Green - SlashGear

‘green’ Stories

Switch Lighting LED light bulb is cheap and makes light just like incandescent

Shane McGlaun, Jul 7th 2011 Discuss [11]

I am all for moving away from the normal incandescent bulbs almost all of us use today to a more efficient and longer lasting alternative like CFL or LED lighting. The problem is that the incandescent bulb is dirt cheap; you can buy a box of four for a few dollars. The CLF bulbs are more expensive with one selling for a couple times that price and the LED bulbs today are even more costly with each bulb selling in the $40 to $50 range. Read The Full Story

Vizio hops into LED lighting industry

Shane McGlaun, Jun 27th 2011 Discuss [1]

I would wager most readers are familiar with the Vizio brand. The company has a great line of HDTVs that are the best selling in the US market thanks to the performance and the price of the sets. The company will also soon get into the Android tablet market with a new offering that sounds very nice for the price. Vizio is also now looking to get into a new market to make use of its LED prowess and I hope that it can bring the same low price and quality to this new market. Read The Full Story

Voltaic Spark Tablet Cases uses the sun to charge your iPad and more

Shane McGlaun, Jun 24th 2011 Discuss [0]

If you are going to be outside where there is no outlet for a long time and you are talking a bunch of gadgets with you, you will need a bunch of batteries or a solar charger of some sort. Voltaic has a new and cool solar charger that is made to protect and charge your iPad or similar tablet and a bunch of other devices. The case is called the Spark Tablet Case and it sells for a cool $299. Read The Full Story

Siemens shows off hybrid electric airplane at 2011 Paris Air Show

Shane McGlaun, Jun 24th 2011 Discuss [0]

When we talk about green technology for transportation, we generally think about green cars powered by biofuel, electricity, or hybrids. There is a lot more in the transportation world working towards being greener and the aircraft industry is one of those places. At the 2011 Paris Air Show Siemens unveiled the world's first series hybrid electric aircraft. The airplane is called the DA36 E-Star. Read The Full Story

Japan starts work on new faster 313 MPH maglev train

Shane McGlaun, Jun 21st 2011 Discuss [2]

In most of the US, we make little use of trains as a system of mass transport. In some major cities trains and subways get people to and from the office and home, but with the spread out arrangement of many cities and the lack of a rail infrastructure most of us use personal vehicles or busses for transport. Japan has had the seriously cool and fast maglev train system that we generally call bullet trains for a long time now. The current trains have a top speed of about 150 MPH. Read The Full Story

Artist makes surfboard out of 72 beer cans

Shane McGlaun, Jun 20th 2011 Discuss [0]

DIY art is cool and when it involves the ocean and beer, it may be the perfect DIY project for the summer. Artist Rich Morrison took the sort of trash generated by many summer days at the lake or beach for many folks - beer cans - and used those cans to make something pretty cool. Morrison took 72 different beer cans and used them to create a surfboard for riding the waves that actually works. At least it works for him; the board wouldn't work for me at all unless its purpose was to dump me on my head in the surf. Read The Full Story

Ford uses special cooling system for the battery pack on Focus Electric vehicle

Shane McGlaun, Jun 14th 2011 Discuss [0]

Batteries that power an electric vehicle or a hybrid work best when they are cool. Keeping the batteries cool can be a big challenge in some parts of the country during the summer. Ford is getting its new Focus Electric ready to hit the market and since the vehicle will be sold all around the country Ford is working to keep the battery cool in the hotter climates. Read The Full Story

Philips outs world’s first LED substitute for 75W incandescent

Shane McGlaun, May 17th 2011 Discuss [7]

If you follow developments in the world of green gear at all, you know that the incandescent light bulb is not the most efficient means of lighting. These bulbs put out lots of heat and consume lots more power than other light tech like LED of CCFL. The problem is that incandescent bulbs are cheap and the other lights are very expensive. The most common light bulb used in many homes is the venerable 75W bulb with just the right amount of light for many needs. Read The Full Story

YikeBike now comes in cheaper alloy version

Shane McGlaun, May 16th 2011 Discuss [0]

In many large cities, a number of people choose to ride bikes rather than drive or take public transportation. There are many reasons for this from not having to sit next to weirdo riders to exercise. For the people that need a little help on their ride to keep from getting too tired there are a number of bikes on the market that are electric to give a little boost for longer rides. Late last year we talked about one of those new electric bikes called the YikeBike. Read The Full Story

Ford goes green using dandelion roots to make interior parts for cars and trucks

Shane McGlaun, May 12th 2011 Discuss [3]

The lengths that Ford goes to make its vehicles green and energy efficient never cease to amaze me. Sure, the company uses recycled materials like plastic and metal in its cars. It uses old tires to make other parts of the cars and trucks, and Ford is now going green and using a weed that I am always trying to kill in my yard. Ford has found a way to use the lowly dandelion in its car construction. Read The Full Story

First Pipeline-Fed Hydrogen Fuel Station Opens Up In Southern California

Rue Liu, May 11th 2011 Discuss [0]

Southern California is usually where we get news of celebs driving around in their hybrids or fuel-cell cars and being all green and mighty. Now, they can add another star to their clean energy scorecard. Thanks to Shell and some land leased from Toyota, there is now a brand new hydrogen-fueling station that's the first of its kind. Read The Full Story

Jaguar to build limited run of C-X75 supercars with gas and electric power

Shane McGlaun, May 6th 2011 Discuss [3]

We talk about awesome cars here on occasion if they use some sort of green tech in their design. In November of 2010, we talked a bit about the cool Jaguar C-X75 that at the time was a pure EV with four electric motors supplemented by jet engines (seriously). Each of those electric motors was situated in a wheel and the sexy ride has a lot of carbon fiber in its construction. The car was a concept, but Jag has announced that it will actually build a limited number of the cars. Read The Full Story