Category Archives: Transportation

Technology: ‘2021 CAnoo VAN’ – The Most Versatile Electric Delivery Vehicle

California EV startup Canoo has announced a new multipurpose electric vehicle aimed at last-mile deliveries and other small businesses, which starts at $33,000 but scales up in size and cost. It’s Canoo’s second vehicle, following the subscription-only van it debuted last year. Canoo still plans to make that EV — in fact, the new multipurpose vehicle is built on the same technological platform that Canoo developed for the van, and they share similar design features.

The new vehicle will initially be sold in two variants, though Canoo says more will eventually be offered. The smaller one (which is the one that starts at $33,000) is 14.4 feet long, 6.4 feet wide, and 6.2 feet tall, and has 230 cubic feet of cargo space. Canoo will offer three different battery pack options, too: 40kWh (with an estimated 130 miles of range), 60kWh (190 miles), and 80kWh (230 miles). The company will also make a larger version that is 17.1 feet long, 7.2 feet wide, and 8.4 feet tall, with 500 cubic feet of cargo space. The same battery pack options will be available, though the range estimates drop to 90 miles, 140 miles, and 190 miles, respectively, thanks to the extra weight.

Top Short Film: ‘Gullwing’ – Story Of ‘Most Iconic Car Of All-Time’ (Video)

Animated and Directed by:  João Elias

Have you ever seen a car spreading its wings? Now you do.

This is a full cgi shortfilm featuring the most iconic car of all time, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, at least in my opinion…
I always loved this car, and when I first started this project, I didn’t just wanna make a car rolling by in the desert, I knew there was a bigger story to make, it had to fly. Following its name legacy, I dived deep in this crazy rollercoaster of assembling car parts, raging though the desert of Bonneville salt flats, in order to build a full chassis so the flying body kit could land. After this, the rest is music. A symphony of a few animated shots of this beauty gloriously riding through the desert, creating clouds of smoke through the landscape while hearing that amazing engine roaring.

This is “Gullwing”.

Music: Evan Macdonald.
Sound design: João Elias

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car that was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963). It was based on the company’s 1952 racer, the W194, with mechanical direct fuel-injection which boosted power almost 50% on its 3-litre overhead camshaft straight-6 engine. Capable of reaching a top speed of up to 263 km/h (163 mph), it was both a sports car racing champion[4] and the fastest production car of its time.

Max Hoffman, Mercedes-Benz’s authorized United States importer at the time, inspired the 300 SL and correctly perceived an American market for such a car. The company introduced the 300 SL in February 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York City instead of in Europe to get it into U.S. buyers’ hands sooner.

SL is the short form for “super-light” in German, Mercedes’ first use of the designation, referring to the car’s racing-bred light tubular frame construction.

The 300 SL was voted the “sports car of the century” in 1999.

Road Tests: The New ‘Harley-Davidson Serial 1 Electric Bikes’ (Video)

Harley-Davidson’s new Serial 1 electric bikes are coming, and we got one of the first test rides. The bikes are gorgeous, with a clean, non cluttered design and an impressive spec sheet. And they are an absolute joy to ride. But are they worth $5,000? Learn more about the Harley-Davidson Serial 1: http://bit.ly/3gXZL5B

Transportation: Why Cheap New Cars Are Disappearing (Video)

There are about 40 different car brands in the United States, but one kind of car that appears to be disappearing is the cheap car. Historically, about 20 percent of vehicle sales would have transacted below $20,000; however, they have completely dried up in the last few years. New cars are becoming more expensive, and it is unlikely those cheap cars will ever be back.

Future Of Mobility: ‘Zoox’ – A Fully Autonomous Electric Vehicle For Urban Transport (Video)

Zoox Unveils Autonomous, Fully-Functional Taxi Of The Future. It can operate for 16 hours straight on a single charge, without the need for a driver.

Video timeline: 00:00 Preview 02:12 Production 03:55 How it works 08:26 Design story 12:19

Testing and AR After getting acquired by Amazon in the middle of this year, Zoox unveils its first fully functional, electric autonomous vehicle. The company, which is an independent subsidiary under Amazon, said that this driverless taxi is designed for dense and urban environments.

According to the release, Zoox was founded in 2014 and used a combination of artificial intelligence, robotics, vehicle design, and sustainable energy to reinvent personal transportation. They envision a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future for everyone. Zoox robotaxi has a carriage design and can accommodate up to four passengers seated face-to-face. Yes, there isn’t any steering wheel as the taxi is completely driverless. Apart from that, it can reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour (121 kilometers per hour), as well as offers bidirectional capabilities and four-wheel steering. At only 3.63 meters (12 feet) long, it is compact enough to fit tight spaces and can change directions without the need to reverse. Power comes from a 133 kWh battery, which allows Zoox’s robotaxi to operate for 16 straight hours on a single charge. This battery capacity is one of the biggest available in the market as of date.

Apart from those, the Zoox autonomous taxi is claimed to bear 100 safety features that aren’t found on normal vehicles with drivers. These tech toys include an envelope airbag for carriage seating, touted as an equivalent to a five-star crash safety rating for all four seats. The vehicle also uses a combination of cameras, radar, and LIDAR to have a 270-degree field of view on all four corners of the vehicle, virtually eliminating all blind spots. The Zoox driverless taxi is currently in its testing phase in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Foster City.

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Boat Design: The New ‘Castagnola Heritage 9.9’ – The Ultimate Chase Boat

Castagnola Heritage 9.9: A boat that combines the timeless taste of the handcrafted wooden construction with the advantages of a cutting-edge material such as carbon fiberglass. Conceived as a chase boat for big superyachts or as a weekend cruiser for limited range trips, the Castagnola Heritage 9.9 has a Nauta Design general concept and exterior and interior design. Francesco Rogantin’s Studio Names provided the naval architecture and structural engineering, while construction is by Castagnola Yacht. The Heritage 9.9 is available in both Open and Hard Top versions. The very first unit presented is the Open version. The deep “V” shaped planing hull, designed by Francesco Rogantin’s Studio Names, has excellent performance characteristics. The hull shape was CFD tested and thanks to careful monitoring during the construction process the boat weighs less than 6 tons. With two 320HP Yanmar engines and equipped with pods, the Heritage 9.9 has a cruising speed of 34 knots, top speed of 40 knots and a range of 170 NM at 30 knots. Sea trials confirmed the Heritage 9.9’s smooth and stable movement through the water and its excellent maneuverability even at high speeds. The on board experience is stable, quiet and comfortable and the cockpit stays completely dry even in choppy conditions.

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Technology: Dutch ‘PAL-V’ Is World’s First Certified Flying Car (Video)

The world’s first-ever commercial flying car was recently unveiled by Dutch vehicle manufacturer PAL-V. Here’s what that means for our roads (and our skies).

Starting with the undercarriage, which PAL-V credits as their main breakthrough. The company was looking for a three-wheeled design that could still be stable when turning at normal road-going speeds.

In 2005, they discovered the work of another Dutch company, Carver, which made 3-wheeled cars that tilted like motorcycles. A hydraulic tilting system like that could eliminate the need for a 4th wheel and also be useful to raise the whole vehicle up, giving it ground clearance for a rear-facing propeller. Then there was the matter of generating lift.

Fixed wing aircraft need air to move over their wings fast enough to stay aloft, otherwise they’ll stall. A fixed wing flying car has to compromise the size and shape of its wings in the name of practicality, meaning its risk of stalling is higher. So PAL-V chose a rotary wing design instead, but rather than make their flying car a helicopter, they decided it should be an autogyro.

This Flying Car Costs $599K—and It’s Now Street Legal in Holland https://singularityhub.com/2020/10/29…

“In driving mode the Liberty can go up to 99 miles per hour, and in flight mode its max speed is 112 miles per hour. For comparison’s sake, the average helicopter can go up to about 160 miles per hour.”

Aviation: ‘Why Boeing’s 737 Max Is Flying Again’ (Video)

After two deadly crashes that killed 346 people and a worldwide grounding that lasted almost two years, the FAA is giving the Boeing 737 Max jets the green light to fly again. However, many are worried that the changes to the plane are not enough. Can the U.S. trust the revisions made to the jet and the software updates to the MCAS system?

Automobile Tech: ‘Zero Labs’ Offers New Electric Platform For Classic Cars

After more than 5 years of engineering and testing and use in all 2020/2021 full vehicle rebuilds, we are now proud to offer electric platforms which are designed to transform four gasoline and diesel vehicle formats each with numerous makes, models and size configurations. Final specifications and full list of available model sizes will be available prior to manufacturing.

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Automotive: ‘Aptera’ Launches First Solar Electric Vehicle (sEV)


Aptera Motors has introduced the first solar electric vehicle (sEV) that requires no charging for most daily use and boasts a range of up to 1,000 miles per full charge, shattering industry performance achievements to date. Aptera leverages breakthroughs in lightweight structures, low-drag aerodynamics and cooling, material science, and manufacturing processes to deliver the most efficient vehicle ever made available to consumers. Aptera’s Never Charge is built into every vehicle and is designed to harvest enough sunlight to travel over 11,000 miles per year in most regions.

Learn more about Aptera: https://www.aptera.us