EcoInsomniac

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Tesla Motors has given the Roadster a bit of a makeover by replacing the 1.0 powertrain with the new more powerful 1.5 series.  The changes brought on by the switch over are pretty substantial for Tesla Motors who is getting more and more competition in the electric vehicle market.  The new powertrain consists of the following changes:

• a new inverter to increase the current to the new motor.
• a new motor with more torque and ability to handle more current.
• replaced the gear box with a single speed gear box
• improved the cabling and gear box coupler that connects to the motor
• a firmware flash

It’s astounding to think that Tesla Motors could make this machine even better, but they have with this new powertrain they’ve increased the torque by over 30%.  That makes this Roadster even quicker on the quarter mile coming in around 12.9 seconds with a top speed of over 120mph.  This car will take away the excuse of eco-friendly transportation lacking style and speed.  I cannot wait to see one in my city.

These changes were not meant to upgrade the range of the vehicle at all and the battery pack remains completely untouched.  Though all is not lost in the range department because of changes in efficiencies all over the powertrain the car seems to have gained about 10 miles in its range.  This is great news and brings the Tesla Roadsters range to an astounding 220 miles on a full charge.

The fact that the technology is increasing so quickly is a great sign for things to come.  I fully expect to see some great innovation coming from all parties involved in the EV market and cannot wait to see what they come up with.  Are you looking forward to anything in particular?

Source: Tesla Motors Blog

Saving fuel a few years ago wasn’t something most people thought about on a day to day basis.  There just wasn’t enough reason for them to think about it, but today with all of our environmental concerns and the insane gas prices the general public has suddenly been caught with a need for better fuel economy.  Here are some great tips for saving money and the environment by lowering your fuel consumption:

Remove unneeded weight from the car.  If you use your car for storage like some of my friends do you could better your vehicles fuel economy by 1-2% for every 100 pounds you remove.

Drive more calmly.  If you tend to drive aggressively you’re burning a hole in your wallet and could be lowering your fuel economy by up to 33% just by stomping on the gas pedal or brake pedal too much.

Turn your car off.  If you are going to be stopped for longer then 30 seconds just shut your car off.  It is terribly in efficient for your engine to run while you’re sitting still.  I’ve found this tip to be particularly helpful when it comes to saving gas.

Check your tire pressure.  Your vehicles fuel efficiency drops by about 1% for every 2 psi your tires are low.  Check the inside of your driver door or your cars repair manual for the manufacturer suggested tire pressure for your car.  This tip can save you a lot of money with just a little bit of time and a couple quarters.

Replace vehicles dirty air intake filters.  A dirty intake filter can cut your fuel efficiency by a whopping 10%.  Engines need clean intake filters to ensure the engine an optimal fuel to air ratio with the least amount of effort.

Keep your vehicle maintained.  If your vehicle has a “service engine soon” or “check engine” light on the dash you need to take it to a mechanic to see what the problem is.  Most Autozone and some other auto parts retail stores will scan your vehicle for free to let you know the problem so you’re better equipped when going to a mechanic for a repair.  Also, do your manufacturer suggested annual or mileage based maintenance.

Carpool. This is pretty self explanitory, but if you can team up with your friends, family or co-workers and take turns doing the driving to work or to run errands.

By paying attention to the health of your car and watching the way you drive you can really cut down on your gas usage.  These tips will not only help you do your part for the environment, but in these tough times of crazy high gas prizes in America and overseas they should save you a decent money.

If you’re looking to purchase a new car soon pay close attention to the MPG rating and the pollution output that is hidden somewhere on the window sticker.  Be sure to come online and do a bit of research to find actual MPG numbers for the model car you’re interested in.

Do you have any tips or tricks that you use lowering your fuel usage that I didn’t list? We’d all love to hear them.

Ben is a great guy I met through the blogosphere and he’s got a lot of stuff to say about going green and has a crazy story on why he changed his life the way he did.  He’ll be contributing sparatically for a little bit as he’s moving closer to his full time job, but after a while he should be helping pick up the pace with the content around here.  This will give me more time to find ways to improve EcoInsomniac and give you readers more great articles to read and pass around.  So, please join me in welcoming Ben to the team.

Every day more people become aware of the incoming effects of global warming. It has far reaching side effects, melting of the polar ice shelves, extinction of sensitive species; as well as, the destruction of whole ecosystems.Their are many side effects which are detrimental to many habitats. One of those is the oceans. Besides the billions of gallons of fresh water being added from the melting ice shelves which in turn raise sea level and ultimately cool the oceans. We also have to contend with the change in ocean currents which ultimately drive our weather. And as if that is not enough global warnings chief cause is carbon, which finds its way into our beloved oceans as well. [Read more →]

In my backyard here in South Texas we have a pond which at times means we have a ton of mosquitoes.  We’ve tried fish, but since we have cats who don’t care about water and raccoons live near by once they get bigger they don’t last very long.  So, I went searching the web and found that attracting bats by building a bat house can be a particularly good way to rid your yard of the pesky blood sucking mosquitoes.  I had no idea bats loved the things so much.  Did you know a single brown bat could eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour?

In my searching through google and stumbleupon I came across a site that offers free bat house plans and thought I’d share it with you all incase you have a mosquito problem like I do.  I always see old fence boards at the street around here as people replace their wooden fences and will probably stop by and pick up some nice sturdy boards to build a few bat houses. 

I’ve always been fascinated with getting rid of pests with out poisons by using natural enemies or natural deterrents.  I’m planning in the future to do a write up on other ways to deter or rid your yard of pests naturally. 

I’m sure I’ll be putting up pictures and a tutorial on how I build my bat houses. If you’re interested check back for that or subscribe to the rss feed at the top right of the page.  Do you use natural means to get rid pests in your yard?