Energizer Bunny beware! Knut Karlsen has created a solar-cell charging battery prototype using flexible solar cells from IFE and some older NiMH rechargeable batteries. The batteries are being coined as “SunCast” batteries and work much like a trickle charger.
It seems like new plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) are being announced every day. If Coulomb Technologies has its way, you’ll be powering your next PHEV with the help of “Smartlet Charging Stations”— curbside plug-in charging machines that activate with “ChargePoint Smart Cards”.
It’s hard not to continue coverage of the Greener Gadgets Design Competition with so many great entries. The most recent gadget to catch my eye is the Inlet-Outlet, which grants easy access to good Samaritan-hood by letting you give power back to the grid.
Here’s your eye candy for the day— the Schwinn Tailwind hybrid electric bicycle. The Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) equipped bike charges via a standard outlet in under 30 minutes (7 minutes via a 40 amp commercial charger). The 5ah, 24V battery works for 2000 charge cycles at full capacity … [continued]
We all know that conventional retro-reflective road markers, or “cat eyes”, don’t always work when you need to see into the distance. Luna Road’s new solar-powered LED cat eyes, however, illuminate the road ahead for miles. The company’s lights are built in poly-crystalline/ single crystalline solid, and come in economical, … [continued]
if you’re like me, you’ve probably been caught numerous times with a dying cell phone and no outlet in site. That’s when a product like Freeplay’s ZipCharge comes in handy. You may remember Freeplay for inventing the world’s first hand-cranked wind-up radio in 1996. Now the company is back with … [continued]
Steve Jobs’ absence hasn’t prevented exciting things from happening at this week’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This morning, Apple unveiled the new 17 inch MacBook Pro, complete with a new energy efficient lithium-polymer battery.
For those of you itching to take a look at Husqvarna‘s Automower, the sleek robotic solar hybrid lawnmower will be exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week. The Automower uses solar and battery power, and is completely emissions-free. During daylight, the 12 watt solar panel … [continued]
It’s once again time to start looking at potential holiday gifts for the green techie in your life (or maybe time to tell other people what you want). But don’t worry about spending hours combing the web — we have a bunch of awesome ideas for you right here.
HP fans looking to make their laptops more environmentally-friendly will soon get the chance to upgrade to Boston Power’s next-generation Sonata Lithium-ion batteries. The Sonata battery lasts for 1,000 charging cycles (3 years), compared to the 300 cycle limit of a conventional Li-ion battery.
