Sabtu, 20 Februari 2010

plus 2, New Battery Recharging System Promises Quicker Turnaround for Plug-In ... - Gather.com

plus 2, New Battery Recharging System Promises Quicker Turnaround for Plug-In ... - Gather.com


New Battery Recharging System Promises Quicker Turnaround for Plug-In ... - Gather.com

Posted: 20 Feb 2010 05:55 PM PST

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PHEV,ORNL,hybrid

CHARGE!: U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee has developed a prototype system that could let drivers cut the time needed to fully recharge from a home electrical outlet by a factor of 10from about eight hours to about 45 minutes.
© GENE CHUTKA, VIA ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

When plug-in hybrid electric vehicles(PHEVs) start hitting the road later this year, most drivers will plug into a normal 110-volt outlet when not driving in order to trickle charge life back into their car's battery. Whether this is a feasible model is an open question, with some consumers concerned that trickle charging may not be fast enough to sufficiently recharge batteries between trips. Without a charged battery, PHEVs rely on their internal combustion engines, something hybrid drivers aim to avoid.

To address this concern, a team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee has developed a prototype system they say could let drivers cut the time needed to fully recharge from a home electrical outlet by a factor of 10—from about eight hours to about 45 minutes. The good news is that drivers would be able to use outlets that deliver 240 or 220 volts to get this level of fast charge. This ability to accommodate a higher voltage and current means the battery can recharge at about 20 kilowatts, as opposed to the two kilowatts possible with a 110-volt outlet. The bad news is that drivers would have to upgrade their home electrical systems to accommodate 240- or 220-volt outlets, if they do not already have them to run clothes dryers or other appliances.

A plug-in hybrid electric uses a traction-drive power electronics system to propel the car forward by providing force to the car's wheels and has a charger for recharging the high-voltage battery when it is plugged into the power grid. The traction-drive system typically consists of a boost converter (which steps up voltage when the electronic circuit requires a higher operating voltage than the battery can provide alone), two inverters (which take direct current (DC) voltage and convert it to alternating current (AC)), and electric motors to provide motive power (pdf).

ORNL's prototype drive system has those same components but uses the inverters to charge the battery from an outlet, eliminating the need for a separate charger and enabling the car to recharge faster and more efficiently, says Gui-Jia Su, a senior research engineer at ORNL'sPower Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center. Although a standalone onboard battery charger in most PHEVs costs only about $300 for the slow charge rate (two kilowatts), ORNL's technology would also be able to replace fast-rate 20-kilowatt chargers, which can cost several thousand dollars, according to Su.

The new system is also designed to allow a PHEV to use its battery as an energy storage device, enabling the car to hold electrical energy in the battery while the grid has surplus power (during off-peak hours, for example) and contribute its surplus energy back to the grid when the latter needs more power to meet peak demand, Su says.

ORNL is proposing to use the inverter to charge the battery rather than having a separate onboard charger, says Andrew Frank, a University of California, Davis, professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering. The idea is to use the inverter controllers to recharge the battery. Such a system could also be used to take energy from the car and use it to power a house or return it to the grid, he acknowledges.

But the market for ORNL's technology is a tough one to crack. AC Propulsion, a San Dimas, Calif., maker of electric vehicle drive systems, discovered this when working with Tesla Motors. The electric vehicle–maker initially licensed a drive system design and reductive charging patent from AC Propulsion but later developed its own versions of these technologies. The major automakers are likely to take the same route, developing their own technologies, Frank says.

Although ORNL's proposed system would allow PHEV-makers to leave out the onboard charger that they currently install in their cars, the first-generation PHEVs are not intended for high-speed charging, says Frank, who is also founder of Efficient Drivetrains, Inc., a U.C. Davis start-up that designs energy-management systems for electric vehicles and hybrids. "One of the issues with fast charging is that the more power you use to recharge the battery, the less efficient the charging system is, and a lot of power is wasted," he says. "For this reason, you really want to use a trickle-charge system for a PHEV, otherwise you're throwing away electricity, not to mention money."

ORNL's technology could have a much greater impact on purely electric vehicles such as the upcoming Nissan Leaf or Ford Focus RV, which do not have a combustion engine to rely on, meaning depleted batteries need to be charged quickly for the car to be practical.

The Energy Department likes the technology's potential and has invested more than $1.3 million in ORNL's project since 2008. Now the researchers are looking to license their drive system to a company that can commercialize it. Su says that several companies, includingRaser Technologies (a maker of drive systems) and MBtech (which provides engineering and consulting services to the auto industry), have expressed interest in the system, although they have not discussed details as to how the technology might fit into these companies' existing offerings.

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NASCAR Nationwide Series on TSN and TSN2 - TSN

Posted: 20 Feb 2010 04:44 PM PST

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Broadcast schedule subject to change without notice.

DATE EVENT ET/PT NETWORK
Thursday, February 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Preview 12:30pm et/9:30am pt TSN
Saturday, February 13 Camping World 300 Noon et/9:00am pt TSN2
Saturday, February 20 Stater Bros. 300 5:00pm et/2:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, February 27 Sam's Town 300 4:00pm et/1:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, March 20 Scotts Turf Builder 300 2:00pm et/11:00am pt TSN
Saturday, April 3 Nashville 300 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt TSN
Friday, April 9 Bashas' Supermarkets 200 9:00pm et/6:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, April 17 O'Reilly 300 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt TSN2
Saturday, April 24 Aaron's 312 2:30pm et/11:30am pt TSN2
Friday, April 30 Lipton Tea 250 7:00pm et/4:00pm pt TSN2
Friday, May 7 Diamond Hill 200 7:00pm et/4:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, May 15 Heluva Good! 200 2:00pm et/11:00am pt TSN2
Saturday, May 29 Carquest Auto Parts 300 2:00pm et/11:00am pt TSN
Saturday, June 5 Federated Auto Parts 300 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN
Saturday, June 12 Meijer 300 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN
Saturday, June 19 TBD 8:00pm et/5:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, June 26 Camping World RV Sales 200 3:00pm et/Noon pt TSN
Friday, July 2 Subway Jalapeno 250 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN2
Friday, July 9 Dollar General 300 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN2
Saturday, July 17 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN
Saturday, July 24 Kroger 200 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN2
Saturday, July 31 U.S. Cellular 250 7:00pm et/4:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, August 7 Zippo 200 1:30pm et/10:30am pt TSN
Saturday, August 14 Carfax 250 1:00pm et/10:00am pt TSN2
Friday, August 20 Food City 250 11:30pm et/8:30pm pt TSN
Sunday, August 29 NAPA Auto Parts 200 2:00pm et/11:00am pt TSN
Saturday, September 4 Degree V12 300 6:30pm et/3:30pm pt TSN2
Friday, September 10 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 7:00pm et/4:00pm pt TSN2
Saturday, September 25 Dover 200 3:00pm et/Noon pt TSN
Saturday, October 2 Kansas Lottery 300 3:00pm et/Noon pt TSN2
Saturday, October 9 Copart 300 4:00pm et/1:00pm pt TSN2
Friday, October 15 Dollar General 300 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt TSN2
Saturday, October 23 TBD 3:00pm et/Noon pt TSN2
Saturday, November 6 O'Reilly Challenge Noon et/9:00am pt TSN2
Saturday, November 13 Able Body Labor 200 4:00pm et/1:00pm pt TSN
Saturday, November 20 Ford 300 4:00pm et/1:00pm pt TSN

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Ellen DeGeneres wasn't the only TV gamble that paid off - St. Petersburg Times

Posted: 20 Feb 2010 02:13 PM PST

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Eric Deggans, Times TV/Media Critic
In Print: Sunday, February 21, 2010


It's usually a messy and public embarrassment when a TV gamble doesn't work out. Witness the slow-motion implosion of NBC's prime-time and late-night programs thanks to one bad gamble: that Jay Leno could succeed at 10 p.m. But the weeks of media brooding over Leno's failure may have obscured the many times such rolls of the dice did work out this year. In fact, smart television executives will tell you that taking intelligent, creative risks should be part of the job. The best television often results from putting on something either no one thought would work or everyone had good reason to believe shouldn't work (excepting Leno, which everyone but NBC knew couldn't work). So here are some TV gambles that are working out well so far this season, with a little detail on why. Just in case Leno or NBC wants to take some notes (okay, that's my last Leno joke. For this section of the Feed, at least).

, Ellen judges 'American Idol'

Yeah, she's America's Unlikeliest Sweetheart. But based on her jokey, lighthearted appearance judging Fox's So You Think You Can Dance last year, Ellen DeGeneres offered little warning of just how good she would be in taking Paula Abdul's spot on Idol. Focused, smart, perceptive and occasionally funny, she's turned fellow judge Kara DioGuardi into the sensitive one and even given top dog Simon Cowell a pause.

Giving Ray Romano another TV series

The number of television stars who have starred in two creative and commercial hits in one career is as short as Gary Coleman's temper. But Romano managed something even Jerry Seinfeld and Kelsey Grammer couldn't — following up his biggest success with the funny, painfully honest meditation on middle-aged manhood, Men of a Certain Age. The show's too-short first season ends Monday on TNT, with Romano's character facing the impact of his gambling addiction. Turns out, there's a reason he got all those Emmy nominations for that other show.

ABC's stealth anchor switch

In moving Diane Sawyer to its evening newscast and plopping Sunday host George Stephanopoulos into her spot on Good Morning America, ABC violated about a dozen rules of television — from destabilizing three news shows at once to downplaying the transition by doing almost no press interviews and tweaking the shows incrementally. The reward was little change in viewership and avoiding mistakes made by CBS rival Katie Couric.

Buying the Winter Olympics at a loss

Going into the Winter Games in Vancouver, lots of snarky columnists brayed about fourth-place NBC, predicting it would lose more than $200 million on a deal they cut 10 years ago. But the Games' ratings success has silenced them, handing American Idol its first ratings loss in six years on Wednesday and bringing ratings spikes not seen since the 1994 Winter Games. The eyeballs are crucial for a network reinventing its 10 p.m. time slot in a week. And let's be honest: How else are you going to get 97 million people to watch commercials for a Parenthood remake?

Leno's new bandleader?

Even as NBC struggles to rehabilitate Jay Leno's image, it was hit with a new challenge: Sidekick/suckup/bandleader Kevin Eubanks will reduce his role on the show, eventually requiring the program to hire somebody new. He'll be in his traditional gig when the show returns March 1, and says via Twitter "I'll still be around on the show, but less as of now." But that got me thinking: Who would be a good fit to take his place? Here are a few suggestions:

Prince. He wouldn't even talk to Oprah when he did her show, so don't expect him to trade quips with Leno. But the theme song will be kicking.

John Mayer. What better way to rehab his image than by appearing next to the only guy who may have a worse image in Hollywood?

Lady Gaga. Advantage: You have that elusive gay clubber demographic sewn up. Disadvantage: Wardrobe costs triple your production budget.

Max Weinberg. If Leno's going to take Conan's Tonight Show, maybe he should take his bandleader, too.

Snoop Dogg. Just stock his dressing room with blunts and expect tapings to start at least two hours late.

Branford Marsalis. Getting back the show's original bandleader would be great if NBC decided to try a fresh approach. Like quality.


TiVo

Men of a Certain Age, season finale, 10 p.m. Monday on TNT: As this season finale unwinds, all our stars are at a crossroads. Ray Romano's Joe has let a successful bet revive his gambling addiction, which is hurting his son and business; Scott Bakula's aging actor Terry is seeing knuckleheaded old acting buddies score the career he's never had; and Andre Braugher's Owen left his dad's auto sales business just as a younger rival took over as top manager. How each of these near-fiftysomethings deals with a life that never turned out how they hoped caps an amazingly insightful series about a time of life TV rarely pauses long enough to consider.

Ti-NO

The Family Crews, debuts 9 tonight on BET: Terry Crews was so good playing the tightwad dad on the CW's Everybody Hates Chris, some viewers probably didn't know he started as a journeyman linebacker and defensive end in the NFL. Too bad some of that acting skill didn't transfer to this reality show about his wife and five kids, which builds episodes around predictably contrived stuff such as his sudden decision to stage a second wedding with his wife of 20 years and an inexplicable desire to rent an RV and go camping.


[Last modified: Feb 20, 2010 05:10 PM]



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