Category Archives: Transportation

Technology: VW’s New “Mobile Charging Robot” Turns Every Carpark Into EV Charging Stations

From a VW media online news release December 26, 2019:

“The mobile charging robot will spark a revolution when it comes to charging in different parking facilities, such as multistorey car parks, parking spaces and underground car parks because we bring the charging infrastructure to the car Revolution_in_the_underground_car_park__Volkswagen_lets_its_charging_robots_loose-Small-10821and not the other way around. With this, we are making almost every car park electric, without any complex individual infrastructural measures”, summarises Mark Möller, Head of Development at Volkswagen Group Components.

“It’s a visionary prototype, which can be made into reality quite quickly, if the general conditions are right”, Möller continues. Volkswagen Group Components is researching different approaches to the assembly of charging infrastructure and has already developed several successful products. The flexible quick charging station and DC wall boxes are already part of a future charging family. Customer-oriented, intelligent and flexible approaches to charging are at the centre of the research. Other innovative products such as the charging robot are currently being developed.

  • Volkswagen Group Components presents a new and visionary charging concept
  • Mobile robots will charge electric vehicles completely autonomously in future
  • Every parking space can become a charging point

Volkswagen provides a glimpse into the future in which the search for charging stations for electric cars comes to an end. Volkswagen Group Components’ mobile charging robot takes over this task – and drives to the electric car completely autonomously.

Read VW news release

New American Cars: “2020 Corvette C8”, Mid-Engine With Retractable Hardtop

From a New York Times online article:

The 2020 Corvette Stingray has moved its engine behind the driver and passenger, adopting the physics-approved layout that brought Ferdinand Porsche his first racing successes in the 1930s. Today, this approach is associated with money-torching supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren.

The long-awaited “mid-engine” Corvette easily outruns its formidable predecessor, as I learned during a time-warping desert drive near Tortilla Flat, Ariz. The eighth-generation “C8” Corvette is earning rapturous reviews and dominating industry awards, as a car that can take on European exotics that cost $200,000 and more, but at a $59,995 base price that reads like a misprint.

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Urban Trends: “Avant2Go” Electric Car Sharing In Slovenia (Podcast)

From the Avant2Go.com website:

Monocle 24 The Urbanist Podcast logoAvant2Go car sharing is an effective way to cut and manage your mobility expenses. Find an available car and reserve it using the Avant2Go mobile app. The first reservation (15 min) is free. Use the app to end your rental and settle the final cost. The rental price includes car registration, insurance, fuel*, running costs, vignette, loss of value, free parking at Avant2Go spots and more.

 

  •   Pay only for when you actually use the vehicle.Avant2Go Electric Car Sharing Slovenia
  •    Electricity and insurance are already included.
  •    In your neighbourhood and city, driving to the airport …
  •    State-of-the-art electric vehicles for any rental period.
  •    No vehicle ownership or running costs.
  •    A mobile app for using the service.

Website

Classic Cars: “1965 Corvette L76 Stingray”

From Wikipedia:

1965 Chevrolet Corvette L76 Stingray interiorFor its third season, the 1965 Corvette Sting Ray further cleaned up style-wise and was muscled up with the addition of an all-new braking system and larger powerplants. 1965 styling alterations were subtle, confined to a smoothed-out hood now devoid of scoop indentations, a trio of working vertical exhaust vents in the front fenders that replaced the previous nonfunctional horizontal “speedlines,” restyled wheel covers and rocker-panel moldings, and minor interior trim revisions. The 1965 Corvette Sting Ray became ferocious with the mid-year debut of the “Big-Block” 396 cu in (6,490 cc) engine producing 425 hp (317 kW).

Ultimately, this spelled the end for the Rochester fuel injection system, as the carbureted 396ci/425hp option cost $292.70 to the fuel injected 327ci/375hp’s $538.00. Few buyers could justify $245 more for 50 hp (37 kW) less, even if the FI cars offered optional bigger brakes not available on carbureted models.[18] After only 771 fuel injected cars were built in 1965, Chevrolet discontinued the option. It would be 18 years until it returned.

Classic Driver logo1965 also added another 350 hp small block engine (Option L79) which used hydraulic rather than solid lifters, a milder camshaft and a modestly redesigned smaller oil pan.[19] Otherwise, the 350 hp engine was cosmetically and mechanically identical to the 365 hp engine (Option L76) solid lifter engine. The smaller oil pan allowed this high output small block 350hp engine to be ordered with optional Power Steering for the first time amongst the optional stable of higher output small block engines. Power steering was previously only available with the lower 250 hp and 300 hp engines.

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Mobility In The 2020’s: Top 15 Electric Bikes (Video)

If you haven’t been up on the world of electric bikes you may think that bikes with motors are bulky, ugly contraptions with little power. But electric bikes are quietly revolutionizing commuting and fitness around the world, setting a newer, higher standard for versatility and strength for today’s riders. In this video, we’re bringing you 15 Electric Bikes Changing the Way We Travel in 2019-2020.

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1963 Plymouth Valiant”

From Wikipedia:

1963 Chrysler Plymouth Valiant Signet 200 interiorThe Plymouth Valiant (first appearing in 1959 as simply the Valiant) is an automobile which was manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States from the model years of 1960 through 1976. It was created to give the company an entry in the compact car market emerging in the late 1950s. The Valiant was also built and marketed, without the Plymouth name, worldwide in countries including ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaFinlandMexicoNew ZealandSouth AfricaSweden and Switzerland, as well as other countries in South America and Western Europe. It became well known for its excellent durability and reliability, and was one of Chrysler’s best-selling automobiles during the 1960s and 1970s, essentially keeping the company afloat during its hard economic times.

Classic Driver logoThe Valiant was totally reskinned for 1963 with a 0.5 in (13 mm) shorter wheelbase; it had a wide, flat hood and a flat square rear deck. The upper belt feature line ran from the rear body, in a gentle sweep, to the front fender tip. Here it was ‘veed’ back and down to the trailing edge of the front fender. The roofline was flatter and sharpened in profile. The grille was a variation of the inverted trapezoid shape that characterized contemporary Chryslers, with a fine mesh insert. Advances in body structure, many accessories and a new spring-staged choke were promotional highlights. The Valiant was offered as a 2-door hardtop and convertible, a 2- or 4-door sedan, and a 4-door station wagon. The hardtop and the convertible, with manual- or optional power-operated top, were offered only in the high V200 and premium Signet trim levels.

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Classic Cars: “1968 Ford Falcon Futura Wagon”

From Wikipedia:

1968 Ford Falcon Futura Wagon Interior Classic CarsIn late 1965, Ford launched the third generation Falcon, based on a shortened Fairlane platform with revised styling. At the top of the line was the highly-trimmed Futura Sports Coupe, which featured chrome side window frames, giving this two-door sedan the look of a hardtop. It also featured a premium all-vinyl interior. Large “Sports Coupe” script on the “C” pillar was borrowed from the 1964–1965 Fairlane Sports Coupe.

Classic Cars logoThe heater-defroster became standard.[22] Brakes were 9-in for six-cylinder Falcons, and 10-in for V8s.[23] The two-door hardtop and convertible were dropped, while the station wagon and Ranchero were moved to a larger platform shared with the contemporary Fairlane. The Ranchero left the Falcon line and adopted the Fairlane’s front sheet metal for 1967. The 1966 Falcon was used in the Trans-Am series. The 1967 models were mostly the same as the 1966 models, but more Federally-mandated safety equipment was added, including a dual-circuit brake system, energy-absorbing steering wheel with a large, padded center hub, 4-way flashers, soft interior panels, and mountings for front shoulder belts (which were available as an option). A reminder light was added for the seatbelts;[24] 1968 was the first model year for the square tail lights.[25]

1968 and 1969 Falcons got new side marker lights or reflectors, front outboard shoulder belts, and headrests for cars built after January 1, 1969. The basic body and mechanical specifications remained the same as 1966–1967 models.

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Classic Car Books: “Healey – The Men & The Machines”

Healey The Men & The Machines John Nikas January 2020“Nikas combines extensive research into a previously unavailable and highly detailed archive of Donald Healey’s personal records with the author’s masterful ability to weave together an amazing level of detail while making it an eminently readable story. The result is a book that both seasoned automotive historians and anyone with an interest in the story of a life well lived will enjoy. Until you’ve read this book, you don’t know the true story of Donald Healey and his cars”
(Reid Trummel, Editor in Chief, Healey Marque)

Written in collaboration with Gerry Coker, the designer responsible for the iconic Austin-Healey 100 and Sprite, this volume represents the most complete account ever of the sports cars built at Warwick, Longbridge, Abingdon and West Bromwich. With unprecedented access to Donald and Geoffrey Healey’s private papers, diaries, scrapbooks and photo albums, corporate and financial records from BMC, Donald Healey Motor Company and Healey Automobile Consultants, the files of Jensen Motors and Nash-Kelvinator, dozens of personal interviews and exhaustive research into previously unavailable primary source material, this book provides a thorough account of the true story behind these automobiles and the individuals who created them.

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Classic Car Nostalgia: “1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé”

From Wikipedia:

1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé Interior Classic DriverThe Fiat Dino (Type 135) was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by Fiat from 1966 to 1973. The Dino name refers to the Ferrari Dino V6 engine, produced by Fiat and installed on the cars to achieve the production numbers sufficient for Ferrari to homologate the engine for Formula 2 racing.

Fiat Dino 2400, 1969–1973

1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider – In 1969, both Ferrari and Fiat introduced new 2.4-litre Dino models. The Fiat Dino 2400 premiered in October 1969 at the Turin Motor show; besides the larger engine, another notable improvements was independent rear suspension.[8] The V6 now put out 180 PS (132 kW; 178 hp), and used a cast iron instead of the previous light alloy engine block; the same engine was installed on the Dino 246 GT, Ferrari’s evolution of the 206. Whereas the original Dino was equipped with a rigid axle suspended by leaf springs and 4 shock absorbers, 2.4-litre cars used a coil-sprung independent rear suspension with 2 shock absorbers derived from the Fiat 130. Rather than engine power and absolute speed, the most important consequence of the larger displacement was a marked increase in torque, available at lower engine speeds; the Dino 2400 had much better pickup, and it was found more usable, even in city traffic.

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1965 Ford Thunderbird Convertible”

From Wikipedia:

1965 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Classic Driver December 2019The revised model was initially offered as a hardtop, convertible, Sports Roadster with dealer-installed tonneau cover and wire wheels, and Landau with vinyl roof, simulated landau irons, and wood grain interior appointments. Total 1964 sales were excellent: 92,465, up nearly fifty per cent from the previous year, but with only 50 Sports Roadster kits were sold from the factory. The 1964 Thunderbird was the only car of this generation to have the word ‘Thunderbird’ spelled out on the front hood instead of a chrome Thunderbird emblem. The only transmission available was the Cruise-O-Matic MX 3 speed automatic.

Classic Driver logoThe fourth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a large personal luxury car produced by Ford for the 1964 to 1966 model years. This generation of the Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off, “formal” look. The Thunderbird’s sporty image had by that time become only that: the standard 390-cubic-inch 300 bhp (224 kW) V8 engine needed nearly 11 seconds to push the heavy T-bird to 60 mph (96 km/h). The softly sprung suspension allowed considerable body lean, wallow, and float on curves and bumps. Contemporary testers felt that the Buick Riviera and Pontiac Grand Prix were substantially more roadworthy cars, but the Thunderbird retained its leading market share.

To view more photos: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/ford/thunderbird/1965/725139