The Zero Contact system is Nissan’s proprietary technology, and uses the electromagnetic induction method. Testing performed and reported by Nissan claim about 80-90% efficiency when compared to charging the EV with a standard cable.

When a vehicle with the appropriate integrated charging equipment parks on the Zero Contact Charging System mat, the above-ground supply unit’s coils transmit current using magnetic force. The current is then sent to the receiver’s coils on the EV. Parking doesn’t even need to be that precise – the EV can still charge even if the supply unit isn’t perfectly aligned with the receiver.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

Source | Picture: Response.jp.

The longtime Gas 2 friends, contributors, and all-around awesome people over at One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) have just released a shiny new infographic comparing the carbon footprints of planes, trains, and automobiles as they make trips across town, and across the country. Despite missing some obvious “ringers” (I’m pretty sure a 150+ cc scooter or small-displacement motorcycle would have walked away with top honors here) the graph has a ton of great information … and some surprising results for trains and planes in some circumstances.

Were you surprised by the numbers? Do you think they skewed too heavily against cagers cars? Let us know what you thought, in the all-new Gas 2 comments section!

Source: 1BOG.

Two variations of the open platform RoboCar are available for rent. Type A includes drive control, high precision vehicle speed sensors, and deceleration control with regenerative braking, while Type B adds steering control to everything in the Type A package. It will cost the renter 1,220,000 yen (about $15,870 USD) for a two week rental period, while Type A runs 720,000 yen (about $9370 USD). Both Type A and Type B are equipped with on-board LAN and standard CAN (Control Area Network) protocol.

ZMP has a reputation already as a next-generation development platform supplier; the RoboCar expands its lineup to a total of two. Also available is its RoboCar 1/10th, a model vehicle 1/10th the size of a normal vehicle.

The RoboCar MEV is on exhibition at the EVEX 2011 (Electric Vehicle Development Technology Exhibition) at Pacifico Yokohama from October 12th to 14th, and is currently available.

Source | Picture: Response.jp.

A few weeks ago, the Finnish electric ERA made a big splash by setting a record for the fastest street-legal EV around the legendary Nurburgring, setting a time of 9 minutes 40 seconds. It has set a new record, covering the 13 miles in just 8 minutes 43 seconds and reaching a top speed of 148 mph – 57 seconds faster than it was last August.

The ERA isn’t the fastest EV to zoom around the Nurburgring – that honor belongs to a Toyota Motorsports EV – but it holds the record there for street-legal electric cars. The ERA goes 0-60 in six seconds, and had an average speed of 88 mph during its record-breaking lap (there’s a DeLorean joke in here somewhere).

Built in the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Science, the ERA runs on a high performance electric motor with a peak output of 330 kW (449 HP) and a continuous output of 200 kW (272 HP) – or about 30 more HP than a Tesla Roadster motor’s peak output of 248 HP.

Advanced lithium-titanate batteries and Z G2 eco-tires from Nokian (with super low rolling resistance) also help the ERA run cheaply and efficiently; according to the development team, it costs just 3.48 Euros (about $4.74 USD) per 60 miles.

Check out photos of the ERA and its stopwatch in the gallery, below.

Source | Gallery: Motorvision.

Nissan has developed, for production and sale, a uniquely shaped home on stilts totally compatible with – of course – the Nissan Leaf as its main energy source. The smart house is called the “NSH-2012” and the idea behind it is titled “Leaf to Home.”

As the Leaf does not itself actually generate power, the house is equipped with both solar cells and fuel cells to provide electricity for daily use. The Leaf’s power controller, when hooked into the house, can either charge the Leaf from an energy surplus or replenish the house’s supplies. In theory, according to Nissan, between the Leaf’s capacity as a giant rolling battery and the house’s twin energy sources, it should be possible to live off the electric grid completely.

Suzuki is particularly enthusiastic about the project. “Development is nearly finished,” he said. “We’re in the middle of technical disclosures to the relevant appliance and home manufacturers, and if possible, the smart home will go on sale by the end of the year,” he said.

“Cars are used for transporting people and animals, and to have fun behind the wheel. This has been the measure of value of a car until now,” Suzuki added. “We would like to propose a car as not only a tool for driving, but also as a means of supporting energy use for a self-sufficient lifestyle. This is the kind of fun idea we want to make into reality.”

Source | Gallery: Response.jp.

Actually, of the three teams that met the requirements for the challenge, two of them managed to complete the 200 mile circuit using half the required energy equivalent. The Green Flight Challenge asked teams to make a 200 mile flight in less than two hours, deliver a decibel level of less than 78 dBA, and take off in a distance of less than 2,000 feet while using the energy equivalent of less than one gallon of gasoline per-passenger.

The winning team was Pipistrel-USA.com, who won $1.35 million with their twin-fusalage Taurus G4 motor glider. It used a 145 kw electric motor, lithiuim-ion batteries, and a retractable landing gear. And while I don’t expect to take an international flight on an electric airplane anytime soon…these little puddle jumpers could certainly have their place hopping from city to city.

WiTricity has already developed and produced results using magnetic resonance equipment. Their system is more efficient than previously-developed electromagnetic induction and microwave transmission systems, and has a longer range. They claim that they can transmit over 3kW of power at a distance of 20 cm (eight inches) with 90% efficiency, thereby demonstrating that a wireless charging system is indeed possible.

While there are a number of steps before a wireless EV charging system can be produced and sold, the Mitsubishi/IHI/WiTricity partnership has decided on three issues as their first step, and are proceeding with research and development along those lines. The three issues in question are how to create the infrastructure, the legal issues and ramifications of such a system, and how to incorporate the transmission/receiving equipment into an EV frame.

If and when such a system is mass-produced for public consumption, the partnership hopes to market the product for use not only in the home and in commercial parking lots, but also in short-term public parking locations. Wish them luck – charging the car while it’s parked for half an hour downtown sounds awesome.

Source: Response.jp.

Researchers at Penn State University claim to have developed a process which shows “that pure hydrogen gas can efficiently be produced from virtually limitless supplies of seawater and river water and biodegradable organic matter” … which is, of course, a fancy way of saying “poopy water”.

The process developed by Penn State researchers Bruce Logan and Younggy Kim extracts electricity between the small differences in charge between saltwater and fresh water, then adding this small charge to a waste-water solution containing microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). With the help of this added current, the MECs partially reverse the decomposition of the organic compounds found in waste-water to generate hydrogen and methane (two compounds which are considered viable alternative fuels for cars and large trucks motivated by natural gas or hydrogen fuel cells, assuming they can be generated in sufficient quantities).

The group showed photos of their fuel cell stacks (below) and – in the way of such things – claimed that, since “biodegradable liquids and cellulose waste are abundant and with no energy in and hydrogen out we can get rid of wastewater and by-products. This could be an inexhaustible source of energy.”

Science.

Talk like that is usually a bad sign (inexhaustible is, after all, a Big and Serious word), but the science involved is way over my head. You can check it out for yourself in the 19SEP issue of the newsletter for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and let us know if you think it’ll fly in the comments, below.

With any luck, these guys can pull it off and give the Saudi Princes something to fret about besides what to do with their AK-47s and Toyota Camry sedans.

Source: PANS, via Gizmag.

Solar energy has been in the news quite a bit these days with its ubiquity, advances in infrastructure, and expansion (as well as some major setbacks) making waves in the media. On the back of that publicity, Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) is working with the Florida Public Service Commission to offer rebates on solar panels to Florida residents and businesses, and also to give away photovoltaic (PV) systems to Florida’s public schools.

It’s hoped that these rebates and giveaways will allow lower-income families and small businesses to reap the rewards of long-term energy savings without having to face down high initial installation costs.

FPL will be distributing approximately $5 million in solar incentive funds on a first-come, first serve basis, and Gas 2 readers in Florida who would like to take advantage of the Sunshine State’s most plentiful product (sunlight, not oranges) can apply for there rebates at FPL’s website. FPL’s rebates apply to solar-energy devices ranging from simple water heaters to more complex PV systems.

Perhaps more interesting (and with more “propaganda power” to push for solar’s mainstream adoption in the future) is FPL’s “Photovoltaic for Schools Pilot Program“, which sees FPL donating a solar PV system to (at least) one public school in each of the 28 school districts the company serves, with plans to install solar PV systems in 81 Florida schools schools by 2016. FPL will also providing teacher training, classroom materials on reduced energy consumption, and will also maintain the PV arrays for five years after installation at no cost to the school system.

This is all great stuff, and – we hope! – just the beginning of Florida’s solar conversion.

Source: Earth Techling; Photo: Gas 2, Annoying Orange.

The new unit comes in three flavors – standard, base, and cold-weather. At 72.5” tall, 26” long, and just 15” wide, it’s quite a bit smaller than its predecessor. It also fits the standard for Japanese auto makers and power companies (remember the CHAdeMO standard for EV power supply?), so customers with other types of EVs and even hybrids can still use the Nissan charging system.

Communication between the charger and the EV has been improved to monitor leaks and other potential problems, in order to improve the safety of the device. Nissan has also integrated new circuit technology jointly developed with the Nagaoka University of Science and Technology in order to greatly simplify the configuration – simple is best, as they say, and also inexpensive. The current model sets the customer back about $19,190, but the new “standard” model will not cost more than $13,055. The “base” model should be about half the price of the current model, making it even more of a bargain.

While Nissan has been pretty quiet about what comes with the cold-weather model, they’ve outlined the differences between the standard and base models. The standard can be used outdoors or indoors, has a (presumably light-up) night-time display, a 4 meter cable, and the hook for the charge connector is inside the unit. The base model must be kept under a roof and within walls (no problem if you’ve got a garage), has no night-time display, and the cable is half the length of the standard. The charge connector also hooks up to the outside of the unit. No word on if this charging system will bring with it the home integration that would allow the Leaf to power a household in the event of a blackout.

All models are also available in the US and Europe.

Source: Eco Japan.

Hyundai has been breaking its own sales records for years, but they’re not resting on those laurels quite yet! The Korean automaker has been hard at work getting dual-fuel cars to production under its captive Kia brand, is pushing to have a plug-in hybrid ready for sale by 2013, and unveiled a hydrogen fuel-cell powered EV at this past April’s Seoul Motor Show. In addition to making progress on several “clean energy” fronts, Hyundai’s best-in-the-business “Assurance” program guarantees that its customers won’t be stuck with the automotive equivalent of Betamax or (for the kids) HD-DVD.

A few days ago, however, Hyundai let Wired writer Alexander George behind the wheel of a fully functional hydrogen-powered Hyundai Tucson as part of a charity event to help raise awareness for children’s cancer projects. In addition to promoting a good cause, Hyundai also happened to prove that the company is much farther along in the development of an H-car than most people would have guessed (well, more than I would have!).

The Hyundai prototype has a 130+ hp electric motor under the hood, with power coming from a 21 kWh battery pack mounted under the floor (a pressurized tank at the rear of the Tucson holds the hydrogen).

How does the hydrogen Tucson drive? You’ll have to head over to Wired to find that out – but definitely go, it’s worth the read!

Source | Photos: Wired’s Autopia.

Vincent Callebaut, the Belgian eco-architect extraordinaire known for his whimsical and beautiful green conceptual work, has created yet another solution to the manifold environmental and health problems looming toward us with a fairly large ship running on a scattering of alternative energy sources (check out Hydrogenase, his vision for using biofuels instead of fossil fuels).

The Physalia, modeled on the jellyfish known as Physalia physalis, is a 262-foot long vessel created to purify rivers and waterways for the world’s people, from the Danube to the Tigris and Euphrates. It is also completely self-sustainable and a study in integrating multiple alternative energy strategies.

The Physalia produces zero carbon emissions thanks to its hydro-turbines, which transform the river’s energy into hydro-electricity. It is self-cleaning (and also cleans the water surrounding it) thanks to a covering of titanium dioxide. The TiO2 is supposed to absorb and recycle chemical and carbon byproducts produced by boats and industrial plants still running on fossil fuels via photocatalysis. The floating ecosystem also solves the problem of water scarcity via its bio-filtration systems (for a neat company already working on that, click here). The roof features a double pneumatic membrane covered by photovoltaic solar cells, as well as a green roof.

If this baby is ever built to specifications, expect to see the building transform into a cloud. Straight from the firm’s site:

“When the system of automatic irrigation works in “blue hours”, the architecture disappears in favour of an atmosphere. Actually, the project metamorphoses into a fog cloud with evanescent contour. The Physalia becomes therefore a perfumed evaporation space that seems to coil up the visitors in suspension inside.”

No word on the chemical make-up of the fog cloud is to be found, but it’s probably safe to assume that its production is also emissions-free and all-natural.

Though the viability of this solution has left me scratching my head (and many “green” architects create solutions to environmental problems that leave me scratching my head), we have to hand it to Mr. Callebaut for his creativity and focus on improving the world through design. In the meantime, take this futuristic concept for what it’s meant to be: inspiration based on actual technology, a symbol, and a goal.

Via Inhabitat.

The new hybrid will have a sharper body line and a wider back seat, while the combination of a 2.5 liter gasoline engine and the HV system give it twice the fuel efficiency of the previous gasoline model. The new car will be available domestically for between $39,000 and $49,000 USD.

The new hybrids made in Japan will not be on sale in North America, however. Still hurting from the stronger yen, Toyota isn’t the first Japanese company to focus more on the domestic market than the export market. Given that the Camry is one of their strongest sellers, the move is a little surprising. Still, Toyota expect to sell 800,000 of the new cars next year.

Source | Picture: Yomiuri Online.

Oh, lawdy what have we here!?  This, dear friends, is a fully custom, hand-fabricated and massively powerful roadster designed and built by Bienville Studios in “old” New Orleans – and I won’t lie to you.  My awe of the thing is surpassed only by a powerful jealous rage.  Not only do I wish this car (the “Magnolia Special”) was parked in my driveway, I wish I’d conceived the thing.  It is gorgeous, in just about every detail.

In other words:  Wow.

Construction on the Magnolia Special (seriously, how great is that name?) began in 2009, and focused on a unique, hand-built chassis – itself made from “specially-formed” and fully-boxed steel rails to meet the wheelbase requirement of 116 inches.  The chassis is built around a pair of CNG tanks, which feed clean-burning natural gas into the massive inline-six engine, whose “massive torque” (Bieville’s words) should be more than enough to hustle the Magnolia down the road at prodigious speeds …

… which is really the point of the thing.  At least, to JT Nesbitt and the rest of the people (artists?  craftsmen?) at Bienville.  According to the Bienveille Studios website, the Magnolia was born to run!  I’ll let them explain, below.

In the Fall of 2011, after validation and endurance testing, The Magnolia Special will embark upon a coast to coast record setting run, New York to Los Angeles. She has been built with this purpose in mind. Every engineering decision has been inspired by the desire to produce a long distance endurance racecar that extols the virtues of a clean burning domestic fuel. Aesthetic considerations have been applied with regional influences taking precedent. She has been born of New Orleans and it is our wish to imbue our prototype with the beauty of Louisiana, in honor of our namesake on whose shoulders we stand. We hope that our efforts will delight you, as much as our goals have stimulated and challenged us, to strive for excellence.

Damn.  They can write, too!

Regardless of my extreme jealousies (professional and otherwise) regarding Nesbitt’s Magnolia roadster, you can’t deny the car’s beauty, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.  These people are automotive artists of the highest calibre, and if you don’t like this car, then you’re a bad person.

I’ve included a few “choice” shots of the Magnolia here, but know this:  there is a huge build gallery over at the Bienville Studio’s website with over 120 photos chronicling every stage of the Magnolia’s build.  You owe it to yourself to check it out.

Enjoy!

Source:  Bienville Studios.

Mitusbishi wants to convince you that their MiEV is not only cleaner than an ICE car, but more versatile as well.  To prove that their giant mobile battery on wheels presents possibilities that are nearly endless, Mitsubishi staged a demonstration in the Toyosu district of Tokyo, hosted by sexy model/actress Aki Higashihara and culinary student Gou Igarashi.  The event, held in a small café (and under Igarashi’s direction) saw Higashihara challenged to cook three dishes (herb sauté of autumn salmon, mussel and mushroom white wine fried rice, and cheese fondue made on the electric stove) using only heat and power from the i-MiEV, with the tiny car’s battery back as a stand-in in for a campfire.

Mitsubishi provided an upcoming “external power supply” unit (slated to be available within the year), which the actress hooked up to the i-MiEV’s charging port.   Once plugged in, the unit had access to 1500W of cooking power from the MiEV’s battery.  With the proper equipment – an induction heating stove and an electric range – Higashihara was able to cook as she would in her own kitchen. The second high point was reducing the risk of fire due to stray sparks or sloppy campfire etiquette to zero (many of the tightly-packed buildings in residential areas are made of flexible materials that effectively withstand earthquakes but burn quite enthusiastically). Igarashi commented while watching that using the EV also reduced prep time, allowing the entire family to spend more time together. “Cooking, having fun – it’s a great use of the extra time,” he said.

After completing the challenge, Higashihara spoke briefly about her children. “I think it’s important to take care of the environment. When I see my children’s smiling faces, I feel that we absolutely must leave behind a good place for them and their future. Besides, an electric car is also economically appealing.” She was also enthusiastic about using the i-MiEV as an ersatz campfire: “Even useless ‘girly’ boys who can’t light a fire can still cook without embarrassing themselves,” she said.  (Harsh! – Ed.)

Mitsubishi presented the external power supply as a natural extension of their home charging station which could can be used for fun and recreation (as above), or as a mobile supply of electricity to be used in cases of roadside emergency or natural disaster.  No word yet on pricing or US availability.

Source | Gallery:  Response.jp.