Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat shined a light on the future of high-tech architecture as we brought you 20 stunning sun-powered homes that are getting ready to battle it out in this year’s Solar Decathlon – including Team New York’s prefab Roof Pod, Canada’s TRTL solar shell house, and China’s Y Container home. We also brought you exclusive photos of the recently unveiled 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, while the Empire State Building soared to new heights as it achieved LEED Gold certification. In other NYC news, we covered an underground park in the Big Apple which is to be illuminated entirely by fiber optics. Vicent Callebaut also unveiled plans for an incredible self-sufficient skyscraper for Taiwan, and we learned that scientists are planning to build a fake volcano for climate change research.

It was also a hot week for energy-generating tech as Intel unveiled a solar laptop chipset that can be powered by a desk lamp and MIT developed a tiny kinetic generator that can produce 100 times more power than previous devices of its kind. Meanwhile, Google invested in the power of pig poop and researchers rolled out a new inexpensive, powerful, and lightweight jelly battery that could one day power laptops and electric vehicles. Energy infrastructure also got a boost as a UK competition showcased six designs for next-generation power pylons, and New Mexico announced plans to build an entire city for the sole purpose of testing green technologies.

In other news, this week we spotted several pulse-pounding electric vehicles: a streamlined carbon fiber jet ski and an incredible mirrored motorcycle. We also went back to the future with a look at Nike’s new pair of LED studded kicks, and we spotted a slick set of retro robots made from salvaged materials. Finally, we shared a bevy of tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle — check out these seven gadgets that can improve your health and five ways to green your home entertainment system.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: sun-powered homes, retro robots and a solar laptop chipset originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bonneville, home to the world’s fastest lawnmower record, has just added another notch to its land speed belt — this time for electric motorcycles. When last we left Utah’s salt flats, Mission One had claimed top honors for its all-electric bike, but that title has once again been usurped by rival Lightning. Averaging a speed of 206.079 mph, the team’s Flying Banana Mk. II blazed past its 2010 record of 176.044 mph to claim the speed hog glory. The chopper’s rider, Paul Thede, now gets to join the likes of 65 other inductees in Bonneville’s exclusive 200 MPH Club. His award for such a hallowed distinction? Why, he got to wear the club’s red hat for a whole 24 hours.

Lightning Motorcycles electric bike blazes past 2010 record, joins 200 MPH Club originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You remember the Enertia, right — that sweet electric motorcycle from Brammo? Well, a few years back the company slapped some dirt bike tires on this silent cycle (seen above) and taunted the world with the possibility of an Earth-friendly offroad ride. Such a creation never made it to market, sadly, but it looks like the company may finally be ready to deliver. The bike hounds over at Asphalt & Rubber were digging through the AMA MiniMoto SX supercross race list of entrants when they spotted the Brammo name… which is odd since the Oregon-based company’s current vehicles are all street-only affairs. Guess Zero Motorcycles better watch its back, there may be new challenger for king of the electric dirt bike hill. We won’t have to wait long to know for sure — the Brammo team will be launching its latest creation through the muddy, hairpin turns at the South Point Arena in Vegas next week.

Brammo taking its electric motorcycles offroad in Vegas next week, puts Zero on notice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s fast, electric, and made in Canada? No, not the latest Rush record, it’s the P1, a new electric motorcycle prototype from Quebec-based Amarok Consultants. The company — named after the Inuit word for wolf — unveiled the bike this week, announcing plans to enter it in this year’s TTXGP, an international racing series for electric vehicles. The 75 horsepower two-wheeler was designed with a laser-focus on lightweight construction, squeezing a 7.5-kilowatt-hour battery and two Agni 95 electric motors into a bantam 325 pound body — making for one of the lightest electric racing motorcycles around. The company’s not stopping there, however, shooting for 275 pounds for the second generation of the bike, putting it more on-par with gas-powered counterparts.

Amarok’s P1 electric motorocycle prototype is fast, light, and ready to race originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The (newly updated) range of electric motorcycles from Zero Motorcycles is certainly tempting for those urban dwellers looking for a fun way to launch themselves over short commutes. But, for garage-less apartment or townhouse tenants lacking the requisite charging connector, they don’t make a heck of a lot of sense. Here’s one that does. It’s the new Zero XU, an electric motorcycle featuring a removable battery pack that you can carry inside with you to juice up. You can also buy a second pack and swap them out, which could let you leave one at work and one at home — something you might have to think about given the thing’s unfortunately short 30 mile range. That’s about half what the Zero S manages, but the XU is at least $2,000 cheaper, starting at $7,995. It also curiously still uses a chain, a departure from the other 2011 Zero bikes that just switched to belts. Anyhow, if you’re still intrigued the Zero XU is up for order now and should start terrorizing AC outlets in March.

[Thanks, Darius]

Continue reading Zero XU electric motorcycle makes in-apartment EV charging a reality

Zero XU electric motorcycle makes in-apartment EV charging a reality originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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141 horses is a good amount of power for an average sized car. On a motorcycle that equates to one heck of a ride. That’s what the Mission Motors Mission R electric superbike is putting down in a package that’s the size of a 600cc road bike — the sort of bike that might match that rating but only when you ride it like you stole it. An electric bike, naturally, gives you all that power right from 0 RPM, and after first seeing it in the flesh back in December we’re now getting a glimpse under the fairing, at the trellis frame that bolts to the MissionEVT drivetrain ahead of the swingarm. There’s naturally a big hole ahead of that, where the battery slots. The aluminum plate you see is part of that, left in place here but normally yanked from the top with the rest of the cell pack. Lots more tech details like that on the other end of the source link, and a bunch more pictures over at Autoblog Green. As to when you can get one, sadly right now it’s just for racing.

Mission R electric sportbike drops its fairings, shows us its billet birthday suit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Not To Load A Motorcycle Video

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How Not To Load A Motorcycle Video

When you’re racing down the slopes, scuba-diving somewhere exotic, or zipping around on your motorcycle, the last thing you probably want to think about doing is shooting video. But if you’re the type who just has to capture every adrenaline-pumping moment, Liquid Image has you covered with its new line of camera-equipped goggles. The $349 Scuba camera mask supports depths up to 100 meters, and does stills and video in 720p. The $400 Impact series also does both still and video, but it bumps the resolution up to 1080p. All of these goggles have a microSD slot, as well as buttons along the side for switching between the respective modes. Beware, once you start recording, you’ll no longer be able to tell your friends you’re in the Black Diamond Club when you really just spend all day on the bunny slope. Press release is after the break.

Continue reading Liquid Image Xtreme Sport Cam goggles hands-on

Liquid Image Xtreme Sport Cam goggles hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Homer Simpson’s V12-Powered Motorcycle Video