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TMCnet GreenTech Week in Review
Green Technology Featured Articles
March 02, 2013

TMCnet GreenTech Week in Review

By Cheryl Kaften
TMCnet Contributor

In green technology news this week, the agitation, altercation and deliberation continued over whether electric vehicles “run hot and cold” as well as they do in temperate climates.

In South Africa, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa announced an EV initiative that will test the feasibility of electric cars and their support-infrastructure when exposed to the harsh and hot South African conditions. “The fundamental motivation for embarking on this project is the urgent need for South Africa to transition to a job creating, sustainable, low-carbon and green economy as clearly outlined in the National Development Plan,” said Molewa.


There are multiple stakeholders involved, including Nissan South Africa, the Environmental Affairs Department, and Eskom and the South African Revenue Services. The Departments of Trade and Industry, Transport, Energy, Science and Technology also are supporting the large-scale operation.  As one of South Africa’s most carbon-intensive industries, the automotive sector will change dramatically, should this venture succeed. Representing more than 80 percent of Africa’s vehicle output, South Africa is the right place to start when moving toward greener auto-technology.  Nissan’s contribution to the project involves offering four Nissan Leaf test cars to the Environmental Affairs Department, for a period of three years. The Leafs will be charged at new dual-grid connection charging stations, via solar tracking, which has just been installed in Pretoria.

Elon Musk – CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors, chairman of SolarCity, and CEO and chief designer of SpaceX (News - Alert) – is known for introducing transformative technology at warp speed. Now, he intends to break another time barrier: At the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington D.C. this week, Musk announced he will pay off Tesla’s $465 million Department of Energy (DOE) loan by 2015 rather than 2020—roughly half the time required under the terms of the financing. The announcement comes at a time when Tesla could use some positive publicity. In his appearance at the summit, Musk revealed that the Silicon Valley-based automaker had lost as much as $100 million in market valuation as a result of a recent clash with The New York Times. Following a negative review of Tesla’s all-electric Model S car by John M. Broder on February 8—which noted that the car under-performed in cold weather— Musk burned up social media sites in a tit-for-tat rebuttal of the writer’s claims, accusing “The Grey Lady” of faking the results of an East Coast road test. For its part, the Times stated the story was a candid and truthful account of what happened on the drive. Several months before the review, in November 2012, the Model S was named Motor Trend's 2013 Car of the Year, one of the automotive industry's most coveted awards. To take top honors, Model S garnered a unanimous vote from the panel of Motor Trend judges and guest judges, considered among the savviest and toughest critics in the industry.

Just as the auto industry tries to turn a shade greener, Polaris, a developer of electric motor drive systems and electric bikes, has created a new line of electric bikes with innovational features for consumers who will be traveling to work or participating in sports activities.  The Polaris eBikes are premium eight-speed bicycles that are equipped with an electric motor and operate off a rechargeable lithium ion ProRide battery, similar to those used in electric cars. The bikes can travel up to 30 miles on a single charge at an average speed of 20 mph. In addition, the eBikes feature Biosync Pedal Assistance Technology—a power management mechanism that reads the power output of a rider during his or her natural pedal motion. It then matches the output and gives the rider a helpful nudge, producing the closest feeling to a natural bike ride.

In other developments this week, Aseptia has secured $6M in its third round of venture funding, which will be used to expand its patented capability to manufacture shelf-stable food products that maintain flavors and nutrients without refrigeration, longer than they would normally, without preservatives.  The company noted that its products have a shelf life of over 12 months—which has previously been impossible without preservatives, at least for the products Aseptia is involved in producing. These include fruit sauces, tomato products, vegetables, soups and assorted beverages.

Finally, the San Francisco 49ers are leaving the stadium power outage that delayed this year’s Super Bowl  between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco for more than a half hour far behind them. The team is partnering with Silicon Valley-based solar manufacturer, SunPower to install solar panels for the new Santa Clara Stadium. SunPower will deploy 400 kilowatts of solar panels to try and offset the power consumption during the team’s home games. Lighting up a massive 68,000-seat stadium can get expensive, and with the help of SunPower, the 49ers hope to only reduce costs but overall emissions. What’s more, the team isn’t stopping at just using solar panels to make its new home digs greener. The stadium will also include a bicycle parking area, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally grown produce at the vending stations. It will offer charging stations for drivers with electric cars, and most impressively, a green roof that will include live plants. 





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