This episode we welcome our colleagues from CNET UK who produce the XCar video series. They approach cars in a way that is different yet complimentary to my car tech videos, and we'll be featuring one in each episode going forward. We kick it off by giving them top billing with their lovely video impression of the new Jaguar F-Type, which we have yet to get into the CNET garage in San Francisco. This XCar piece is a nice way … Read more
The rover and NASA scientists are having a communication breakdown, of sorts. But, not to worry, no hurt feelings are involved. The issue is that the sun has got in the way.
Once every 26 months, as the Earth and Mars rotate around the sun, the two planets end up on opposite sides of the star in an event called the Mars solar conjunction. Because of the sun's massive size, any communication sent between the two planets can … Read more
LAS VEGAS--We're not what you'd call fans of FM transmission technology, but Griffin's iTrip with app integration for Apple's iPhone is easily one of the best in that class. At CES 2013, Griffin and Harman announced Aha app integration with the iTrip Auto FM hardware.
Aha provides a way to to listen to your Facebook and Twitter feeds, audiobooks, podcasts, news, and other audio content -- Harman claims more than 30,000 stations are accessible by the app, with new stations being added constantly.
Now, in addition to using the iTrip app to scan for open … Read more
Short of employing a full hybrid system, automakers are finding many ways to improve fuel economy in current, gas-engine cars. Engineers are looking at every part of the drive cycle to determine where savings can be made.
Some of the technologies being employed are old, such as turbochargers and continuously variable transmissions, but they are being refined to take advantage of new materials and computing power.
There have also been some newer innovations that cut fuel use, such as the use of idle stop and dual-clutch transmissions.
A number of factors are helping push these developments. Consumers are trying to cope with increasing gas prices, and governments are pushing for reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which relate directly to fuel economy.
In the words of William Gibson, the future is already here. It may be barely Google-able in an obscure scientific publication, but it has profound implications for the future of implantable medical (and other) sensors.
That future is a nanoscale device that manages to transmit data wirelessly up to 30 feet and operate without a battery, instead harvesting energy from the environment via such sources as the pulse of a blood vessel or the gust of a breeze.
"It is entirely possible to drive these devices by scavenging energy from sources in the environment such as gentle airflow, vibration, … Read more
Google and its partners cleared the first major hurdle with U.S. regulators today to build a $5 billion transmission line that would transport electricity from wind farms off the Atlantic coast.
The companies backing the project can earn a 12.59 percent return on their equity investment in the proposed power line, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled.
The project, which consists of two parallel transmission lines stretching from northern New Jersey to southern Virginia, could transport up to 6,000 megawatts of electricity that would provide power to 1.9 million households.
The transmission lines would each extend 250 miles along the mid-Atlantic coast. The electricity carried by the lines would connect with the main electric grid at onshore sites in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
The project still needs approval from the Interior Department, several state agencies, and the regional power grid operator, PJM. The project's backers are Google, Good Energies, a private firm, and Japan's Marubeni Corp.
The companies hope to have the first phase of the transmission line operating in 2016.
The transmission line project will help the mid-Atlantic states meet their goals to… Read more
Since emerging from bankruptcy reorganization in mid-2009, General Motors has invested $3.4 billion and has added or saved more than 9,000 jobs. The U.S. automaker today announced an additional investment of $2 billion; an additional 4,000 jobs have been saved or created.
The announcement was made by GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson during an event at the 54-year-old Toledo Transmission Plant in Toledo, Ohio.
"We are doing this because we are confident about demand for our vehicles and the economy," Akerson said. The company also released an animated clip (after the jump) about … Read more
Brammo will offer its electric motorcycles with a six-speed transmission beginning in 2012, the company announced today.
The bikes will be unveiled this Friday in Las Vegas shortly before competing in the MiniMotoSX race.
Motorcycle manufacturer Brammo could make a big impact on the motorcycle world with this change.
While electric motorcycles have been around for some time, and even had their own race on the Isle of Man in June 2009, up until now they've mainly been seen as bikes for early adopters interested in green tech, or those who might otherwise consider a moped.
Electric motorcycles are relatively quiet, have a limited range, and arguably offer limited speed and performance when compared to comparable racing bikes with internal combustion engines. They're also fighting an image problem in a market famous for exuding a longstanding sexy, powerful, and adventurous appeal.
"Electric motorcycle design has always been a bit of a balancing act in direct drive systems where great acceleration performance comes at the expense of low top-end speed," Brian Wismann, director of product development at Brammo, said in a statement.… Read more
It's only been on roads for a few months, but the Ford Fiesta is already getting a few changes for the 2012 model year, including mostly appearance customization options, but also one small performance upgrade.
Leading off the new customization options is a sport appearance package that supposedly evokes the European Ford Focus RS with blacked-out side mirrors, headlamp housings, front grille, license plate header, and rear spoiler. However, this appearance package is not just all show and no go. When equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, the sport appearance package also gains a slight performance advantage in the … Read more
While these giants could creep you out while driving solo across the bleak countryside, anything that beautifies the landscape gets my vote. Here, Brookline, Mass., architecture firm Choi+Shine struts its stuff, literally, by taking ubiquitous electrical pylon and creating transmission towers that resemble a sculpture park of electrifying statues with heads, torsos, forearms, and legs.
While the Land of Giants project was originally submitted to a Icelandic contest aimed at obtaining new ideas and looks for high-voltage towers and lines, it could easily cross borders. Several versions exist, so take a gander at the designs here, which won an … Read more
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