Eco Green News, Technology, DIY Project and Hacks

In a joint press conference, GM and Segway officially announced the P.U.M.A (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) at prototype two wheeled urban transport vehicle. With a estimated rage of 35 miles on a single charge and capable of a top speed of 35 miles/hr. The PUMA aims at equipping legions of urbunites a cheep efficient way of commuting in crowded city streets (or golf courses).

The two seat vehicle will feature GM Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technology, which allows two vehicle to communicate and avoid crashes.

[Engadget]

New customers of the Tesla Model-S Sedan take a ride around a parking lot at the SpaceX rocket factory in LA, during the unveiling party for the new Tesla Sedan. Tesla Model-S is the latest offering from the Silicon Valley electric car maker.

Tesla Motors today unveiled its latest addition, the Model S sedan, to its line of electric vehicles. The Model S is its first push to make electric vehicles more affordable. The sedan will ship for $50,000 in late 2011.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk explains the Model S’s three level of removable battery packs, which will propel the electric vehicles 300 mi, 150 mi …. depending on the pack installed. Musk also boasted about the battery packs impressive 45 minute charge time.

[Jason Calacanis]

Tesla’s yet to be released Model S electric sports sedan will have the capability to charge via a 440 volt fast charger. The new chargers will greatly improve recharging time of the on board batteries.

The more important question is the market will see the proliferation of fast-charging stations. There are no public 440-volt fast charging stations. ECOtality, a clean-electric transportation and technology company, has implemented 5100 of these stations in 13 airports across the country, but none is public, said Colin Read, marketing directory for ECOtality.

While no specific charging time was mentioned, the Tesla roadster features a 220 volt charger which can fully charge the batteries in 3.5 hours.

[CarTech]

Fun and easy little solar project from the makers shed, powered by the sun.

The kit comes with detailed instructions, and is easy enough for even a beginner to assemble. I really like the contoured circuit board, especially the gold flames. It really was amazing how fast this little solar racer ran across the floor after just a minute or two of charging.

The New 2010 Toyota Prius has some cool new features. Along with an improved fuel economy:

• 1.8-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine
• Horsepower increase from 75 to 98; 134 combined.
• 50 mpg
• Solar sun roof
• LED Headlights
• Solar-cell array to power the ventilation system

The Green Wheel, a revolutionary design prototype being developed by MIT that aims at replacing standard bike wheels with a complete self enclosed electric powered wheel. The genius behind the design is that everything (Battery, Generator and Electric motor) is enclosed in the center hub.

“Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine … The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel.” [Discovery News]

H2O Multifunction Clock runs off of a replaceable H2O Water battery, which keeps the clock ticking for 2 to 3 months before needing a fill up.

“magical electrochemical reaction between the electrodes and water produces electrical energy”

All the parts in this ecological alarm clock are recyclable.

[Gadgetshop HQ]

The premium sound manufacture Bose has introduced a sleek energy efficient sound system to be included in the majestic Chevy Volt.

Boosting a lighter design and improved efficiency the Bose system will unveil with the Chevy Volt sometime in 2010.

The Intel corp has unveiled a demonstration data center powered by a solar panel array. The company hopes the concept could eventually lead to a large reduction in its carbon based power demands. The photovoltaic array features 64 sharp solar panels producing 10 KW’s of clean green power.

Marty Sedler, Intel’s director for global utilities and infrastructure:

“We’re very excited about this project … The New Mexico solar installation will be a big step for Intel and potentially lead the way for a more aggressive solar program within Intel.”

“This is really exciting … Intel has been the forerunner of so many things and this is what Mother Nature wants. She wants us to use her, not abuse her. We need to ensure that there is balance and harmony for many centuries.”

“Intel is committed to conserving energy through designing energy efficient products, conserving energy in our operations, investing in renewable energy and advancing renewable energy policies … This PV array, while providing only a fraction of the energy used by our site, is the beginning of our solar program.”

[The RR Observer]