photo: Todd Woody In The New York Times on Thursday, I wrote a follow-up to my story on efforts to reinvent the internal combustion engine: As I wrote in Thursday’s Times, several start-ups backed by Silicon Valley venture capital firms are developing a new type of internal combustion engine that promises a striking boost in [...]
Archive for the ‘green cars’ Category
Opposed piston engine tech promises fuel efficiency gains
Posted in green cars, tagged Achates Power, EcoMotors, FEV, Pinnacle Engines on April 4, 2011 | 1 Comment »
China charges up the on-ramp of the electric highway
Posted in electric cars, green cars, tagged China on April 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. When it comes to the future of electric cars, as with other green technologies, the wild card is China. The People’s Republic has invested billions in renewable energy and has become a solar superpower in photovoltaic manufacturing. It’s also poised to one day potentially blow [...]
Startups aim to reinvent the internal combustion engine
Posted in environment, green cars, tagged Achates Power, EcoMotors, Pinnacle Engines on April 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
photo: Todd Woody In The New York Times on Thursday, I wrote about a slew of Silicon Valley-backed startups developing new kinds of internal combustion engines that are more fuel efficient and less polluting: BERKELEY, CALIF. – In this city where Toyota Priuses clog the roads and battery-powered Tesla Roadsters and Chevrolet Volts can be [...]
Free ride: Rising oil prices boost electric cars’ affordability
Posted in electric cars, green cars on March 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »
photo: Todd Woody I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. One of the biggest knocks against electric cars, other than their current range, is the rather steep upfront cost due to the price of the battery. Of course, you’re essentially pre-paying much of your fuel costs for the life of the car. [...]
Report predicts 3.8 million electric cars on the road by 2016
Posted in electric cars, green cars, tagged David J. Leeds, GTM Research on March 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
photo: Todd Woody I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. As the first mass-market electric cars start to, slowly, hit the streets, the big question is whether battery-powered vehicles are the future or a fad. The answer won’t be known for years but a new report from GTM Research offers some interesting [...]
The Mesh: Can peer-to-peer sharing green the planet?
Posted in climate change, global warming, green cars, tagged Lisa Gansky, The Mesh on March 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. By the third day of any conference, one’s eyes begin to glaze over. But Lisa Gansky provided an intellectual jolt on the final morning of the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco this week when she appeared on stage to talk about “the Mesh.” That’s what [...]
Power sharing: App connects EV drivers, outlet owners
Posted in electric cars, enviro startups, environment, green cars on March 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In The New York Times on Monday, I write about PlugShare, a new iPhone app that lets people share their household outlets and electric car charging stations with EV drivers: First there was music sharing and then car sharing. Now get ready for plug sharing. Xatori, a Silicon Valley software start-up, aims to create a [...]
Chicago to build electric car charging network
Posted in electric cars, green cars, green grid, green policy on February 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
photo: Better Place I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. First Chicago gets Rahm Emanuel, now electric cars. Well, at least an electric car infrastructure. In a move that indicates electric cars won’t just be a phenomenon of Greater Portlandia, utility Exelon and the city will roll out 280 charging stations across [...]
Is the second time the charm for Norway’s electric car?
Posted in Chevrolet Volt, electric cars, green cars, Nissan Leaf on November 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
photo: Todd Woody I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. The landscape of Silicon Valley is littered with technology pioneers who were a little too ahead of their time and failed to cash in, either because the market wasn’t ready or because competitors swooped in and commercialized their breakthroughs. As the first [...]
Ford’s first all-electric car to be sold in 20 cities in 2011
Posted in electric cars, green cars, Nissan Leaf, tagged Chevrolet Volt, Ford on November 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
photo: Ford I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. Bummed that you don’t live in one of the select cities that will be the first to get the electric Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt next month? Or you do live in one of those early-adopter municipalities and want an electric ride [...]
