Billed as the worlds first high-performance electric two-wheel vehicle to offer all the benefits of a gas powered motorcycle. Except it does not include the noise, and smog pollution, or oil changes and regular trips the gas station.

The fun to ride and excellent handling, Vectrix Maxi, scooter has a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) and fast acceleration. Its perfect in the city and can do the highway if necessary. The onboard charger provides power for a 70 mile range on a single charge.

Remember electricity is 10% cost of the gas has zero emissions, and this bike is 30% faster than similar 250cc gas scooter.

Its in preorder right now and will retail for $11,500.
Designed in Europe and will be manufactured in Massachusetts and Europe. Fuel Cell and other Hybrids are in development.

Check the embedded YOUTube Video. Sometimes you might need to refresh browser…


Via Vectrix USA

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Sony has created a battery that produces electricity by breaking down sugar. The bio cell, which measures 39 millimeters cubed, delivers 50mW milliWatts which is a world record for such a cell.

Sony has shown small fan being powered by the cell with a glucose-based sports drink. Four cells can give enough power to a Sony Walkman.

Sugar is an naturally energy source and can be grown by plants in photosynthesis. Sony also made the battery casing of vegetable-based plastic. Sony could help reduce the problem of battery disposal as they are toxic and environmentally destructive.

Via Infoweek

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Did you know that a fully electric SUV is about to come out. The launch of the new vehicles just got delayed until 2008 because of the certification process.

The company, Phoenix Motorcars, already has 500 on order from clients. Pacific Gas and Electric is one customer and so are many government municipalities. These organizations buy large fleets of cars and often don’t go long distances. Thus, the 100 mile range is not a problem with compared to regular consumers.

The cars run for 130 miles on a single charge and can hit 100 miles per hour. The key is the battery which can be charged quickly. 10 Minute of recharge to 95% capacity!!

Vehicle assembly in Ontario, Canada.
$3 for a total recharge on your power bill!
Power everything.
ZERO emmssions!
It will cost you 45K though.
Estimated 2008 sales production is 500 vehicles. In 2009 6000 vehicles when the regular consumer will have some access. All you Lexus SUV buyers do something good for the environment!

Via Cnet.

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Minneapolis headquartered, Best Buy is going green. Could it be because of those upper Midwest progressive values?

They have a program to take in your old cell phones, print cartridges, and batteries near the front entrance of their stores. They also take old TVs for a fee. The only thing they don’t have is a program to take old computers, but Dell and HP do have.

Starting soon in early to mid 2008 plans ll new Best Buy stores will be eco friendly. This will include energy efficient lighting, recycled content building materials, a high-efficiency HVAC system, and a day lighting system. This will qualify as a LEED project.

LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design a US federal designation for green buildings. So far there are only 50 LEED retail stores. LEED certification will cut energy use by 1/3 at these stores!

They also plan to increase reusable containers by 30%, retrofit about 20% of stores with energy efficient lighting. They also plan to recycle 75K tons of cardboard 2K plastic, and 15 K of consumer electronics and 27 K tons of appliances.

Via Jets on Green

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Wachovia new banks to be eco friendly in design. They are to be certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) a certification by the US Federal government.

At least 300 will be built by 2010. The first should be opening up in southern California this fall. Energy consumption will be 20% less, and consume 25% less water. Building materials will be low toxin for better indoor quality. Wachovia also benefits by having their
Energy costs go down by 20% too..

Wachovia will also have an employee recycling program for paper, plastics, and aluminum. Branches will also have preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles, bike racks, and commuting info. Wachovia will also purchase Renewable Energy Certificates to offset use of its green branches and boost investment in renewable energy.

There also ways that Wachovia helps consumers go green. They can

1 Sign up for electronic bank statements.
2 Sign up for direct deposit
3 Have your bills sent to you electronically
4 Use online banking to check balances
5 Use automated debits to pay bills that are the same each month

Via Wachovia

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Just plug into your desktop or laptop pc for a few minutes to allow several hours of use. You will save yourself a lot of hassle going to the local market and you will be saving the environment. The applications are endless you can use for your wireless mice, digital cameras, wireless keyboards, personal devices, projector controllers…

Over 15 BILLION Alkalene batteries are made and thrown away every year wasting resources, creating more C02 and creating a toxic Landfill. This eco-friendly alternative can be reused hundreds of times!

Traditional rechargeable batteries have relied on their own chargers and adaptors and most consumers have preferred their single use alkaline batteries as a result. No need to worry about the charger with USBCells.

As for costs, A 2 cell pack costs 16.75 USD and a 10 pack will cost you 160.00 USD. It’s expensive but you will be able to use over and over and won’t end up in the landfill very fast! You can charge anywhere, no need for a separate charger, and you can charge up while still using your pc.

Right now its only available for AA size batteries, but the company USBCell has the following sizes coming soon—AAA, 9V, and a variety of sizes for major cell phones, PDAs, and other portable devices!

Available at Nigel’s Eco Store or search USBCell at SHOP.COM ==

USBCell AA 1300mah NiMH Rechargable Batteries, Pack of Two

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Coming to a showroom near you is the XS 500 made by an auto company called Miles Automotive Group featured in CNN Money. It has a top speed of 80 miles per hour and a range of 80 miles. 6 hours of charging from a normal wall socket provide the energy.

The car is going through some safety testing and shall be out in the US by 2009. Right now the only vehicles that are all electric in the United States are the Tesla sporty cars that even though are great looking they cost a whopping $90,000 and only can carry 2 people.

Miles Automotive Group is a Los Angeles-based company safety eco conscious zero-emissions electric vehicles. Its cars are produced in China. Some of the costumers that have purchased their low speed All-Electric vehicles (pictured above) for their fleets include Stanford University, NASA, US National Park Service, US Navy, Yale, San Francisco International Airport and the University of California System.

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A brand new eco friendly company, Environment-Furniture Inc, from Los Angeles has a new line of contemporary wood furniture with an organic quality. It is minimal, rustic, and environmentally responsible.

The Peroba Collection is made of 100 year-old reclaimed wood from Parana, Brazil and includes recycled woods. The wood is claimed from dense inner cites, small rural towns, farmlands and rainforests, providing true diversity in both appearance and texture. Also the wood has been weathered naturally to achieve a look that no manufactured wood stain can replicate.

Too bad you cannot order online yet, but the company has a nice PDF brochure. Its better than their website! They have a few galleries, and wholesale/trade locations in the United States…

Checkout the recyclable wood bed, computer desk, and coffee table.

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Some designers are experimenting with making durable goods made out of sugar. Its tough as plastic except it biodegrades easily once it hits the landfill. Plastic takes centuries to degrade while sugar can dissolve in seconds. So far lamps, golf tees and even necklaces have been made out of sugar. Most of this stuff seems in the design phase…

The SugarCubeLight is selling now after 1.5 years of research. The material includes 10 percent clear resin. It is still biodegradable and perfectly safe, but not tasty!

The SugarCubeLight provides a dim romantic ambiance compared to fluorescents, that even though are environmentally friendly because they last a while they are too bright and use a lot of energy for some needs.

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