Green Options » road

Nissan Plans Wireless Charging on Electric Cars

Andrew Williams — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:03:41 +0000

It seems we just can’t move these days for news of Nissan’s EV strategy. Well, today’s no exception, with news of Nissan’s plan to develop wireless charging technology to make charging electric cars easier and faster.

The system, based on the principle of inductive charging, employs the same electromagnetic field technology used to charge an electric toothbrush.

Nissan has already adapted the system for use in its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) electric car, which can charge wirelessly in a suitable parking bay, but the latest report suggests that the major Japanese outfit has more expansive plans for its system. The Guardian reports that Nissan hopes to lay a series of plates into the surface of designated electric vehicle lanes on highways, enabling drivers to charge as they travel.

Mexican Residents Stage Sit-In to Halt Destruction of Local Trees

Rhonda Winter — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:24:02 +0000

Much like the Lorax, San Francisco student Damaris Parra speaks for the trees.

Several dozen residents of San Francisco (also known as San Pancho) Mexico staged a spontaneous sit-in yesterday in the middle of their main thoroughfare to halt the destruction of hundreds of the city’s trees and the replacement of permeable paving stones with flood-causing impervious concrete. Local school children were joined by business owners and many other residents of the town who simply sat down in the middle of the road to stop the heavy machinery from destroying their street and native trees.

Piezoelectric Road Produces Electricity From Traffic

Andrew Williams — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:59:04 +0000

Engineers have created a new type of road capable of turning the vibration caused by cars into electricity.

The revolutionary new surface, created by engineers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, uses piezoelectric crystals embedded in the asphalt to generate up to 400 kilowatts of energy from a 1 kilometer stretch, enough to run eight electric cars.

Commenting on the innovation, a spokesman from the UK Environmental Transport Association said, “Many predict a massive shift to electric cars, and it may be the roads themselves that help provide some of the power needed.”