Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that the all-new ENEPO^*1 EU9iGB generator, which is powered by easily purchased, used and stored home-use butane canisters, will go on sale on May 13 at Honda power products dealers, Honda-designated home centers, Honda Cars automobile dealers and Honda motorcycle dealers throughout Japan.

The ENEPO EU9iGB generator is the second Honda power product after the Pianta FV200 rotary tiller to be powered by home-use butane gas canisters. Compact and offering output of 900 VA, the reasonably priced ENEPO EU9iGB generator is accessible in three ways. One, its butane fuel is easy to handle and manage. Two, the generator itself is easy to transport and store. Three, it is very easy to use.

The ENEPO EU9iGB generator features Honda’s original high-speed multi-polar alternator generation system and sine wave inverter, enabling it to provide power to fragile instruments such as personal computers, lighting, power tools, cooking equipment and other appliances using 900 W or less of electricity.^*2 Intended for use outside,^*3 the ENEPO EU9iGB generator has large casters and a fold-down handle that make it easy to push or pull with one hand, as well as packaging that makes it easy to stow and store. In addition, as compared to Honda gasoline-powered generators of identical output, the ENEPO EU9iGB produces approximately 10 percent lower CO₂ emissions per hour of work performed.^*4

Ideal as a power source for outdoor leisure activities and as a backup power source during power failures and similar situations, the ENEPO EU9iGB generator is positioned to create a new market for compact and convenient electrical generators.

• Key Features of the ENEPO EU9iGB
	Easy to use in a wide variety of applications
1)	Fuel that is easy to use and store
	· For fuel, the ENEPO EU9iGB uses home-use butane gas canisters, which are widely available, easy to store and easy to use. Loaded with two canisters, the ENEPO EU9iGB can run continuously for approximately 1.1 hours at rated load with Eco-Throttle in operation to a maximum of approximately 2.2 hours at 1/4 load with Eco-Throttle in operation. The specified butane gas canisters are produced by Toho Metal Industries Co., Ltd. · To load a butane canister, the user simply aligns the tip of the canister with the arrow on the fuel loading port. A sensor lever prevents misalignment, helps the user lock a canister tip in place with a single motion and a fastening lever allows the user to position and load two canisters at the same time. · Butane gas fuel allows for clog-free operation. In addition, the canisters can be stored for an extended period of time, allowing for smooth and easy restarting of the generator. · A high-volume*5 impurity catch cup built into the regulator removes impurities, preventing them from entering the mixer. The result is enhanced generator startup after long periods of use and enhanced generator durability. *5 Approximately 550 canisters (300 hours of use at rated load)
2)	Easy to transport
	· The standard large casters and fold-down handle make the ENEPO EU9iGB easy to push or pull with one hand. · The ENEPO EU9iGB may be laid on its side for shipping or transport by car.*6 *6 For short-term storage or shipping only
3)	Easy to start
	· The simple, easy-to-understand startup process is clearly described in print on the unit, making it easy for even first-time users to start the ENEPO EU9iGB: 1. Open the gas canister cover and insert two canisters using the above-mentioned method. 2. Turn engine switch to ON. 3. Pull recoil grip to start.
4)	Easy to use
	· Thanks to Honda’s original sine wave inverter technology, the ENEPO EU9iGB produces a stable supply of electricity equivalent in quality to standard household power. · A parallel connecting cord (sold separately) allows two ENEPO EU9iGB units to be used together for combined output of 1,800 VA. The ENEPO EU9iGB may also be used in parallel with the Honda EU9i gasoline engine generator.*7 *7 Excluding the EU9i entry
	Outstanding environmental performance
	· The Eco-Throttle function automatically optimizes engine rpms based on the power consumption of powered devices, contributing to enhanced fuel economy and reduced noise. · As compared to Honda gasoline-powered generators of identical output, the ENEPO EU9iGB produces approximately 10 percent lower CO2 emissions per hour of work performed. · The standard silent muffler and engine cover reduce noise, allowing for early morning operation. · The ENEPO EU9iGB is officially designated as ultra-low-noise construction equipment under Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism noise regulations.
	Features for safety and convenience
	· The two fuel loading ports include check valves to prevent butane from flowing from a canister with higher pressure to a canister with lower pressure. · An accelerometer in the inverter senses if the unit falls over during operation, turning it off. In addition, a breather chamber between the crankcase and the mixer returns inflowing engine oil to the crankcase, preventing oil from leaking or smoldering should the unit fall over. · An LED display clearly indicates current output, as well as such warnings as overload, low oil, overturned unit and improper unit angle.
	Smart and slim design
	· Tall and slim and without protruding parts, the ENEPO EU9iGB is easy for even first-time users to understand and use. Its smart and slim design makes it easy to move about, load in a car and store. · Large, easy-to-understand instructions for using the ENEPO EU9iGB are printed on the unit itself for easy access at all times.
	Principal Specifications

Model		ENEPO EU9iGB
Rated AC output (50/60Hz)		100V – 900VA
Continuous operating hours (h)		Approximately 1.1 (rated load)-2.2 (1/4 load)*
Generator type		Multi-pole inverter
Operating Noise (dB[A]/LwA)		81 (3/4 load)*
		79 (1/4 load)-84 (rated load)*
Length (mm)		365
Width (mm)		262/442
Height (mm)		524/944
Dry weight (kg)		19.5
Overall equipment weight (kg)		20.4
Fuel type		Butane gas canisters*8
Fuel weight (g) (two canisters)		500 (standard weight of fuel in two canisters)
Startup temperature range (°C)		5-40
Engine model (type)		GXH57 (air-cooled 4-stroke single-cylinder OHV)
Displacement (cm3)		57.3
Ignition system		Fully transistorized (spark-advance control)
Starting system		Manual
Standard equipment	Generator/engine	Eco-Throttle, sine wave inverter control, parallel operation jack, overload warning lamp, output indicator lamp, low oil/overturned unit warning lamp
	Frame	Fold-down handle, large casters

Recently named Nielsen “Automotive Ad of the Year,” an accolade based on the effectiveness of an ad in terms of positive consumer recollection, the debut TV commercial for the uniquely styled and award-winning 2010 Kia Soul five-door urban passenger vehicle now has been honored with a 2010 Silver EFFIE Award. The EFFIE Awards (short for effective), given by the American Marketing Association, New York Chapter, recognize the most effective advertising efforts in the U.S. each year. The Kia Soul television ad won the EFFIE in the “David v. Goliath” category, which grants awards to smaller, new or emerging brands that challenge category leaders head-on.

“Designed to offer consumers a ‘new way to roll’ with a distinct style and a number of personalization options, Soul is aimed at the young and young-at-heart looking for a vehicle perfectly suited to their personalities,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing, Kia Motors America. “The hamsters’ immediate popularity helped position Soul as Kia’s halo vehicle and showcased the brand’s emerging signature design direction, which, along with quality, safety and value, has propelled Kia to tier-one status.”

Created by David&Goliath, the Soul ad depicts city and suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters who mindlessly run in place inside their exercise wheels until a Molten Red Kia Soul pulls up to a stoplight and the passenger window rolls down to reveal a trio of paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters who have discovered “A New Way to Roll.”

Portraying Soul as a lounge on wheels with its highly specified audio system that includes speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music, the hamsters bob their heads to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions of the spot to keep each viewing fresh. Viewers with a sharp eye can identify song and artist information on the hamsters’ iPod® screen, and the campaign extended online with each track available for download at www.kiasoul.com.

The EFFIE Awards, judged by experienced business leaders from around the world, are selected using a two-round evaluation process analyzing entries on a stand-alone basis and then comparing them against other finalists in their category. Entries are evaluated using criteria intended to determine a marketing case’s overall effectiveness and given four scores in different areas analyzing specific attributes of the campaign, including Strategic Challenge and Objectives, Overall Idea, Bringing the Idea to Life and Results.

In response to the immense popularity of the initial campaign, the hamsters have made an encore appearance in the new “This or That” campaign, also created by David&Golath. In this new chapter of the Kia Soul hamster story, the loveable creatures are shown driving through city streets to the tune of the hip-hop song “The Choice is Yours” by The Black Sheep, giving viewers the choice between “This,” the funky and uniquely styled Soul, or “That,” a number of boring and mundane appliances on wheels, cardboard boxes or hamster wheels. The new spot debuted on cable on May 26 and can be seen in theaters and online.

Soul offers an immense amount of style and value on top of an extensive list of standard safety features sure to appeal to all consumers looking for a well-equipped vehicle suited to their personalities, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, the five-door hatchback offers an attractive starting price below $14,000¹ as well as unique and utilitarian style. Designed with the young and young-at-heart in mind, Soul presents an immense amount of style, value and function with a surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will benefit from numerous standard convenience features, including an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio capabilities (including a three month complimentary subscription)², and USB and auxiliary input jacks in the center console with full iPod³ and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls (achieved with an optional Kia accessory cable).

KMA has released four special edition Souls – Denim, Ignition, Shadow Dragon and most recently Ghost – based on the Soul+ trim. Offering consumers even more ways to personalize the Soul, each special edition comes with its own unique exterior color and packaging.

Scientists have been hard at work harnessing the power of microbes as an attractive source of clean energy. Now, Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University researcher Dr. Prathap Parameswaran and his colleagues have investigated a means for enhancing the efficiency of clean energy production by using specialized bacteria.

Microbial electrochemical cells or MXCs are able to use bacterial respiration as a means of  liberating electrons, which can be used to generate current and make clean electricity.  With minor reconfiguring such devices can also carry out electrolysis, providing  a green path to hydrogen production, reducing reliance on natural gas and other fossil fuels, now used for most hydrogen manufacture.

Dr. Prathap Parameswaran showing the electrode used in the microbial electrochemical cell (MEC).

MXCs resemble a battery, with a Mason jar-sized chamber setup for each terminal.  The bacteria are grown in the “positive” chamber (called the anode).  The research team, led by Bruce Rittmann, director of Biodesign’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology, had previously shown that the bacteria are able to live and thrive on the anode electrode, and can use waste materials as food, (the bacteria’s dietary staples include pig manure or other farm waste) to grow while transferring electrons onto the electrode to make electricity.

In a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), like that used in the current study, the electrons produced at the anode join positiviely charged protons in the negative (cathode) chamber to form hydrogen gas. “The reactions that happen at the MEC anode are the same as for a microbial fuel cell which is used to generate electricity, “ Parameswaran says. “The final output is different depending on how we operate it.”

When the bacteria are grown in an oxygen-free, or anaerobic environment, they attach to the MXC’s anode, forming a sticky matrix of sugar and protein. In such environments, when fed with organic compounds, an efficient partnership of bacteria gets established in the biofilm anode, consisting of fermenters, hydrogen scavengers, and anode respiring bacteria (ARB). This living matrix, known as the biofilm anode, is a strong conductor, able to efficiently transfer electrons to the anode where they follow a current gradient across to the cathode side.

The present study demonstrates that the level of electron flow from the anode to the cathode can be improved by selecting for additional bacteria known as homo-acetogens,  in the anode chamber. Homo-acetogens capture the electrons from hydrogen in waste material, producing acetate, which is a very favorable electron donor for the anode bacteria.

The study shows that under favorable conditions, the anode bacteria could convert  hydrogen to current more efficiently after forming a mutual relationship or syntrophy with homo-acetogens. The team was also able to reduce the negative impact of other hydogen consuming microbes, such as methane-producing methanogens, which otherwise steal some of the available electrons in the system, thereby reducing current.  The selective inhibition of methanogens was accomplished by the adding a chemical called 2-bromoethane sulfonic acid to the adode’s microbial stew.

The group used both chemical and genomic methods to confirm the identify of homo-acetogens.  In addition to detection of acetate, formate, an intermediary product, was also discovered. With the aid of quantitative PCR analysis, the team was also able to pick up the genomic signature of acetogens in the form of FTHFS, a gene specifically associated with acetogenesis.

“We were able to establish that these homo-acetogens can prevail and form relationships,” Parameswaran says. Future research will explore ways to sustain syntrophic relations between homo-acetogens and anode bacteria, in the absence of the chemical inhibitors.

Further progress could pave the way for eventual large-scale commercialization of systems to simultaneously treat wastewater and generate clean energy. “One of the biggest limitations right now is our lack of knowledge,” says Cesar Torres, one of the current study’s co-authors, who stresses that there remains much to understand about the interactions of bacterial communities within MXCs.

The field is still very young, Torres points out, noting that work on MXCs only began about 8 years ago. “I think over the next 5-10 years the community will bring a lot of information that will be really helpful and that will lead us to good applications.”

The team’s results appear in the advanced online issue of the journal Bioresource Technology.

TOKYO, Japan, April 13, 2010 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. revealed the latest prototype of the EV-neo electric scooter and announced plans to begin lease sales in Japan in December 2010 to businesses and individual business owners who provide mainly delivery services.

Honda developed the EV-neo, an electric scooter designed to provide the durability necessary for business use, envisioning a wide range of uses by businesses such as delivery services. Equipped with a lithium-ion battery and a brushless motor, EV-neo realizes excellent environmental performance with zero CO₂ emissions in use. The battery is rechargeable using a household power source with attention given to the range per charge. Moreover, EV-neo provides performance equivalent to that of mass-market under-50cc gasoline engine motorcycles realizing a powerful ride even with cargo by leveraging the characteristics of a high-torque motor even at a low speed ride.

Under the key words of “quiet and clean” Honda held the world premier exhibition of the EV-neo concept model (under the name EVE-neo) at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in 2009 as one of Honda’s new-generation personal mobility products which will contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society while transporting people and cargo. The mass-market model of EV-neo is currently under development.

Honda will continue providing products with excellent environmental performance to more customers in order to contribute to global CO₂ emission reduction efforts.

[ Key specifications of EV-neo Prototype ]

		VIDEO: Biodesign Institute researcher Xinyao Liu explains the advantages of genetically optimizing cyanobacteria to secrete high-energy fatty acids for renewable biofuel production. Click here for more information.

Using genetic sleight of hand, researcher Xinyao Liu and professor Roy Curtiss at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute have coaxed photosynthetic microbes to secrete oil—bypassing energy and cost barriers that have hampered green biofuel production. Their results appear in this week’s advanced online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences or PNAS.

The challenges of developing a renewable biofuel source that is competitive with the current scalability and low-cost of petroleum have been daunting. “The real costs involved in any biofuel production are harvesting the fuel precursors and turning them into fuel,” said Roy Curtiss, director of the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and professor in the School of Life Sciences. “By releasing their precious cargo outside the cell, we have optimized bacterial metabolic engineering to develop a truly green route to biofuel production.”

Photosynthetic microbes called cyanobacteria offer attractive advantages over the use of plants like corn or switchgrass, producing many times the energy yield with energy input from the sun and without the necessity of taking arable cropland out of production.

Lead author Xinyao Liu and Curtiss, applied their expertise in the development of bacterial-based vaccines to genetically optimize cyanobacteria for biofuel production. Last year, they were able to modify these microbes, priming them to self-destruct and release their lipid contents. In the group’s lastest effort however, the energy-rich fatty acids were extracted without killing the cells in the process.

		IMAGE: Using genetic sleight of hand, researcher Xinyao Liu at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute coaxed photosynthetic microbes to secrete oil — bypassing energy and cost barriers that have hampered green… Click here for more information.

“In China, we have a saying,” Liu says. “We don’t kill the hen to get the eggs.” Rather than destroying the cyanobacteria, the group has ingeniously reengineered their genetics, producing mutant strains that continuously secrete fatty acids through their cell walls. The cyanobacteria essentially act like tiny biofuel production facilities.

Liu realized that if cyanobacteria could be cajoled into overproducing fatty acids, their accumulation within the cells would eventually cause these fatty acids to leak out through the cell membrane, through the process of diffusion. To accomplish this, Liu introduced a specific enzyme, known as thioesterase, into cyanobacteria.

The enzyme is able to uncouple fatty acids from complex carrier proteins, freeing them within the cell where they accumulate, until the cell secretes them. “I use genes that can steal fatty acids from the lipid synthesis pathway,” Liu explains noting that thioesterase acts to efficiently clip the bonds associating the fatty acids with more complex molecules. This use of modified thioesterases to cause secretion of fatty acids was first described for Escherichia coli by John Cronan of the University of Illinois more than a decade ago.

A second series of modifications enhances the secretion process, by genetically deleting or modifying two key layers of the cellular envelope—known as the S and peptidoglycan layers—allowing fatty acids to more easily escape outside the cell, where their low water solubility causes them to precipitate out of solution, forming a whitish residue on the surface. Study results show a 3-fold increase in fatty acid yield, after genetic modification of the two membrane layers.

To improve the fatty acid production even further, the group added genes to cause overproduction of fatty acid precursors and removed some cellular pathways that were non-essential to the survival of cyanobacteria. Such modifications ensure that the microbe’s resources are devoted to basic survival and lipid production.

		IMAGE: Photosynthetic microbes called cyanobacteria offer attractive advantages over the use of plants like corn or switchgrass, producing many times the energy yield with energy input from the sun and without… Click here for more information.

Liu emphasizes that the current research has moved along at a lightening clip, with only about 6 months passing from the initial work, through production of the first strains—a fact he attributes to the formidable expertise in the area of microbial genetic manipulation, assembled at the Biodesign Institute. “I don’t think any group would have the capacity to do this as fast,” he said.

Professor Roy Curtiss agrees, noting that “the seminal advance has been to combine a number of genetic modifications and enzyme activities previously described in other bacteria and in plants in the engineered cyanobacteria strains along with the introduction of newly discovered modifications to increase production and secretion of fatty acids. The results to date are encouraging and we are confident of making further improvements to achieve enhanced productivity in strains currently under construction and development. In addition, optimizing growth conditions associated with scale-up will also improve productivity.”

The team, which includes researchers Daniel Brune and Wim Vermaas, is also optimistic that significantly higher fatty acid yields will be obtainable, as research continues.

The research opens the door to practical use of this promising source of clean energy.

-Written by Richard Harth
Biodesign Institute Science Writer
richard.harth@asu.edu

		IMAGE: Georgia Tech professor Zhong Lin Wang holds an improved nanogenerator containing 700 rows of nanowire arrays. The generator was used to power nanometer-scale sensors. Click here for more information.

Self-powered nanosensors

By combining a new generation of piezoelectric nanogenerators with two types of nanowire sensors, researchers have created what are believed to be the first self-powered nanometer-scale sensing devices that draw power from the conversion of mechanical energy. The new devices can measure the pH of liquids or detect the presence of ultraviolet light using electrical current produced from mechanical energy in the environment.

Based on arrays containing as many as 20,000 zinc oxide nanowires in each nanogenerator, the devices can produce up to 1.2 volts of output voltage, and are fabricated with a chemical process designed to facilitate low-cost manufacture on flexible substrates. Tests done with nearly one thousand nanogenerators – which have no mechanical moving parts – showed that they can be operated over time without loss of generating capacity.

Details of the improved nanogenerator and self-powered nanosensors were scheduled to be reported March 28 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“We have demonstrated a robust way to harvest energy and use it for powering nanometer-scale sensors,” said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “We now have a technology roadmap for scaling these nanogenerators up to make truly practical applications.”

		IMAGE: Georgia Tech Professor Zhong Lin Wang and researchers Chen Xu and Sheng Xu examine images of nanowire arrays used in their improved nanogenerator. Click here for more information.

For the past five years, Wang’s research team has been developing nanoscale generators that use the piezoelectric effect – which produces electrical charges when wires made from zinc oxide are subjected to strain. The strain can be produced by simply flexing the wires, and current from many wires can be constructively combined to power small devices. The research effort has recently focused on increasing the amount of current and voltage generated and on making the devices more robust.

In the paper, Wang and collaborators report on a new configuration for the nanowires that embeds both ends of the tiny structures in a polymer substrate. The wires can then generate current as they are compressed in a flexible nanogenerator enclosure, eliminating the contact with a metallic electrode that was required in earlier devices. Because the generators are completely enclosed, they can be used in a variety of environments.

“We can now grow the wires chemically on substrates that are foldable and flexible and the processing can now be done at substrate temperatures of less than 100 degrees Celsius – about the temperature of coffee,” explained Wang. “That will allow lower cost fabrication and growth on just about any substrate.”

The nanogenerators are produced using a multi-step process that includes fabrication of electrodes that provide both Ohmic and Shottky contacts for the nanowires. The arrays can be grown both vertically and laterally. To maximize current and voltage, the growth and assembly requires alignment of crystalline growth, as well as the synchronization of charging and discharging cycles.

		IMAGE: This figure shows (a) fabrication of a vertical-nanowire integrated nanogenerator (VING), (b) design of a lateral-nannowire integrated nanogenerator (LING) array, (c) scanning electron microscope image of a row of laterally-grown… Click here for more information.

Production of vertical nanogenerators begins with growing zinc oxide nanowires on a gold-coated surface using a wet chemical method. A layer of polymethyl-methacrylate is then spun-coated onto the nanowires, covering them from top to bottom. Oxygen plasma etching is then performed, leaving clean tips on which a piece of silicon wafer coated with platinum is placed. The coated silicon provides a Shottky barrier, which is essential for maintaining electrical current flow.

The alternating current output of the nanogenerators depends on the amount of strain applied. “At a strain rate of less than two percent per second, we can produce output voltage of 1.2 volts,” said Wang. “The power output is matched with the external load.”

Lateral nanogenerators integrating 700 rows of zinc oxide nanowires produced a peak voltage of 1.26 volts at a strain of 0.19 percent. In a separate nanogenerator, vertical integration of three layers of zinc oxide nanowire arrays produced a peak power density of 2.7 milliwatts per cubic centimeter.

Wang’s team has so far produced two tiny sensors that are based on zinc oxide nanowires and powered by the nanogenerators. By measuring the amplitude of voltage changes across the device when exposed to different liquids, the pH sensor can measure the acidity of liquids. An ultraviolet nanosensor depends on similar voltage changes to detect when it is struck by ultraviolet light.

In addition to Wang, the team authoring the paper included Sheng Xu, Yong Qin, Chen Xu, Yaguang Wei, and Rusen Wang, all from Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering.

The new generator and nanoscale sensors open new possibilities for very small sensing devices that can operate without batteries, powered by mechanical energy harvested from the environment. Energy sources could include the motion of tides, sonic waves, mechanical vibration, the flapping of a flag in the wind, pressure from shoes of a hiker or the movement of clothing.

“Building devices that are small isn’t sufficient,” Wang noted. “We must also be able to power them in a sustainable way that allows them to be mobile. Using our new nanogenerator, we can put these devices into the environment where they can work independently and sustainably without requiring a battery.”