• alternative energy

    Toyota Turns Parts Center Roof Into Giant Solar Installation

    Solar Prius? That's amateur. Toyota has opted to create a 242,000 square-foot solar installation on the roof of its North American Parts Center in Ontario, California. The installation, which will be the largest single-roof installation in North America, will provide about 3.7 million kWh of juice, about 60% of the power needs for the parts center. Toyota also has a solar installation on one of its headquarters buildings in Torrance, helping the company polish its green cred and distracting from the future lithium-ion waste site that will be generated by scrapped Priuses. Press release after the jump. More »

    1:20 PM on Thu Sep 25 2008
    By Andrew Stoy
    1,340 views, 16 comments

    Most discussed graverobber- My Yugo Nova!: How do they expect America to achieve energy independence if they keep on insisting on importing energy from the sun? more »

  • accessories

    Solar Panels Coming Soon To An Auto Parts Store Near You

    It's not often you hear about Wyoming around these parts, but a company from the Cowboy State is looking to make solar panels the next hip and useful car accessory. The company is developing solar cells a couple inches thick and as big as three feet by four feet to be mounted atop your vehicle to supply power to a variety of in-car system—and more! More »

    12:40 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
    By Travis Hudson
    2,879 views, 32 comments

    Latest by Elhigh: @FreeMan: I remember that car - the EV1, I think it was. Yes, same name as the Saturn electric car. more »

  • gadgets

    Solar Driveway Lights Guide Your Hybrid Home

    Hell, you just bought that hybrid, why not go all out turning yourself into a green-bean with solar powered-driveway lights? You don't have worry about crushing these suckers, either, unlike some other solar driveway-lighting solutions on the market. More »

    3:00 PM on Tue Feb 5 2008
    By Travis Hudson
    2,252 views, 22 comments

  • alternative energy

    Austrailian Solar Bus is Mighty Green, Mighty Ugly

    A bus by the name of "Tindo" has debuted in Australia, carrying with it the pretty hefty title of "world's first solar-powered electric bus." This free-ride, air-conditioned 42-passenger bus is powered by 11 zebra sodium-nickel batteries that can provide the big green bus 124 miles worth of travel on a full charge. More »

    4:00 PM on Fri Dec 21 2007
    By Travis Hudson
    1,629 views, 22 comments

    Latest by johnfritz: What a roach. Gimme an 8V-92 hanging behind that Rockwell, er, Meritor drive axle any day! And jeez, I HATE those more »

  • alternative energy

    The Solar Bug Solar Powered Car

    It may be a stretch to call it a car, as Steve Titus' Solar Bug is mostly an electric ATV with a cartoonish fiberglass frame. Nevertheless, you've got to give the guy credit for trying to live the dream. The mini two-seater features a bank of batteries connected to roof mounted solar panels. The Solar Bug isn't fully solar, as it will supply approximately 10-20 miles worth of the total 60 mile charging range. More »

    3:00 PM on Fri Nov 16 2007
    By Matt Hardigree
    1,517 views, 22 comments

    Latest by Bad Juju: @teargas: Nice.. The police (volunteers) nearby have a GEM EV: [www.santacruzsentinel.com] There's a dealership in town that sells these things - more »

  • news: racing

    No Solara Panamericana This Year: Dell-Winston Solar Challenge Confined to Texas Motor Speedway

    A year ago, a band of high school students set off from Austin, TX to Los Angeles, California, a trek we would replicate ourselves a few scant months later. Only we did it in an overloaded SUV pulling an overloaded trailer, rather than in a featherweight solar-powered car. And we didn't build the Dodge ourselves, either. This year has been a closed-track event, as is every other Dell-Winston Solar Challenge, ending today at the Texas Motor Speedway. Next year, though, they're back to ditching the NASCAR schtick and taking their show back on the road, from Texas to NYC. More »

    10:30 PM on Thu Jul 13 2006
    By Davey G. Johnson
    144 views, Comment

  • news: racing

    A Dutch Threepeat: Crafty Netherlanders Put Down Bong, Win Solar Challenge

    Holland's Nuon team, with their world-conquering Nuna 3 solar-powered car, has dominated the World Solar Challenge for the third time in a row, running 3021 kilometers in 29 hours, 11 minutes. The distance, slightly more than that covered by Snowman and Bandit during their infamous 1977 beer run, would've actually made the Atlanta-Texarkana-Atlanta run in the required 28 hours to claim the $80,000 prize from Big Enos, but its Coors-hauling capabilities are somewhat compromised. Frankly, we're not quite sure there's even enough extra room in the car for a 40. More »

    11:32 AM on Thu Sep 29 2005
    By Davey G. Johnson
    227 views

  • news: racing

    Dutch Lead World Solar Challenge, MasterBlaster Miffed?

    The Dutch Nuon team (reportedly not an anagram of a major sponsor's favorite guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt) and their Nuna 3 solar racer are on an expected record pace in this year's World Solar Challenge. Currently an hour ahead of the rest of the pack, The Fliegende Niederl nder are expected barring rain, errant wombats and unplanned, long-winded publicity appearances by Paul Hogan to roll into Adelaide Wednesday afternoon. More »

    7:07 AM on Tue Sep 27 2005
    By Davey G. Johnson
    84 views

  • news: racing

    Solara Australiana: Sun-Powered Vehicles to Race Across Australia

    As autumn descends on us in the Northern Hemisphere, things are just warming up Down Under. With the Australian spring comes sun, and with the sun comes solar car racing. Starting this weekend, the run from Darwin to Port Augusta has attracted teams from all over the world. Widely touted as the most grueling of all solar-car contests, the Dutch have dominated the World Solar Challenge in past years. Will they do it again? We'll keep you updated. More »

    2:58 PM on Thu Sep 22 2005
    By Davey G. Johnson
    88 views

  • alternative energy

    Turks Hold First Solar Car Race

    A mere ten days after screeching Formula One engines shrieked out across the Istanbul Park Racetrack, a group of an entirely different kind of technological marvels were making the rounds of the raceway solar cars. The cars, built by fifteen universities and one high school cruised the track a paltry 45 km/h. You probably wouldn't be ticketed for doing that in school zone. Nevertheless, we're big on the solar car brigade, as they're functional pieces of design to go as far as possible as fast as possible, even if it's akin, relatively speaking, to pouring Aunt Jemima outdoors during a Michigan winter. More »

    12:14 PM on Fri Sep 2 2005
    By Davey G. Johnson
    213 views