Tesla Roadster: The Future Of Electric Cars Looks Bright

Through an odd set of coincidences my dream car was eligible for huge tax rebates so I “had” to take a look. The Tesla Roadster is an all electric car produced by a small company in California called Tesla Motors. It is one of the first production scale electric cars available in the U.S. It is expensive by everyone’s standards but so is a Porsche, or any other high-end sports car.

Given that I own two hybrids you would think that I feel pretty good about my carbon footprint concerning transportation but it would be better to have one less car, take the bus more or better yet own some sort of electric car that doesn’t burn gas at all.

I guess nobody ever thought electric cars would materialize or be considered luxury, so when the State of Colorado wrote the rebate tax code they probably didn’t expect people making claims for an electric car in the amount of a ,000 credit!  Add ,500 from the federal government and you could see why I was more than a little interested.

When I went to test-drive the car, the weather was lousy due to the fact that a massive snow storm was on its way, so time was short. With the sales rep in the passenger’s seat I drove the car around the block. It took a while to get used to how the car handled given that it is a true sports car. After a couple of minutes my sales rep copilot suggested that I let the car drop down to 20 MPH and then punch it. It didn’t take much convincing because no matter who you are that is the very first thought that runs through your head when you sit in a car like this. The moment before I took her up on the suggestion I made a pact with myself to play it cool and not make a big fuss when the car accelerated. At least that was the plan; which lasted for less than 2 seconds. I didn’t even get the pedal to the floor when I blurted out “Holy *$ % that’s fast!” Now I have been in some fast cars before but this was almost unnatural. There was zero delay between pushing down the petal and being thrown forward at unbelievable speeds. You have to do some quick planning with a car this fast because you are on top of the car in front of you in no time at all.

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In the end, even with the huge incentives, I decided that saving for my kids’ college was more important, but I did walk away knowing that the future of electric cars looks bright. If you consider acceleration, top speed, travel distance, cost, MPH and fun as some of the major categories people consider when deciding to purchase a car, this one hits 50% of the categories out of the park. Cost and traveling distance are big barriers. The car can go at least a couple hundred of miles on a charge. Its top speed is only 125 MGH, but I am guessing that 125 MPH is fast enough for most people. Remember that nobody thought people would sacrifice music quality for portability yet digital music players have dominated retail over the last couple of years, so a couple of inconveniences will likely be overlooked by those purchasing this car.

Being green with an electric sports car like this one makes you feel kind of guilty because it is so easy. Maybe if more products were as good as this car, making changes to more environmentally-friendly products would be easy.

WRAPUP 1-JA Solar, Solarfun signal strong 2010, bright 2011

Ecosol Named as Ces Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Award Honoree
Ecosol Solar Technologies today announced that

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Healthcare sector to be key growth engine
THE healthcare sector is set to be transformed from a social service and consumer of wealth to a private sector-driven engine for economic growth under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

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LED Lighting Company ESI to Retrofit Energy Efficient Lights at Starwood’s Artech Aventura
Energy Smart Industry, leading provider of energy efficient lighting has announced it has bagged a new LED retrofit project at Starwood’s Artech aventura. Starwood Capital Group is an eminent global investment group with varied interests. Artech Aventura is a luxury condo located in Miami. ESI will provide energy efficient lighting to the entire condo, minimizing its energy expenditure and …

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Levi Strauss creates jeans with 28% less water
(Image Credit: Flickr – yeryabs ) Iconic denim company Levi Strauss has announced a new line of jeans designed to dramatically reduce the water needed to produce each pair of pants. The company is calling the new line “WaterLess” jeans, and thanks to making simple changes to the jeans finishing process, each pair boasts an average water footprint that is 28 percent smaller than most brands – and …

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WRAPUP 1-JA Solar, Solarfun signal strong 2010, bright 2011
* JA Solar, Solarfun profits beat; raise FY shipment outlooks

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Bright Automotive IDEA

The Bright Automotive IDEA is a brand-new, 100-mpg plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) fleet vehicle achieving breakthroughs in platform efficiency. This IDEA is poised to strengthen American companies, move our nation toward energy independence and reduce CO2 emissions.

Bright Future for Green Energy

A study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that solar power production will dramatically increase in the future.

Solar electricity could represent up to 20 per cent to 25 per cent of global electricity production by 2050 as more people use solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies, according to the intergovernmental organisation.

Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the IEA, said that the proliferation of solar power technology will provide great benefits for the energy industry and the environment.

“The combination of solar photovoltaics and concentrating solar power offers considerable prospects for enhancing energy security while reducing energy-related CO2 emissions by almost six billion tonnes per year by 2050,” he said.

IEA studies into PV and CSP, detailed the milestones that the two solar generation technologies will pass before it reaches a stage of optimal electricity production a few decades from now.

The ‘road map’ study found that North America will be the largest producer of CSP, followed by North Africa and India, which may require more engineers to enrol in green energy courses to cope with the increased demand for CSP products.

Mr Tanaka went on to say that it is crucial that effective policies are introduced to encourage the development of solar electricity during the current decade.

“Long-term oriented, predictable solar-specific incentives are needed to sustain early deployment and bring both technologies to competitiveness in the most suitable locations and times,” he added.

Robert Lockhart, from heating manufacturing company Vokera, told Heating and Plumbing Monthly magazine that Britain needs to stimulate more demand for green energy appliances.

The United Kingdom is falling behind its European neighbours in the battle to combat carbon emissions and is still a long way off meeting its target to generate 15 per cent of renewable energy by 2020, according to Mr Lockhart.

Tradesmen who have passed plumbing courses and electrical courses may need to take green energy courses in order to meet the demand for renewable products, according to Mr Lockhart.

Renewable heat technologies that are increasing in popularity in Britain include air and ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers, solar-thermal water heaters and combined heat and power plants.

Mr Lockhart told the magazine: “The tens-of-thousands of Gas Safe registered installers, who potentially have the transferable skill set to install solar thermal and air source heat pumps.”.

Energy generated from renewable sources currently account for around one per cent of total heat demand in the UK.

The IEA was founded after the global energy crisis of the 1970s and currently acts as policy advisor to 28 countries.

Bright lights

Revealed: Peugeot’s 3-cylinder city SUV
French firm unveils compact coupe with hybrid power at 2010 Paris motor show.

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Mozzies to help fight dengue fever
World-first trials are to begin in Australia using mosquitoes to fight dengue fever.

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Vermont receives funding for Amtrak
Thursday September 30, 2010 BRATTLEBORO — Vermont’s congressional delegation and the U.

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Bright lights
Cree is Durham-based, makes environmentally friendly LED lighting, has enjoyed tremendous growth in the midst of a global recession and now will add 244 local jobs over the next two years thanks to a $135 million expansion.

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Honda Shines Bright In European TV Ad To Support Affordable Insight-II Hybrid Automobile

Honda debuts its latest TV ad Let it Shine in April to support the launch of its new Honda Insight-II. The advertisement is part of an integrated marketing campaign to work towards the companys aim of environmental leadership across European and African Continents by 2015. The 15, 20, 30 and 60-second TV spots marks the global launch of the all-new Honda Insight-II whose aim is to make hybrid car technology available to a wider audience than ever before. The new Insight-II goes on sale at the start of April in most of Europe.

Bright new future beckons for the tyre

Over 150 Experienced Professionals to Meet in Berlin to Discuss Profitable, Productive & Cost Efficient Unconventional …
On November 18-19 in Berlin, Germany, the gas industry will converge at the Unconventional Gas Exploration Conference with a significant task in mind: to identify, discuss and overcome the key impediments to a profitable, productive and cost efficient unconventional gas exploration strategy

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Mayor defends city against claims made in e-mails
Local governments that encourage citizens to ride bikes, take public transportation and buy Energy Star appliances cross the line between individual rights and foreign goals.

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Planet Ark
Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday it wants to reach cumulative sales of 5 million hybrid vehicles in the early part of this decade.

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Gasoline prices hit eight-month low
With the end of the summer driving season just around the corner, traders and investors on Monday drove gasoline prices to an eight-month low on U.S. commodities markets, providing the latest sign of pessimism about the economic recovery. Home – automobile – Fuel – Consumer Information – Gasoline

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Bright new future beckons for the tyre
How did you choose your last set of tyres? The chances are that you simply asked for the cheapest option or told the garage to fit tyres of the same brand and type as those being replaced. The truth is that most of us lack the knowledge to make informed choices about the subject, a worrying state of affairs given that tyres are fundamental to the safety, comfort, performance, fuel economy and …

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2009 Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car

Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car. March 26, 2009 – Honda will debut its latest TV ad Let it Shine in April to support the launch of its new hybrid car, the Insight. The advertisement is part of an integrated marketing campaign to work towards the companys aim of environmental leadership across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR) by 2015. Mort at world.honda.com

Scienceware Autoradiography Pens; Normal-Energy-Level; Nontoxic; Phosphorescent; Bright green

Product Description
Pen; Autoradiography; Scienceware; Nontoxic; Phosphorescent; Bright green; Do not glow in the dark; Visible under normal conditions and on X-ray film; Spectral peak: 5600Angstroms; 41/2in.long (11.4cm); Normal-Energy-Level

Green Home Ideas – Energy Efficient Lighting, what a bright idea

Setting up a good green home starts with energy efficiency. Traditional incandescent light globes lose almost 90 per cent of their energy in generating heat – only 10 per cent of the electricity used is actually going into lighting your room. And because of their various filaments and parts, incandescent bulbs generally have a much shorter life span than their more energy efficient counter parts.

Installing energy efficient globes is one of the most cost effective and easiest options available for a good green home. Some companies had even traditionally given out energy and water saving “packs” for people to try out. Nowadays, these energy saving globes are available everywhere – so the question becomes, which light fitting is right for you?

Eco Home Tip # 36 – The lowdown on CFL – Compact Fluorescent (CFLs) are the most common energy saving fitting. CFLs use just about 20 percent of the energy required for the same amount of light from an incandescent globe and last 10 times as as long. All in all, a CFL will help reduce the cost of lighting your home by as much as 60 %.

Eco Home Tip # 37 – Keep your CFLs close, if shaded – a British study last year revealed that CFLs produced a small amount of UV radiation when used unshaded and in close proximity. Open globes were of note, which “encapsulated” globes were considered safe. So if you’re using a work lamp with a CFL, keep it shaded of opt for an encapsulated globe instead.

Eco Home Tip # 38 – Recycling your CFLs – The typical CFL contains a minute 4 mg of mercury sealed in its glass tubing. Some manufacturers have lowered its CFL mercury content to as little as 1 – 2.5 mg. Handle your CFLs with care and take advantage of recycling programs for CFLs to keep mercury from ending up in landfill.

Eco Home Tip # 39 – Leading by example with LEDs – Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are another popular energy efficient lighting option, especially to replace halogen globes and downlights in your home. The small cluster of diodes can be arranged in a number of configurations and sizes to suit your home. LEDs have been traditionally found in electronics including clocks, and have a variety of uses in terms of producing a broad spectrum of bright coloured light. LEDs are the perfect substitute to the more heat intensive halogen globes and last for over 50,000 – 60,000 hours and uses 70 percent less energy than standard halogen globes. LEDs are also mercury free.

Lighting a home can account for as much as 20 percent of a home’s energy use. Energy saving lights are simply a bright idea for your green home.

Looking for more eco home tips and ideas? Visit the Green Pages directory for more great eco home tips and ideas!

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