Dallas Kachan's blog

Ford is holding the first public demonstrations today of its new fuel cell-powered Explorer SUV.

Packing hydrogen at 10,000 PSI in its storage tank (twice the pressure of other fuel cell vehicles!), the Explorer can apparently travel 350 miles on a single tank - which, as one pundit quipped, is probably far enough to actually be able to find a hydrogen filling station.

Ford developed the vehicle with the U.S. Department of Energy and has been quietly testing it this year around Detroit.

Exhibitors at Switzerland's first renewable energy fair are apparently nervous. Attendance has been lousy so far. So poor, that, according to this article, vendors outnumbered attendees early in the show.

And this in the country's "green capital" Lausanne.

Organizers had hoped up to 4,000 people would have attended by the time doors close tomorrow.

Eesh. This is real. I kid you not.

Simply Fragrance is an air freshener that delivers a precise dose of pure designer fragrance and odor neutralizer via a unique hydrogen fuel cell device. Its advanced design provides a consistent level of scent for 60 days without the use of batteries.

...

The design of Simply Fragrance uses a fuel cell to create hydrogen within the fragrance chamber. As each molecule of hydrogen is created, it pushes an equal volume of fragrance from the chamber to be distributed throughout the room by natural air flow. Simply Fragrance comes in five scents providing an array of intensities, including: Ocean Breeze, Spring Blossoms, Juniper Splash, Fresh Mint, and Mandarin Blast.

Looking for the nearest biodiesel fueling station? Point your cell phone to www.nearbio.com, or nearbio.mobi.

This new site will show you maps directing you to nearest biodiesel pumps. The company says it's individually verifying all pumps for accuracy.

Additional features include the ability to find fueling locations while at a computer but send the information to a cell phone for later reference, and the ability to find biodiesel filling stations through SMS messages.

As if HOV lanes weren't enough, here's yet another reason to switch to a hybrid. (But, sorry - only in Ohio.)

Farmers Insurance is giving Ohio drivers a 10% discount if they own a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle.

“We're happy to offer drivers who are concerned about the environment and concerned about their pocketbooks a discount,” said Steve added Andersen, President of Farmers Ohio.

How exactly the company was able to rationalize this discount wasn't clear - do Prius drivers drive more responsibly?

The discount, effective November 1, 2006, is for all customers who own a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle.

It boasts a jet engine. It's very cool. And it's real, but you can't buy it.

Entertainer and American car buff Jay Leno inspired GM (yes, stodgy General Motors) to build a jet powered bio diesel supercar. And they did. The car was introduced last night at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

A Vermont-based solar integrator called groSolar has just received $2.25 million from three venture funds that specialize in the cleantech and renewable energy sectors: SJF Ventures, Calvert Social Investment Fund, and Allco Financial Group. More details here.

We'd chosen not to cover the world of cleantech integrators, and concentrate primarily on latest developments from technology vendors themselves.

This just in...

"Hydrogen Power International, Inc. (OTC:HYDP) announced today that it has filed a Certificate of Ownership with the State of Delaware to merge the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Hydrogen Power, Inc., with and into the Company with the Company remaining as the surviving corporation. In connection with the merger, the Company changed its name to Hydrogen Power, Inc."

Glad they cleared up the confusion.

Hydrogen Power, Inc. claims to have licensed and developed a patented technology for producing hydrogen gas involving a chemical reaction between water, aluminum, and a catalyst to produce hydrogen on-site and on-demand.