Audi aims to produce electric car within ten years

by Darren Murph, posted May 5th 2008 at 10:53AM
Although Audi isn't aiming to beat Chevrolet to the punch with an electric whip, it does plan on joining the party a bit further down the road -- according to company bigwig Rupert Stadler, that is. Based on an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag, Mr. Stadler noted that he expected diesel and battery technology to dominate within five to ten years, and he made mention that "by then, [Audi] would offer cars without exhaust emissions." Curiously enough, he also stated that "electric cars offer opportunities, which [the company has] already seized on," but alas, he didn't elaborate beyond that. Just to confirm, we've got you, me and a whisper-quiet ride in five- to ten-years? It's a date.[Via News]

Venturi's Eclectic solar / wind-powered car

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 30th 2006 at 6:15PM

Forget biodiesel and fuel cell-powered vehicles, how about a whip that doesn't require any fuel whatsoever? The Venturi Eclectic, touted as an "autonomous energy vehicle," gets its charge from wind gusts and 8.2 square feet of solar cells atop its roof. The four-person ride boasts a 22-horsepower purely electric engine, is powered by liquid-cooled NiMH batteries, and can reach a (yawn-inducing) top-end speed of nearly 32mph. While it's no Wrightspeed X1, the designers had "daily driver" in mind when the Ecletic was crafted, but considering it'll only roll 31 miles on a full charge, you best take the scenic (read: sunny) route to work if you're facing a long commute. The car does sport an option to recharge via AC power, should you face darker (and calmer) than expected conditions, but since it weighs just 772 pounds, a foursome shouldn't have too much trouble using the tried and true "push method" if worse comes to worst. Scheduled for production in June 2007, this oh-so-green automombile will run you �24,000 ($30,511) -- if you can manage to score one of the 200 that'll be built, that is.

[Via MobileMag]

Infinity Miles Per Gallon: Art Haines and the Solar Car

It's prety cool!!

全球風電增勢迅猛 風電成本大幅下降

全球風電增勢迅猛 風電成本大幅下降

資料來源：中國風能網    發佈日期：2008/4/25

全球風力發電能力在2007年又增長24%，達到5910萬千瓦，比10年前的不足500萬千瓦增長了12倍。風能是世界上增長最快的能源，過去10年間年平均增長率為29%。總體來說，世界績優風力發電場的發電成本自80年代以來下降了將近90%，現在已下降到4美分╱千瓦時，甚至更低。在有些市場，風力發電已經比傳統能源發電便宜。歐洲風能協會預測，到2020年風力發電成本將下降到3美分╱千瓦時。風力發電成本下降，主要原因是技術的進步，風電項目融資成本下降，以及渦輪機和零部件的製造和建設已形成經濟規模。