In green technology news this week, the industry demonstrated its “showmanship” at two major events—the Consumer Electronics Show and the North American International Auto Show—with lots of electrifying product rollouts at both and a visit by U.S. DOE Secretary Steven Chu to the Detroit exhibit floor; Whirlpool revealed it would release a line of smart home appliances this year; Kitware announced it would collaborate with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to deploy software processes support for the Radiance (News - Alert) Project, a global lighting research initiative; and much, much, more.
Electric and hybrid cars will become a driving force in the U.S. automotive industry by 2020, as a result of “plummeting” battery prices, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on January 11—adding that American automakers have a “good shot” at hitting President Barack Obama’s target of one million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. Chu was a featured speaker at a Detroit Economic Club event held on the floor of the 2012 North American International Auto Show, which he toured, along with three other Obama Administration Cabinet members. According to Reuters (News 
- Alert), the Obama Administration has spent more than $2 billion to underwrite domestic battery production, and billions more to finance electric car development to cut U.S. oil imports and reduce pollution. Officials say bringing down battery costs is critical to meeting those goals, and Chu cited aggressive steps and measurable progress.
Among the new car models that Chu viewed at the auto show were at the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, a mid-size hybrid, and the 2013 Chevy Spark minicar at the General Motors (News - Alert) display.
Kia chose to roll out its latest models—an electric concept car called the Naimo EV and the Ray production EV—at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)) in Las Vegas rather than in Detroit. Both vehicles feature advanced lithium polymer battery packs. The Naimo also offers a cutting-edge User-Centered Driving telematics concept that enables the driver to evaluate the traffic and routes ahead. The concept of the Naimo EV was entirely the brainchild of Kia's international design team in Seoul. This is the third electric vehicle design that the Kia Motors Corporation has come up with in a single year.
The latest flash of genius in the e-reading world bedazzled attendees at CES, where SolarFocus Technology Company Ltd. of Taiwan was named a “CES 2012 Innovations Design & Engineering Awards Honoree” for its SolarKindle. The Solar Kindle is the world’s first solar-powered e-reader cover. While the Kindle can be conventionally charged for one month of reading time, SolarFocus boasts that its new leather e-reader cover—which features a built-in solar panel and a dual-charging (USB/solar) reserve battery—guarantees three months of unplugged Kindle use.
One hour under direct sunlight can provide up to three days of reading time. In addition, a built-in, bright (800 lux/74 lumens per square foot) LED reading lamp can be powered continuously for up to 50 hours without using the Kindle’s main battery, enabling users to read comfortably—day or night, indoors or outdoors.
Another bright idea introduced at the show was actually a new-fangled light bulb. Yes, a light bulb. In fact, part of what makes it so interesting is its lack of interactivity – it lasts about 25 times longer than the average incandescent lamp we’re all using today, which means you won’t have to replace it for almost the same number of years. Imagine screwing in a bulb and not having to worry about replacing it until after your kids are through college. In addition, these LED bulbs from Switch Lighting use about 80 percent less energy than their incandescent equivalents, while providing the same output. The bulbs produce a warm, yellow glow – just like incandescent bulbs.
Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm have been powering smart TVs at the CES, the company has announced.
Delivering on Qualcomm's commitment to keeping consumers continuously connected to their favorite devices, content, and apps, Snapdragon processors will power the next wave of enhanced smart TV experiences, including leading audio/video capabilities, pure web browsing and more robust apps. Also, delivering mobile users the highest performing mobile experience while consuming less power, the Snapdragon S4 MPQ8064 processor features a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU—based on Qualcomm's Krait micro-architecture—Adreno 320 graphics, and advanced audio/video capabilities.
Over the next 18 months, Whirlpool plans to roll out four new smart appliances: a refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, and dryer. The company said its new smart appliances will enable consumers to easily shift their energy consumption to off-peak times. A home energy management device will read usage data from appliances and signals from power companies to optimize energy use. By providing alerts and notifications about energy usage, the appliances will make energy consumption more cost-effective for the consumers using multiple gadgets at home.
Kitware, a provider of open-source software and state-of-the-art technology solutions, announced this week that it will collaborate with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to deploy and deliver software processes support for the Radiance Project. The Radiance project —developed under funding from the U.S. Department of Energy— was created at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to provide physically-based simulation tools for various purposes to lighting engineers and researchers across the globe.
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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
