Nigel

Eco Friendly February 25, 2021 posted by Nigel

Kill The ECT – before it kills the planet

If you haven’t heard of the Energy Charter Treaty, that should be no surprise. It’s a semi-secret international treaty which grants corporations in the energy sector enormous power to sue states at international investment tribunals for billions of dollars, for example, if a government decides to stop new oil or gas pipelines or to phase out coal. And boy are they using it. It was set up in the mid 90s and in the last decade alone there have been…

Hacks & How to February 23, 2021 posted by Nigel

Running out of free Google space? Try this quick tip to save spending money on an upgrade.

Many people with Google accounts are now facing space shortages because of their increased photos, files and email messages. The result is a message in your inbox inviting you to upgrade your account for $X per year to obtain more storage space to cope. But what if you don’t want to spend that extra cash? Well there are a number of things you can do, many of which have been documented before. But we’ve got a super quick, and effective…

Eco Friendly February 15, 2021 posted by Nigel

SQ4D: First robot printed house goes on the open market. Say hello to a new era…?

There’s been no shortage of news about the rise and rise of 3D printed homes over the past few years. But now we have the first commericial real estate sale of one. In New York. no less. The SQ4D 3D printed house has been listed on Zillow.com for a hair under $300,000. Which is apparently less than half the price of its neighbours. Of course we’re wondering whether being in the middle of a mega pandemic could have some effect,…

Electric Cars January 28, 2021 posted by Nigel

Nissan Winter Camper shows how not to launch a new EV

The newly announced Nissan Winter Camper Van is a classic case of marketing over reality. For one thing any EV maker which thinks that 124 miles of range is enough to justify a high price and glossy photos, deserves to be beaten over the head with a wet mackerel. The base NV200 EV is a great short range city van, as we showed in our launch review, but the range of this camper in winter will probably drop to around…

Electric Cars January 18, 2021 posted by Nigel

Electric Frog Max – probably the cheapest electric delivery van in the world

The Electric Frog Max (or ElektroFrosch Max to give its original name) is a tiny city EV delivery van hailing out of Berlin, Germany. What makes it remarkable, apart from the fact that it’s German, is the ultra low price. Yes we’re talking about a mega slow, underpowered, rudimentary form of transportation, but at €4590 inc VAT, who cares?

general January 4, 2021 posted by Nigel

Happy New Year!

So 2020 is over. Thank goodness. Now it’s just that pesky 2021 hangover to deal with. And it looks like it will be a doozy. Pandemics apparently don’t know when it’s time to leave the party and go home, so we’re going to be stuck with it for a while longer. The good news is the start of the vaccine roll-out, which should eventually bring some summer cheer. In the meantime, here’s wishing you all a safe and healthy year,…

Eco Friendly December 12, 2020 posted by Nigel

Monarch Electric Tractor – new driverless $50K smart tractor could be a game changer for small farms

The new Monarch 100% Electric Tractor was launched earlier this week in the USA, and it looks to be a real breakthrough product for farmers. The low cost 3 in 1 workhorse can operate not only as a tractor, but also an ATV and a field generator if remote power is needed (e.g. for on the spot welding). And that’s not to say it lacks in the tractor features either. It offers 10 hours autonomous operation, with a 4-5 hour…

Electric Cars November 30, 2020 posted by Nigel

GM Connect & Cruise – get ready for a world of after-market EV conversion kits

EV crates are suddenly all the rage. These kits contain packaged electric motor components designed to let you upgrade/convert your old gas guzzler to a sleek new electric vehicle. Swindon Powertrain got a head start earlier with its PowerTrain set up, and the Revolt guys will happily drop a Tesla EV crate system into your cherished classic car – for a price! These kits come with a variety of options included, including full transmissions and stuff, and typically batteries are…

Electric Cars November 23, 2020 posted by Nigel

eDumper – and you thought EVs were limited to cars and golf carts?

So you remember when we all used to laugh at electric cars? Call them glorified golf carts? Yeah well about that. Tesla clearly broke the ice with the original Sportster, but now the whole battery powered thing is moving in an entirely new direction. Heavy industrial machinery. Take for instance, this Swiss made eDumper. The fully electric dump truck ain’t no Tonka Toy (look it up). The beast is expected to move 300,000 tons of rock every year for the…

Electric Cars November 4, 2020 posted by Nigel

eBussy – EV van car camper concept looks neat but implausible

So, another day, another EV. The latest in the flood of electric vehicle concepts is this eBussy. Not just a vehicle, mind you. More a work of art. It comes in modular form, which means it can be converted into various types of EV, ranging from a standard van, to a pick up to camper and so on. You get the picture. Ambitious right? Well so are the specs, price and delivery. It’s scheduled to have a starting price of…

opinion piece October 17, 2020 posted by Nigel

Trinidad is facing an ecological disaster as derelict oil tanker with 60 million gallons of oil slowly sinks off the coast

The latest horror show involving a desperate oil industry involves an elderly oil tanker moored off the coast of Trinidad which is in imminent danger of sinking and spilling 60 million gallons of crude oil into the sea. Something needs to be done. Fast.

Eco Friendly October 16, 2020 posted by Nigel

TreeCard – this free debit card plants trees when you shop

OK so we’re not huge fans of clever marketing disguised as environmental action, but the pedigree of this new initiative seems sound. The Ecosia people – who plant trees when you use their search tools – have just released a new free debit card called TreeCard. The idea is that for every $60 you spend, they will plant a tree in your forest. It’s cute, and while some may consider it a gimmick, the fact is that Ecosia has already…

Eco Friendly October 7, 2020 posted by Nigel

Maybe some good news on climate change for once?

It’s not often nowadays that we hear good things about climate change and the issues we face, but maybe there is some upbeat news to share after all. Even though this last September has already been declared the hottest ever on record, none other than Professor Michael Mann has come out pitching with some optimistic info. For those who don’t know Dr Mann is one of the foremost climate scientists in the world, and part of the team which created…

Eco Friendly October 1, 2020 posted by Nigel

Beagle Button – helping us shop better through our browser

It’s hard to be a responsible citizen nowadays. No matter how hard we try, there’s always a chance that we’ll buy the wrong product by selecting something which can harm the environment. Here’s where the Beagle Button comes in. Rather like those coupon finding browser extensions that litter the landscape, the Beagle tool is there to help us make better buying decisions. Only it’s not about saving money, but saving the planet. It sits in the browser and pops up…

Eco Friendly September 24, 2020 posted by Nigel

Oceanbird – wind powered cargo vessel is a revolution in the making

The old tea clippers of the 19th century may have been slow, but they had one big advantage over modern freighters. They ran on wind. Now an enterprising Swedish company is attempting to combine modern technology with good old renewable wind energy to turn the environmental cost of shipping goods around the world on its head. The Oceanbird is a huge cargo ship which can carry up to 7000 cars (electric we hope), and will be able to cross the…

Author Archives: Nigel