Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat hit the streets of Detroit to bring you the hottest hybrid vehicles and electric cars from the 2012 North American International Auto Show! We saw automakers unveil scores of sexy supercars like the Lexus LF-LC coupe, the Chevy MiRay, and the NSX concept hybrid, and we also showcased more realistic street-ready vehicles like Ford’s Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, VW’s brand new hybrid Jetta, and Via Motors’ VTRUX extended-range EV pickup. We also peered into the future of sustainable transportation as we brought you the finalists in Michelin’s city car design challenge, we learned that the world’s largest driverless personal transit system is set to break ground in India, and we saw the UK green light the first phase of its new HS2 high-speed rail line.

It was also a bright week for alternative energy as MIT scientists discovered a way to make more efficient solar plants modeled after sunflowers and Sweden announced plans for a massive 700 megawatt wind farm in the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile, we learned that Rwanda’s poo-powered prisons are able to produce 75% of their power from human waste, we showcased plans for an energy-generating rolling suitcase that charges your gadgets, and we saw the launch of several shining solar-powered devices – OLPC’s XO3 tablet computer and the sun-powered Solarkindle e-reader cover.

In other news, this week we rounded up our favorite eco gadgets from CES 2012 – including a hydrophobic nanocoating that makes any gadget completely waterproof. We also saw 200 Chinese works construct a 30 story prefab building in just 15 days, and we watched superman fly across a cute animated LEGO TV. Finally, we brought you the latest and greatest developments in wearable technology – including a set of smart sunglasses that merge virtual information with the real world, a set of bone-conducting earphones, and a set of motorized skates that can be attached to any boring old pair of shoes.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Detroit Auto Show, solar plants and hydrophobic nanocoating originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week Inhabitat got set for the holiday season as we officially launched our Green Gift Guide, which is chock full of 21 categories and over 300 presents – including a great set of DIY projects you can make yourself and a round-up of our favorite gifts for gadget geeks. Speaking of high-tech gizmos, we also showcased several amazing examples of cutting-edge robotics as researchers developed a new breed of disaster detecting cyborg insects and Otherlab created a line of lightweight inflatable robots that can walk on water. Scientists also successfully completed the first round of trials on a new type of contact lens that could one day send emails directly to your eyes, and NASA announced that the new Mars Curiosity Science Laboratory will be powered by nuclear energy instead of solar.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: holiday gift guide, 155 MPH biofuel truck and a solar-powered buckyball

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: holiday gift guide, 155 MPH biofuel truck and a solar-powered buckyball originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, we’ve test driven a lot of electric cars on the Green Overdrive show, but we don’t usually get to spend all that long driving the cars. Most of the time it’s just around the block or a few minutes on the driving track. But for our latest episode, we took Mitsubishi’s all-electric i MiEV out for a full day of driving, running it through its paces on the highway, in the city, parallel parking, looking for a charge, and packing it with people (and stuff). Here are our impressions:

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The world of green tech presented us with some neat tricks and eco-treats this week from this plan to 3D print new shells for homeless hermit crabs to this handy LeafSnap app that helps you identify all different kinds of fall foliage to an energy-efficient UFO hotel room, which recently “landed” in the forests of Sweden. Speaking of spaceships, we also spotted this Star Trek Enterprise feeding system for babies (you’re never too young to live long and prosper) as well as plans for a massive nuclear-powered airport/airplane that could fly as many as 3,000 passengers through the sky, and Philips showed off its eerie and futuristic bacteria-powered lamps. In honor of All Hallow’s Eve, we rounded up the top six creepiest buildings of all time as well as six spooky churches made of bones. And just in case you missed the craziest Halloween story of the week, check these photos of a trio of ghastly zombies bursting out of the world’s largest pumpkin’s hell, er, shell.

On the green transportation front, we took the Honda CR-V hybrid for a spin and came across news that Tesla will reintroduce its sexy roadster in 2014. We also saw that GM is working on cars that could drop drivers off at their destinations and even park themselves, and the auto giant impressed us even further by joining Ford and Chrysler, who are working closely with engineering students from the University of Michigan Solar Car Team to create viable solar-powered cars for the future. But if you can’t wait that long, this Solarship is a blimp-like solar-powered airship that actually exists today.

In tech news, Facebook announced that they’ll be building a fancy new server farm in the Arctic. And speaking of cold weather, we also spotted where this clever Umbrella coat that has a handy umbrella instead of a hood – perfect for rainy fall days. A new study showing that TV is officially harmful to children under two confirmed some of our suspicions and we also saw news of a judge who ruled that cell phone warnings be blocked in San Francisco.

If you’re planning on dressing up for Halloween, don’t forget to enter our Green Halloween costume contest (or your kids in our Inhabitots costume contest) for some frightfully fabulous prizes. If you need some inspiration, we’ve got a slew of techie costume ideas you could cobble together from things you already own like this delightful iPhone getup or this homemade robot outfit.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: CR-V hybrid, Facebook’s server farm and robot costumes originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alternative transportation blasted off into the future this week as DeLorean revealed plans to launch an all-electric vehicle in 2013 and Richard Branson announced the official opening of the Virgin Galactic Gateway spaceport. Researchers also developed a next-gen quantum levitation technology that could lead to floating vehicles, and we spotted a cloud concept blimp that soars through the skies. We also brought you an exclusive interview with Revenge of the Electric Car director Chris Paine, and we shared a leaked brochure with specs on Toyota’s new Prius C.

Renewable energy also rocketed towards a more sustainable tomorrow as Japan’s team Tokai took first place in the World Solar Challenge and Apple filed a set of patents for next-generation solar technology. Meanwhile Facebook announced plans to launch a new energy efficiency app in 2012 and we launched a contest where you can win one of 25 0 home energy audits. We also showcased a stunning set of satellite photos of the world’s power lines, and since Halloween is on its way, we brought you a Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm designed to keep its inhabitants safe from the Living Dead.

Speaking of Halloween, this week we shared instructions for making a DIY cardboard box robot costume, and we launched our 2011 Green Halloween Costume Contest for kids. We also brought you several developments from the realm of eco textiles — a material that repairs its own rips and tears and a Japanese company that recycles old bras into power-generating fuel. Finally, we showcased several slick developments in aqueous technology: an oil skimmer that cleans up spills four times faster, an artificial muscle that could one day propel nanobots through the body, and a quirky set of ‘Macquariums’ made from Apple iMacs.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: quantum levitation, Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm and Macquariums originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Model S Betas got buffed between rides.

Electric car maker Tesla has reached a milestone. It’s developed several Beta versions (the production-ready final version) of its second electric car the Model S sedan, and the Valley auto maker is now giving test rides of the Betas to potential customers and the press. For our latest Green Overdrive show we ride in one of the Betas (a burgundy/red beauty) around a closed track at Tesla’s Fremont factory, and we show you how an electric vehicle designed from the ground-up handles. Because the Model S was designed with the car-length flat battery on the underside of the car, it’s center of gravity is low and we took the turns at the track at a blazing speed. Check out our ride and our interview with Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen.

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