In the age of global climate change, people are becoming more and more aware of their carbon footprints and taking measures to reduce them. Hybrid cars have become extremely popular, and some cars claim to be 'zero emission vehicles.' However, even if a vehicle does not create pollution, it is very likely that the source of the energy that is powering the vehicle does. The Nissan Leaf......read more
We've been following green design guru Yves Behar since SHFT's inception, and this GE WattStation may be his most paradigm-shifting creation yet. The man behind fuseproject collaborated with GE Ecomagination to design an EV charger for both public and private spaces, with the stated goal of helping "accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles." The......read more
Plug and play: The Yves Behar-designed GE WattStation will juice up electric vehicles and spruce up the streets. Oh, the humanity! When Humans Ruled the Earth explores the human consumption machine in animated form. An efficient water solution in the rural West: Farmers and ranchers are replacing windmills with solar power wells. Want to take an exotic holiday AND help the environment? Try one......read more
Sharing transportation is a great idea. Bike share programs are launching all around the world, and electric cars are the next step. In France, Parisian transportation officials are readying for the September launch of Autolib, the world's first electric vehicle sharing program. The scheme will enable participants to save money and emissions by using a green car only when absolutely......read more
Under a proposal from the EPA and Transportation Department, cars could get environmental grades visible to consumers on showroom floors starting in 2012. The grades will account for the vehicles' overall fuel economy as well as its level of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the plan, the average vehicle would receive a B-. On the high-scoring end would be electric vehicles (A+) and......read more
The government of China continues to make bold moves to move the country off of oil, announcing $15 billion in seed money for its electric car industry. Meanwhile, the US is mired in an intractable, expensive conflict in Afghanistan. If it's all about picking your battles, then the future is bleak for US industrial growth. In the newly-redesigned Opinion Pages of Sunday's New York......read more
Ladies and gentlemen, (silently) start your engines. After two decades of fits and starts, the electric car revolution is finally upon us. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are both slated to start hitting dealerships next month, and combined sales are expected to surpass 30,000 over the next year. Meanwhile, electric utilities don't know whether to lick their chops or wring their hands. A......read more
Five years ago, director Chris Paine ruffled a few feathers with Who Killed the Electric Car, a blockbuster documentary that exposed the development and mothballing of electric vehicles in the early 2000s. Now, with the first mass produced electric cars on the road, Paine is back with Revenge of the Electric Car, a behind-the-scenes exploration of the nascent EV industry.......read more
In news that will surprise no one who's considered the issue for more than three seconds, a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that electric cars are only as green as the power plants that fuel them. In regions where the electric grid is supplied by cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas, or renewable sources, like wind or solar, driving an electric vehicle produces......read more
With Obama calling for the federal government to lead the way in sustainable practices, government officials have been getting down to business. This week, the feds announced the purchase of the first electric vehicles in the federal fleet. The purchase involved 116 cars -- a smorgasbord of Chevy Volts, Nissan Leafs, and Think Cities -- which will make their ways to 20 different agencies. Martha......read more