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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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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Today a day of reflection dawns in New York as the city recognizes the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks with the official unveiling of the National 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Tranquil though the memorial may be, it has had a tumultuous past – this week we showcased seven unrealized designs for the WTC site that will never see the light of day, and we took a look at what happened to Daniel Libeskind’s original plans for the WTC Freedom Tower. We also saw green buildings soar as Sydney unveiled Australia’s greenest office tower, we learned that the new Batman movie may be filmed in a salt mine in Transylvania, and we spotted an amazing replica of the Trump Tower built from 65,000 LEGO bricks.

It was also a record-breaking week for green transportation as the world’s first manned electric helicopter took flight and scientists developed the world’s tiniest electric motor. Meanwhile, pedal-powered transportation got a major boost as Hertz launched an electric bike rental program in London and Silverback unveiled a series of bikes with built-in USB chargers for your gadgets. We also brought you the latest news from the Frankfurt Auto Show as Rimac teased the unveiling of its 1,000 horsepower electric supercar and Audi and BMW both unveiled vehicles endowed with ultra bright next-gen laser headlights.

Speaking of shining examples of green design, this week we brought you a first look at the Samsung Galaxy Skin concept phone, which features a flexible AMOLED display that can fold to fit inside your pocket. We also saw several inspiring ways to reduce waste as scientists worked on a fuel cell that generates power while cleaning up nuclear fallout, Think Geek brought us a clever set of Fridgeezoo icebox pets that encourage kids to save energy, and we looked at Sloan’s innovative AQUS grey water toilet system that recycles your sink water. Finally, we brought you the state of the art in wearable tech as we reported that scientists developed a Terahertz “Invisibility Cloak” and researchers discovered a coral reef secret that could lead to sunscreen in a pill in five years.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: 9/11 Memorial designs, an electric helicopter and laser headlights originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1. Make a firesale look like a lucrative acquisition: If you’re selling off your company for pennies to a competitor or larger firm, there’s no reason you have to let the world know. Make the terms of the deal undisclosed, so no one never knows you didn’t have the exit of your dreams. This doesn’t work so well if the acquirer is a public company, as the terms could come out in SEC filings.

2. Hire an expert: Sherwood Partners, and other firms like it, are focused on shuttering your company as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible, and as quietly as possible.

3. Cold turkey: This approach only really works if your company hasn’t raised much money from outside investors, and could be a good choice for startup teams made up of developers. Just stop doing what you’re doing. Hug Energy shut down its energy software product before it was able to raise funding. Unfortunately a lot of capital-intensive cleantech firms won’t meet this bill.

4. File for bankruptcy: If creditors are knocking on your door, there’s always the traditional approach of filing for Chapter 11. While startups don’t normally do this, large public companies like Evergreen Solar do, and, well did, this week.

5. Sell off piece by piece: Whether you hire an expert or find acquirers yourself, you can sometimes sell off pieces of your businesses for more than the whole, from your various intellectual property to your assets to your software to your domain name. This is another way for your innovations to live on with a new owner.

6. Use your project as a resume: Here’s another one that’s meant for a small, pre-funding, venture. Use your impressive project to get a job at your competitors or peers. Yes, your innovation wasn’t a commercial success, but perhaps it’s cool enough to live on as your personal project in a bigger company, and can score you a high-paid job.

7. Blog it out: There’s something refreshing when it comes to companies being transparent, thorough and instructive when it comes to what went wrong and what they plan to do with their services and companies on the way out. Most companies give a final explanation for their decisions — the Valley is small and company life cycles are short — and communication can also help you find potential buyers or partners for your assets.

8. The carbonite freeze: However, a lot of companies choose to act like Hans Solo on his way to Jabba the Hutt: the slow freeze. Often times this occurs because of lack of funding, and the company is just stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for more funding, but unwilling to completely wind down. Range Fuels comes to mind here. Eventually these companies will dethaw and sell off assets or revive. But will claim that nothing is wrong (nothing here to see folks!) the whole way.

9. Reborn, but not really: Some companies try to keep going by “pivoting” (everyone’s favorite word) into a new company with a less capital-intensive or alternative business model. Say, instead of selling hardware, you’re going to sell services now instead. But sometimes these pivots are more half-hearted pirouettes into oblivion. The new plan often times isn’t different enough from the old plan, which wasn’t working.

10. Throw a party: Be happy, you just made a decision to end something that wasn’t really working. You had a good run, and in a few months you’ll be off running with another idea, business or venture. Time to relax and give yourself props for making it this far.

Image courtesy of conskeptical.

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