Who would have thought that there are bacteria that can be found 30 kilometers above the surface of our planet can be good and efficient producers of electricity.
The Bacillus stratosphericus, a form of microbe that has a very high concentration on our stratosphere is an essential component of a super biofilm that was engineered by scientists from the Newcastle University.
The team isolated 75 bacterial species and tested their ability to generate power using an MFC or microbial fuel cell. They picked the best and was able to create a biofilm which has an electrical output of 200 watts for every cubic meter that doubles the generation of the 105 watt/cubic meter MFC.
The amount of electricity produced is still very small but is enough to light a bulb and may be used to provide services to some parts of the world which still do not have electricity.
Among the super bugs in the biofilm is the B. stratosphericus which is found on Earth’s atmosphere but pushed down to land due to the cycling processes of the atmosphere. The research demonstrates the potential of these super bugs by manipulating them to produce a biofilm which is an efficient producer of electricity.
It is the first time to study the potentials of individual microbes that generate electricity. The use of B. stratosphericus for this initial studies is a great indication of how it can be used in future applications and there are literally billions of microbes which can generate energy.
The concept of microbes producing electricity is not a new thing as this has been used in treating sewage plants and waste water. The microbial fuel cells actually work the same way as a battery and makes use of bio-catalytic oxidation to convert into electricity the organic compounds they have.
The biofilm is like a coat of slime which wraps around the MFC and as they feed, electrons are produced which in turn pass thru the electrodes and produce electricity. The biofilm used for the study has been un-checked yet but indicates that this can be manipulated to generate more electricity.
Posted by admin at 1:35 pm on April 26th, 2012.
Categories: Energy Source. Tags: bio, Electric Cars, energy, energy source, stratosphere.
Plug in and electric car owners will be able to travel the whole length of the United Kingdom soon by making use of the new network of solar powered charging stations ideally located near the motorways. According to the company which built the network, Ecotricity, the anxiety problem has been removed from electric car owners in the UK.
The top up stations will be getting their energy from the solar parks and wind parks of Ecotricity which are spread around the UK. The first station was installed at the service station at South Mimms along Welcome Break while 12 more will be finished by the end of September. The planned 27 service stations at Welcome Break will be completed.
Users can make use of the charging station with the swipe of a pass card that comes for free. Electric cars will be able to top up in a matter of 20 minutes utilizing the 32 amps rapid recharge system. Full charge can be achieved in around two hours using the two sockets of the post. Those who will use the single socket 13 amp system will be able to charged their electric vehicle overnight.
Ecotricity is trying to address the infrastructure issues with regard to range anxiety and the concentration of chargin stations only in London. Studies show that electric vehicle owners need to recharge their electric cars while on longer journeys in between towns and cities.
The company hopes that the installation of the top up stations will give way to the take over of electric vehicles of the streets of the United Kingdom.
Posted by Maurice at 5:36 pm on August 17th, 2011.
Categories: Car Industry, Electric Vehicles. Tags: charging stations, Electric Cars, EV charging station, green car news, UK charging stations, UK electric cars.
Nine months to go before its launch, no one from the media has ever driven a 2011 Karma. Its maker Fisker decided to reveal the space frame of this plug-in sports sedan during the Geneva Motor Show.
The space frame is designed to play a vital role in distributing the hybrid powertrain throughout the Fisker Karma. The frame holds the engine-generator under the hood of the car.
The lithium ion battery pack of the 2011 Karma is positioned at the spine of the car. This battery makes use of iron-phosphate cells manufactured by A123 Systems. The battery pack is located at the least vulnerable space if ever the driver meets a road mishap.
The 403 horsepower electric motor can be found just behind the rear seat a bit in front of the rear wheels.
The founder of the company noted that the focus of the design must be on torsional rigidity and adaptability to new styles of the car’s body foreseeing the coming of the 2012 Karma S which will have a retractable hardtop.
The space frame is very strong according to Henrik Fisker himself. He explains that the components are joined by about 260 feet of MIG welding spots and about 1,000 rivets. The car is also said to have great resistance to angled roads with about 33,000 N-m for every degree.
More… »
Posted by admin at 3:03 pm on March 9th, 2010.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Fisker. Tags: Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Fisker, Fisker Karma.
Recent press releases have detailed that you can try the Audi e-Tron on a virtual drive through your Play Station. Before you do that, let us give you some info about the Audi electric supercar that impressed the crowd during the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.
The e-Tron from Audi features technologies that might be pointing to the direction of how electronic vehicles must be in the future. The e-Tron is based on the platform of the R8 supercar and includes four electric motors connected independently to each of the wheels of the vehicle. It truly lives up to the Quattro tag just like the other range in the Audi fleet.
The output of the motor is just 313 horsepower but has an astounding torque of 3,319 lb-ft. It can zoom from 0 to 62mph in just 4.8 seconds and blast from 37 to 75 mph in a blink of 4.1 seconds.
The car depends on a 53 kWh lithium-ion battery pack for its power. Like in other EVs the battery makes up a big bulk of the weight at 1,036 lbs. Audi managed to keep the weight of the e-Tron to just about 3,527 lbs.
More… »
Posted by admin at 7:26 am on January 31st, 2010.
Categories: Audi, Electric Vehicles, Exotic Cars. Tags: Audi, Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Exotic Cars.
Selling a car is not a piece of cake. It is not as easy as stepping on the pedal and zoom from 0 to 100. Even for Ford, marketing their upcoming electric vehicles can be a daunting challenge. An excellent advertising campaign, press releases, and other marketing magical formula are needed for the sales figures to hit their target.
Next year, Ford is planning to release the 2011 Focus EV but the team handling the marketing is having a tough time coming up with a great campaign. They are dealing with a different kind of market since there is the range anxiety that is needed to be dealt with properly when they push for their EVs. Its not that the marketing team don’t have enough juices flowing but they really have to work hard to success.
The car maker has also conducted several studies to know how EV buyers think and react to EVs in general. An interesting fact is that most drivers don’t exceed a 70 mile reading on a daily basis. The Ford Focus will not have a problem meeting that needed mileage but the company needs to assure buyers that the batteries will not run out while they are in the middle of nowhere, or anywhere to be more accurate.
More… »
Posted by admin at 8:47 pm on September 27th, 2009.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Ford. Tags: Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Ford, Ford Focus.
