Meet the AWWA Sky Whale, a concept plane by industrial designer Oscar Viñals. It’s big, it’s comfortable, and it carries lots and lots of people. It won’t be available anytime soon, but it’s a good dream. Dreams are important. See more at: Oscar Viñals's Behance page. Via: BBC. … [Read more...]
An E-bike Made Of Wood
German company Aceteam is producing an e-bike made of ash wood. The bike should reach the market by spring 2015, and you can get one for about 5,000 USD. Not sure about the look of this one—it has a wide frame for starters, and how does it handle a crash? It's difficult to have faith in those handlebars. See more at The Globe and Mail and the Aceteam website. … [Read more...]
The Toyota Camatte electric concept car
Here's a fun concept car you'll probably never see in real life, but that's how it goes in the auto industry. This car is a little different than normal concept cars, however – it's a toy, albeit life-size: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwwECJF5b0&w=750&h=422&rel=0] This model was first presented at the 2012 Tokyo Toy Show, and the idea is to get kids … [Read more...]
The Tesla taxi
In USA, a taxi is sometimes (often?) a Crown Vic or other, less glamorous vehicle. In Europe, taxis are nicer–and now you can even ride in a Tesla. See more: Tesla Model S Electric Car: Simply The Worlds Coolest Taxi. … [Read more...]
Melbourne’s youth say no to cars
Better than electric vehicles: people are now avoiding getting driver's licenses and cars in cities such as Melbourne, Australia. South Yarra couple Austin Cram and Tonie-Rayne Steele, both 21, have no reason to drive in the city. Both agree that a car is not necessary when they have excellent choice in public transport. The next problem is to design better public spaces in … [Read more...]
Rollin’ coal
In some places, young people don't want to get drivers' licenses. In others, there's the phenomenon called rollin' coal. It's from the USA (where else?) and it's illegal: The CAA [Clean Air Act] prohibits anyone from tampering with an emission control device on a motor vehicle by removing it or making it inoperable prior to or after the sale or delivery to the buyer. A … [Read more...]
Helsinki says: you won’t need a car
Helsinki plans to make car ownership unnecessary within the city through a complete reimagining of its public transit system. The future resident of Helsinki will not own a car, says The Helsinki Times. The Finnish capital has announced plans to transform its existing public transport network into a comprehensive, point-to-point "mobility on demand" system by 2025 – one that, … [Read more...]
Fiat CEO doesn’t want you to buy an electric car
Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne stated at a conference at the Brookings Institution, Washington, that Fiat loses money on their 500e model and he hopes people won't buy the car. "I will sell the (minimum) of what I need to sell and not one more." (Sergio Marchionne) Marchionne said Tesla Motors Inc was the only company making money on electric cars and that was because of … [Read more...]
A plug-in Rolls-Royce green limousine
Rolls-Royce looks ready to adopt plug-in hybrid technology within the next three years. A hybrid limousine – surprised? Torsten Müller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce explained: “It will be essential in two years, maybe not from customer demand but through legal regulation on emissions.” (Emphasis mine – here’s to legal regulation.) Roll-Royce previously produced an … [Read more...]
The car that parks and recharges itself
Toyota will soon begin testing a wireless parking and charging system for its EVs. No physical connection is required with the new system – a transmitting coil in the ground aligns with a receiving coil in the car, and electricity transfers wirelessly between the two. The charging system transmits electricity by using the magnetic resonance resulting from changes in … [Read more...]