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![By Bobby Miller “Worldwide, motor vehicles currently emit well over 900 million metric tons of [carbon dioxide] each year,” according to the World Resources Institute. “These emissions account for more than 15 percent of global fossil fuel CO2 releases.” This obviously has devastating consequences on the environment. It is no wonder, then, that many environmentally conscious people are eager to transition to electric-powered vehicles. Unlike the standard internal combustion engine, an electric car’s battery doesn’t pollute the air as it’s used. Some critics note that, to charge an electric vehicle’s...](http://nvate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ID-10050694-175x120.jpg "Environmentally Friendly, but are Electric Vehicles Cost-Effective?")
Environmentally Friendly, but are Electric Vehicles Cost-Effective?
Posted on January 3, 2013 | 2 CommentsBy Bobby Miller “Worldwide, motor vehicles currently emit well over 900 million metric tons of [carbon dioxide] each year,” according to the World Resources Institute. “These emissions account for more than 15 percent of global fossil fuel CO2 releases.” This obviously has devastating consequences on the environment. It is no wonder, then, that many environmentally conscious people are eager to transition to electric-powered vehicles. Unlike the standard internal combustion engine, an electric car’s battery doesn’t pollute the air as it’s used. Some critics note that, to charge an electric vehicle’s... -
The Mazda 3i: Didn’t We Almost Have it All?
Posted on June 20, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley A few months ago I became the proud co-owner of a 2012 Mazda 3i 5-door, affording me the rare opportunity to write an unusually intimate gear review of an expensive piece of hardware. From time to time I hope to provide updates on our dark gray hatch, giving readers an unflinching chronicle of our trials and tribulations with the newest family member. My purchase of the Mazda 3i was helped along by Mazda’s new SkyActiv engine and transmission, which in 5-door, automatic transmission spec garnered a 39... -
The GB&U: Large Hadron Collider, Hollywood, and the Chevy Volt
Posted on June 8, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley The Good: A Second Chance for the Large Hadron Collider and the Higgs Boson God Particle It’s the heartwarming particle physics story of the year! Okay, maybe not. But the fact that the Tevatron particle collider is still managing to impact science over a year after budget cuts shut it down is pretty cool. Even cooler is what scientists found while crunching through the final trillions of collisions to run through the deactivated accelerator: evidence that scientists are hot on the trail of the Higgs Boson God... -
What Tesla’s new crossover teaches us, and what Detroit doesn’t get
Posted on May 21, 2012 | 2 CommentsBy Corey Conley Once again defying critics who accuse them of being just another piece of Silicon Valley vaporwear, electric-car upstart Tesla motors unveiled their second mainstream model, the 2014 Model X crossover. The sleek, shark-like X is, naturally, all electric, using the same three-phase AC induction motor and rear-drive fixed gearbox to drive the rear wheels as the Model S sedan. That’s not all it shares with its sedan brother, the crossover shares 60 percent of the Model S’s components, along with its ability to seat seven passengers and... -
The GB&U: Solar Lamps, Fatty Chemicals, and Getting Roasted by a Camry
Posted on May 17, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley The Good: Solar Lamps We’re not talking about the kind they sell at Home Depot, we’re talking about the kind that can bring light to the 1.3 billion people living without electricity. Currently the lion’s share of these people turn to good, old-fashioned fire to light the night, with all its attendant expenses and hazards. Fuel burning light sources are expensive, cause fires, generate pollution, and worst of all aren’t very bright. It’s an odd fact that the world’s poorest pay the most for each lumen of light.... -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Posted on April 16, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley The Good: American small cars. It’s hard to overstate this turnaround. I know some will disagree, but in North America, the former Axis powers have been mopping the floor with the home team’s compact offerings for nigh-on 30 years, but over the past two years, all that has changed. Ford and Chevy have spent the past two years rolling out the strongest line-up of bantam-weight cars they’ve ever sold in America, tapping into the small-car proving grounds of Europe for compelling, sporty, fun-to-drive cars that provide enough... -
The Hot List: 4 gadgets we’re really excited about
Posted on April 1, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley & Beatty Jamieson Hellman’s New Non-Perishable Longevity Mayonnaise We’ve all been there, looking in the fridge for our next hit of tangy, creamy mayo when we find the dreaded “old jar of mayo,” green and hideous. Inevitably, we reflect how mayo would be the perfect food if only it wasn’t so delicate. Well, Hellman’s has listened to your plaintive cries and responded with Hellman’s Longevity ™ mayo. It’s chock full of 230% more sweet, sweet preservatives. The sheer number and variety of these preservatives mean refrigerating your mayo is... -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Mazda, Carrier IQ, and Siri
Posted on March 1, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley Good: Mazda’s Skyactiv Technology Mazda has made “Zoom Zoom” a key part of its identity. Mazda cars and even their SUVs usually rate higher on the fun-to-drive scale than the competition. However, the flip side of all that zooming is a less than impressive rating on the miles-per-gallon side of the equation. With strict new federal mileage requirements coming down the pike, Mazda saw the writing on the wall. But rather than gamble on some pricey hybrid tech, they turned their attention to improving their conventional gas... -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Activision Blizzard, iPhone 4s, and Acura
Posted on January 30, 2012 | No CommentsBy Corey Conley The Good: Activision-Blizzard Activision-Blizzard, the video game titan responsible for such blockbusters as World of Warcraft and Starcraft, announced that the game Diablo III would allow players to buy and sell equipment and in-game currency for real dollars, raising the specter of people making a living from slaying Internet dragons. Although gaming purists cried foul, Nvate sees this as a brilliant stroke that is likely to stem the tide of gold-sellers and hackers into Diablo III. This phenomenon has become rampant in the popular World of Warcraftmassively multiplayer game. Currently, the best ways to... -
Ford finds Magic in Mushrooms
Posted on December 12, 2011 | No CommentsBy Allan Harris & Corey Conley 2010 was not kind to the “Big Three” – Ford, General Motors, and the Chrysler Group. The good General and Chrysler took the biggest dive, going through a bankruptcy and restructuring process. Ford got high marks for dodging the bankruptcy and turning down public bailout money. Ford has paired this with a lineup of compelling products: A new V6 Mustang that pairs 305 horsepower with 31 miles per gallon on the highway and a solid roster of small-car options in its new Fiesta and...