The Japanese automakers have just announced a joint venture on charging infrastructure that points in a very good direction. The JV, Nippon Charge Service, LLC, is tasked with promoting “the installation of chargers for electric-powered vehicles (PHVs, PHEVs, EVs)” and “the installation of chargers, for the good of society and to…
While California is thinking about banning fracking, other states in the U.S. are working to greenlight the practice. This involves either lifting existing bans, or enacting rules to ease the way for fracking operations, or even to criminalize discussion about fracking chemicals. Anson County North Carolina has an existing ban…
We just noted the California Senate is working on a fracking moratorium, but it’s being reported today that Oil companies and state regulators in California are willing to flout the law and commit fracking without informing the residents. A new California law, SB4, requires that the State notify residents of…
The California Senate is about to vote on a bill, Senate Bill 1132, that would impose a moratorium on fracking and acidizing until the state studies the risks and determines whether these heavy industrial extraction processes can be allowed to continue. The bill comes hot on the heels of news…
A big critique of the current crop of electric vehicles is the price is out of reach for low- or middle-income people. We have this situation where tax breaks and other perks are being given to well-off people, with the Tesla Model S and Fisker Karma both explicitly targeting the…
The Buckeye Current team is working hard on the Isle of Man before the 2014 TT ZERO. I stumbled across a discussion thread on a forum where the team is posting field updates. They’re using the same 2006 CBR1000RR frame as before but have completely redone the battery pack, adding…
Chevron has begun drilling operations at the soon-to-be-fracked site near Pungesti, Romania, and exploratory fracking work should begin shortly. According to an unconfirmed report on Facebook, posted by Maria Olteanu, the first worker fatality has occurred at the site on the night of 18-19 May, 2014. Here’s the English text…
Just a few minutes ago I posted an entry list for the 2014 TT ZERO that lacked an entry from home-town team ManTTX. That team is based on the Isle of Man, and has raced in every previous running, even including the 2009 TTXGP. It’d be odd to hold a…
The Buckeye Current team just posted the TT ZERO entry list – this list doesn’t seem to be posted on iomtt.com, but since Buckeye Current is a competitor they obviously have access to things not published on that site. Hopefully it’s okay they posted this on Twitter 😉 Who are…
Volkswagen recently announced details of the 2015 VW e-Golf electric car, that’s slated to go on sale in the U.S. in the 4th quarter of 2014. Going by the press release it should be an excellent electric car, and will finally justify VW’s role in helping the SAE delay the…
This week Vice President Biden became the most senior US Official to visit Cyprus in over a half century. The visit is part of a swing through Romania and Cyprus, and in both countries the Vice President is to work on strengthening economic ties, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership…
California’s Monterey Shale is supposed to revolutionize oil resources in the United States, with perhaps 15 billion barrels of recoverable oil – recoverable, that is, through using the acidizing form of fracking. That much oil is pretty darn significant, that is if one wants to stay wedded to fossil fuels. …
Sarolea isn’t the only historical motorcycle brand being revived for the electric age, Spain’s Bultaco Motors is relaunching as an electric motorcycle company. The brand has a strong history dating back to 1958, and had many racing wins to its credit. However, the company had shut down until the Bulto…
The TT ZERO is due to begin on the weekend of May 24 on the Isle of Man. There’s going to be a bunch of noisy stinky gasoline powered bikes roaming the Island, and filling the schedule with events important to those who haven’t yet realized electric racing is the…
Teams are starting to arrive at the Isle of Man getting ready for TT Week. The festivities start this weekend, on the 24th. Here’s a few pictures of/from the Mugen Shinden team I’m capturing off Twitter. We’re here at Castle Combe with @MUGENSHINDENTT who are testing with @JM130TT and Bruce…
