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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RetiredNow who wrote (357773)	11/10/2007 3:09:57 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1573921

Watch it MM. You are starting to sound like a Harris 'socialist'. ;-) I think it's time for the UN to start imposing serious economic sanctions on countries in the top 10 emitters list that refuse to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol. That includes China, India, and the US. I think that the UN should use the WTO or any other means at its disposal to make sure that the countries who are doing nothing to fight carbon emissions, have to pay through a cap and trade program or through import taxes or something. And if the UN can't do it, because of China and the US' veto power, then the Kyoto Protocol signatories should impose sanctions themselves against the offending countries. The lack of responsibility and leadership by China, India, and the US is simply shameful.

To: RetiredNow who wrote (357773)	11/10/2007 3:12:30 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1573921

Plugging in for a progress; a report on hybrid cars By Martin Zimmerman Los Angeles Times TOKYO — I had to go to Japan to find one, but I finally got my hands on a plug-in hybrid. Not one of those hacked Priuses that after-market modifiers will produce in exchange for several thousand dollars and a canceled warranty. This was the real thing, built by Toyota. With automotive media in Japan for the Tokyo Motor Show this week, I found myself at a test track near Mount Fuji with half a dozen plug-in Priuses — cars that might have a lot to say about our transportation future. Hybrids such as the current Prius use a traditional gasoline engine. A small, battery-powered electric motor powers the car for short distances at low speeds and provides additional power at higher speeds. By contrast, the Prius prototypes have a 6-mile electric-only range and can be recharged from a household outlet. Toyota isn't talking a mileage figure yet, but its president last week said it could possibly double the fuel efficiency of the current Prius. The cars can be operated in two modes: electric only or hybrid with an electric-only capability. (Unlike those in the U.S., Priuses currently marketed in Japan have an electric-only option, although the range is just a mile or so at low speeds.) A test drive showed off the torque-y acceleration electric motors are known for, speeding smoothly to 50 mph or so, at which point extra throttle caused the gas engine to kick in. Easing the pedal sent the car back into electric-only. Top speed as an electric: 62 mph. To make a plug-in Prius happen, Toyota, like most car companies, is racing to perfect safe lithium-ion batteries (they've been known to overheat and catch on fire in laptops and cellphones). Lithium-ion is widely seen as the key breakthrough that could make electric cars practical. There is no set sell-by date for the plug-in Prius. Chevrolet Volt electric General Motors, meanwhile, has touted a 40-mile all-electric range for its Chevy Volt (with a combustion engine as an auxiliary), provided researchers can develop those lithium-ion batteries. GM says it could go on sale in three years — a bold projection that invites derision from competitors. Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport This plug-in electric was one of the more realized (and least "out-there") concept cars at the Tokyo Motor Show. Powered by lithium-ion, it has a motor at each front wheel and one driving both rear wheels (MiEV is short for "motors in wheels electric vehicle"). It's an attractive four-seater fastback claiming a top speed of 112 mph and range of 124 miles. Tesla Roadster Tesla Motors is a Silicon Valley startup and a celebrity darling (George Clooney is signed up to get one of its first cars). But beyond the hype, it has attracted $105 million in venture capital — and it's about to field actual cars. It expects to build 650 of its sleek electric Roadsters in 2008 (assembled by Lotus in the U.K.) It also is planning a sedan. The Roadster is fast (0-to-60 in under 4 seconds) and claims a range of 245 miles on a lithium-ion pack. The down side? There's a customer waiting list, and the price is about $100,000. read more......... seattletimes.nwsource.com

To: RetiredNow who wrote (357773)	11/13/2007 10:45:54 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1573921

New technique creates cheap, abundant hydrogen: report Mon Nov 12, 5:12 PM ET US researchers have developed a method of producing hydrogen gas from biodegradable organic material, potentially providing an abundant source of this clean-burning fuel, according to a study released Monday. The technology offers a way to cheaply and efficiently generate hydrogen gas from readily available and renewable biomass such as cellulose or glucose, and could be used for powering vehicles, making fertilizer and treating drinking water. Numerous public transportation systems are moving toward hydrogen-powered engines as an alternative to gasoline, but most hydrogen today is generated from nonrenewable fossil fuels such as natural gas. The method used by engineers at Pennsylvania State University however combines electron-generating bacteria and a small electrical charge in a microbial fuel cell to produce hydrogen gas. Microbial fuel cells work through the action of bacteria which can pass electrons to an anode. The electrons flow from the anode through a wire to the cathode producing an electric current. In the process, the bacteria consume organic matter in the biomass material. An external jolt of electricity helps generate hydrogen gas at the cathode. In the past, the process, which is known as electrohydrogenesis, has had poor efficiency rates and low hydrogen yields. But the researchers at Pennsylvania State University were able to get around these problems by chemically modifying elements of the reactor. In laboratory experiments, their reactor generated hydrogen gas at nearly 99 percent of the theoretical maximum yield using aetic acid, a common dead-end product of glucose fermentation. "This process produces 288 percent more energy in hydrogen than the electrical energy that is added in the process," said Bruce Logan, a professor of environmental engineering at Penn State. The technology is economically viable now, which gives hydrogen an edge over another alternative biofuel which is grabbing more headlines, Logan said. "The energy focus is currently on ethanol as a fuel, but economical ethanol from cellulose is 10 years down the road," said Logan. "First you need to break cellulose down to sugars and then bacteria can convert them to ethanol." One of the immediate applications for this technology is to supply the hydrogen that is used in fuel cell cars to generate the electricity that drives the motor, but it could also can be used to convert wood chips into hydrogen to be used as fertilizer. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.