Big Green Apple: Mayor says answer to energy needs is blowin' in wind

BY ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

LAS VEGAS - Windmills atop the Brooklyn Bridge. Green power in Fresh Kills. The
Statue of Liberty's torch powered by an ocean windfarm.

That's the vision for a green revolution Mayor Bloomberg laid out in a speech at the National Clean Energy Summit on Tuesday night.

"Perhaps companies will want to put wind turbines atop bridges and skyscrapers, or use the enormous potential of powerful off-shore winds miles out off the Atlantic Coast, where turbines could generate roughly twice the energy," Bloomberg told the summit.

"We don't generate a lot of electricity in New York City," he said. "But we can work on using less. And in New York, we're determined to do what no other city has ever attempted, and that is to keep our energy usage at or near its current level even as our population grows.
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Nissan Shows Off Its Electric Car and New Hybrid

The electric Cube was pretty nimble on the test track, but the new hybrid raises as many questions as it answers
by Ian Rowley
I just got back from driving Nissan's (NSANY) much hyped new electric car and hybrid. The press event, held in searing heat at an advanced technology showcase 90 minutes outside Tokyo, was the first chance that reporters have had to check out the Japanese automaker's new environmental techs.

Most seemed pretty impressed at the electric vehicle, although it's hard to draw too many conclusions. The version we drove was an electric version of a Nissan Cube, a popular model in Japan. However, the company says its EV, which is scheduled for a 2010 launch in Japan and the U.S., will use the same electric system but look completely different from any of today's Nissans.

On the test track, the Cube was pretty nimble, quickly reaching 100km/h on a short straight, despite carrying four passengers. One bad point was the bulk of the batteries—at 300kg—under the rear seats. That meant they were raised higher than normal and not comfortable for those in the back. Still, it's safe to assume the problem will be ironed out by the time the final version appears.

Upbeat About Lithium-Ion Batteries
On a more positive note, Nissan seems very upbeat about its lithium-ion battery technology. While Honda (HMC) and Toyota (TM) are reluctant to use li-ion cells in new hybrids (save a low-volume lease version of the Prius due for 2010), citing safety concerns, Nissan is confident that its batteries, which are half the weight and offer significantly improved performance over the current nickel metal hydride cells, will help it claw back some ground in the hybrid race and make it an EV leader.

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