Electric vehicles took a country by charge this week as both the Nissan Leaf as well as a Chevy Volt were strictly released to eager customers – if you’re still trying to confirm between a dual, check out the electric vehicle smackdown, which compares the dual EVs formed upon their most important features. We additionally took a turn inside Honda’s electric Fit, and we showcased a unconventional home decked out with enough solar panels to utterly charge an EV. The Sonex airplane also signaled splendid horizons for electric aviation as it completed its lass moody.

Meanwhile California illuminated up a newswires by giving a immature light for a state’s initial molten salt solar energy project, as well as San Francisco announced a devise to generate 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. We additionally saw ten European countries shape metal a plan to setup a massive renewable appetite supergrid in a North Sea, and we showcased two hot examples of wearable learn that strap body heat – Fujitsu’s solar-thermal power band as well as the band-aid styled mp3 player.

Finally, this week Inhabitat geared up for the holidays by showcasing 6 brands of gorgeous LED christmas lights that save you appetite and money, we showcased some innovative Christmas trees done with surprising materials, and we highlighted out favorite immature device gifts for a holidays this year. And when all those presents have been unwrapped we know just what to do with a aftermath – researchers have grown a way to recycle 100% of a material in cosmetic jacket paper as well as artist Jason Rogenes wowed us with his implausible futuristic spaceships made from a styrofoam used to package electronics.

Via Engadget

You might’ve seen the Volt make a gues t appearance on the futuristic Surrogat es movie already, but now Chevy’s taking the opposite approach by looking toward the past to promote its PHEV. Bob’s Big Boy fast food restaurant in California got treated to a surprise visit by a production model of that m ost bodacious Chevrolet, and as you can see above, it doesn’t look horribly out of place seated in among its elders, a 1969 Camaro and an Impala SS. Joining in the weekly classic car meetup hosted by the restaurant, this appearance was a prelude to the production Volt being shown off at the LA Auto Show, which kicks off this coming Friday. So if you wanna see it, you can either attend the event or wait for the car to roll up at your nearest Wendy’s.

W hether it’s voluntary or enforced, it seem s to be a safe bet that most electric vehicles will eventually break their silence in one way or another to warn nearby pedestrians — especially the blind. Chevrolet looks to be taking a slightly different approach than most with the Volt, however, and it recently tested out its system with a group of visually-impaired folks at its Milford Proving Grounds. Rather than simply making the vehicle sound like a regular car, Chev y has implemented a driver-activated system that emits what’s described as more of an “excuse me” sound than “hey you” sound whenever you want to warn people you’re approaching. Of course, depending on the driv er does have its limitations, and Chevy says that future iterations of the Volt are likely to incorporate a more active system that can automatically alert pedestrians. Check it out in action after the break.

The presenters of Top Gear, among the finer specimens of British television talent (Dr. Gregory House being another), were this past week engaged in designing and building an electric vehicle purportedly intended to compete with the likes of the Chevy Volt. Set a time limit of a mere 18 hours, they produced the marvel of rushed eng ineering and s hoddy workmanship you see above. The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust (believe us, you’ll have no reason to remember the name) was even put through its paces by Autocar magazine, whose video “review” can be found after the break. We won’t spoil the details for you, but if you want a conclusion, this one’s pretty unequivocal: “there’s a real ly good chan ce you could kill yourself” riding in this car.

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