Category: Transportation

Tesla is building a network of free charging stations

Tesla Motors is making great strides in eliminating the ‘range anxiety’ argument against electric cars. Their cars already offer amazing range (hundreds of miles, depending on the battery option chosen), but now they’re building a nationwide network of solar-powered charging stations where Tesla car owners can top off their cars for FREE! This means that you can drive from coast to coast for just the cost of food and lodging. No gas stations to worry about, just plan your trip accordingly and stop for ~30 minutes every few hundred miles at one of the ‘Supercharger’ stations. There are currently six of these stations in California, with a fast nationwide roll out planned.

You can read more about it in their press release or view the Supercharger website here.

Aerofex hover bike

A real, functional hover bike!  While the image to the left is just a next generation concept image, the videos below show a functional prototype.  While it still seems a bit rough around the edges, this concept works and I can’t wait to see it evolve.  It uses ducted fans and a clever mechanical control system to enhance stability (when the rider leans, a force is applied to control bars located in the knee area).  Check out more over at Aerofex.

84mpg VW Passat

With all the hype about hybrid vehicles these days, people tend to forget about efficient gas and especially diesel cars.  VW is the leader in this with their TDI diesel, and just recently John and Helen Taylor set a new record for the longest distance driven on one tank of diesel – 1626 miles!  That averages to 84.1mpg in a STOCK 2012 VW Passat (the official EPA rating for this car is 43mpg…so much of this gain was due to driving technique no doubt).  No modifications, zilch.  They even included 120lbs of luggage to make it a realistic road trip.  With this sort of gas mileage in a mid-size German sedan, hybrids don’t look nearly as impressive.

Full press release after the break.

(via Autoblog)

Continue reading “84mpg VW Passat” →

Solar powered boat completes round the world journey

I have mixed feelings about this one.  PlanetSolar is less than one day from completing a circumnavigation using a boat powered only by the sun; it’s taken them about 600 days to do this.  I’m not quite sure what they’re trying to prove here.  If you want to go ‘green’ on your trip around the world, solar just can’t compete with wind.  Sailboats are a proven ‘green’ technology that are faster and can go more places in the world’s oceans (PlanetSolar is limited more to the equatorial regions where the sun’s more direct rays result in more powered gathered by the solar panels).  Likewise, storms pose little challenge for sailboats but the cloud cover hurts the performance of PlanetSolar.  Yes, solar is useful even on sailboats for powering shipboard electronics, but when it comes to propulsion, the abundant wind on the oceans is a fantastic, proven resource.

A solar boat?  I don’t get it.  Hoist the mainsail, matey.

How differentials work

I’ve always loved this video…it explains how automotive differentials work (and why they’re needed).  It’s a seldom appreciated, little understood, but extremely critical part that you’ll find in any modern car or truck.  Good video for kids too!

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