Mercedes hydrogen-electric hybrid harvests solar and wind energy with its paint job

Share This article

Concept cars are often amazing, as gifted engineers are given free reign to create a car that could never realistically succeed on the open market. Concept cars tend to take a particular concept or ideal and blow it out of all proportion, becoming too expensive, specialized, or downright impractical for the vast majority of car buyers. Still, even if only one model is ever actually made, these cars can have a big effect on the industry, showing companies and consumers alike just what can be accomplished when we set our minds to it. Toned-down versions of innovative concepts often make their way into more conventional vehicles, and we should definitely hope that turns out to be the case for a new concept car from Mercedes-Benz. The curvy masterpiece, called the Vision G-Code, is covered in special multi-voltaic paint that can generate fuel from both solar and wind energy.

Notice, the paint generates fuel rather than electricity — the Vision G-Code is powered by both a conventional electric motor and a super-charged hydrogen combustion engine. The electric motor powers the back wheels, charged by conventional means as well as an array of kinetic generators in the car’s brakes and shock-absorbers. The hydrogen motor concerns itself with the front wheels, and burns the fuel to improve energy efficiency while producing nothing but water as an emissions product. What makes this odd hybrid truly revolutionary is that this hydrogen fuel need not be purchased from expensive and poorly placed gas stations, but is created on the fly by the paint job.

Sleek lines and a surprisingly un-tacky wrap around windshield are just aesthetic touches on this rolling science experiment.

Paint-on solar technology has been coming for quite some time, but the amount of power these paints could generate has always been very low. Now, by combining cutting-edge thin-film solar technology with wind power, Mercedes can bypass direct battery charging and create hydrogen fuel to assist that battery. But wind power has traditionally been all about blocking the wind and generating power with out of the pressure this creates, but we obviously don’t want our modern, streamlined supercar to be covered with wind vanes that reduce mileage — how does this work?

Mercedes-Benz’s multi-voltaic silver paint manages to incorporate electrostatic wind generation into the paint-on solar cell. This means that just the movement of wind over the car’s body (only when stationary) will create a charge the car can use for hydrogen production. This means that as you roll up to a red light your brakes and front shock absorbers are helping to charge your rear-wheel batteries, and once you stop the wind is helping to create hydrogen to assist them — and more fuel is coming from solar energy during the whole process.

Read: Toyota abandons Tesla’s EV tech, will push hydrogen fuel cell vehicles instead

The inclusion of an electric engine seems to be an implicit acceptance of two facts: that the hydrogen production scheme on display here can’t meet a driver’s full needs, and that outside sources of hydrogen are still inadequate. The whole thing is designed to be synergistic; producing the hydrogen fuel creates oxygen gas as a byproduct, which can be pumped into the car’s interior. Burning the hydrogen fuel creates water as a byproduct — which could be ferried back to storage for electrolysis into more hydrogen. Whether you’re accelerating, braking, turning, or idling, the Vision G-Code is doing something to improve your use of energy.

This high-performance sportscar runs off a hydrogen fuel cell — when you can get a hold of it, hydrogen can be a very powerful fuel indeed.

As stated above, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see a Vision G-Code hit the market, but the ideas on display could be applied very widely. Even leaving aside the hydrogen fuel aspect, the extensive use of passive generation technology could and should make its way into every car on the market. And, depending on the costs, durability, and physical resilience of the multi-voltaic paint, it could end up being revolutionary indeed. There are no hard figures as to how much fuel is actually produced, and thus no word on how much of a difference this paint really makes, but even if it only cuts 10% off your car’s monthly electrical draw, it could end up paying for itself fairly quickly.

If we don’t want to experience huge energy shortfalls in the near future, we’ll need either revolutionary new energy generation technology or revolutionary new energy saving technology, or both. The G-Code could provide some very real progress toward the second goal — we’ll see how much actually gets realized in the end.

Now read: The secret world of power generation, and the arrival of Earth-spanning super grids

Share This Article

Mercedes hydrogen-electric hybrid harvests solar and wind energy with its paint job

EHT to install 125000 hybrid wind and solar energy systems in Senegal

Renewable Energy

07 November 2014 CGT Staff

EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (EHT) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see its recently formed joint venture Maple Leaf Energy SA install hybrid wind and solar energy systems to 125,000 residences in the Republic of Senegal in West Africa over the next five years.

You must have a membership to view the rest of this article.

EHT to install 125000 hybrid wind and solar energy systems in Senegal

Energy By WaterPower your residences with water

Researchers have been rigorous in investigating low-cost sources of energy. As gas becomes a growing number of pricey, people are desire for new approaches that reduced their power expenses. The principle of different power sources is not new. Alternative energy sources like wind energy, water power as well as solar power have been in usage for centuries. These are likewise called totally free power sources since there is no gas required to run them. So other than the installation expenses, there is absolutely nothing that you have to spend for. Nevertheless, the power that they give is really restricted.

The standard method of power generation is by making using of vapor turbines. A vapor generator utilizes steam to produce electrical power. Steam moves the wind turbine which then induces the generator to turn. The generator is a maker that transforms power right into electric energy. Although this is one of the most trusted and also respected approaches of creating electrical power, it is extremely expensive. Since steam is produced using some sort of fuel (coal, natural gas and so on), there are significant changeable prices connected to it.

The tradeoff in between expense and the required quantity of power is a large trouble. Yet you don’t should fret any longer. Power By Water is below to help you. Energy By Water is a revolution in the field of alternate energy. It could power your whole residence and is completely FREE. Yes, you heard right. Power By Water does not need any gas to work therefore there are no changeable costs. Simply install it at your website and it can power your property for years ahead. No electrical costs, no surcharges and totally easy.
Energy By Water works with the concept of hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power (or hydropower) is a way of creating power utilizing water. Water is the thrusting broker for the generator so when water landeds on it, it turns. The generator transforms the power into electrical energy which can be used to power a house. You could have noted that in the whole procedure, no fuel is utilized. This is the beauty of hydropower power. It is totally free. You do not have to spend a single buck to run it.

Power in Water drops under the subcategory of hydropower called “micro hydro”. A micro hydro system is a small configuration installed in the vicinity of a home that offers sufficient energy (about 100KW) to power the whole residence. Power By Water is a cost-efficient method for homes, specifically in creating nations where electrical energy is actually expensive.

Energy By WaterPower your residences with water

Mystery Preparations At Veterans Affairs Facility In San Juan For Ebola Patients

By Rida Ahmed r.ahmed@hngn.com | Nov 03, 2014 04:20 PM EST

Health workers are sprayed with disinfectant while taking off protective clothing at an Ebola holding center in the West Point neighborhood on October 17, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. (Photo : Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

With a recent American healthcare report stating that U.S. hospitals are ill-prepared to deal with a large-scale Ebola outbreak, a Veterans Affairs hospital is now reportedly conducting an “emergency installation” of air filters for Ebola patients in a facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Share This Story

However the filters, which will cost about $18,000, have raised questions about what other measures are being planned to be implemented in the facility, Breitbart reported.

“This emergency service is for the creation of a ward to attend suspected patients with the Ebola virus who have to be quarantined,” explains a document justifying the use of a sole-source contract for the filters.

Although protocol for U.S. soldiers to protect themselves while engaging in the fight against Ebola in Liberia has been murky and not really explained properly by officials, there have not been any reports of soldiers being infected with the deadly disease yet.

“So far, we’re crossing our fingers, but we’ve had no issues at all,” Manuel Delrio, an employee at the hospital, said by phone on Sunday, confirming that no Ebola patients had been admitted in the San Juan VA facility.

“This situation is considered an emergency and prompt attention is a required delaying repair will create a situation where an outbreak of Ebola may happen to patient, guest or employees,” according to the sole-source document.

Meanwhile, the threat of a potential Ebola outbreak has been well-prepared in advance at several VA hospitals in the U.S. mainland, according to multiple media reports.

“The resources we have available to us, the personnel we have available to us, are second to none,” Dr. Gary Badzinski, the Fayetteville, North Carolina VA’s chief of medicine told the Fayetteville Observer. “We are out in front of this.”

In addition, C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., has also prepared for any possible Ebola patients, officials confirmed to Tampa Tribune.

“We are fine-tuning operational plans to adjust for the special requirements of this specific virus,” Mary Kay Hollingsworth, spokeswoman for the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network, told the Tribune.

The VA Sunshine Healthcare Network oversees VA medical facilities in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Breitbart.

The Ebola outbreak started in Guinea’s remote southeast in February and has since spread across the region. Since it was first recorded in 1976 in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 2,500 people have died in the outbreak from more than 4,200 infections in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.

Symptoms of the highly infectious disease are diarrhea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.

HNGN Poll of the Day

Mystery Preparations At Veterans Affairs Facility In San Juan For Ebola Patients

Plan for giant wind turbine in Shropshire countryside is refused

Controversial plans to build a giant wind turbine in the Shropshire countryside, which had attracted almost 200 objections, have been refused.

Planning officers at Shropshire Council ruled the proposed 327ft (99.7m) turbine in Tetchill, near Ellesmere, would have a severe impact on the surrounding area, outweighing any potential benefits.

The news has been greeted with delight by Lincoln McMullan, chairman of Ellesmere Chamber of Commerce, who said he believed most of the town would be thrilled.

The plans were initially met with anger from local people who believed it would create an eyesore and a potential distraction for motorists.

Shropshire Council received 198 letters of objection to the plans submitted by Intech Clean Energy compared to 36 supporting them. Tim Rogers, planning officer at the council, said the harm caused by the turbine would outweigh the benefits of harnessing renewable energy.

He said that the proposed turbine would have a “detrimental impact upon the character and quality of this countryside location” and that it would become a “detrimental defining characteristic of the area”.

Mr McMullan said: “I am very pleased, and I am sure that the whole town is just as happy about it. They could go to appeal. But it is just too big to dominate the area.”

He had also raised concerns about its location close to a site earmarked for a development of 250 homes, a leisure complex and marina.

The application was submitted in April on behalf of local farming family firm Seven Sisters and claimed the turbine could generate 1,400MWh of energy each year – enough to power 280 homes a year.

Speaking earlier this year, Angela Williams, 62, who owns the cattle farming business with husband Robert, 70, said they would be forced to go to appeal because of the size of investment. The Williams family has 28 days to appeal.

Plan for giant wind turbine in Shropshire countryside is refused

Electric-car lovers taking solar step to power vehicles

DETROIT (AP) — Owners of electric vehicles have already gone gas-free. Now, a growing number are powering their cars with sunlight.

Solar panels installed on the roof of a home or garage can easily generate enough electricity to power an electric or plug-in gas-electric hybrid vehicle. The panels aren’t cheap, and neither are the cars. A Ford Fusion Energi plug-in sedan, for example, is $7,200 more than an equivalent gas-powered Fusion even after a $4,007 federal tax credit.

But advocates say the investment pays off over time and is worth it for the thrill of fossil-fuel-free driving.

“We think it was one of the best things in the world to do,” said Kevin Tofel, who bought a Chevrolet Volt in 2012 to soak up the excess power from his home solar-energy system. “We will never go back to an all-gas car.”

No one knows exactly how many electric cars are being powered by solar energy, but the number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the U.S. is growing. Last year, 97,563 were sold in the U.S., according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank, up 83 percent from the year before.

Meanwhile, solar installations grew 21 percent in the second quarter of this year, and more than 500,000 homes and businesses now have them, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Tofel, 45, a senior writer for the technology website Gigaom, installed 41 solar panels on the roof of his Telford, Pennsylvania, home in 2011. The solar array — the term for a group of panels — cost $51,865, but after state and federal tax credits, the total cost was $29,205.

In the first year, Tofel found that the panels provided 13.8 megawatt hours of electricity, but his family was using only 7.59 megawatt hours. So in 2012, Tofel traded in an Acura RDX for a Volt plug-in hybrid that could be charged using some of that excess solar energy. In a typical year, with 15,243 miles of driving, the Volt used 5.074 megawatt hours.

Tofel used to spend $250 per month on gas for the Acura; now, he spends just $50, for the times when the Volt isn’t near a charging station and he has to fill its backup gas engine. Charging the Volt overnight costs him $1.50, but the family makes that money back during the day when it sends solar power to the electric grid. He estimates that adding the car will cut his break-even point on the solar investment from 11.7 years to six years.

Powering a car with solar energy isn’t for everyone. Among things to consider:

THE SITE: A south- or southeast-facing roof is a necessity, and there can’t be shady trees around the house. Sam Avery, who installs solar panels in Kentucky through his company, Avery and Sun, says dormers, chimneys and other design features can hamper an installation.

“If people do have a good site, it’s usually by chance,” he says. “I have to retrofit a lot.”

THE COST: The cost of installing solar panels has come down, from $8 to $10 per watt eight years ago to $3 a watt or less now. But it’s still a huge investment.

Bill Webster, 39, a graphic designer at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., paid $36,740 for his solar array in Frederick, Maryland, three years ago, or around $3.60 per watt. Tax credits reduced his net cost to around $20,000.

Before the installation, his family was paying $1,500 per year for electricity. Now, he pays $5.36 per month, the administrative fee for connecting to the grid. That fuels his home and his all-electric Nissan Leaf, which uses around a third of the energy that his solar panels generate. Webster thinks he’ll break even on his investment in six years.

Some solar companies offer leasing programs, which let customers pay a fixed monthly cost for panels. There are also some incentive programs; Honda Motor Co. offers $400 toward the installation of panels through SolarCity, a company that installs them in 15 states.

Buyers also could consider a smaller system just to power a car. Eighteen 250-watt panels — a $13,500 investment — would produce enough electricity to power a Leaf for 15,000 miles.

THE CAR: For Webster, who has a round-trip commute of less than 50 miles and lives near a lot of electric charging stations, an all-electric car like the Leaf makes sense. But for Avery, who lives in rural Kentucky, the Volt was the better choice because he needs the security of a backup gas engine.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website — www.fueleconomy.gov — lists the number of kilowatt hours that a car uses to travel 100 miles, which can help potential buyers calculate their energy needs.

In short, people considering powering a car with solar energy have some math to do. Or maybe they don’t. For Avery, the environmental benefit outweighs everything.

“The reason to go solar is not to save money,” he said. “The real reason to go solar is that we have to do it.”

Electric-car lovers taking solar step to power vehicles

Making the indoors safer for allergy sufferers

By Katherine Roth

After all, our bodies are inhabited by multitudes of bacteria, to which we seldom give a thought.

For the many people who suffer from allergies, though, the allergens in dust-mite feces and body parts can lead to chronic sinus problems and coughing, among other symptoms. If gone untreated, the problem can escalate to eczema and asthma, particularly in children, according to James Sublett, president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

“The sooner you intervene, the less likely the problems are to escalate,” he said.

Luckily, homes can be made more livable for allergy-sufferers — and less amenable to dust mites — in just a few steps.

About a quarter of Americans suffer from some sort of allergy and of those one-half to two-thirds are sensitive to dust-mite allergens, according to Sublett, making it one of the most common causes of allergies.

“Around the world, dust mites are the most common indoor allergen,” said Robert Wood, director of the pediatric allergy and immunology division of Johns Hopkins University.

If dust-mite allergies are suspected, the first step is to get tested by an allergist.

While periodically replacing all your bedding might seem to make sense, experts say it’s unnecessary for those without allergies and insufficient for allergy sufferers.

Instead, these tips from allergists can help make any home friendlier to those with indoor allergies, dust mites included:

1. Keep It Dry. “One of the biggest and most common mistakes people make is to install vaporizers and humidifiers,” Sublett said. “Moisture can and does cause all kinds of problems.” Dust mites can’t survive in less than 50 percent humidity, so buy a humidity meter and, if needed, a dehumidifier to keep humidity to between 35 percent and 50 percent. “Just three hours above that level of humidity, though, is enough to keep the dust mites alive,” he said.

2. Rip out the rugs and ditch the drapes. Carpet and heavy drapes are a reservoir for allergens like dust mites and should be removed, particularly in bedrooms. If removing them isn’t an option, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology recommends frequent vacuuming using a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. Those with allergies should stay away or wear an N95 particulate mask during and immediately after vacuuming, since particles can remain airborne for up to two hours.

3. Just Encase. All mattresses, box springs, pillows and comforters should be encased in well-sealed, tightly woven, microfiber “mite-proof” covers from a reputable company, such as Mission: Allergy or National Allergy Supply, and linens and stuffed animals should be washed weekly, allergists say. “The temperatures and detergents used are much less important than the regularity of washing,” Sublett said. “Washing in any temperature dramatically reduces the level of allergens.”

4. Opt for smooth. Smooth surfaces that can be wiped clean are generally better for allergy-sufferers than more porous upholstered surfaces on couches, chairs and even car seats, Sublett said.

5. Clear and clean the air. To help keep indoor allergens of any kind at bay, homes should be smoke-free and pets should be kept out of the bedroom. For the very allergy-prone, use a HEPA air filter in the bedroom with a CADR (clean air delivery rate) adequate for the size of the room. Install MERV 11 or 12 disposable, high-efficiency filters in the furnace and air conditioning system that can be changed every few months, according to Sublett. But these steps are less important for those suffering solely from dust-mite allergies, since dust mites burrow deep in bedding and dust-mite particles are generally not airborne, according to Wood.

6. Check the units. Allergists suggest that to minimize indoor allergens, heating and air conditioning units be cleaned and serviced every six months, and that gas appliances and fireplaces be vented to the outside and regularly maintained. — AP

Online: www.missionallergy.com, www.natlallergy.com, www.acaai.org

Making the indoors safer for allergy sufferers