Most of you reading this are already inclined toward green-type technology, whether that’s clean power generation, electric transportation, or more efficient ways to do things. Today, I’m going to give you one more reason to stop supporting – or at least vocally dislike – big gas and big oil. Yes, We’ve All Heard About This There are a number of people who will happily speak at length about dependence on foreign oil and how it leads to American troops being sent over to oil-rich hotspots to make sure we can still get affordable gas at the pump. There was a pun a while back about how Operation: Iraqi Freedom should have been called Operation: Iraqi Liberation (or O.I.L.), for example. I’m not really one of those people, but I listen when they talk. Oil is not cheap; from the ...

Rare earth minerals may be the most important, let least understood factor in America’s transition to a low-carbon, clean-tech future. They’re essential to virtually every source of renewable energy and consumer technology we use today.

But China dominates worldwide rare earth supplies and production, and their monopoly could corner the world economy. energyNOW! chief correspondent Tyler Suiters explores how U.S. dependence on China’s rare earths could affect our energy future and high-tech lifestyles. The full video is available below:

Americans are used to seeing the words “Made in China” on most things we buy, but could they soon also read “Mined in China?” The nation controls 97 percent of global production of the elements we rely upon in every aspect of modern life. Consider the technologies requiring rare earths: ...

If you’ve been following our Cleantech Project Stories, you’ll know that ECOtality has been working on its EV network with eco-conscious companies like Ikea. ECOtality has brought out the big guns now, expanding the reach of its EV Project by partnering with Walmart, the world’s biggest corporation, to bring its Blink Pedestal electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to 10 stores throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. Blink Pedestal charging stations are designed for commercial and public locations. They are classified as Level 2, or 240 volt AC input, charging stations.

The EV Project is a publicly- and privately-funded campaign that acts as a large-scale test run for life with EV’s. The project’s goals include creating an EV infrastructure to support approximately 8,300 electric vehicles (pre-qualified ...

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10 Minutes or Less: Another New Charging System from Nissan Tiny, Adorable, Inexpensive — New Nissan Quick-Charge System Austrians Have a Superpower — Charging EVs at Parking Meters with Renewable Energy

Tesla’s Roadster is one of the sexiest electric cars on the road, and their new sedan looks pretty sweet, too. Not only does it seat up to 7, there’s also a performance model available (0-60 in 4.5 seconds!). Helping keep costs down so more of us can ride in this sweet silent sedan is Panasonic, providing the lithium-ion battery cells.

Both companies say that the agreement will help Tesla meet its costs and margin targets for the Model S, according to a statement released Tuesday. As the base model is priced at $57,400 (before the applicable federal tax credit, which is $7,500 and any other incentives), it’s anyone’s guess what that margin is. The Roadster, in comparison, costs upwards of $109,000 (presumably using the same type of batteries, but hey, it’s a sports car).

Panasonic’s involvement with Tesla ...

As long as there are complaints about electric cars, Nissan just isn’t satisfied. Having already resolved the bulky home charger issue with a smaller version, Nissan will next tackle the time it takes to charge an EV.

DC quick chargers can take an EV up to about 80% capacity in just thirty minutes – not bad, when the alternative is charging the car overnight. But thirty minutes is still more time than you might want to spend off the road, or waiting in the morning before heading out to wherever. Nissan’s new technology, if all goes according to projections, will charge an EV battery completely in 10 minutes – less time than it takes to drive to the gas station and fill up.

Kansai University is the hot spot for Nissan – engineers and researchers there have a capacitor electrode made ...

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Some crazy concept cars have emerged since the electric car frenzy hit the market in 2008. Where are they now? We caught up with 29 electric car manufacturers and developers to find out what they’re doing today. Some are still going strong, some have begun actively producing their cars, and some … well, not every startup can survive. Most major car companies have begun working on a hybrid electric car or a pure battery-powered electric car. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, two of the cheapest electric cars on the market, now cost less than $50,000. And there are plenty of other battery-powered and hybrid electric cars in the pipeline that will bring those costs even lower. This list is sorted according to car availability and release ...

The city of Rome, Italy is poised to welcome electric cars to its streets, according to Toshiba. The electronics giant announced this week that its Italian subsidiary Ansaldo Transmissione & Distribuzione S.p.A (Ansaldo T&D) won a contract to supply a smart grid distribution system to ACEA Distribuzione S.p.A (Gruppo ACEA), one of Italy’s leading public utilities. The system will include a solar power array and storage batteries, as well as a control unit and smart meters.

Ansaldo T&D will start the installation in December (2011) in Raffineria, an ACEA substation, with ACEA scheduled to start operations and maintenance the following spring (2012). Once operational, the system will supply power to a network of EV charging stations – considered an integral part of a smart grid.

The solar power system to be installed is a 10KW array, and the ...

“Range anxiety” for pure battery-powered electric car owners wears off quickly as a driver begins to understand the capabilities and charging patterns of their car, according to a new study by the Technology Strategy Board. Around 35 percent of electric car owners were concerned about reaching a destination before running out of juice three months after buying a car, compared to 100 percent of car owners when they first bought the electric car, according to the report. More car owners drove the cars until the battery fell below 50 percent charge. But the report also showed that electric car owners still desire longer ranges. Most battery-powered electric cars are limited in their range, which can make car purchasers skittish and less likely to buy a pure battery-powered electric car. It’s ...

Car manufacturers Ford and Toyota announced today that the companies will collaborate on a hybrid-electric car powertrain for sport utility vehicles and light trucks. Ford and Toyota will jointly develop a rear-wheel drive electric powertrain and then introduce the powertrain in separate vehicle lines for each company. The light trucks and SUVs should arrive sometime later this decade, the companies said in an official announcement. “The companies are likely looking to reduce cost of the drivetrain to grow the hybrid market, and they don’t see each other as much as direct competitors in the SUV/truck market as with light duty cars,” Pike Research analyst John Gartner told VentureBeat. “There is enough differentiation in the rest of the vehicle design that a common drivetrain with a competitor should not be problematic.” Toyota is already collaborating with Tesla Motors, makers of the battery-powered Tesla Roadster electric ...