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Milhouse

Milhouse
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  • Axion Power Concentrator 233: May 5: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    Terrafugia Develops Plug-in Hybrid Flying Car

    http://bit.ly/YuEtj5

    Terrafugia, Inc., developer of the Transition® street-legal airplane, is developing the TF-X plug-in hybrid as a fixed wing street-legal aircraft with electric ground drive and electric power assist on takeoff and landing.

    The TF-X seats four in comfort and drives like a normal car, using two electric motors and a turbine engine. It will fit into a standard construction single car garage.

    The TF-X will be able to take off vertically from a level clearing of at least 100 feet in diameter. With a a non-stop flight range of at least 500 miles, the hybrid flying car will be able to fly in either “manual” or “automatic” modes between approved landing zones or airports.
    May 8 01:22 PM | 2 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 233: May 5: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    That is a good video, Rick.
    It provides a really good visual explanation for the modular OPOC engine, how it works, and what costs are involved.
    Not an unbiased presentation, but really fascinating to watch.
    Thanks
    May 7 09:44 AM | 5 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 233: May 5: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    From the last link:

    By 2025, federal rule makers expect upwards of 49% of vehicles sold to feature some degree of electrification.

    Hakan Yilmaz, chief engineer-gasoline systems at parts supplier Bosch, says larger vehicles will need that technology most.

    “When you get to large pickups and luxury-segment vehicles, all will need some sort of solution with electrification,” Yilmaz says. “With conventional-engine solutions, it is a very hard target to reach.”

    Christopher Thomas, vice president and chief technical officer at BorgWarner, thinks microhybrids will play the largest role of the three.

    “Very mild hybrids are the ones you are going to see out there in the market, because the electrical architecture of the vehicle does not require the safety connectors and (electrical) grounds that add cost to the system,” he says.
    ------------------

    Sounds like that's our cue...now that Bosch has been floated as a possible strategic investor, my ears prick up whenever I hear them associated with micro-hybrid technology. Perhaps we could add Borg-Warner to the "possibles" list.
    May 6 10:10 PM | 6 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 232: May 1: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    10:30 AM Electric vehicle roundup: 1) Chevrolet Volt sales disappointed by falling 11% Y/Y to trail the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S, but GM thinks the Chevrolet Spark EV will fill a gap in the market. 2) Nissan did sell 1,937 Leaf vehicles in April, but at what cost? Major price reductions on the model during the quarter have been reported. 3) As if Elon Musk doesn't create enough buzz for Tesla Motors via his Twitter account, now Bloomberg is upping the ante by throwing out the idea in a speculative article that Apple should buy the automaker.
    May 2 10:33 AM | 2 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 231: April 27: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    11:05 AM Active Power (ACPW +2.4%) moves up today after Ascendiant Capital initiated the shares with a Buy rating and $5.25 price target. Ascendiant says the company is in a great position to gain market share. Its patented flywheel UPS systems are disrupting conventional battery-based UPS systems, while its 'green' solutions achieve better efficiencies, provide greater reliability, offer a smaller footprint and a lower total cost of ownership than competing solutions.
    Apr 30 11:09 AM | 4 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 231: April 27: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    Lloyd,
    I see from your bio. that you are a "retired electric company rate analyst", and that you are new to this blog.

    It sounds as though you may have some very useful information and experience, and I hope that you become a regular reader and contributor. We are all concerned with electric utilities and their operations here.

    Welcome!
    Apr 28 03:55 PM | 8 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    2:07 PM More from Tesla Motors (TSLA -0.1%): In the midst of a lot of details on the company's new Model S warranty loaner program, Elon Musk let slip that another announcement is coming out next week regarding the Supercharger network and concerns on driving range. He also noted the automaker wants to make the third-generation EV model to be as affordable as possible.
    ========
    This guy is a genius with the hype cycle...make your announcement that you promised last week, and at the same time promise another announcement next week. Next week I promise to make an announcement and announce a new promise.
    Apr 26 02:14 PM | 4 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    1:53 PM The big news from Tesla Motors (TSLA +0.2%) is that the company will offer fully-loaded Model S vehicles as service loaners in connection with its no-fault warranty program. In a margin-defying twist, Tesla drivers can keep the loaner car if they like it better. During a conference call, CEO Elon Musk also says the automaker's warranty will be transferable amongst owners. It's not quite the news some investors were looking for as shares of Tesla Motors move off their daily highs.
    Apr 26 02:04 PM | 5 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    FWIW, I just tried to change my Schwab password from an 8-letter word to something longer, but they have strict guidelines.

    Your new password must:
    Include 6-8 characters and numbers
    Include at least one number between the first and last characters
    Contain no symbols (!,%,# etc.)
    Cannot match or be a subset of your Login ID

    Anything longer than 8 characters cannot be entered, and they don't allow symbols. Seems strange, maybe they will change that if people's accounts get hacked more often.
    Apr 26 12:07 PM | 7 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    Well, Musk certainly acts as though his are that size.
    Apr 26 08:09 AM | 2 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    Yep, it takes some mighty big balls to store renewable energy...
    Apr 25 06:53 PM | 8 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    Things are just getting worse for Exide:

    http://bit.ly/12j3eze

    California regulators on Wednesday ordered the shutdown of a battery recycling plant in Vernon for failure to control pollution at the facility.

    The plant has been operated under an interim permit for more than 30 years by Milton, Ga. battery maker Exide Technologies. It recycled about 22 million lead-acid automotive batteries annually.

    Exide Technologies had been operating the plant with an interim permit from the DTSC since 1981; it had applied for a full operating permit.

    Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents residents in Boyle Heights near the Vernon facility, said he welcomed the DTSC’s decision. However, he said, “I do question why the company was allowed to operate with an interim permit for so long when a full permit would demand a higher level of specificity, which clearly is warranted in this case.”
    Apr 24 06:05 PM | 8 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    OK, that's what I thought.
    My concern would be that if the industry is going to insist on 48V, then 3 PbC batteries would run at least $1200, and that might not make it much cheaper than the Li-ion solution from JCI.
    Hopefully automakers will start with a 12V system, and reserve the 48V for heavy micro or mild hybrids.
    Apr 24 05:47 PM | 3 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Axion Power Concentrator 230: April 24: Axion Power On Panel At Energy Storage Economics 2.0 For New York City And Beyond [View instapost]
    So, I am assuming that this is four Exide AGM batteries, to give 48V. If we used PbC batteries for a similar 48V system, would we need four of them, or only three, since they can operate at 16V each?
    Apr 24 05:14 PM | 2 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Protect Your Country, Protect Your Portfolio [View article]
    If they don't provide any specifics about the sale (big, small, how many), how do you know it was a sale for a single sniffer?
    Apr 23 09:34 PM | Likes Like |Link to Comment
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202 Comments
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