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Topic Page: Electric Cars
Hybrids. Plug-ins. Solar panels on the car roof. You’re heard a lot about electric vehicles, but you might also wonder about the trade-offs. PF Members offer their solutions on how they’re using less to go far. Have an idea in Electric Cars? Tell us
Related Categories : | Business | Efficiency | Science |Transportation |
Featured Ideas
Webisodes Related to Electric Cars
Energy Pimp Your SUV – Make it More Cost-Effective than a Prius
In this week’s webisode, we take a look at a video submitted to us by Sewanee’s Eco-Auto Club. The students set out to take a 1998 Ford Explorer with 231,000 miles and transform it into a more energy efficient “Eco Explorer” vehicle. Would you do this to YOUR car? WATCH!
Energy Secretary Bill Nye?
Planet Forward met up with Bill Nye at the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards last week. See the first item on his #EnergyToDo list. Tell us yours on twitter. (@Planet_Forward)
Hertz’s EVs Charge Up Car Sharing
Who knew lessons from preschool could apply to smart communities and our energy solution?! Check out this new initiative in Washington DC that takes the concept of sharing to a whole new level. Would you ditch your ride for one of these shared EVs?
Get Charged Up for Project Get Ready, a Planet Forward Nominee
There is a lot of talk surrounding electric cars at this years’ auto show, but until charging stations are readily accessibly, will drivers really feel comfortable with the idea of a battery-powered vehicle? Project Get Ready is trying to allay that concern and is one of Planet Forward’s nominees.
Energy Insider Answers: What Happens Now?
In part 2 of this week’s webisode, Planet Forward host Frank Sesno sits down with President of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and former Democratic Congressman Dave McCurdy (D-OK) about Tuesday’s results and the future of energy policy. Watch>>
Sandia Labs Aces Solar Golf Carts
Planet Forward hosted a LIVE event during the White House’s GreenGov Symposium, a conference focused on making all levels of government more sustainable. In this segment, Sandia National Laboratories shows the potential of how a little change can go a long way. In webisode 215, we see how and learn what our esteemed panel (Laura …Read More…
Is Nissan’s Leaf Too Sexy for Your Pocketbook?
Electric cars may pimp your green image but are they worth the ride? Planet Forward member and creator of MPG-o-Matic, Daniel Gray, shows us some cool features of Nissan’s electric vehicle. But just how expensive is a zero emissions ride? We do the math! (You can see Dan’s full video here.)
An Electrifying Vision: 20 Million Plug-in Hybrids on the Roads in 5 Years
Planet Forward host Frank Sesno talks with Commissioner Mark Spitzer, of the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission about how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may finally lead to commercialization of plug-in hybrids.
Planet Forward: Our Energy Future
Our first TV special focused on great ideas from you, our members, about how we as a country should approach our energy future. Originally broadcast on April 15, 2009 on PBS.
Tough Cell: From Wind to Hydrogen-Powered Cars at the National Renewable Energy Labs
The National Renewable Energy Labs are researching a new way to store renewable energy: in hydrogen. Wind and solar energy are used to create hydrogen and stored in tanks that can be used to power the grid or your car. While no single alternative to today’s cars and trucks can meet all our needs, fuel …Read More…
Shameless Plugs: Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles at the National Renewable Energy Labs
Our host, Frank Sesno, visits the National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) to check out a Prius they’ve retrofitted to be a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The cars are charged by solar panels in their parking lot. NREL’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle utilizes a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack that gets charged up by a solar panel …Read More…
TV Segments Related to Electric Cars
Pursuing a Safer, Sustainable, Lithium Battery
In our wireless world, you’re nowhere without a good battery and a solid connection. But, wouldn’t it be better if we could improve both…and use less energy? Researchers at the University of Maryland is looking to polymers – like plastics, or rubber – to save energy and change how we stay connected. The team replaces …Read More…
Automakers Use Greener Plants, Production Techniques
If cars are polluters, than car plants are even worse, right? But some car makers are going green. Planet Forward GW students Sara Snyder and Bridget Lynn got a close-up view of the new VW plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Planet Forward Test Drives the Nissan Leaf
In Planet Forward’s premier segment on Nightly Business Report, host Frank Sesno takes the Nissan Leaf for a spin and crunches the numbers to see if the car’s green technology is worth the extra green from your wallet.
Behind the Scenes: Planet Forward Test Drives the Nissan Leaf
Watch what happens behind-the-scenes at Planet Forward as we test drive the Nissan’s Leaf, turning your stories into TV. Watch>>
Bill McKibben on Hybrids vs. Electric Cars
Author and climate expert Bill McKibben offers his take on electric vehicles and whether or not he plans to buy one.
Planet Forward Series Premier on PBS
Tune in Thursday for Planet Forward’s premier on PBS’s Nightly Business Report. Inspired by a PF member, the piece asks: Is the Nissan LEAF worth it? We take a test drive.
Articles From the Blog Related to Electric Cars
An All-Electric Vehicle: Up Close and Personal
Ever wonder what one of those all-electric cars feels like when you’re behind the wheel? Well, here’s your chance. We’ll start by getting the lowdown on what it means to be a “zero-emission vehicle” from one of the Energy Department’s car specialists. We’ll kick the tires, check out the funny plugs, and then take the baby for a spin through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Natural Gas, Electric or Fuel-Cell Powered Cars?
Amy Harder of the Nationnal Journal previews innovative efficient technologies at the Washington DC Auto Show.
Driving Innovation: Washington DC’s Auto Show
What will it take to get more electric vehicles on the road? Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and James Wisemen of Toyota got a head start at that question at yesterday’s Policy Summit at the Washington DC Auto Show. It was the day after the President’s State of the Union address, where he reiterated his …Read More…
5 Ideas to Charge-up the Electric Car
Tesla Roasters might remain the sexiest EVs on the road, but what are Planet Forward members excited about? We list our top 5 ideas in electric cars.
Is Upgrading an Old SUV More Cost Effective Than Buying a Prius?
The world of efficient automobiles can be an expensive place. Newer, more efficient cars can sometimes scare away average consumers who are looking to get a deal on a new pair of wheels. For example, A new 2011 Nissan Leaf costs around $33,000 (closer to $25,000 after the federal government pitches in with a $7,500 …Read More…
Race for the Green Flag: 5 Auto Innovations to Sustain Our Planet
5. Is Nissan’s Leaf Too Sexy for Your Pocketbook? Tradition is sacred in the sport of auto racing. In the field of innovation, it’s a practical joke. Wireless refueling, EPA approval, and no tailpipe. These features separated the Nissan Leaf from its predecessors in the electric car business, and prompted 16,000 reservations of the vehicle …Read More…
Obama Calls for Green Fleet, Reduction of Oil Imports
Facing some of the most intractable foreign policy situations of his term, President Barack Obama is looking inward. In a major speech on March 30th, Obama outlined his plan to reduce oil imports by a third over the next decade and a half while transitioning the federal government to an all-alternative-fuel vehicle fleet by 2014. …Read More…
President Obama calls for Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy in his State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union address, President Obama set a new goal: by 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.
Watch
LEED: Green Standard or Black Magic?
Is the U.S Green Building Counsel’s coveted LEED Certification full of crap? No not really but it is very far from perfect. All too often green gurus and real-estate agents sing the praises of LEED certifications but when looked at more thoroughly there are many loop holes in the actual report card system so that …Read More…
Planet Forward on TV this week
This week Planet Forward will air its first segment for Nightly Business Report on PBS. The segment, the first in a monthly series, focuses on the Nissan Leaf, an all-new 100% electric car, and will feature an in-studio appearance from our host Frank Sesno. Daniel Gray of MPGomatic showed us the Nissan Leaf earlier this …Read More…
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