Earth Friendly - SlashGear

‘earth friendly’ Stories

Fisker funding frozen: Project Nina delayed

Chris Davies, Feb 7th 2012 Discuss [0]

Luxury eco car company Fisker has been forced to freeze work on its second vehicle, Project Nina, as well as make a total of 66 redundancies as government loans dry up. Fisker, which began delivering Karma plug-ins back in July 2011, faced renewed US government attention with its launch schedule delays, GigaOm reports, with the Department of Energy suspending a $528.7m loan agreed in 2009 back in May 2011. Read The Full Story

Chevrolet Volt cleared of fire defect suspicions

Chris Davies, Jan 23rd 2012 Discuss [8]

Chevrolet's electric-powered Volt has been cleared by US federal safety investigators, with the plug-in car deemed to present no more significant fire risk than its gasoline-powered counterparts, and leaving Chevvy with the unenviable task of re-marketing the vehicle. "No discernible defect trend exists" the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said of the Volt, going on to highlight General Motors' improvements to the structure of the car and the battery cooling systems. The investigation - perhaps uncomfortably public for GM - will educate new NHTSA guidelines on dealing with electric car safety. Read The Full Story

Costa Concordia satellite photos show extent of salvage challenge

Chris Davies, Jan 18th 2012 Discuss [19]

Satellite imagery of stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia has been released, showing the $570m vessel languishing on its side off the Tuscan coast as rescue and salvage attempts continue. The shot, from DigitalGlobe, was taken on January 17, though the Italian coastguard has apparently paused its rescue work after the ship subsequently shifted, the BBC reports. "Instruments indicated the ship had moved" a spokesperson said. "We are in the process of evaluating if it has found a new resting point to allow us to resume. For the moment, we cannot even go near it" Read The Full Story

Energy net-zero Eco-home is iPad and Kinect controlled

Chris Davies, Jan 16th 2012 Discuss [0]

A net-zero energy house concept could actually feed power into the grid using a bank of solar panels and innovative exterior insulation cladding, without sacrificing either style or geek-appeal. CHIP - or Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype - is the handiwork of students from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech), wrapping a thick thermal envelop around a house controlled by an iPad and a Kinect sensor bar. Read The Full Story

Apple first tech company to join Fair Labor Association

Chris Davies, Jan 16th 2012 Discuss [6]

Apple has become the first technology company to join the Fair Labor Association as a Participating Company, obligating the Cupertino firm to open its chain of suppliers to regular investigation by the FLA's auditors. The membership was announced as part of Apple's annual responsibility report, which also included a breakdown of the top 95-percent of the company's suppliers; never a firm to shirk from hyperbole, Apple commented that "it's a level of transparency and independent oversight that is unmatched in our industry." Read The Full Story

Apple details supply chain in annual responsibility report

Chris Davies, Jan 13th 2012 Discuss [1]

Apple's supply chain is one of the more closely guarded secrets in the tech world; even simply confirming you have the Cupertino company in your order book has been enough to see some companies lose contracts. However Apple itself has spilled the beans on the rolodex it flips through when it needs a new iPhone screen or iPad radio, detailing the firms [pdf link] which together account for 97-percent of procurement expenditures for materials, manufacturing and assembly of products worldwide. Read The Full Story

Toyota shows NS4 hybrid concept for tomorrow, Prius c for today

Chris Davies, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [1]

Toyota has unveiled its latest hybrid, the Prius c, a compact version of the existing eco-friendly car, though we have to say it's the company's NS4 plug-in hybrid that has us more excited. The Toyota NS4 is the company's vision of a mid-sized sedan for the 2015 market, with streamlined lines and next-gen Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in powerplants, along with the usual lashings of high-tech dashboard gadgetry and safety features. Read The Full Story

Acura NSX Concept channels Honda heritage with hybrid power

Chris Davies, Jan 9th 2012 Discuss [1]

The much-loved Honda NSX has been reborn as the Acura NSX Concept, a Sport Hybrid all-wheel-drive tease of a new sports car Acura says we can expect on the market in around three years time. Pairing a mid-mounted V6 engine and two electric motors in a lightweight shell, the Acura NSX Concept uses a new bilateral torque adjustable control system that can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels while cornering. Read The Full Story

Tesla Model X electric SUV reveal on February 9

Chris Davies, Jan 6th 2012 Discuss [4]

Tesla will unveil its third earth-friendly car, the Tesla Model X, on February 9 2012 the company's CEO has confirmed. The Model X, Tesla's first SUV (sports utility vehicle) is expected to go on sale in late 2003, chief exec Elon Musk told GigaOm, though specifications of the electric vehicle are still shrouded in mystery. Read The Full Story

smart for-us electric pick-up packs smartphone mirrors

Chris Davies, Dec 9th 2011 Discuss [0]

Compact car manufacturer smart has revealed its latest concept, the smart for-us, an Earth-friendly electric pick-up that's just 3.5m long. Set to debut at the Detroit Motor Show, the for-us is powered by a 55 kW magneto-electric motor fueled by a 17.6 kWh li-ion battery, good for up to 120kph (75mph) though smart is yet to confirm range. There's no shortage of other tech, either, including replacing the rear-view mirror with a smartphone and a video camera. Read The Full Story

GM Volt to miss sales targets amid fire furore

Chris Davies, Dec 5th 2011 Discuss [0]

GM's fire problems with the battery-powered Volt may have been only the latest of the car company's headaches around its earth-friendly vehicle. General Motors is apparently set to miss its conservative first year sales targets by 20-percent, the WSJ reports, with around 8,000 of the 10,000 expected to be sold set to leave the forecourt before 2011 is through. The reason for the shortfall is simple, dealers say: the Volt is just too expensive. Read The Full Story

Honda, Toyota and BMW reveal green car plans

Chris Davies, Dec 1st 2011 Discuss [1]

Green transportation is high on the agenda for Honda, Toyota and BMW, with all three companies announcing earth-friendly engine plans at the Toyko Motor Show this week. Toyota and BMW revealed an engine-sharing deal that will see BMW-made 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter diesel engines slotted into Toyota cars on sale in Europe from 2014, as well as joint research into future motor technologies. Meanwhile, Honda previewed its new "Earth Dreams Technology" range of engines, kicking off with a 1.6 liter diesel that it claims is the first step to it becoming top dog in fuel economy within three years time. Read The Full Story