Archive for the ‘Transportation’ Category
Segway, GM Partner On PUMA A Two-Wheeled Electric Car Prototype
In a joint press conference, GM and Segway officially announced the P.U.M.A (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) at prototype two wheeled urban transport vehicle. With a estimated rage of 35 miles on a single charge and capable of a top speed of 35 miles/hr. The PUMA aims at equipping legions of urbunites a cheep efficient way of commuting in crowded city streets (or golf courses).
The two seat vehicle will feature GM Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technology, which allows two vehicle to communicate and avoid crashes.
[Engadget]
Electric Car: Tesla Model S Unveiled Today
Tesla Motors today unveiled its latest addition, the Model S sedan, to its line of electric vehicles. The Model S is its first push to make electric vehicles more affordable. The sedan will ship for $50,000 in late 2011.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk explains the Model S’s three level of removable battery packs, which will propel the electric vehicles 300 mi, 150 mi …. depending on the pack installed. Musk also boasted about the battery packs impressive 45 minute charge time.
New Tesla Model S To Come With 440V Fast Charger Capabilities
Tesla’s yet to be released Model S electric sports sedan will have the capability to charge via a 440 volt fast charger. The new chargers will greatly improve recharging time of the on board batteries.
The more important question is the market will see the proliferation of fast-charging stations. There are no public 440-volt fast charging stations. ECOtality, a clean-electric transportation and technology company, has implemented 5100 of these stations in 13 airports across the country, but none is public, said Colin Read, marketing directory for ECOtality.
While no specific charging time was mentioned, the Tesla roadster features a 220 volt charger which can fully charge the batteries in 3.5 hours.
[CarTech]
Eco Product: 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
The New 2010 Toyota Prius has some cool new features. Along with an improved fuel economy:
- 1.8-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine
- Horsepower increase from 75 to 98; 134 combined.
- 50 mpg
- Solar sun roof
- LED Headlights
- Solar-cell array to power the ventilation system
Green Wheel: The Future Of Electric Bikes
The Green Wheel, a revolutionary design prototype being developed by MIT that aims at replacing standard bike wheels with a complete self enclosed electric powered wheel. The genius behind the design is that everything (Battery, Generator and Electric motor) is enclosed in the center hub.
“Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine … The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel.” [Discovery News]