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Using a fast-pulsing laser, physicists have recorded the first moments of electrical resistance, the friction that generates heat as electricity travels through circuits.
It’s quite the feat: electrons in a computer’s semiconductor slow from near-light speed to a snail’s pace in roughly 300 femtoseconds, or about 10,000 times faster than it takes light to travel …
Continue reading Gordon Murray’s 350MPG EV sweeps the board and steals our hearts
Gordon Murray’s 350MPG EV sweeps the board and steals our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve long believed in the mystical power of quantum dots, so it makes perfect sense to us that one day they’ll be used to fully harness the Sun God’s rays and thereby save the planet. The nano-particles turn light into electricity, and could potentially be manufactured cheaply and abundantly enough to coat surfaces in current-generating paint. The main obstacle to this has so far been efficiency: the clever little dots just don’t work very hard. However, scientists at the University of Toronto now claim to have discovered a fix. Instead of using a single layer of particles, which can only harvest one meager wavelength from the full gamut of solar light, they added a second coat on top and configured it to be sensitive to an additional part of the spectrum. By adding third and fourth layers, the researchers hope to achieve a commercially viable efficiency of 10-percent within the next five years. We humbly call on Ra to be pleased with their efforts.
Quantum dots could coat the world in nano-sized solar panels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For many of us, static electricity is one of the earliest encounters we have with electromagnetism, and it??s a staple of high school physics. But nearly all of it is wrong, according to a new study.
No matter how hard Nissan tries to convince folks that driving an EV won’t leave them stranded on the side of the road gagging for electricity, that pesky range anxiety issue continues to permeate discussions about electric cars. So, what else to do but strap an EV charger on roadside service vehicles? The Japan Automobile Federation is trialing just such a scheme, with a Nissan-built prototype service truck helping to top up electrified transporters that have ended up bereft of juice at an inopportune moment. The trial’s gotten its start in Kanagawa Prefecture this week, which, incidentally, happens to be using a Nissan Leaf as its governor’s official car. So, even if you do figure out a way to use up your Leaf’s entire battery, you get the comfort of knowing you’re riding like a governor and that the good men in orange jumpsuits will be there to take care of your problemo.
Continue reading Japan trying out roadside service vehicles capable of charging EVs, soothing range anxiety
Japan trying out roadside service vehicles capable of charging EVs, soothing range anxiety originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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