One company that is tapping into the electric drive band wagon is Best Buy who is already selling, at select stores the A2B electric bicycle. Now news comes that it might also sell the Brammo bike from Inertia Bike.
May 9, 2009
Best Buy Taps The Electric Drive
February 23, 2009
Electric Hub Motor Bicycle
If you are in the market for an electric vehicle, EV, electric bikes might fit the bill. They are becoming more and more affordable and depending on where you, how far you drive, they could be a healthier way to get to work while not depleting your wallet.
December 3, 2008
Electric Vehicles, Daily News, Part 1
Here is a look at the news surrounding electric vehicle, EV and related stories worldwide.
Passenger Golf Carts On The Road. It had to happen with more and more people asking to buy economical cars to operate and the city of Howel, NJ is starting to allow these neighborhood electric vehicle, NEV road travel, via the Howel Times.
Small EV Makers Go To Washington. It is easy to lose sight of who else is going to Washington to get a piece of the pie, but other manufacturers, besides Tesla have also talked to the government, according to the New York Times. XP Vehicles wants to manufacture 2 EVs, a 2 seat runabout, as well as a 4 seat mini utility vehicle, and is looking for $40 million to develop them. The LA Times asks why not bailout auto buyers? After all, GM and Ford have asked the Swedish government for bailout loans in order to successfully let go of Saab and Volvo. It strikes us as strange since these two brands have a great following and good reputation. They could be key aspects of Detroit’s future financial health.
DIY Electric Bicycle. Here is a raving review for Crystalyte, a company that offers 3 different Phoenix Series electric hub motors, according to BigNews. The gist, the Phoenix Racer Motor will get your bicycle to 36 mph in under 20 seconds, with 12V 12AH batteries.
Racing Hybrids. We are proponents of racing EVs and hybrids, HEVs, for the simple reasons that it brings their inherent qualities to light to the masses and pushes the technology forward. So this article from Wired made us happy. Paul Goldman, the 46-year-old CEO of the hot-rod hybrid shop Juiced Hybrid is pushing hybrids into competition. But yoou can also go to YouTube and see some extraordinary feasts, such as a Prius pushed to 135 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, a rally raced a Honda Civic hybrid for road racing, a German boutique super car company Gumpert running an 800-horsepower hybrid at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring endurance race, and Peugeot who will bring their hybrid to Le Mans.
China’s SAIC Pushes For Green Technology. It’s always good to see the Chinese being proactive about pollution and green technology, ad it seems as if SAIC, China’s largest auto maker will up a 10% stake in a GM venture, according to Edmunds. They will launch a Buick LaCrosse hybrid sedan, in January. Come on GM, bring it in the U.S..
That’s it for part 1, stay tuned for part 2.
August 17, 2008
Electric Vehicles, A Week In Review, Part II
More electric vehicle, EV news this past week for you this weekend.
Only Hybrids by 2020, at least that’s according to Wired. The gist, based on IBM’s “Automotive 2020: Clarity Beyond the Chaos,” (.pdf) report interviews with 125 auto industry executives in 15 countries. What, did you doubt it?
Remember Fosh? The links to this website have been removed after it was discovered to be a politico-inspired website. We heard a little more about the secret: “The battery packs don’t actually recharge themselves. There are solar type panels throughout (none visible) the car, that will turn heat into energy, thus providing power back into the battery units.” and some news about the revelation tomorrow here. Using the body of the vehicle to provide electricity to recharge the battery and integrating regenerative braking and you have a good recipe. According to a source on Engadget: “composed of tiny gold antennas set in polyethylene plastic is tuned to gather 80 percent of energy from infrared rays” and can therefore produce electricity from any source of heat”. The suspense is intense…
An electric bike? The gist, Ultra Motor A2B electric will be available in the U.S. in September for about $400.
The world charges electric stations. So what is the rest of the planet doing as far as building an infrastructure for our EV? London is building 9 more charging stations. Tokyo is working on 200 charging stations.
Solar for the mass! The gist, Sam’s Club in the U.S. is offering solar kiosks to hook consumers up with established solar sellers and installers. Smart.
Hydrogen without platnum? Our friends over at EcoGeek give us a good update on a hydrogen fuel-cell update. The gist, no doubt about it, making hydrogen is expensive and requires another expensive element, platinum. Research tackles how to go about it without platinum.
Food for thought. Have a great new week.
August 5, 2008
How About An Electric Bicycle?
So, you don’t want a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, PHEV or electric vehicle, EV, then how about an electric bicycle?
What is it? Yamaha thought of you. Its PAS Brace uses an ingenious eight speed rear hub system known as the S.P.E.C.8 mechanism that can shift at any time. A computer controls how much electrical power is sent to the motor to help you tackle those hills. And when you are cruising at top speed is reached the system will completely shuts down.
The price? Autobloggreen reported the price to be around $1,500 which is very reasonable considering others EV bicycles on the market.
It is fascinating to see the amount of choice when it comes down to alternative transportation. And we strongly believe it is only the beginning.