Citigroup upgraded the diverse global technology company Emerson Electric earlier today to a buy with a $60 price target. EMR closed up three and a quarter percent at 52.13 average volume. There was in fact a great deal of analyst activity concerning Emerson Electric and in different directions.

This very diverse global tech company is on our list of wind turbine stocks to buy. It produces several different products that control and regulate power outputs from wind turbines to commercial power grids.

We’ll also be adding this company to our upcoming solar power stocks to buy page. Their power inverters are to be included on large solar plants in Italy. Much like their equipment used in wind energy installations, their power inverters convert DC current from solar arrays into AC power that can be routed to electric grids.

Molycorp Inc. (NYSE:MCP) is expected to report $0.66 per share with over $161 million in revenues. The conference call is set for Thursday, November 10th at 4:30. Click here for the webcast presentation. Although the dipped to below 38 on friday morning the finished the week up nearly 5% at 40.18 on strong volume. Molycorp is a rare earth oxide producer in the Western hemisphere, who produces metals to be used in wind turbine production. See more about the company in our wind turbine stocks to buy report.

The late friday jump may be attributed to rumors that the US might begin to stockpile rare earth metals in response to a growing concern about China’s mining companies and their ability toprovide a constant supply. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-CO, told the Financial Times that he supports the creation of a strategic reserve, commenting that the US is over-reliant on rare earths imported from China. He even went so far as to call China an “unreliable trading partner.”

It might be worth keeping an eye on Molycorp Inc. and see where this rumor leads. With a P/E ratio of over 160 and an earnings announcement on Thursday this is one under sung wind turbine stock that could skyrocket if both earnings and stockpiling rumors play out positively.

Here’s a quick video of a modified THINK car to run in the city races during the world’s first international circuit race to run all electric vehicles.

The first year of the EVCUP will feature two circuit races, one for the THINK and one featuring the Westfield iRacer. There’s been a lot of buzz recently over one of the latest teams to enter the competition. Team Drayson, owned and managed by former British Minister of Science, Lord Paul Drayson will be competing in the sports car class.

His team was very successful in last year’s Le Mans running a car on bio-ethanol. They even earned a pole position, the first in history for a bio-ethanol car.

See both the Westfield iRacer and the THINK in action on August 6th during the first of several races to be held in several different countries, including the USA!

Source [EVCUP]

Here are 2 electric vehicles on display at the 81st International Motor Show in Geneva that ought to shatter your stereotype of electric cars.

When I get away from the computer and meet real people, eventually the conversation turns to what I do with my time. When I tell the average person I write about electric vehicles they usually shake their heads and dismiss the idea. Small, slow, expensive, and impractical are the most common words I hear when talking about electric vehicles. Here are a 2 EVs that ought to shatter those myths.

Front end of the LAMPO2 from Protoscar

Slow is the the last word you’ll hear to describe the LAMPO2 from Protoscar. This fast as hell electric car has two electric motors that act independantly on the front and rear axle. The twin electric powerhouses delivers 300 kW (about 408 hp) and 64o Nm (about 470 ft lbs) of torque. It has a 200 km/hr (about 125 mph) maximum speed.

More than just speed and style, the LAMPO2 also features 4 different charging modes a standard single-phase with an on board charger for typical overnight home-charge, a “control-pilot” equipped single-phase on board charger typical for public charging, a standard three-phase on board charger typical for charging at industrial plugs (fleet-owners) and an interface for DC fast charging, where up to 100 km of additional range can be charged within just 10 minutes, by an off-board system.

If you happen to be in Geneva for the International Motor Show, the LAMPO2 is one of about a dozen electric vehicles available for a test drive in the Essais Verts section and take it for a spin yourself for yourself.

Not in Switzerland? Enjoy the photo gallery and video at the bottom of this post.

Source [Protoscar]

The Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. – A Cargo Van That’s Cheap To Buy And Cheaper To Operate

Renault Kangoo Maxi Express Z.E. 5 seat/Cargo Van

With full size five-seater version of the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. comes with a modest price tag of just 22,000 Euros or about $35,000. With a small 44 kW (about 60 hp) motor this cargo van won’t get you anywhere fast, but it won’t cost you much to get there. Charge the lithium-ion battery overnight for a few dollars and drive about 170 km (about 105 miles). You don’t need to get out the calculator to see that this cargo van will save you at least $100 a month at the pump.

The Kangoo Maxi Z.E. by Renault is a five seat crew van is capable of four different interior layouts. If you want cargo space, the rear benchseat folds into the floor to produce a flat deck. With the rear seat stowed away the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. has a carrying capacity of about to 4.6 m3 (about 162 cu ft) making it about two-thirds the size of a GMC Savana. With a height of just 1.8 meters (less than 6 feet) it’s capable of clearing the lowest overhangs and entrances.

Source [Renault]

As promised here’s a slick video of the LAMPO2. Prepare to drool.

Tomorrow in Geneva Palexpo, the 81st International Motor Show will not only be displaying a range of electric vehicles, but visitors will have a chance to test drive some in the Essais Verts (Green Test Drives) section. Here are five of our favorite cars on display tomorrow that we’ll be queuing up to test drive.

The LAMPOS2 Prototype Available for test drive at the Geneva International Show

Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell electric vehicle

The Smart ForTwo electric drive

Peugeot iOn

The Nissan Leaf

The Volvo V60 Magic Switch

Think back about a decade to the early camera equipped cell phones

Do you remember how whenever you bought a mobile phone with a camera? What you got was an overpriced device that didn’t work very well as a phone and invariably took hideous photos.

I think a lot of consumers, myself included, feel the same way about hybrids. They’re novel, but expensive. They’re not nearly as efficient as a pure electric vehicles and lack the power of a combustion engine (note EVs can be very powerful see our post on the iRacer).

I’ve held off buying a hybrid for these reasons. What I will most likely do is get a small, simple  purely electric vehicle when they become available in my area. I’ll keep my old combustion vehicle around for longer trips and use the EV for commuting and running errands most days. I imagine most purchasers of the Nissan Leaf intend to do the same.

What if there were a “Magic Switch” in your hybrid like the one above?

The engineers at Volvo have done it. The V60 plug-in hybrid is currently just a concept car, but could be is expected on showroom floors across Europe next year. At the heart of the concept is the answer to the “camera-phone” problem that hybrids face, a “Magic Switch” that allows the driver to enjoy the best of both worlds. Press “Pure” and you’ve got a purely electric vehicle with a range of about 30 miles that can be charged in about 3 hours. Press “Power” and you’ve got a diesel engine to get you over mountain passes, drag race or whatever you need over 200hp to accomplish.

Although the V60 is stylish, safe, and efficient, I agree with Christopher DeMorro at Gas 2.0. He makes a valid point that his ancient Jeep Wrangler is greener than a new hybrid. If you really want to be green keep your old car on the road as long as possible. The fuel savings of this gorgeous Volvo over a decades old Camry will probably never cover additional cost of this new diesel hybrid.

Photos and more details about the V60 Plug-in Hybrid at Volvo.

How do you get people excited about electric vehicles? Get a successful Le Mans racing team to drive one in the EV Cup!

From Minister Of Science To Race Car Driver

Former British Government Minister of Science, Lord Paul Drayson has extensive experience as a scienctific entrepreneur and an advocate of future energy technologies. He has served as a panel member on the FIA, been Honorary President of the MIA.

Drayson Racing is comitted to making motorsports a more environmentally responsibile eneavor. They have shown that they can compete against the best racing teams in the world using green technologies. Last year Drayson Racing finished third in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) Championship is the first to earn a pole position in the Le Mans Series with a car running 100% bio-ethanol.

This August Team Drayson will be switching their focus from biofuels to electric vehicle racing as they compete in the first ever all electric vehicle circuit race series, the EV Cup.

Historic First For Motorsports

Green motorsport will become a reality this summer as the EV Cup stages races in the UK, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. There will be two main competitions one for smaller city cars and another for more adventerous open top sports cars. Race-prepared urban THINK cars will run the City EV cup Edition and Westfield iRacers in the Sports EV Class.

Fast Light And All Electric

Team Drayson plans on competing in the Sports EV Class driving a open top track focused race vehicle. The iRacer has independant motors in the rear wheels producing a combined 730 pound-feet of torque. The 600kg car accellerates from 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds.

Although the the entire car is lighter than an average V8 Engine block stability shouldn’t be an issue. About half of the lithium phosphate batteries, around 100kg are to be placed under the floor to give the car a lower center of gravity. Unlike in conventional motorsports, batteries can easily be placed wherever needed without increasing the overall weight of the vehicle.

Excitement For EV Engineers and Spectators

The EV Cup will be the first time that a zero emission vehicle manufacturer has had the opportunity to develop and test their technology in authentic racing conditions. The flexibility of battery placement and weight distribution should add a competitive element unique to racing EVs.

Assuming this year’s series is successful, we’re likely to see a great deal more EV manufacturers clamoring to enter the EV Cup. The simplicity of EVs over combustion vehicles presents opportunities for innovation that should excite both engineers and spectators, without all the noise and pollution.

The EV Cup is the world’s first circuit race series that features zero-emission electric vehicles exclusively. In effect the EV Cup will be the first time motorsport enthusiasts can enjoy motorsports without promoting reckless use of petroleum.

Urban THINK car top be raced at the EV Cup

There are seven races to be run with both urban and sport cars, and a third with prototypes. The city and sport races will be run with race modified urban THINK cars and high performance Westfield iRACERs. The third category will be a series of time trials exhibiting non-production electric vehicles.

260 BHP high performance Westfield iRACERs to be used at the EV Cup

Since many of Replacing Oil‘s readers are from the USA, I’ll quickly explain the signifigance of Le Mans racing. The Le Mans 24 Hours is the world’s oldest endurance motor race. It’s been held in the French city of the same name since 1923, and Europeans take it very seriously.

Drayson Racing is a unique team founded by Lord Drayson, a former science entrepreneur and UK Minister for Science and Innovation. He formed the Drayson Racing team to apply green technologies in the challenging environment of motor racing.

The team carries out R&D on both EVs and advanced biofuels including ethanol. Last year they placed third in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup using a car fueled with bio-ethanol. They were the first to win pole position and an overall race win in a car fueled with bio-ethanol.

Adding a team that has placed highly in the classic Le Mans race is bound to get the EV Cup much needed recognition from motorsport enthusiasts not typically interested in EVs and green technology. It’s important to remember that when most people hear of electric vehicles they still think of golf carts.

I can’t imagine any single event this year that will win over more converts to the benefits of electric vehicles. This August thousands of spectators will get to see them whiz around a closed track at hair raising speeds. They’ll be making a great deal less noise than combustion vehicles on an everyday expressway without throwing off the stench of burnt hydrocarbons.

In this video Grahame Butterworth chats to Adz about electric car racing and the EV Cup.

The USDA has released the results of an on-farm renewable energy production survey today and the numbers are promising. Solar panels, wind turbines, and methane digesters are now in operation on 8,569 farms and ranches across the country according to the survey conducted by the USDA’s National Statistics Service.

Farmers and ranchers across the country are adopting renewable energy practices. Now with this first of what will hopefully be a recurring series of studies the USDA has a will have a benchmark to measure future success.

Solar is on top methane digesters lagging

According to the survey solar is the most common way to produce energy on America’s farms and ranches, with nearly 8,000 farms and ranches using photovoltaic and thermal solar panels. Wind turbines are a distant second with about 1,400 operations. Methane digesters were only reported in use by 121 operations across 29 states.

The lack of methane digesters is a bit of a shock. With the huge amount of livestock on ranches across the country I wouldd expect a lot more farmers using them, hopefully we’ll see more farmers and ranchers using their animal waste to produce usable methane. Let’s hope the On-Farm Renewable Energy census isn’t on the chopping block during the this year horrible round of budget cuts.

See the complete results of the survey here.

Photo Credit: by certified su via flickr

Strong, Cheap and Green: Novacem Carbon Neutral Concrete Blocks Manufactured with Magnesium Carbonates

A great deal of CO2 is released to the atmosphere during the manufacturing of traditional cement. The team at Novacem has developed a carbon neutral solution to the problem. By incorportating magnesium oxide (MgO) and hydrated magnesium carbonates into their cement the team at Novacem claims they can compete in both terms of cost and quality with standard cement. Here’s how:

• Easily accessible magnesium silicates are far more abundant than raw materials for ordinary Portland cement.
• Production of Novacem cement requires far less energy, allowing the implementation of less expensive biofuels in the manufacturing process.
• Production of the magnesium carbonates absorbs atmospheric CO2

Interested in the carbonation of magnesium silicates? Find out more about Novacem’s breakthrough cement here.