NeilBlanchard’s blog

Nissan Leaf

2009-08-06T14:36:08Z

I am very happy to see another electric vehicle on the near horizon: the Nissan Leaf was announced on August 2nd. There’s a very comprehensive post on AutoBlogGreen, including a video. They appear to have done a lot of careful design: they did...

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Chicken Feathers!

2009-06-26T18:29:59Z

What would you say about using "cooked" chicken feathers to store hydrogen very efficiently? How about using chicken feathers as carbon fiber reinforcement in things like wind turbine blades? The answer to both questions is -- yes you can! Sci...

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Would you lease a hydrogen fuel cell car for $315/month?

2009-06-26T04:01:56Z

Here’s a new one on me; the Riversimple open source hydrogen fuel cell car. Not too many details are available yet: it has a 1kg tank of hydrogen and a whopping 6kW (8HP) fuel cell that give it a range of 240 miles, and a top speed of 50mph. It ...

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If you do not agree that Global Cimate Change is real...

2009-06-09T02:25:09Z

What other parts of science do you not believe are true? Do you believe that the Theory of Gravity is correct? Or, do you believe in Intelligent Falling? Do you believe in evolution? Or, do you believe in Intelligent Design? Do you believe...

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"eyes forward" Video Mirrors on my xA

2009-06-03T16:51:01Z

Hello, I have installed my own video mirrors on my Scion xA, and it has reduced my frontal area by ~62 sq. in., and I will be doing another coast down test to see how much it may have helped lower my Cd. I did one set of coast down tests and I g...

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World's Fastest (homemade?) Electric Car!

2009-05-03T10:53:54Z

Check this out! World's Fastest Electric Car!

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Solar Cogeneration!

2009-04-29T12:45:33Z

Hello, Here's a really smart idea that I'm surprised that I have not heard about before: http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/04/28/in-israel-solar-power-that-wont-need-subsidies/ They cool the PV with water to make it more efficient,...

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Cars to Emulate and Study

2009-04-03T13:27:25Z

Hi again, I want to start a list of cars that are exceptional in at least one important way, that improves efficiency. Aptera 2e: exceptionally low aerodynamic drag with a Cd of 0.15 and a CdA of less than 3 (sq ft). Low weight (~1,700pounds) a...

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What is EcoDriving?

2009-03-07T17:48:44Z

In a nutshell, ecodriving is driving in the most economical way possible: it starts with brisk acceleration (trying to use the peak torque of the engine) so you get to "cruising" speed fairly quickly, and then trying to use a minimum of throttle ...

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Proposal for MassTrans

2009-01-23T10:11:50Z

Build a railroad station at Route 95 & Route 128 intersection, with large parking garage [actually, there is a parking garage very close by, but it is hard to get to from Rt 95], and build train/subway line into Boston. People can then park their...

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