Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Caption Contest: Giving the gift of green against our better judgement]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The move to electric-powered vehicles is still in its fledgling stages, but there are plenty of signs that the next few years will finally start ushering in battery-powered transportation for the masses. But there's one class of vehicle that has almost always been powered by batteries: R/C cars. Slap in a couple of 9-volt batteries and a slew of AA cells, and kids of all ages get to pretend they're Ken Block in the backyard until mom says it's time to clean up for supper.

Now that full-sized rides are finally "catching up" to their scaled-down counterparts, it appears that at least one toymaker, New Bright, has decided to take the next step: an R/C car that needs no batteries. It's called the Ecomobile, and it looks like a solar-powered freehand interpretation of a Smart ForTwo mated with a Toyota Prius. As you can see by its packaging, the Ecomobile takes great pride in the fact that it's ecopowered, economical and ecofriendly. It's even packaged in recyclable materials. It's $29.95. Al Gore can't stop smiling.

But how does it run? Well, you have to leave it out in the sun for one hour for every five minutes of play time. It's reportedly slow, too, and much like the EVs we've experienced in the real world, reviewers have said that the solar-powered toy doesn't quite run as long as its OEM-promised times state. Sound like fun? We don't think so either. So, in the spirit of the holidays, we've decided to come up with some of our favorite captions and/or headlines for this eco-tastic (or is that eco-tragic?) new toy. Here are some of our not-so-hilarious efforts:
  • You traded in your sports car for a Prius? Now you can limit your children's fun too!
  • The Ecomobile: Because your kids aren't teased enough already
  • The perfect toy for the kid who likes to wait to have fun
  • Now mom can't bitch about leaving toys in the backyard
  • Sweet! A toy that kids north of the Mason-Dixon line can't play with until May
As you can plainly see, we need your help. Head for the comments section and give us your best headlines for this not-so-fun-looking toy. You won't win anything for trying, but your efforts could help a misguided parent choose a different (and cooler) toy for their kid.

Caption Contest: Giving the gift of green against our better judgement originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battery powerBatteryPowercaption contestCaptionContestecomobileradio controlled carRadioControlledCarrcrc carRcCarremote controlledremote controlled carRemoteControlledRemoteControlledCarsmart fortwoSmartFortwosolarsolar carsolar powerSolarCarSolarPowerSun, 13 Dec 2009 20:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Lamborghini adding solar power to factory, vows to cut range CO<sub>2</sub> 35% by 2015]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/07/lamborghini-adding-solar-power-to-factory-vows-to-cut-range-co/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/07/lamborghini-adding-solar-power-to-factory-vows-to-cut-range-co/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/07/lamborghini-adding-solar-power-to-factory-vows-to-cut-range-co/#commentsFiled under: ,



In the grand scheme of things, the facilities and products of Lamborghini don't really amount to a hill of beans. After all, the company only has one main factory that produces a few thousand cars a year. While those cars are high-powered and consume a lot of fuel per mile driven, Lamborghini owners tend to drive those cars far fewer miles than the mainstream autos the rest of us hop into on a daily basis. As such, the Lambos' total emissions don't add up to much.

Nonetheless, Lamborghini is still somewhat sensitive to both social and regulatory concerns and has an ambitious plan to reduce CO2 emissions. The automaker is in the process of installing a 17,000 square meter solar array to its factory roof that, when completed later this year, will generate 1,582 MWh of electricity annually. In addition to that, changes are being made inside the plant to improve insulation, lighting, and climate control as part of a broader effort to lower factory-related CO2 emissions 30 percent by 2010.

As for the products coming out of the factory, Lamborghini is pursuing several paths towards a goal of 35-percent CO2 reduction by 2015. In addition to expanding the use of technology like the direct injection that debuted on the Gallardo LP560-4 last year, the engineers are working on improved combustion, weight reduction, auto start/stop systems, hybrid drive and biofuel use.


Gallery: Lamborghini CO2 reductions



[Source: Lamborghini]

Continue reading Lamborghini adding solar power to factory, vows to cut range CO2 35% by 2015

Lamborghini adding solar power to factory, vows to cut range CO2 35% by 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto start stopAutoStartStopco2 emissionco2 emissionsco2 reductionsCo2EmissionCo2EmissionsCo2Reductionsdirect injecteddirect injectionDirectInjectedDirectInjectionhybridhybrid carhybrid carsHybridCarHybridCarshybridslamborghinisolar powersolar power factorySolarPowerSolarPowerFactoryweight reductionWeightReductionSun, 07 Jun 2009 12:04:00 EST<![CDATA[Ferrari goes verde, adds photovoltaic solar cells to plant]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/23/ferrari-goes-verde-adds-photovoltaic-solar-cells-to-plant/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/23/ferrari-goes-verde-adds-photovoltaic-solar-cells-to-plant/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/23/ferrari-goes-verde-adds-photovoltaic-solar-cells-to-plant/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Looks like green might replace red as the most popular color at Ferrari. The supercar manufacturer just added a whole roof-full of photovoltaics atop its Engine Mechanical Machining facility in Maranello. Those solar panels should cut Ferrari's outside power needs, reducing the amount of energy the company draws from the grid by about 210,000 kWh a year and could result in a 25-30% reduction in CO2 emissions.

The solar cells are the latest move in Ferrari's plan to improve environmental sustainability. They've already increased the natural ecological areas inside and outside the production and management facilities. Ferrari has also added an additional 200 trees to the 165,000 square meters of green space on campus in just the past six months. The system uses 1,075 Mitsubishi solar modules, but that doesn't mean you can tease Ferrari owners by saying that they drive something powered by a Mitsubishi motor.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Ferrari goes verde, adds photovoltaic solar cells to plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>photovoltaicphotovoltaic panelPhotovoltaicPanelphotovoltaicssolar energysolar Ferrarisolar panelssolar powersolar powered FerrariSolarEnergySolarFerrariSolarPanelsSolarPowerSolarPoweredFerrariFri, 23 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST