Propane Autogas Fleets Hit California Streets

Roush CleanTech is rolling out fleet vehicles fueled bypropane autogas in California. The California Air Resources Board gave Roushthe green light for its fuel system for Ford E-series passenger and cargo vans.The approval covers Roush's autogas for Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 vansequipped with the 5.4-l V8 engine. Prime Time Shuttle will be using thevehicles as ground transportation at LAX airport.

Propane autogas burns cleanerthan gasoline or diesel, with up to 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, up to 60percent less carbon monoxide, up to 24 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and fewer particulateemissions when compared to gasoline.

Akros Silicon DebutsEnergy-Saving DC-DC Controller

The effort to drivedown energy consumption is going down to the component level. In that spirit, AkrosSilicon has announced four new energy-efficient devices for a wide range ofhigh-power, single-input and single-output dc-dc controllers. The AS12xx seriesis designed to be configurable for flyback, forward, boost or buck powertopologies used in both isolated and non-isolated converter designs. Akros saysthe controller is capable of providing up to 100W.

The company says the device'scurrent-mode architecture provides a fast-loop response and very low "no-load"power consumption. Its wide input voltage range of 8.5 to 57V and high single-railoutput current enable the device to be used in a wide variety of consumerelectronic equipment such as set-top boxes, LCD televisions, DVRs, printers,indoor Wi-Fi access points, as well as industrial Ethernet, motor controlapplications, automotive power and telematics sub-systems.

Lithium-Powered Lawn Mower

Here's a handy electric lawn mower without acord to run over. Driven By Solar has introduced the Ultralite Lithium-PoweredRecharge Mower that runs on a lithium battery designed to reduce the weight ofmany current battery-powered mowers. The battery weighs less than 4 lb. The mower, available through major retailers, is also designed for longrun periods between charges.