Filed under: Ethanol

Canadian cellulosic ethanol producer Iogen has shipped the first 26,000 gallons of an order for Royal Dutch Shell. Iogen recently announced a deal with Shell that would see them cooperate on commercializing cellulosic ethanol production. Iogen has a demonstration plant near the Canadian capitol and produced the biofuel from wheat straw feedstock. Iogen uses a "steam explosion" pre-treatment process that increases the surface area of the raw materials making the enzymes used to break down the cellulose more effective. Iogen produces its own enzymes that are then used in a hydrolysis process to produce glucose. The glucose is then fermented and distilled to produce the alcohol.

[Source: Iogen]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Aptera, USA

The latest newsletter from Aptera has arrived and we can now inform you of their most recent interesting updates. As expected, the company is about to begin the process of moving much of their current crowded facility to their new, close-by Vista, CA location. The new shop will contain some offices, the R&D lab and, of course, space to begin series production of the all-new Mk-1. I say "all-new" because, as you may have noticed in the above renderings, there have been some "refinements" made to the super efficient three-wheeler which they say make it safer and even more efficient. Holding their cards close to their chest, the company would not elaborate about which or how many of these changes would appear on the final production version but they should be making those revelations in their next newsletter.

The latest rendering seems to stretch and lower our wingless friend which might allow them to give it a slightly narrower track. This version also adds side-view mirrors to an otherwise sleek exterior but we don't know if they are permanent since the side-view cameras are maintained. Interestingly, the rear-view camera gets its own little dorsal-fin enclosure that has been spotted on some pre-production Mk-1 out there in the wild. The other noticable change is the addition of another window behind the door. We're not sure if this is one of the permanent changes though perhaps it could be if the company gets enough positive feedback from its fans. Though seemingly brief, the newsletter does contain a nice chat between founder Steve Fambro and the company's new CEO, Paul Wilbur and hints about an all-new website coming soon.

[Source: Aptera]

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Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, On Two Wheels

Honda is one of those companies with its hands in nearly everything. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, as Honda always seems to be able to add something unique to the design of any given product, incrementally improving it along the way. Big Red's next pet-project may well be hybrid motorcycles. Anybody following these pages is well aware that Honda helped kick off the whole hybrid car thing with its Insight two-seater, and the brand is set to reintroduce that nameplate as an aerodynamic and inexpensive people-mover.

Reports now indicate that Honda believes it can inject some of that hybrid technology to its motorcycles. This wouldn't be the first time that Honda infused its bikes with automotive DNA, as the the manufacturer once used an automatic transmission for some of its two-wheelers with technology straight from its then-new Civic. Will Honda do it again? Fuel mileage could truly be astronomical with a machine like this, so we look forward to finding out if these early rumors are accurate. Thanks for the tip, yash!

[Source: The Earth Times]

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Filed under: Green Culture, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Santa Monica Alt Car Expo, On Two Wheels, Green Daily

Not everything at the AltCar Expo was an alternative car. Some, like the Prometheus electric motorcycle and the TrioBike (above) were car alternatives. In fact, the TrioBike is really a next-generation SUV. I mean, that designation just means sports utility vehicle, right? It doesn't have to identify oversized gas-guzzling grocery getter. And what's more sports utility than pedaling your kids around?

In any case, the TrioBike is a three-wheeled cycle with a large scoop in front that seats two small children or a bunch of groceries. An extra wheel sits under the compartment and can connect to the rear end to form a normal-looking bicycle. The front end then becomes a fairly standard stroller that looks like it comes from the near future.

Regina Keith is the U.S. sales representative for TrioBike. She and her husband Robert were the first in America to order a Danish TrioBike, but there are now two in the U.S. (another is apparently in Chicago). When the Keiths found out just how difficult it was to order one, they decided it was a good business plan to try and make it easier for other Americans to buy a TrioBike and worked with the Danish company to set up distribution in the States. Interest at the Santa Monica show was high, and Robert even said that a representative from the Price is Right stopped by their booth and suggested making the TrioBike a prize on the show. If you don't want to wait for that possibility, Robert said that retail sales will begin in the near future and the price will be around $4,500 (the Keiths paid around $6,000 for theirs).

Listen here (8 min):

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Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Celebrities

Some of you may be aware of the fact that Neil Young is converting his favorite gas-hogging 2-ton white '59 Lincoln Continental -- complete with awesome 50's tail fins -- into an all-electric zero-emissions vehicle. Some of you may even be aware that Neil and his designer John Goodwin almost crashed the unwieldy $120,000 ride on a recent test drive. Apparently, as this monumental "LincVolt" project continues to chug along, it's picking up a kind of following of its own.

Now, Neil has apparently decided to launch a website and even a weekly video segment to allow gearheads and green auto enthusiasts to watch the progress as he and Goodwin build the electric hot rod. It seems that they've now decided to drop in a gas range extender, similar to the Chevy Volt's. Neil's not exactly the most charismatic car show host around, but the project will no doubt continue to be watched by fans who hope that he will plug his guitar into the car's sound system and rock out.

[via Ecorazzi]

 

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Filed under: Home, GreenTech

At West Coast Green I saw an amazing range of environmentally friendly, energy efficient and all around cool products for greening your home. As much as I love bamboo, there are some beautiful alternatives, like the wall covering tiles from Kirei, made from reclaimed coconut shells.

Kirei debuted the first Coco Tile line, called the "Sumatra Collection" in the eco-lounge at West Coast Green. The line offers 12 textured styles, ranging from a basket weave to a light and dark palm frond pattern. They are beautiful and dramatic, with none of the style stigma of the early days of recycled or reclaimed materials.

In addition to the good environmental practice of reclaiming coconut shells, the tiles use low-VOC resins, and a sustainably harvested wood backer. This line is a bit beachy or tropical feeling for a lot of homes, but it's good to see yet another green building material choice available on the market.

In the gallery, see how pretty a coconut wall can be!

Gallery: Coco Sumatra Collection - tiles made from coconut shells

 

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Filed under: Biodiesel, Hybrid, Hydrogen, GM, Honda, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Santa Monica Alt Car Expo, Natural Gas

Saturday afternoon at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo was supposed to feature an all-out technology debate between everyone's favorite gasoline alternatives. Moderated by Rick Sikes, the fleet superintendent of the City of Santa Monica, the setup was billed as "Top experts representing PHEV, all electric, Hydrids, Natural Gas, Propane, Ethanol, Biodiesel, and Hydrogen will discuss and debate the latest information on these technologies." Sikes is the perfect person to lead this type of discussion because his City's fleet uses all sorts of non-gasoline energy to move around. Here's the starting lineup, the alt-fuels and their proponents:

• Dr. Andy Frank; professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering, UC Davis, speaking for Plug-in hybrids
• Dave Barthmuss; group manager western region, Environment & Energy Communications Team, GM, speaking on "vehicle electrification" and GM's well-known "gas friendly to gas free" mantra
  
• Steve Ellis; marketing manager for Alternative Fuel Programs, Honda, talking about hybrids and hydrogen, mostly
  
• Joe Gershen; VP sales & marketing for Tellurian Biodiesel, speaking on, well, you can guess
  
• Dean Taylor; senior program manager, Southern California Edison talking on and on
  
• Lesley Brown Garland; president and CEO, Western Propane Gas Association on, surprise, propane

So, we've got the hook, the characters and the topic. How did it all shake down? Follow after the jump to find out.

Continue reading AltCar 2008: Let's get ready to alt-energy rummmble! (yawn)

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Filed under: Polit-eco

First, lets start with the bad news; the Kyoto Protocol runs out at the end of 2012. Now, even worse news -- the current financial meltdown is making climate-change pretty low on the political priority list.

A summit scheduled in Copenhagen by the end of 2009 is supposed to finalize what will succeed the Kyoto Protocol, and there are concerns that getting the world community to agree on something in this economic period is not going to be fun.

The German Foreign Minister said in a recent conference on climate and energy, that the already super-difficult situation of fixing global warming has just gotten a heck of a lot harder.

While a lot of us hear about the dangers of global warming, the dire predictions still sound a bit abstract. Many right now see this as hitting polar bears much more than our daily lives. When a bank collapses, however, it's a pretty immediate big deal to anyone involved in the economy.

In the coming months, the media will also be placing much more emphasis on the economy -- pictures of freaked-out stock traders are way more dramatic than a bunch of suits meeting in Copenhagen to discuss a follow-up to an agreement that the US never signed.

Then again, who knows? Maybe the world could get calmer and figure out how to make climate-change a market-saving endeavor and greenify our way to a stronger economy.

 

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Filed under: Gadgets and Tech

Yeah, I love to look cool whipping out my iPod at parties, or looking up directions on my iPhone. But as soon as the battery goes out or the screen breaks, your favorite mobile device can become nothing but a sad, expensive -- and potentially toxic -- paperweight. Well, now you can send those old trusty Mac devices that have outlived their 1 year limited warranty to a company that will reincarnate them for a fraction of the price of buying a replacement.

iShopRepair.ca is a new business out of Toronto that recycles your broken iPods, keeping them out of the landfill by either fixing or buying them to recycling the parts. Just go to their website and select your device, send it in and get a free quote. iShopRepair is an eco-friendly company and is focused on keeping toxic materials -- present in some generations of iPods/iPhones -- out of the landfill.

If you've got a once loved, now deceased iPod sitting in your closet, why not send it to this cute blond nurse? Seems like it's worth a shot.

 

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Volkswagen

Volkswagen is currently running a twenty strong test fleet of Twin-Drive Golfs in and around Berlin Germany and the results of this work are expected to hit the retail market around 2011. The current test models are using diesel engines but the production versions are likely to switch to gasoline when their 30-mile electric range has been expended. With coming EURO VI emissions standards that approach the U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 standards, a diesel hybrid would simply be too expensive to be commercially viable. The drivetrain layout of the Twin-Drive is different from the approach being used by current parallel hybrids or extended range EVs like the Volt. While the Volt ER-EV is a series hybrid setup where only the electric motor is mechanically coupled to the wheels, the Golf is a parallel system but without a transmission. The single reduction gear ratio is comparable to a normal high gear and the torque of the electric motor is used to provide the equivalent of the torque multiplication that is normally achieved with a lower gears. The absence of a conventional gearbox compensates for some of the added weight of the battery and motor. A 12 kWh Sanyo lithium ion battery pack provides 30 miles of driving range and energy storage from the regenerative braking.

[Source: Motor Trend]

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