Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Showa Shell Sekiyu, Japan’s fifth-largest oil refiner, plans to invest 100 billion yen, or about $938 million, in a solar-panel megaplant, according to AFP. This is an example of how big energy companies are shifting towards renewable energy sources.
Japanese Shell subsidiary plans solar-panel plant

Volkswagen has released a bullet-shaped microcar called the “One-Liter” that gets a stunning 235 mpg. It is similar in concept to the Aptera (see related post), and like the Aptera, this Volkswagen has paid a lot of attention to aerodynamics. The price-range is similar… the Aptera isn’t quite out on the market yet, but is estimated to go for $30,000. The Volkswagen is expected to be somewhere between “$31,750 to $47,622″. I’m not sure why the huge range in price — perhaps this is due to the fluctuating dollar.