Chevy Volt gets new $4000-5000 cash-back incentives, 3-year lease now $269/month
MICHAEL GRAHAM RICHARD
GETTING CHEAPER AND BETTER EVERY YEAR
When you add together economies of scale, incremental improvements (ie. batteries get a bit better every year) and, more rarely, technical breakthroughs, it's a given that plug-in vehicles would get cheaper over time. We've already seen this, with many manufacturers slashingtheir prices, and the trend continues with GM.
The 2013 Volt now comes with a $4,000 cash-back incentive, and the 2012 gets a juicy $5,000, according to Chevrolet. That's on top of all the tax credits and other incentives & perks from the federal and state level (some are non-monetary but great to have, like HOV access). And don't forgethow much less it costs to charge a plug-in than to refuel a gas car...
The lease has also been reduced, starting at $269 a month for 36 months with $2,399 down.
© GM
There's little doubt that GM is doing this in good part because it has to compete with now cheaperNissan LEAFs, Honda Fit EVs, and such. That's good on many levels; good for people wanting to go electric, good for the number of EVs and PHEVs sold (the cheaper they are, the more units should be sold) which in turn should result in more electric charging stations, creating a virtuous cycle.
One cool thing that I'd like to see other EV makers copy is Honda's latest move: They now offer a charging station with the Fit EV. That's another great incentive to not have to worry about that.
Via CNET
Solar-powered kids! U.S. Elementary and high schools are going solar
MICHAEL GRAHAM RICHARD
THIS EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SUN
These days, kids are not just learning about solar power. They're also learning with solar! That's the best combo possible: When a school goes solar, the elementary and/or high school students there are exposed daily to clean energy, making it something completely 'normal' that just works, and not some exotic 'alternative' form of energy...
I was reading about some schools that are going solar in New Mexico (Cleveland and Rio Rancho High Schools), and thought it would be interesting to see how many school have already taken the plunge. Just in California, looking at the schools projects done by a single solar installer (Conergy), I found more than I expected, which was a nice surprise. I'd like to share what I found with you. It's not an exhaustive list, but it gives an idea of the variety of solar setups at elementary and high schools in the US.
The first one, above, is Liberty Middle School in California (a 550kW system).
This is the Akers Elementary School in California. Note that their solar system is over the parking lot, not only providing clean electricity for the school, but shade for parked vehicles (this can save fuel by reducing the need for A/C).
Of course, schools can buy clean energy without building a solar system in their backyard, and that does provide the same environmental benefit. But it lacks the educational aspect of having hundreds of kids exposed to the idea of solar power year after year...
Here's a close-up of the Akers Elementary solar panels.
This is Boron District Office & Elementary School in California.
This is the Boron High School solar farm (nice one!). They are also in California.
This is Central Elementary School & District Office in California, another parking lot solar system.
This is Engvall Elementary School in California.
Here's a close-up of their system, right next to the basketball courts.
And finally, this is the solar farm of the Stratford Elementary High School & District Office in California.
If you want more information about solar power in California schools, this document has a lot of info, including a list in the Appendix. There's also more information on PG&E's Solar Schools website.
The Exbury Egg is an " energy efficient self-sustaining work space"
LLOYD ALTER
When I first saw the Exbury Egg on Designboom, I thought "It's a house boat, so what?" Abeit a very nice houseboat, built with traditional techniques out of local materials by artist Stephen Turner, but a bit pretentious:
The Exbury Egg is a trans-disciplinary project drawing on art and architecture as well as technology and the sciences to transcend individual specialism and work toward a further engagement of my visual art practice with contemporary ecological thinking.
It does what house boats do, get tied up and go up and down.
The Egg will be ‘tethered’ like a boat and will rise and fall with the tide. The light touch and basic nature of the 'Exbury Egg' aims to re-appraise the way we live; to properly consider sustainably and future use of natural resources.
So why is this special?
It's an experiment in low impact living.
The ‘Exbury Egg’ adopts the two key premises of “Lean, Green and Clean” and “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. ...This is not a romantic anti-modern back to nature project, where technology is rejected or spurned. Rather it is about demanding the best and most efficient of the new to combine with the tried and tested.
Electricity is solar; there is no explanation of where water comes from, where it goes, and how the toilet works, although the section shows storage tanks under the floor.
It's an educational project.
There will be an extensive education programme covering primary age students through to university. Schools will be able to engage with the Egg project throughout its programme, including the construction period, on science, art, ecology and engineering topics.
He is an artist, and the whole thing is an art project.
Inside, my own visual and philosophical twelve month journey will be catalogued in collections of still and moving image, found objects, drawings and maps. Thus the Egg should be seen as a sculptural element in a time based happening, that both inside and out is a creative archive addressing important questions about one of the pressing issues of our age.
It also has an amazing team of architects, builders, managers and naval architects. I take it back, it's more than an houseboat.
More at the Exbury Egg.
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The Exbury Egg is an " energy efficient self-sustaining work space"
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