology." The environment, being green, and global warming have been on everyone's minds this year. The Prius, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' OLEDs, and tons of research into alternative power sources and fuels were all the rage in 2007, and '08 doesn't look to be any different.

A number of new technologies are expected to make their debut, or at least US debut, at CES next week. Among them is a new Silver-Zinc battery technology that will increase battery capacity by up to 30 percent, and will also yield more recoverable metal when recycled than the currently common Lithium-Ion batteries.

Fujitsu will show off a laptop with a plastic case made partially from corn byproducts. The case will not be biodegradable, because it still contains petroleum based plastics, but when the case is recycled the petroleum based plastic mixed in with the corn will separate and the corn plastic will be biodegradable.

Even cell phone chargers are getting a green makeover. As much as two thirds of the power drawn by a phone charger is wasted because AC adapters continue to draw energy even after the phone is fully charged. A company called GreenPlug will show off a universal hub that it hopes to convince electronics companies to support. The hub works by "talking" to devices to determine how much power they really need. Another perk is that the universal hub could eliminate the need for carrying a separate adapter for every phone, iPod etc. However one very un-green side effect is that the hub, even if supported, just means more non-biodegradable plastic going into circulation.

From CNN

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Why You Should Buy a Hybrid Car Now

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 5th 2007 at 12:02PM


Outside of the environmental and fuel efficiency bonuses, one of the reasons to buy hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius is the hefty tax credits one gets. Those tax credits, at least for Toyota hybrids, are about to expire.

Here's how it works: The hybrid tax credits begin a phase out process after a manufacturer sells 60,000 vehicles. The credits drop 50 percent after the 60,000 milestone is met. Six months later, the credits drop to 25 percent of the original figure, and, after six more months, they expire for good. Credits on Lexus and Toyota hybrids are set to expire on September 30th. Next on the credit chopping block is Honda, as it is widely expected to pass the 60k threshold this month.

If you can't run out and buy a Prius right now, but still want a green vehicle and a healthy tax break, you can still choose from other alternatives, but you'll need to dig a little deeper. Fuel cell, natural gas, and methanol powered vehicles all come with impressive tax credits, but vehicles that qualify for these are very hard to come by. Hybrid and alternative fuel credits are set to expire for good in 2010, and fuel cell credits will only last until 2014 unless Congress decides to extend them.

From Consumerist

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Branding the Prius

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 8th 2007 at 3:16PM

Branding the Prius

Toyota's Prius is not only America's hottest selling hybrid car, it's also something of a status-symbol among the eco-friendly. It would seem natural, then, for Toyota to capitalize on that status by expanding the role of the Prius to be less of a car and more of a lifestyle. That's the idea behind a blog post from metacool that lists 10 things Toyota can do to build the Prius brand.

Included are reimbursements for drivers who opt for eco-friendly vanity plates, designated "Prius Maven" parking spots at Whole Foods stores, and $1,000 discounts to buyers who agree to have a 75mph speed limiter installed in their cars.

Smart and practical ideas, most of these, but it's doubtful Toyota will listen to many. After all, the company seems to to be doing okay on its own.

From Core77 and metacool

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Hacking Your Hybrid

by Tom Conlon, posted Apr 10th 2007 at 1:00PM


This summer, when the inevitable power blackouts cripple California, it just might be a Toyota Prius coming to your rescue instead of a traditional gas-powered generator. Pacific Gas & Electric is showing off a new hack that allows you to plug a Prius into the wall socket and throw the juice in reverse to kick-start your home's appliances. But hold your environmentally-friendly horses: At the moment, this new Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology works only with prototype Priuses (eh...Priuii?) that have been rigged with an additional lithium-ion battery.

From Engadget and The Raw Feed
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