Posted on 20 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit’s R&D division is busy creating a windshield that’ll, at its core, enable us to halt running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road’s edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we’ll theoretically react faster. Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don’t see why younger motorists won’t benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you’ll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we’re one step closer to full-on autopilot.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 19 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit’s R&D division is busy creating a windshield that will, at its core, enable us to cease running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road’s edge superior, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we’ll theoretically react faster. Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don’t see why younger motorists won’t benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you’ll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we’re one step closer to full-on autopilot.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Posted on 18 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Never heard of Fresno-Yosemite International? Thanks to this low-key airport now housing the largest solar installation of any airport in the entire United Says, you have now. Arriving passengers will notice the panels a half-mile out, as they cover about seven football fields worth of land and will eventually result in taxpayer savings of $11 million. The 2-megawatt farm has been churning out clean energy for the past month, and electricity from the installation helps to run “everything from airport lighting to tower communications.” FYI’s aviation director even noted that it would “produce about 40% of its annual electrical stipulation.” If you’re worried that other locales won’t follow suit, don’t be — a similar, albeit smaller system is already in the works at DEN.
[Via Gadling, thanks Trowa]
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 17 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
It might still be
squabbling with Tesla over some allegedly stolen secrets, but it looks like
Fisker is still moving full steam ahead with its Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, with Valmet Automotive now announcing its intention to manufacturer the vehicle en masse in Finland. As Fisker itself had announced way back when, they’re expecting to churn out 15,000 of the vehicles annually, with the first of ‘em sent to land in North America sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009, and Europeans getting theirs shortly thereafter in 2010. Apparently, Valmet was chosen to manufacture the vehicle after an “extensive global search,” with its location in Finland in particular working in its favor given that more than half of Fisker’s vehicles are expected to be sold outside of North America.
[Thanks, Timo]
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 14 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Move over, Elon Musk — the Tesla owners club is about to get larger. The upstart electric-car company announced the delivery of the first nine production Roadsters to customers in California earlier this week, with several more to follow at the rate of four per week, and the plan is to start building 100 a month by December, when that new transmission is ready. That’s pretty ambitious, but Tesla’s brought in some big guns to help make it happen — the company just hired Mike Donoughe as EVP of Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing. Donoughe is fresh off a 24-year stint at Chrysler, where he was most recently in charge of revamping all of the company’s mid-size sedans. Word on the street is that Donoughe could have written his own ticket at any major carmaker, so it’s interesting that he landed at Telsa, where he’ll be working on the Model S as well as the Roadster. Oh, and there’s a new Tesla store in Menlo Park, in case you were looking to blow a swift $100K in Silicon Valley — aren’t we all?
Popularity: 2% [?]
Posted on 13 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Move over, Elon Musk — the Tesla owners club is about to get more massive. The upstart electric-car company announced the delivery of the first nine production Roadsters to customers in California earlier this week, with several more to follow at the rate of four per week, and the plan is to start building 100 a month by December, when that new transmission is ready. That’s pretty ambitious, but Tesla’s brought in some massive guns to help make it happen — the company just hired Mike Donoughe as EVP of Automobile Engineering and Manufacturing. Donoughe is fresh off a 24-year stint at Chrysler, where he was most recently in charge of revamping all of the company’s mid-size sedans. Word on the street is that Donoughe could have written his own ticket at any major carmaker, so it’s interesting that he landed at Telsa, where he’ll be working on the Model S as well as the Roadster. Oh, and there’s a new Tesla store in Menlo Park, in case you were looking to blow a swift $100K in Silicon Valley — aren’t we all?
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 12 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
We love dirigibles and we’re not about to apologize for it, so that’s why Boeing’s new Skyhook JHL-40 airship has us ooh’ing and aah’ing in wonder. The eight-engine blimp is being developed for 40-ton 200-mile hauls in adverse environments such as wildernesses and what Boeing calls places “no other kind of transport can go.” It is also slated to have a minimal impact on the environment with a carbon-minimal footprint as it won’t require new roadways in remote areas. Of the eight engines, four provide lift while the other four control direction. Two production prototypes are under development at its Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Park, PA. Can we sign up for a test flight? Maybe? Just a tiny?
[Via Coolest Gadgets]
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 11 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Vehicle companies have been promising fully electric autos for decades, but it seems like we’re finally on the cusp of fuel-free, silent running. The Tesla, Zap, and Six50 EVs will all be on the road within the next year or so (we’re betting on “so”), and GM’s much-anticipated Volt plug-in will come a year after that. Nissan would like to politely remind you that it too plans to have an all-electric auto in U.S. by 2010, all the while lining up charging stations at places like commuter parking lots and train stations. The company recently showed off an all-electric version of its popular (in Japan) Cube at the NY Auto Show, so it’s a safe bet that the above is Nissan’s vision for the all-electric future of American highways. Shame they couldn’t have picked something a tiny sportier.
[Via Autoblog]
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted on 10 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Hydrogen vehicles may not be quite as in favor as
hybrids or
all-electrics these days, but ITM Power looks to be doing its best to at least make ‘em a bit more convenient, with it now showing off a re-fueling station that it states could be installed in the home. Like similar systems, this one makes use of an electrolyzer to produce hydorgen gas from water and electricity, which can also be converted back into electricty with the aid of an internal combustion generator to provide power to the home. You’ll only be able to produce enough gas overnight to travel about 25 miles, however, but the company (like so many others) forsees higher-pressure refuelling units being installed in public places, which’d be able to provide enough gas to travel 100 miles. While there’s no firm word on a release for the home unit, ITM says it “could” be commercially availble as soon as this year, and it states the price could eventually get down to around
Popularity: 1% [?]
Popularity: 2% [?]
Posted on 09 July 2008 by admin
Filed under: Transportation
Hydrogen vehicles may not be quite as in favor as
hybrids or
all-electrics these days, but ITM Power looks to be doing its best to at least make ‘em a bit more convenient, with it now showing off a re-fueling station that it says could be installed in the home. Like similar systems, this one makes use of an electrolyzer to produce hydorgen gas from water and electricity, which can also be converted back into electricty with the aid of an internal combustion generator to provide power to the home. You’ll only be able to produce enough gas overnight to travel about 25 miles, however, but the company (like so many others) forsees higher-pressure refuelling units being installed in public places, which’d be able to provide enough gas to travel 100 miles. While there’s no firm word on a release for the home unit, ITM says it “could” be commercially availble as soon as this year, and it says the price could eventually get down to around
Popularity: 2% [?]
Photos from our Flickr stream
