tata

Steel giant Tata Steel has partnered with Australian solar developer Dyesol to produce a steel girder coated with solar panels, both companies announced this week.

The prototype girder was made as one continuous length of coated steel 10 feet long that can capture both direct and diffuse light. The solar cells were "printed" directly onto the steel as opposed to being a composite of multiple cells added to an existing steel girder. The new process will enable Tata Steel to integrate photovoltaics in building materials in volume for a moderate cost.

It's the world's largest dye-sensitized … Read more

BOSTON--For the most part, the world's energy system is highly centralized. Tata Power of India is exploring whether smaller-scale distributed energy can work in a country where hundreds of millions of people don't have access to electricity.

Earlier this month, I met with Avinash Patkar, the chief sustainability officer of Tata Power, which is the power division of India-based Tata, an industrial giant with businesses in steel, software, autos, chemicals, and telecommunications.

As electricity service is extended to more people in India, Tata Power is projecting rapid growth from about 3,000 megawatts of capacity now to 25,… Read more

Genovation Cars announced it has penned a deal with K2 Energy Solutions to use K2's battery packs in the G2 line of electric automobiles.

Genovation's G2 concept model, designed by Tata Technologies, incorporates the K2 battery pack. The Dana Holding Corporation designed the G2's Thermal Management System to include the K2 battery pack as part of an integrated component, the company said.

K2's engineers have created battery systems based on a lithium iron phosphate cathode material. The company says these batteries are safe, economical, and "ideal for the large-format systems required for electric vehicle and … Read more

Sun Catalytix, a start-up developing a low-cost catalyst for hydrogen-based energy system, said today that Indian industrial conglomerate Tata has invested in the company.

Tata and Sun Catalytix's current investor, venture capital firm Polaris Ventures, put $9.5 million into the start-up in its series B round of funding.

The investment will allow Sun Catalytix to develop prototypes of its energy system, Daniel Nocera, the MIT professor who developed the technology and founded the company, said in a statement.

Nocera's research has focused on designing a catalyst made of inexpensive materials to break off hydrogen from water. Sun … Read more

Maybe there's something to all this talk about the "new GM." General Motors, which filled its money bin for years by churning out SUVs and other behemoths roughly the size of aircraft carriers, now may be benchmarking ... Tata?

The tiny $2,500 Nano introduced this year by Tata Motors of India has GM pondering an under-$5,000 minicar for emerging markets.

"It's definitely a segment that is interesting," said spokesman Johan Willems, who wouldn't say whether GM is developing such a vehicle.

Willems was responding to a question prompted by a report … Read more

Hummer and Saturn get new parents, new mini cars are coming to the U.S., we learn what consumers really want in car tech, and we roll in a new hybrid sedan we really like.

• Fiat 500 coming Chrysler stores

• Hummer sold, Humvee is not!

• Saturn sold to Roger Penske

• Mitsubishi i-MIEV electric car goes on sale soon

• Belkin FM transmitter uses GPS to find open frequencies

Large automakers are sitting out the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition for the time being, despite the green marketing opportunity.

No big auto companies are competing for the privately funded $10 million prize.

The X Prize money will be awarded in 2010 to a team that develops a vehicle getting at least 100 mpg that wins a series of races designed to simulate real-world driving conditions.

Vehicles that don't use gasoline must get the energy equivalent of 100 mpg.

Tesla Motors Inc. entered an electric vehicle in the mainstream category, which covers vehicles that meet strict performance rules. India'… Read more

New York comes alive with its car show, car batteries that are grown, not built, want to steal a car legally? And a ride in a little Dodge that defies description.

• CNET's NY auto show highlights

• CNET's Infiniti G37 Coupe review

• Tata Nano goes on sale

• A ride in the Segway/GM PUMA

• MIT grows batteries