Tag Archives: transportation

DARPA’s Transformer TX ‘flying Humvee’ project gets off the ground

Sometimes it feels like the Military-Industrial Complex only exists to keep us entertained with tales of laser weapons and robots that eat enemy combatants — not that we’d complain if it did! And for today’s fantastical wargadget, we have nothing less than a flying Humvee. The Transformer TX project calls for four-man vehicle that drives like a jeep and then takes off to avoid roadside bombs (or impress the ladies). While DARPA has yet to say who will be awarded with the contract for the conceptual design stage of the project, Popular Mechanics has done some digging and it looks like Lockheed Martin and AAI Corp are both on the short list. While the former has declined to talk about its offering, AAI’s incorporates something called “slowed-rotor / compound,” where a rotor provides lift on takeoff, and when it achieves a certain speed wings take over. We’ll be waiting for our review unit, but in the meantime you can get a closer look after the break.

Continue reading DARPA’s Transformer TX ‘flying Humvee’ project gets off the ground

DARPA’s Transformer TX ‘flying Humvee’ project gets off the ground originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan rep confirms delivery of 25,000 Leaf EVs to US by the end of 2011

Nissan has responded to rumors that high demand for its Leaf EV in Japan could cause the company to limit delivery in the United States to just around 3,000 units by the end of March, 2011. That rumor sprang from comments made by a Mossy Nissan general manager, and luckily for electric vehicle lovers in the States, seem to be wholly untrue. Mark Perry, Nissan’s director of product planning says that the statement from Mossy Nissan was “purely speculative,” and that product allocation is decided based on customer orders. Furthermore, he says the company is still targeting around 25,000 units for the US by the end of 2011. So now we can all sleep better: the nightmare has seemingly ended.

Nissan rep confirms delivery of 25,000 Leaf EVs to US by the end of 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did malware cause the crash of Spanair Flight JK 5022?

The inquiry into the August 2008 crash of Spanair Flight JK 5022 at Barajas Airport in Madrid took a bizarre turn recently when Spanish daily El Pais reported that the server that the airline used to track technical problems on aircraft contained malware. Although the flaps and slats were not in the proper position for takeoff, the crew was never alerted — causing the flight to go down moments after takeoff, killing all but 18 of the 172 on board. That’s not to say that human error wasn’t a factor: as well as causing an audible alarm, the problem should have been spotted by the mechanic or airport maintenance chief, both of whom are under investigation. Space stations, power grids, and now airline safety systems? Please, people — keep your antivirus software up to date.

Did malware cause the crash of Spanair Flight JK 5022? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia’s ‘Pop’ electric car concept makes our inner urbanite swoon

Kia has largely steered clear of the electric car battlegrounds, focusing instead on smaller, lower-cost options that get good enough gas mileage as-is. It ain’t a bad tactic, but considering that even Rolls Royce is purportedly mulling an EV, the automaker was bound to cave to the peer pressure soon or later. During the upcoming Paris Motor Show, Kia is expected to formally introduce the oddity you see above, which is (for now) only known as the “Pop concept.” The battery-powered whip will emit no emissions whatsoever, measures in at just three meters long and somehow finds enough room for three humans within. Details beyond that are scant (read: nonexistent), but you can head on over to Autoblog Green if you need a few more images to chew on.

Kia’s ‘Pop’ electric car concept makes our inner urbanite swoon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Social Bicycles bike sharing system powered by iPhone app to hit NYC this fall

Social Bicycles is a bike sharing system with a twist. Using an iPhone app, the system allows users to drop off, locate, and borrow a bike nearly anywhere. The bikes are equipped with a GPS device which is locked to one of the wheels, and when the bike is locked, it’s locatable using the app, so that someone can borrow it; when it’s in use and unlocked, it doesn’t appear in the app. The real upside to Social Bicycles is that the regular infrastructure required for bike lending systems — such as docking stations in a lot of convenient locations — are unnecessary with this system, which can get by with regular old bike racks, making it a much cheaper, fly-by-night option. It’s coming to New York City in very limited beta this fall, and we expect it to outperform Segs in the City in no time. Video is below.

Continue reading Social Bicycles bike sharing system powered by iPhone app to hit NYC this fall

Social Bicycles bike sharing system powered by iPhone app to hit NYC this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen Beetle converted to run on methane headed for the UK streets

Meet the Bio-Bug, a custom modded Volkswagen Beetle which has been converted to run on biogas — fuel created from human waste. The process of conversion isn’t brand new, but this will be the first automobile fully converted to run on biogas in the United Kingdom without any loss of performance. In fact, the car is so reliable that its makers believe it can “blow away” electric vehicles, and that consumers won’t even notice the difference. The Bio-Bug is a regular old 2 liter VW convertible modified to operate on both gasoline and compressed methane gas: once the methane runs out, the car reverts back to running on gasoline. The cars run on so little methane that just one regular sized sewage plant could run a car (or cars) over 95,000,000 miles per year. Developed by GENeco, a sustainable energy company in the UK, the Bio-Bug is going into a trial period, and the company plans on converting its entire fleet if successful.

Volkswagen Beetle converted to run on methane headed for the UK streets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China’s maglev trains to hit 1,000km/h in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away

Look out Japan — your neighbor to the west might just steal your thunder. Years after the Land of the Rising Sun proudly boasted plans to create a maglev train that could soar along at 500km/h, China is now claiming that they’ll have similar ones ready in just three years. Oh, but they’ll travel at twice the aforesaid speed. According to the laboratory at Southwest Jiaotong University, a prototype is currently being worked on that’ll average 500km/h to 600km/h, with a far smaller train to hit upwards of 1,000km/h in “two or three years.” The trick? Tossing the maglev train inside of a vacuum tube, enabling greater velocity due to decreased friction. If you’re scoffing at the mere thought of how much such a setup would cost, you’re probably not alone — it’s bruited that the tunnel would cost “10 to 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) more than the current high speed railway for each kilometer.” Pony up, taxpayers!

China’s maglev trains to hit 1,000km/h in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bing Maps’ Taxi Fare Calculator keeps your lollygagging cab driver in check

We’ve all been there — you step into a cab in a foreign place, ask your driver to head to your destination, and then he / she asks you if you’d rather take the highway or go direct. Or, worse still, senses your innocence and proceeds to head the wrong direction for two or three miles. In an effort to give desperate travelers a better sense of how much it’ll cost to get from point A to point B D in a cab, Bing Maps’ new Taxi Fare Calculator was created. Turns out, this add-in for the mapping service was built by someone hankering to win the King of Bing Maps competition, and while it’s only capable of calculating routes around a few dozens cities right now, we get the impression that this could soon grow into a monster of its own. Hey Microsoft, when’s the (badly needed) optimized-for-mobile version coming out?

Bing Maps’ Taxi Fare Calculator keeps your lollygagging cab driver in check originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011

On Friday, during a visit from President Obama to its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, GM announced some good news for all the Volt fans out there. Production from 2011 to 2012 for the electric vehicle — originally slated at around 30,000 units — has been boosted to a projected 45,000 units, a 50 percent increase. The Volt, which has a range of 340 miles (on gas — it goes approximately 40 miles on battery alone) is being produced at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which received $336 million in investments to prepare for the production. The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011

General Motors upping Chevy Volt production by 50 percent in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means)

With all the excitement surrounding the solar powered UAV’s record-breaking flights, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that QinetiQ’s Zephyr has finally landed in an airfield in Arizona, 14 days and 24 minutes after take-off. This quadruples the previous unofficial world record for unmanned flight (which it set itself in 2008). This is a dramatic proof-of-concept, having flown longer without refueling than any other airplane. We’d like to imagine that this technology would be used primarily for delivering toys to children in developing nations, but something tells us that will have to wait until the military gets its hands on it. PR after the break.

Continue reading Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means)

Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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