Batteries

Motion-powered phone charger sashays in

M2E Power, a company formed last year to charge electronic gadgets with human motion, has reported back that its system actually works.

Next year it expects to release a charger that can harvest enough motion from walking to replenish cell phones or other small gadgets, like GPS devices.

It says that six hours of cumulative motion can add 30 to 60 minutes of talk time to a cell phone.

The idea is to place the charger inside a purse or backpack and let it charge in the background, said Regan Rowe, director of business development at the company. When fully … Read more

Green news harvest: Fuel-cell gadget charger, liquor-powered iPod

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary. Investor support of climate action grows--CBS News Big polluters feel the, uh, heat from shareholders. Resolutions related to climate change more than doubled over the past five years, according to Ceres. Masdar breaks ground on photovoltaic factory in Germany--press releaseAbu Dhabi-based fund invests big in solar, diversifying from oil. This is also a major shot in the arm for thin-film solar cells, upping competition with silicon. Coskata due diligence--R-Squared Energy BlogBlogger Robert Rapier gives a hot ethanol start-up a rigorous screening and leaves with some questions. The key on all … Read more

Green news harvest: Bill Clinton's energy manifesto, Tesla's CTO

Bill Clinton: 10 things the U.S. government should do for clean power--Earth2TechClinton urges politicos at National Clean Energy Summit to "rock the world" and create an energy-independent country. Northeast to be home heating oil hell?--CBS NewsConsumers and oil dealers are facing serious problems as oil prices are set to double this winter.

2008 Innovator of the Year under 35: JB Straubel--Technology ReviewA profile of JB Straubel, 32-year-old chief technology officer of electric sports-car maker Tesla Motors. Southern California Edison signs contract for more than 900 megawatts of wind energy--press releaseUtility says that … Read more

Hybrid makeovers help owners dump the pump

Countless small start-ups and Detroit automakers are trying to revive electric cars from an early grave, although there's a long road ahead before electricity might serve as a "fuel" for the masses.

In the meantime, however, a handful of companies aims to put the power cord in the hands of drivers who want to transform their gas-electric hybrids into plug-in hybrids, or to replace the internal combustion innards of other cars with all-electric systems.

The businesses are touting plug-in hybrid systems that can be driven up to 40 miles on batteries alone, with average fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon. The cars use gasoline once the batteries drain.

It can cost more than $10,000 to install a plug-in hybrid system on a Toyota Prius. Is the limited electric driving range worth the expense?

Absolutely, according to Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, which counts nearly 200 plug-in hybrid conversions around the country. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based nonprofit in 2004 converted the first Prius with batteries that power up from an electrical outlet. … Read more

Simbol Mining raises funds for 'zero-waste' lithium extraction

Simbol Mining, which plans to plans to extract lithium for making batteries for electric cars and consumer electronics, has secured $6.7 million in series A funding.

MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and Firelake Capital led the funding round.

The start-up has set the bold goal of meeting within 10 years one-fourth of global demand for the lithium carbonate, which could become a $1.5 billion market by 2015.

Simbol describes its process as "zero waste" because it will piggyback on geothermal power plants. Simbol will mine commodity metals from the salty water that gushes up from 10,000 feet … Read more

Battery maker A123 Systems files to go public

Boston-area battery upstart A123 Systems on Friday said that it plans to go public and raise $175 million.

The company, which is not profitable, on Friday filed papers in which it said it intends to raise as much as $175 million, based on the registration filing fee. The money will be used to expand it manufacturing and research facilities as well as pay back about $2.5 million in debt.

A123 Systems was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seven years ago to commercialize lithium-ion batteries for a range of applications.

The batteries, which the company says last … Read more

Green news harvest: Solar iPhone case, clean tech bucks economic blues

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary.

The greenest laptop computers--MetaEfficient ReviewsIt also listed the greenest desktop PCs this week. Suniva and Solon announce supply contract worth more than $500 million--press releaseBig endorsement of solar start-up Suniva, which was spun off from Georgia Tech earlier this year.

Solar-powered case for iPhone 3G--Mobile FunLooks cool, but won't it make the device really hot? Clean tech: One sector is bucking global economic blues--WSJ.comNew numbers show big solar and second-generation biofuels still getting the most money. Dark clouds are the iffy IPO market and a potential … Read more

Electric carmaker Aptera raises $24 million round

Correction: A correction was made to this story. Read below for details.

(Credit: Aptera)

Aptera Motors, the electric car start-up that on Tuesday nabbed funding from Google.org, announced Thursday that it has secured $24 million in a series C round.

The Carlsbad, Calif., company aims to spend the funds on its manufacturing center in nearby Vista.

Aptera has set the end of this year for the release of its all-electric Typ-1, a two-seater, three-wheeled electric car whose streamlined shape might look at home in a Jetsons cartoon. Each street-legal vehicle would cost less than $30,000.

The electric version … Read more

Plug-In 2008: Electric cars charging ahead

Plug-In 2008 brought together Detroit automakers, utilities, and green-tech start-ups in San Jose, Calif., this week. Organizers say it drew more than 600 people.

Here's a summary of CNET News' coverage related to the event:

Video: Plug-In 2008: Plug-in electric cars generate buzzCNET News reporter Kara Tsuboi stops by the world's first showcase of its kind to see what's new with plug-in hybrids.

Google philanthropy funds Aptera and ActaCell 'Smart' electric grids to ease zap from plug-ins? GM partners with utilities to advance plug-in hybrids Coulomb unveils electric-car charging stations Photos: Powering a future for plug-in hybrids … Read more

Google philanthropy funds Aptera and ActaCell

Google.org is investing $2.75 million into electric-vehicle maker Aptera and battery start-up ActaCell. The announcement, which follows Google's request for proposals from companies with electric car technologies, came Tuesday during the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif.

Aptera of Carlsbad, Calif., makes street-legal three-wheelers with a unique, aerodynamic design. The company aims to sell its Typ-1 model for less than $30,000 by the end of year. It's marketing a pure electric as well as a gas electric plug-in hybrid achieving more than 200 miles per gallon. The vehicles are supposed to accelerate to 60 … Read more