Toyota’s Plug-In Prius Hybrid Goes Into Testing Across The Globe, On Sale In 2011

prius-plugin-rm-eng
Good news, everyone! The target date for Toyota’s Prius plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is slightly less out of reach than the 2012 window we heard prior: according to Autoblog, it’s now set for late 2011 and the price is deemed “affordable.” Back to the present, as a tease to the world at large, the company’s planning to produce and ship just under 600 of the models over the next six months. That breaks down to around 230 for Japan, 200 for Europe, and just 150 for the ‘States. Government agencies, corporations, and universities are the primary recipients, and interestingly, half of those Euro-bound cars are going straight to Strasbourg, France. The only catch is that it looks like the autos will be sticking with its flashy, hyper-blue paint job — not that we mind one bit, but we can see that bugging a few people out.

Global Trade Wars Escalate Over Solar Energy

solar panels

Solar panels point to the Nevada sky as they generate electricity for use on Nellis Air Force Base

Fair competition or Save the Planet?   That could ultimately be at play as China and the West, long at odds over trade in steel, textiles and auto parts, risk being sucked into a row over protectionism in renewable energy equipment such as solar panels.

 

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Cheaper And More Reliable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Cheaper And More Reliable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion cells that use polymer electrolytes can be affordably packaged in compact, flexible pouches  

A new incarnation of lithium-ion batteries based on solid polymers is in the works. Berkeley, CA-based startup Seeo, Inc. says its lithium-ion cells will be safer, longer-lasting, lighter, and cheaper than current batteries. Seeo’s batteries use thin films of polymer as the electrolyte and high-energy-density, light-weight electrodes. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is now making and testing cells designed by the University of California, Berkeley spinoff.

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Plug-And-Play Solar Panels By Veranda Solar

Plug-And-Play Solar Panels

Veranda Solar Panels 

Solar start-up Veranda Solar wants to change the world of solar power the way Apple changed computers. Veranda got a big head-start on financing the start-up when the company was awarded 100,000€ as runner-up in the PICNIC Green Challenge, funded by the Dutch postcode lottery. The solar panels Veranda uses are nothing special. The prototypes were developed in cooperation with Stanford University and SunPower Corp. No new photovoltaic advances, no biomimicry.

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DNA Portraits

DNA Portraits

 DNA Mini Portrait

Have you run out of gift ideas for your loved ones this holiday season? Well, why not let DNA 11 help you out in this aspect? After all, we’re pretty sure that dad is sick and tired of receiving yet another belt-and-tie gift box, while mom might take offence at a new vacuum cleaner as if she doesn’t already have enough to do around the home already. DNA 11 has the perfect gift solution – something that will never cross the minds of most people – it has released its latest gift idea, the DNA Mini Portraits. This line of more affordable DNA art will bring together art, technology, beauty and pop culture in a single piece.

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OLED Sheets Replace Conventional Lighting

OLED Sheets Replace Conventional Lighting 

With geeks all over the world testing the supremacy of technology and pushing its frontiers, simple yet useful devices are going through a major facelift. An innovation of today becomes an object of daily use in a matter of few years. This time, it’s the turn of lighting devices. General Electric Co. has come up with a machine that can prints sheets of light. The flexible sheets are coated with a layer of OLEDs and other chemicals which run 8-inch wide with a final layer of metal foil to guard the mixture. It emits a blue-white glow on having passed electric current through it.

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.