Did you know that 50% of your energy bill is derived from heating and cooling your home?  Did you also know that you can cut that number by as much as 20% if you program your thermostat?  But let’s be real, who does that?!  More often than not we just walk up to the thermostat and adjust the temperature when our feet are cold or our pits are sweaty.  As a result, many folks set it and forget it, leaving AC cranked or the heat burning when they’re no longer home or in that room.  So what’s the solution?  The Nest Learning Thermostat.

It’s a $250 device that is supposedly as easy to install as putting in a new light fixture.  If we’re to trust Nest’s stats you can make your money back in as little as 16 months, or perhaps less if you’re incredibly remiss when it comes to cooling or heating your home.  It’s able to achieve this feat by learning about your habits.  Just install the Nest, answer 3 basic questions and then use the thermostat as normal.  A simple ring rotates from left to right allowing you to easily modify the temperature as you see fit.  In a few days time the Nest will begin to build a database that reflects your desired temperatures.  But that’s not all.

The Nest includes an activity sensor, which boasts a 150 degree field of view and can detect when no one is home and set itself to Auto Away.  Built-in WiFi not only allows you to control the Nest from your smartphone or any computer from anywhere, but keeps tabs on the weather conditions and forecast, and factors this into its algorithm.  Lastly, an array of sensors (humidity, proximity, ambient light) are baked into the equation.  Once enough data has been collected the Nest will begin to automatically adjust the temperature according to your weekly schedule and habits.  However, that’s not all that the Nest Learning Thermostat has to offer.

A light sensor detects the ambient light in the room and adjusts the display’s brightness so you won’t be blinded in the middle of the night.  Furthermore, the screen will glow red for heating or blue for cooling, and will display a green leaf when you’re saving money.

You can add a number of these throughout your home and they’ll all work together to increase your energy efficiency.  We’re not sure if that happens over WiFi or the Ziggbee standard, but in any event it includes both wireless protocols, which means it should be compatible with whatever home automation gear you throw in its direction. Lastly, you can log into the Nest website, review your stats, adjust your schedule accordingly and best of all see how much cash you’ve managed to save.

You can preorder your Nest today for $250.  It should ship 11/14/2011.

Everything is better in a chrome or silver finish, right?  That would be our assumption based on Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard, the K750.  It came out last year for the PC, but now Logitech has a Mac version and it’s finished in silver, which is very Apple, at least in terms of their computers.  As it happens you can also purchase it with a blue, pink or green stripe at the top or in all black.

Much like a solar powered calculator, the K750 can be recharged by indoor our outdoor lighting.  That means no batteries to replace or recharge. They’ve even got an app that informs you about how much battery power you’ve got left and how much juice the keyboard is sucking down from your desk lamp.  And let’s not over look that the K750 has a PVC-free construction and a fully recyclable box.  Now that’s green.

This version includes the Mac friendly keyboard layout, which means all the Mac keys – music and brightness controls, command keys and the eject key – are in the places you’d expect them to be.  And because it is specifically designed for the Mac it works right of the box; no drivers to install.

You can preorder the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac right now for $59.99.  Expect it delivered sometime this month.

Soda can? Wrongzo.  The My ECO can is a reusable, refillable, resealable container.  Only instead of aluminum they’re crafted of a biodegradable material called PLA (PolyLactic Acid/Corn Starch).  The lids can snap open and closed, and because of their size, 9.5oz, they’re a perfect fit for any car cup holder.  The thermal double wall design keeps beverages hot or cold, and it’s completely microwave friendly.  The only downside is that each one appears to cost $14.

Via: Holycool

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Newegg has the lowest price available for this Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB Internal Hard Drive which is only $89.99 – $15 Instant Discount + Free 2-Day Shipping = $74.99!

With a super low price like this mixed with a speedy arrival time now’s your chance to get your hands on some serious storage! This Seagate Barracuda Green drive is designed to combine a huge 2 Terabyte capacity with superior energy savings for an overall better product. With a capacity like this you can easily maximize your file organization by centralizing storage of all your media and backups to one place reliable enough to handle it all. Don’t let the energy savings fool you, it’s designed to handle all your high end computing needs and is backed by unique 5900RPM technology with a huge 64MB cache and even SATA III 6.0Gb/s connectivity for super fast operations while still maintaining those energy savings. At a price this low it’s definitely a good time to get some new storage!

All electric cars might suffer in the range department, but motorcycles, that’s a different story. Not only are they generally less expensive, but they’re faster and lighter, making them ideal for electric power.
The SORA is one of the first all electric bikes that we’ve had the pleasure of laying eyes on that boasts a range of 300km (180 miles) and a top speed of 200kmh (120mph). An integrated range system automatically manages energy consumption to insure that you arrive at your desired destination and the 5.7-inch touchscreen GPS system adds another level of tech flare to the whole package.

A regenerative braking system is present as is “the world’s first ever electric motorbike seat”, which apparently lets you change your position on the fly. The design is striking and as you can see there is only a suspension system supporting the rear wheel, while the rest of the bike is crafted from carbon fiber fairing and aluminum.
To completely recharge the bike you’ll need to be able to spare 8 hours. Reasonable considering that’s how long most humans sleep.
If you wanna take a test drive you’ll have to head up to Canada. No word on price at this time.
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Safe to say Ralph, as in Ralph Lauren, has lost his freaking mind.  This here solar backpack, which is part of the RLX line, costs a wallet numbing $795.  We’re all about charging your devices on the go, but there is simply no justification for this level of cost.  

So what do you get for 800 greenbacks?  They say it can charge up your iPod or iPhone in 2-3 hours, provided you’ve got enough sunlight heading your way.  The bag itself is crafted from water resistant material, sports padded shoulder straps and an additional handle for carrying it on one side.

You can buy the Solar Panel Backpack directly from Ralph Lauren in Orange or Black.

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Londoners are on track to receive free WiFi in all of their tube stations and soon they’ll be transported in brand new zero emission black cabs thanks to a hybrid Hydrogen fuel and battery pack system.

The taxis we’re developed by a clean energy consortium that includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt.  They say the cabs will be able to complete a full days worth of driving on just one tank and charge, which equates to about 250 miles.  Acceleration is less impressive, providing a 0-60mph in just 14 seconds.

The new hybrid, clean cabs have been awarded Road Legal status by the UK Vehicle Certification Authority, and should begin a full fleet roll out by 2012.

Road Legal Fuel Cell Black Cabs Make First Appearance on London’s Roads

Posted 28th March 2011

LOUGHBOROUGH, UK, 28th March 2011, Intelligent Energy, the global clean power systems company, has announced that the Fuel Cell Black Cabs have taken to the roads of London for the first time since being awarded Road Legal status by the UK Vehicle Certification Authority (VCA). At an event on 22nd March 2011, one of the Intelligent Energy powered taxis travelled from Forbes House, headquarters of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and the taxi’s base for the day, to some of London’s most iconic landmarks.

The project to deliver a fleet of the zero emission taxis to the streets of London in time for 2012 is on track, with the first Fuel Cell Black Cabs covering a combined total of over 8,000 miles in road and test track testing conditions. During its first tour of London’s roads, one of the Fuel Cell Black Cabs excelled in rush-hour traffic, with smooth and responsive acceleration provided by the fuel cell and electric motors.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, wants to make Britain a leader in fuel cell technology and has already announced plans to increase hydrogen refuelling stations around the capital. He said, “These prototype zero-emission taxis are a shining example of British ingenuity, combining revolutionary fuel cell technology with an iconic design classic. This marks an important milestone in my goal to create a cleaner cab fleet, firstly through introduction of the first ever age limits moving towards zero-emission vehicles as they come to market. Affordable and low polluting cabs are within our grasp and I urge manufacturers to accelerate efforts to produce them.”

The zero emission taxis have been developed by a consortium, led by Intelligent Energy, which includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt with part-funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board. The fuel cell and battery powered hybrid taxi provides a 250 mile driving range with rapid refuelling, all within the confines of the body of a conventional London taxi. Now that fully functional, validated, proven vehicles have been produced, the consortium plans to push ahead with the delivery of a fleet to London in time for 2012.

“The Fuel Cell Black Cabs are now road proven with thousands of miles of operation. Indeed, many people may have seen them as they have been driven around various parts of the UK, but we are now happy to formally announce their road legal status and that you will be seeing more of them in the coming months,” noted Dr. Henri Winand, Chief Executive of Intelligent Energy. “At a time when London will soon be demonstrating its commitment to excellence in the sporting arena, we are proud to show that the UK can also deliver world-leading zero emissions, fuel cell electric vehicle technology that will make a real difference both to lowering carbon emissions and improving air quality.”

Editors Notes:

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said:

“Green vehicles are taking to the streets in a big way. High petrol prices and the desire to clean up our air quality make them the smart choice. The zero emissions London taxi looks and performs just like a conventional taxi, even over long distances. It’s a great British innovation and I look forward to seeing them in service in London next year.”

Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of SMMT, said:

“The UK is at the heart of the global low carbon industry and is a leader for research and development into new technologies. Over the coming years the low carbon sector is set to become increasingly important for manufacturers and motorists. The Fuel Cell Black Cab is a terrific example of British engineering skills and pioneering innovation”.

The Fuel Cell Black Cab on Westminster Bridge as it passes the Houses of Parliament

About Intelligent Energy
Intelligent Energy is a global clean power systems company, with a range of leading fuel cell and hydrogen generation technologies. The company partners with leading global companies in the transportation, oil and gas, aerospace, defence, distributed generation and portable power markets. Current partners and customers include Scottish & Southern Energy plc and The Suzuki Motor Corporation, with whom Intelligent Energy built the Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, a recent recipient of European WVTA (Whole Vehicle Type Approval) – a first for any fuel cell vehicle, which qualifies the scooter as safe to use on all EU public roads and another important commercial milestone on the path to clean, user friendly mobility for all. Other Intelligent Energy world’s firsts in recent years include the development of the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell motorbike and supplying the fuel cell system to Boeing which powered the world’s first manned fuel cell aircraft.
In addition to visiting Intelligent Energy, more information is available via Twitter, Youtube, Flickr and LinkedIn.

Green has long been in and repurposing packaging accomplishes this feat like no other.

In June, Asus computer company will begin to ship one of its Mini ATX motherboards in a special cardboard box that can double, yes double as a PC case.   A set of punch out holes works as ventilation ports, and a rear panel can be removed to house the PC Connectors and interfaces.

Asus has said that the box has an expected life span of a year, more than enough time for PC builders to find the perfect case.

Fire hazard?  Maybe.

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Well, this is really cool. China has just unveiled a 40-foot tall Optimus Prime statue at the new Green Dream Park in Beijing, which if focused on Green Living (another thing we love at GadgetReview). Constructed out of recycled car parts, the statue weighs six tons and took five truckloads of car parts to construct. Why’d they waste that time when they know that Optimus Prime takes only one tractor trailer to make?

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If any car company is gonna win our hearts here at GadgetReview it’s Tesla.  Today, the company unveiled the 4th iteration of their Roadster, the Roadster 2.5.  It’s takes a few design queues from the soon to be released Model S, which includes an updated new front end with diffusing vents, new rear diffusers and directional forged wheels available in both silver and black. In terms of the inside of the vehicle they’ve updated it with more comfortable seats, improved sound reduction and an optional 7-inch touchscreen.  The drive train of the vehicle remains the same. The Roadster 2.5 will be available “soon”.

PRESS RELEASE

Tesla Unveils Roadster 2.5 at Newest Stores in Europe and North America
New Roadster Demonstrates Tesla’s Commitment to Innovation
Thursday, July 1, 2010

Palo Alto, CA — Tesla Motors today announced Roadster 2.5, the latest version of its revolutionary electric sports car. It will debut simultaneously with the opening of Tesla’s two new stores in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Newport Beach, California.

The Roadster 2.5 reflects Tesla’s commitment to innovation and the company’s close feedback loop with its customers. The new Roadster includes improvements in both design and technology, including a new front fascia, rear diffuser, improved seat comfort & internal finishes, sound dampening and a large touch screen navigation system.

“Although development of the Model S is our main focus, this shows that we still care a great deal about improving the Tesla Roadster,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “These improvements are a direct result of customer feedback and come only a year after release of Roadster 2.0, showing an exceptionally rapid pace of innovation. Where feasible, we will also offer existing customers the ability to purchase the upgrades now available in version 2.5.”

New features in Roadster 2.5 include:

* A new look, which includes a new front fascia with diffusing vents, and rear diffuser reflecting the future of Tesla design
* Directional forged wheels available in both silver and black
* New seats with improved comfort, larger more supportive bolsters and a new lumbar support system
* Power control hardware that enables spirited driving in exceptionally hot climates
* An optional 7″ touchscreen display with back-up camera
* Improved interior sound reduction including new front fender liner material make the cabin even quieter

Tesla will unveil the new Roadster at its two newest stores worldwide in Copenhagen and Newport Beach, CA. Journalists can see the car during media open houses at both stores throughout the day. Customers, prospective customers and other guests will celebrate the opening of the newest stores this evening.

The enhancements in the Roadster 2.5 are the direct result of accumulated customer feedback. Tesla’s unique, company-owned retail network allows Tesla’s engineers to receive customer feedback directly and iterate rapidly. More than 1,200 current owners in at least 23 countries have logged over five million electric miles.

Roadster 2.5 is currently available for order and soon will be available at Tesla stores worldwide.
About Tesla

Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. Palo Alto, CA-based Tesla has delivered more than 1200 Roadsters to customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components. It is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than most sports cars yet produces no emissions. Tesla Service Rangers make house calls to service Roadsters.

Not Toyota, not Ford.  In fact not even a large auto maker has broken the world record for the longest distance traveled on a single charge in an electric car.  Japan Electric Vehicle Club, a team of EV enthusiast modded a Daihatsu Mira with over 8300 Sanyo batteries and achieved 623.76 miles on one charge.  The previous record was set in November of 2009, when they drove 345 miles.

Of course, the condition were, shall we say very controlled.  They achieved the feat on a training school track and drove 25mph for 27.5 hours.

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Harnessing the ocean’s kinetic energy is not a new concept.  In fact, one of the first to do it was the Pelamis Wave Power Device, which may or may not have sunk with the imploding economy.  Today, Aquamarine Power announced plans for their Oyster 2 power generating wave device.  The machine sits on the ocean floor about a half a mile out and much like a flower in the wind, or oyster in the sea, the current causes the machine’s hydraulic flap to wave back and forth.  A set of hydraulic pistons capture the energy and transfer it to an on shore power plant.  This is the second iteration of the power generating machine, which generates 250% more electricity than its predecessor and contains less moving parts.

Aquamarine says that a small farm of Oyster machines could power as many as 12,000 homes.  Trials of the machine will start in 2011 at the European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland.

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Update: We’ve now posted our Nissan Leaf review.

Electric cars look to be the way of the future and Nissan’s LEAF is set to be one of the most affordable, $30,000 US.

But what makes this thing tech worthy, aside from the electric engine, is that users will be able to communicate with the vehicle using a smartphone, such as the iPhone. Before returning to the vehicle you can adjust the air conditioning, review how much time is left until a full charge or be notified of a complete charge, amongst other yet to be named features. 

According to Nissan the LEAF will have a range of up to 100 miles on each charge and will hit a top speed of 90MPH. There’s no word on if it will hit the US, but it is set for the UK in 2011, where motorists will forgo the annual road tax and city congestion charges since it is a zero emission vehicle.

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The EcoPod helps you maximize your green thumb by compacting your recycling.  You just place the can, bottle or whatever your fancy into one of the three holes, step down and out the bottom fires a compacted version.  Now that daily trip to the recycling bin will hopefully become weekly and thanks to the novel foot powered crusher you’ll be more cognizant of what you throw away.

They’re currently out of stock, which might be a good thing since it costs $300.

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Remember that Power PEG device that we saw at CES 2009?  It’s now available for pre-order for $150 and will ship this June.

The Power PEG (Personal Energy Device) harnesses the power of your kinetic energy (i.e. walking, running, etc) and stores it in an internal battery that can recharge 5v (iPhones, iPod, Blackberries) devices.  It should prove useful if you do a lot of hiking or running and often depend on a battery operated GPS or just want to insure you always have juice for your tunes.

Right now all we know is that the Power PEG is compatible with 3,000 devices and during purchase you need to choose which package is compatible with your device.

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Many of VW’s cars are eco friendly thanks to their small size and efficient diesel engines.  Now the auto manufacture is making the move from four wheeled vehicles to two wheeled vehicles.  The VW bik.e is a two wheeled all electric bike that can travel up to 12.5 miles at a top speed of 12.5mph (that probably means about 1 hour of riding on a full charge).  But that’s not all that the VW bik.e is capable of.  Notice the U shaped frame?  The bik.e can fold into a disc sized shape that is said to fit in the spare tire well.

They haven’t said when and if the bik.e will ever go on sale, but I’m liking what I’m seeing.

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The Back-UPS Pro models range in the number of outlets offered, from six to ten, and uptime from 92 to 164 minutes. They’ll be available in the second quarter 2010 from $129.99 to $249.99.

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Replacing batteries on my remote controls is something I rarely do.  I still have the original AA’s in my Onkyo Amp remote from 2004.  For those who want to totally abandon all batteries in their living room, the Powerplus Solar Remote Control can be yours for the taking.

The remote is universal and and uses artificial light as well as natural sunlight to power the internal lithium Ion battery.  Super easy to program, you can buy one now for $15.

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The Dragonfly DF1 helicopter might not be as interesting looking as that flying boat we saw a few weeks ago, but with closer examination it’s certainly an impressive technological feat.

Instead of using a conventional motor and fuel system to power the blade, two rockets are fixed to the rotors tips causing it to rotate fast enough for lift.  Even cooler is that the rockets have a zero carbon footprint since they’re fueled by 70 percent hydrogen peroxide (H202), which is drawn from a pair of fuel tanks around the pilot’s seat.

Tip powered helicopters are not a new technology, but prior to the DF1 no one was able to overcome the technological hurdles that include power source issues amongst other things.

If you look closely at the video above, you’ll notice that the Dragonfly incorporates a strange control system, one that is said to be more like a motorbike and unlike traditional helicopters the DF1 has not foot controls.

Currently the top speed of the DF1 is about 40MPH with a total flight time of 50 minutes.   There’s no word on a price or when the DF1 might be delivered, but apparently they’ve already obtained the necessary certificates for commercial sale.

[via Gizmag]

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Remember Solar Roadways?  They’ve finally completed their first USDOT prototype.  In addition to providing carbon free energy (aside from the manufacturing process), the Solar Roadway can display traffic info using the built-in LEDs and perhaps even melt snow and ice from its surface.

For now we’ll have to settle with some pics, but they say they’ll have video up sometime later this month.

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