Category: Energy

Electric Skin and Transforming Tires for Cars

A really neat technology has been demonstrated in a creative way in the struggle to use gas more efficiently in cars. The Mazda RX-9 is the most futuristic car I’ve seen in awhile. Specialized, “slick skin,” plastic body panels get an electric charge as air rushes by it, which in turn provides power to the electric motor.

The same car with slick skin also has slick wheels. The tires” feature Electroactive Polymers (E.A.P.) that with varying levels of voltage from the vehicle’s electrical system can actually change the shape and depth of their tread pattern. The rubber donuts can go from flat and smooth to knobby and grippy, or even ride high on their centers for ultra-low rolling resistance. “

World Bank Report Argues for Clean Energy

The World Bank published a report on Apr. 23 that hints to more money for clean, renewable energies in developing nations. The report is careful to not discuss what countries with no power should do, but looks at what countries that have a growing need for more power should do. And that’s no small task “According to the International Energy Agency, a total of US$8.1 trillion, or US$300 billion per year from 2003 to 2030 is needed if developing and transitional economies are to meet their energy needs.”

It’s quite a shift to see the World Bank support clean energy production given their history of energy funding.

Auto Catch-Up

Two good vehicular announcements:

A 3-wheeled machine has been demonstrated in Bath, England. “The prototype Clever (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport) car is one metre wide and less polluting than normal vehicles.” It tilts into the turns and has a top speed of 100 km/h , a novel invention indeed.

And at the Geneva Auto Show a company debuted a very efficient automobile, the Loremo. “The combination of light weight and tunnel tested aerodynamics allow this car to travel 157 miles per gallon of gasoline or 1.5 l per 100km!”

Fridge Magnet

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a metal alloy that actually allows magnets to cool down a fridge than just hold up pictures on the fridge.

“When this alloy is placed in a magnetic field, it gets colder. Karl Sandeman and his co-workers think that their material – a blend of cobalt, manganese, silicon and germanium – could help to usher in a new type of refrigerator that is up to 40 percent more energy-efficient than conventional models.”