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| A Swedish startup has unveiled an all-electric, driverless logging truck. The t-log has a range of about 120 miles on a charge and can travel about 50 mph fully loaded. |
Showing posts with label WHEELS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WHEELS. Show all posts
the t/log driverless logging truck
Porsche P1 Electric Car
The first Porsche-designed car was unveiled in Stuttgart, Germany, on Monday. It had been sitting in an old shed in Austria since 1902.
The car is, officially, the 1898 Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton. It's known as P1, signifying Ferdinand Porsche's first design.
It is an electric-power car, developed by Ferdinand Porsche, who founded the namesake sports-car company in 1948.
... from yesterday's edition of USA Today. Read more here.
The Real Price of Gas
The Motley Fool comments on this chart saying: "There are two big takeaways from the chart.
One is that gas prices are much higher today than they were during the 1990s and early 2000s. There's no disputing that.
The other is that real gas prices are no higher today than they were a decade ago. That's largely due to two factors. In 2003, the average new passenger vehicle got 29.5 miles per gallon, while today a new car averages 35.6 MPG. And annual miles driven per capita has declined 5% over the past decade."
The Honda Urban SUV
I am not sure that the world needs a new small SUV - especially one smaller than the CRV. What do you think? Would you buy one?
What ever happened to cars riding on air?
ZDNet has posted some great images from the Detroit Auto Show. Several interesting concept cars and hybrids were included in their photo gallery. I did not see any though that rode on air, instead of wheels, the way that folks dreamed of 50 years ago.
Of the 24 cars displayed I think that I enjoyed this BMW i8 Concept Car the most. Maybe it is just those Delorean style doors. :)
Tesla Model S Sedan
This is my third post about Tesla's electric cars. I posted about their roadster here and here. The Model S (pictured left) will feature a minimum 160 mile range with a more expensive version boasting 300 miles. The base is much less than the $100k+ tag on the rodaster but is still high at $57k.
Not sure that I am ready for a total electric car. How about you?
Charged Roadways
The idea of electric cars have been in the news occasionally for decades. The challenge has always been the charging of such vehicles. Found this tidbit in a ZDNet article today.
Interested in going electric? What would it take for you to buy a pure electric vehicle?
Not sure how realistic such a wireless charging technology idea is but I like the concept a lot more than that of having a charging station at home - especially for people like me who live in condos/apartments and do not have available power sources in their parking laces.SmartPlanet contributing editor Mark Halper reports from the England that a British car-racing team will soon start easing a technology for dynamic or “on-the-go” charging. The idea is that the roadway would include power strips that would charge a vehicle as it moves along. Yes, kind of like those toy car and train sets that you used to have when you were a kid.
Halper reports that Drayson Racing Technologies is working on the concept with HaloIPT, a company in London that develops wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.
Interested in going electric? What would it take for you to buy a pure electric vehicle?
The Best Thing about the Royal Wedding
Father Charles loaned his 42-year-old Aston Martin DB6 Volante MkII to the newlyweds.
The car, the main show for guys on an otherwise chick day, had been previously converted to run on bioethanol made from "English wine wastage" - of which there is no shortage.
Note the "JU5T WED" license plate and crazy "L" (for Learner) on the grill.
66 Shelby Ford Mustang GT350 found in a Shed
You just never know what you are going to find when you clean out one of those old abandoned storage sheds. According to this report Bill Fair, a 40 year veteran auctioneer, found a 1966 Shelby Ford Mustang GT350 in a storage shed, about one hour from my place, in Lecompton, Kansas. Here is a clip from the article:
Apparently Fair has been offered $60,000 but the car, now sitting in San Antonio, is expecting to bring the state of Texas $200,000 at auction. Any takers?What Fair found was a classic 66 Shelby Mustang one of only 1,100 made, and sold from Carroll Shelby's personal car lot. The fastback was sitting in the middle of a huge pile of junk in a storage unit. It has been there 26 years and was in near perfect condition.
1966 Shelby Mustang found in a Shed
"In the middle of all the trash was a car," he said. Fair didn't really know what his company had just found. A little research showed that similar cars have sold for upwards of $2 million. Fair had been hired by a court-appointed attorney in working with the Texas attorney general's office to take over and clean out the building.
Winter Weather Woes
I replaced the battery that afternoon. Since then I have not had any weather related problems with the van.
Have you needed car help this winter?
Road Rudeness, the Car Bubble and Pet Peeves
Saw this "road rudeness" term this morning in a AAA article titled Road rudeness—A big issue for most drivers. Now you have to remember that I grew up driving in New York and New Jersey. I know a little about rude driving - not that I have any first hand knowledge of the phenomenon. Here are a few thoughts on the subject from the Auto Club article:
Here are a few questions from the article and my insightful responses:
The idea of being in a Car Bubble removed from human contact is a thought provoking one. I confess to saying things in the solitude of my car that I would never say other places. I have acted in angry ways when a car has cut me off or done something similar. Being in the Car Bubble has produced some bad behavior.Research has consistently shown that aggressive driving is a far more prevalent issue than violent road rage encounters. Forty percent of the respondents in one survey admitted to driving aggressively when they are late, or in a hurry, and 72 percent believed that aggressive driving has grown worse in recent years.
...
"When we’re enclosed in our vehicles, we’re removed from the direct human contact that normally promotes courteous behavior in public settings," said Mike Right, AAA’s VP of Public Affairs. "If motorists could see themselves acting in public in the same way they drive their cars–tailgating, weaving or slowing down while distracted, yelling, or making angry gestures–they would understand the rudeness of their driving behavior."
Almost every driver is guilty of road rudeness at one time or another, Right said. Also, many drivers underestimate the safety impact for them of distractions or aggressive driving, although they are quick to point it out in other drivers.
Here are a few questions from the article and my insightful responses:
- Do I yield to other drivers, even when I think they’re rude?
I do now but in years gone by I have made driving a competition as I tried to get the best of other drivers. - How do I react when another driver follows me too closely or signals that he wants to move into my lane?
I think New Jersey drivers are the worst tailgaters. I cannot stand it when someone follows too close - sadly it pushes a few of my buttons.. a problem in itself. - Do I honor the “every other car” rule when two lanes are merging into one?
I honor this rule about half of the time. I think that I will try harder. Just knowing that it is rude behavior might help me to act better. - Do I let other drivers know my intention to change lanes by using my turn signal?
I absolutely do - most of the time. This is another one of my pet peeves. Albeit, not as bad as tailgating. - Do I let myself get distracted with other activities such as cell phone or smart phone usage while I drive?
My last pet peeve is how my Palm Pre cell phone requires me to look at it to answer it. If traffic allows I have used the phone but not sure that I should. My contract is up this year and I will be looking for a different kind of phone - or get a bluetooth ear piece.
$1,000,000,000 Chevy Volt
Update: The Chevy Volt will list at $41k and come with an overnight charger. It will cost you an extra $1,700 if you want the 4 hour rapid charger. I will probably not buy one right away.
June 2009: According to this Wired article titled Chevrolet Volt Charges On Despite Bankruptcy:
June 2009: According to this Wired article titled Chevrolet Volt Charges On Despite Bankruptcy:
GM has made the Volt the centerpiece of its push to build smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and it has spent nearly $1 billion developing the car.Gotta hope that the Volt is worth the investment.. we Americans seem to be on the hook for it as our government pledged another $30 billion yesterday to keep GM afloat.
Edison2: The E85 Very Light and Simple Car
Here are a few clips from the writeup at the Edison2 website:
Edison2 pursues efficiency through the absolute virtues of low weight and low aerodynamic drag. Although we anticipated developing a hybrid or electric vehicle – hence our name, Edison2 – our studies on efficiency led us away from the significant added weight of batteries needed for an electric or hybrid drive to a one-cylinder, 250cc internal combustion engine fueled by E85.
...
Our approach to solving the United States’ energy dependence comes from looking at the big picture and not being distracted by the politically fashionable trends. A very light and aerodynamic car is more efficient than a heavier one with more drag, no matter what type of power source is used.
Funny Cars
These images from ZDNet put a smile on my face this afternoon.
Can you imagine riding in around in that chicken mobile?
Anyone have a clue about how an old guy like me would get into those bottom two cars?
What do you figure it cost to make these special mods?
Makes me remember some of those other funny cars like The General Lee, The Love Bug and The KITT Car.
Any other funny cars come to mind?
eGrandPrix: Electric Motorcycle Racing
According to this ZDNet article describing a different kind of race:
I kind of understand how manufacturers can throw a bunch of batteries in a car and somehow get it to work. I am not seeing batteries on these motorcycles though. Must be a whole different kind of battery.. maybe a bunch of D cells.. nobody uses them for flashlights anymore. I wonder if these bikes will be sold for street use?The eGrandPrix is open to any zero-carbon-emissions motorcycle including other alternative power sources such as hydrogen or solar. So far, though, the entries in the circuit have only been electric bikes.
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Durng the 11-lap race at Infineon Raceway, most of the electric bikes will hit top speeds of around 100 mph.
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One of the main challenges in electric motorcycle racing, says driver John Wild, is stuffing enough battery power into the bike frame. The frames that most teams are using were designed for traditional bikes, and fitting in all the batteries while maintaining proper weight distribution and aerodynamics can be challenging.
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