RSS Feeds Directory - Alive feeds for you
Planes, Trains, Automobiles and the Future of Transportation
Daimler is launching a pilot carpooling project that combines ride sharing with social media. If all goes well, drivers can make sure carpool passengers share their taste in music and pony up for gas.
Called car2gether, the service is an outgrowth of of Daimler’s car2go Smart-sharing program and, according to the company, answers the question of “how flexible and independent mobility can be achieved without car ownership.”
Car2gether matches up carpooling mates, replacing upturned thumbs and notes pinned to a corkboard with online profiles and smartphone software. All users must register and post a photo along with other personal information that we hope includes whether they plan on eating an egg salad sandwich while in the car.
Users enter details about upcoming journeys using a smartphone or PC and let the car2gether software make a match. Should users want to connect on their own, the software automatically posts details of ride offers and requests on a microblogging site similar to Twitter.
For now, use of the software comes at no charge but like car2go, the new service requires passengers to pay for travel time — a suggested charge of 9.5 cents per minute to reimburse the driver for vehicle maintenance, gas and time spent cleaning that spilled Starbucks latte off the passenger-side floor mat. At first, passengers will pay drivers in cash but as the pilot progresses Daimler will debut an automated, cashless payment program.
Car2gether debuts on September 18th in the German city of Ulm, a university town just brimming with tech-savvy students looking for transportation on the cheap. If the trial proves popular, the test may expand to other cities.
Photo: nevernameless / Flickr
See also:
Regenerative braking is common on hybrids like the Toyota Prius and EVs like the Nissan Leaf, and it long has been a source of energy for lights and other functions on trains. Now it’s being used in southeastern Pennsylvania to generate electricity for the grid.
A huge battery will capture kinetic energy generated when trains apply the brakes while entering one of the busiest subway stations in Philadelphia. That energy will be used by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority or sold to the local utility. The transportation authority and smart-grid company Viridity Energy have received a $900,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority for $1.5 million the pilot program.
The system will be installed along a stretch of the Market-Frankford line, which has the highest ridership in the system. It will generate 1.5 megawatts of energy that can be used by accelerating trains, stored for future use or returned to the grid. The transit authority will be able to sell the power on the wholesale energy market, or simply use it to improve its own voltage on the system. The transit agency also could purchase electricity at night when rates are low and store it in the batteries for use during the day.
Philadelphia subways use regenerative braking to some degree now; kinetic energy is converted to electricity that is returned to the system through the third rail. But the system still loses at least half the energy as heat.
Joseph M. Casey, general manager of the transportation authority, says the system will provide measurable gains in energy efficiency and voltage stability in a critical mass transit corridor. Audrey Zibelman, president and CEO of Viridity Energy, says the goal is to improve the transit agency’s operational efficiency, reduce its carbon output and cut its costs.
The system is expected to come online next spring, and it could save the transit agency $500,000 in energy costs. The transit agency typically spends $20 million on electricity annually to power its trains, buses and trolleys, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. If it were used at each of the 33 electrical substations serving the railway system, officials say, the agency could cut its energy consumption 40 percent.
Photo: camera_obscura [busy] / Flickr. Commuters wait for a train on the Market-Frankford line in Philadelphia.
General Motors is preparing to go public, but Uncle Sam probably won’t make any money in the initial offering and it could be years before taxpayers are made whole on the $50 billion bailout that kept the automaker afloat.
Subsequent sales of the Treasury Department’s holdings in the automaker could be profitable depending upon how investors trade the stock, Reuters reports, citing six sources familiar with GM’s impending IPO. But it could take the government as long as three years to fully divest.
GM filed the initial paperwork for the IPO last month. Preparations for the offering are confidential, and neither the automaker or the treasury are commenting. There’s been no word on when the initial public offering, which could be worth as much as $20 billion, might come, but Reuters says GM plans to launch the roadshow following the Nov. 2 midterm elections.
The IPO could follow on on Nov. 18, Reuters reports, citing unnamed sources.
Reuters says analysts and potential investors have projected GM’s market value at $50 billion to $90 billion, based on projections for its cash flow, comparisons with Ford Motor Co and trading in bonds in the old GM, which are convertible into shares in the new company.
A figure at the high end of that range would be above the $70 billion or so in market cap GM must achieve for the feds to break even on the $43 billion remaining investment. But IPOs typically price at a discount of 10 percent to 15 percent to theoretical fair value to reward investors for taking a risk on a new issue and pave the way for future stock floats. In a tough market like this, the discount could be even deeper, Reuters reports.
“You have to sell people on the notion that there is an upside to what they are buying,” one source told Reuters. Another source said the discount could be as much as 20 percent compared with Treasury’s break-even point. But preparations remain in the earliest stages, and several sources told Reuters the size and value of the deal will not be known for weeks.
The U.S. government pumped $49.5 billion into General Motors and took nearly 61 percent of its common stock. GM has paid back $6.7 billion and returned another $700 million in interest and dividends. The feds also hold $2.1 billion in perpetual preferred shares. That leaves the government with an investment of roughly $40 billion in GM common stock that will debut in an IPO along with a new class of preferred shares that will convert into common shares under a mandatory provision.
In the days before GM’s S-1 filing in August, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) asked a special Treasury Department watchdog for an analysis of the GM IPO and how much money would be returned to taxpayers.
Photo: General Motors. Cadillacs on the line at the General Assembly-Lansing Grand River Plant.
Architect Daniel Andersson has created a houseboat inspired by icebergs, one that sits predominantly below the waves with only its rooftop deck exposed to the sun.
From the terrace, a staircase spirals down to a 60-square-meter living space that contains a living room, head, galley, dining room and bedroom. A central atrium provides natural light, and windows below the waterline provide a view of the scenery. There’s even a sauna next to the bathroom, which opens out onto the staircase so that you can run straight out and into the water.
Externally, the whole structure is shaped like a hull. Secondary pontoons stabilize the structure, but it’s not really cut out for stormy waters and would be best moored in calm waters and anchored to the seabed.
The design was commissioned by the Ålands Hotell & Restaurangskola resort in the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea. The client wanted concept accommodation to attract more tourists to the islands in the summer months. In winter, however, the sea around the islands tends to freeze, so the structures will need to be removed and refloated when the ice thaws in the spring.
This story was written by Duncan Geere of Wired UK.
Image: Daniel Andersson
See Also:
We’ve driven Mitsubishi’s cute i-MiEV a few times, and although the little EV is a perfectly fine urban runabout, it’s a bit small and slow for American tastes. Never fear — Mitsubishi will give us a bigger, more powerful model when the car goes on sale in the United States next year.
The North American model will be wider to meet U.S. crash regulations and suit American tastes. We’d heard this before from the folks at Mitsubishi, but Gregory Adams, head of product planning and marketing, tells Automotive News the i-MiEV also will have a spiffier interior and “upgraded content,” meaning more stuff. The Japanese domestic market cars we’ve driven have been comfortable but bare-bones, with only A/C, power windows and locks and a basic AM/FM/CD system. No navi, no Bluetooth, no satellite radio. Plan on that changing.
Not that you’d really need all that. Mark Vaughn of AutoWeek has been living with a Japanese market i-MiEV since July and pretty much loves it — and Vaughn is a guy who can drive almost anything he wants.
We keep hearing the Mitsubishi i-MiEV headed to the United States will have an improved drivetrain as well. The Japanese cars have a 47 kilowatt (64 horsepower) electric motor. Although it’s fine around town, you’re pushing it hard at freeway speeds. Power comes from a 16 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery with a range of about 70 miles. It recharges in seven hours at 220 volts and as little as 30 minutes if you find a Level 3 “quick charger.” Look for a range closer to 100 miles when the i-MiEV arrives in the United States at the end of 2011.
Latest word on the price is it’ll come in under $30,000 before the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
In related news, Peugeot has started selling the iOn, which is an i-MiEV wearing a Peugeot badge. Automotive News, citing the Japanese business daily Nikkei, says Peugeot and Mitsubishi will build the cars in Spain, but Mitsu denied the report.
Now if Mitsubishi would just do something about the name, which is pronounced “eye-meev.” That means “stinky egg” in German and it is unfortunate considering the car is shaped like an egg.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Wired.com
Motorsports always has been about humans pushing themselves and their machines to the limit to extract maximum performance. From the earliest days of the automobile, racing fans have been captivated by the displays of skill, courage and technical prowess. They also enjoy the thrill of knowing that when cars are pushed to the edge, anything can go wrong. Schadenfreude is part of the sport, even if it is not politically correct to admit it.
The Izod IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway delivered on all the promise of great racing. Series leader Will Power handily won the race from pole position one year to the day after a devastating collision there with Nelson Phillipe. "This track owes me," he told reporters on race weekend, and it seems the track paid him back with his fifth win of the season.
It made for a great race. But spending time in tech briefings with Team Penske, Indy Racing League officials and the go-fast guys from Honda Performance Development and Firestone left us pondering a question on the eve of this weekend's Kentucky Indy 300:
What's more important to fans -- the human element or racing or the technology?
Above: Team Penske driver Will Power hammers out of Turn 9a at Infineon Raceway during qualifying. The 29-year-old cut his teeth racing Formula Ford and Formula 3 in Australia before heading to Europe in 2003. He made the jump to the Champ Car World Series in 2005 and then to IndyCar in 2008.
Photo: Stefan Armijo / Wired
The newest electric aircraft to take flight is a tiny airplane from a big airplane company. The Cri-Cri, developed by Airbus’ parent company, EADS, made its first flight Thursday at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
The Cri-Cri is based on an existing design that uses two small gasoline engines. EADS swapped the gasoline engines with four small electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack. The plane, which was unveiled in June, was airborne only seven minutes, but pilot Didier Esteyne is looking forward to more adventurous flights.
“We are still at the beginning and have a lot to learn,” he said in a statement after the flight. “We are allowed to start aerobatic manoeuvres only after five hours of flight and 15 landings.”
The Cri-Cri is being used as a systems test bed to support future electric and hybrid power systems. The company expects the plane will be capable of flying for 30 minutes at nearly 70 mph or for 15 minutes during aggressive aerobatic flying at speeds topping 150 mph.
Photos: EADS
Joe Sylvester wants to set the record for longest jump made by a monster truck. Doing so will require beating the 202-foot jump Dan Runte made at the wheel of Bigfoot in 1999.
Clearly he has more work to do, as a practice attempt on Tuesday in his truck Bad Habit did not go well. Sylvester was not hurt, and he plans to make a run for the record at Sunday at the Cornfield 500.
Video: arorick1977 / YouTube
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on a mission to help create a transportation system that makes us fitter, not fatter.
The agency, which promotes and protects public health and safety, is pushing active transportation systems in a big way, and it’s fitting in light of the undeniable fact that the United States is getting ever fatter. The number of states with an obesity rate of 30 percent or more tripled, to nine, between 2007 and 2009.
Active transportation systems promote pedestrian mobility, bicycle usage, connectivity to mass transit and so-called complete streets that make room for all modes of transport. The CDC outlines the ambitious goals in its Transportation Recommendations. The focus is on developing more efficient transportation systems while improving Americans’ quality of life and health.
The CDC is not alone in pushing this agenda.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign aims to make children more active throughout their lives. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made it clear that the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered alongside those of motorists. Last year the federal agencies overseeing the environment, transportation and housing and urban development announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to increase and improve transportation options, among other things. And urbanists and city planners are increasingly embracing transit-oriented development, which stresses compact pedestrian- and transit-friendly communities.
The push could not come at a better time. Obesity has become a serious public health problem during the past 20 years. Nine states have obesity rates higher than 30 percent, while just two places — Colorado and Washington, D.C. — have rates below 20 percent. The latest stats from the CDC show the number of people identifying themselves as obese grew 1.1 percent — an additional 2.4 million people — between 2007 and 2009. The CDC pegged the medical costs associated with obesity in that period at more than $147 billion.
It’s worth noting that as we get fatter, we burn more gasoline — and emit more greenhouse gas. A 2006 study by Entrepreneur.com found every one pound increase in average passenger weight boosts annual fuel consumption by more than 39 million gallons.
So, will the CDC’s transportation recommendations make a big difference? Perhaps, given the trend toward complete streets and transit-oriented development and the growing number of cities making themselves increasingly bicycle friendly.
No one is trying to eliminate the automobile, and the car surely will remain our dominant means of transportation. But we must embrace and promote other modes of transportation if we are to improve our health, our communities and our environment.
Photo: mugley / Flickr
See Also:
Craig Henderson drove 1,478 miles from from Blaine, Washington, to Mexico without stopping to refuel, burning just 12.4 gallons of diesel for a stunning 119.1 mpg.
And he did it in a car he originally designed in 1984.
Henderson rolled into Chula Vista, California, at the wheel of the Avion four days after he left home. The Avion is a car he built with Bill Green 26 years ago as a prototype high-mileage vehicle he hoped to sell. The business floundered, but Henderson never abandoned the Avion. Over the years he’s kept tinkering with it, improving its powertrain and aerodynamics.
At the border.
The car was built with two things in mind: light weight and aerodynamics. To hit the featherweight 1,500-pound target, the car uses an aluminum monocoque frame with steel crash and suspension subframes at the front and rear.
The body — of carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass — is riveted and bonded to the body, yielding a very stiff vehicle. An 800cc diesel engine is transversely mounted behind the driver and powers the rear wheels through a five-speed gearbox.
Because it’s so light and aerodynamic, the car needs just three to four horsepower to maintain 55 mph. That’s perfect for the tiny diesel to chug along while only sipping fuel. Henderson recently landed a sponsorship from Goodyear, so he’s installed a set of the company’s low-rolling resistance Fuel Max tires and has been averaging about 115 mpg.
As a promotional stunt, Henderson decided to make a run for the border — the Mexican border. He planned to make the trip on one tank.
He hit the road on Aug. 29 and stuck largely to Interstate 5, stopping only for food, bathroom breaks and to sleep. When he rolled up to the border near Chula Vista on Wednesday he’d burned 12.4 gallons for an amazing 119.1 mpg. That topped the 103 mpg the car achieved, and Guinness classified as a world record — during a similar border-to-border run in 1986.
The trip is done, but development of the Avion continues. Henderson plans to revisit his dream of producing the car in limited quantities.
You can get a blow-by-blow account of the trip via the updates at the Avion Economy in Motion Facebook page.
This story was written by Ben Wojdyla and originally published by Jalopnik on Sept. 2.
Photos: Avion
See Also:
Articles on Rss and atom feeds, Latest Rss articles.
Rss tools that help you dealing with Rss feeds.
News Rss feeds, Health Rss feeds, Arts Rss feeds and more categories.
