Alternative Transportation – Page 15

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Electric Automobile, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News, Self-driving Cars

How will maintenance change with the autonomous vehicle?

May 2, 2017

All machines eventually break down. Self-driving vehicles are no exception.

Autonomous vehicles pose two problems for the future of vehicles. The removal of the driver means there is no person providing feedback on how the vehicle performs over time. You are removing the point-person who says “something feels wrong, this needs to be checked out.” An autonomous truck could easily arrive at its destination with one fewer wheels than it left with at its origin without recognizing there is a problem.

Continue reading… “How will maintenance change with the autonomous vehicle?”

Alternative Transportation, Architecture, Automation, Automobiles, Breakthrough Thinking, City Planning, cutting edge, Elon Musk, Engineering, Future, Latest News

Elon Musk’s boring tunnels don’t look boring at all

May 2, 2017

Elon Musk’s new Boring Company tunnels look pretty, well, not boring.

The company on Friday published an animated concept video on YouTube that shows how tunnels underneath a city could work. In the video, a car drives onto a metal platform that then lowers itself underground. The platform, with the car on top of it, speeds along at 124 mph, while other platforms carrying cars do the same. When the car reaches its destination, the platform lifts it back to the earth’s surface.

Continue reading… “Elon Musk’s boring tunnels don’t look boring at all”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News, Science Fiction, Self-driving Cars, Uber

7 companies working to make ‘flying cars’ a reality

April 19, 2017

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may think flying cars are a bad idea, but several companies are working to make them a reality as early as next year.The vehicles these companies are working on aren’t the same from flying cars from “Back to the Future.” Rather, they are pursuing electric, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft for shorter urban commutes.

Like the name suggests, these are vehicles that can take off without needing a runway.

Competition is mounting when it comes to the flying-car moonshot — here are 7 companies working on their own VTOL aircrafts:

Continue reading… “7 companies working to make ‘flying cars’ a reality”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Engineering, Inventions, Science & Technology News

A UK entrepreneur takes flight by attaching miniature jet engines to his limbs

April 19, 2017

A YouTube collection of grainy video clips highlights the progress Gravity founder Richard Browning has made toward his outlandish dream over the past year. Each seems more terrifying than the last, with multiple jet engines attached to his limbs in various configurations, as he hovers a few feet from the ground.

The press material attached to the announcement heralds the oil trader turned entrepreneur as a real life Iron Man, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re watching some sort of backyard mad scientist, a few moments away from the world’s most dangerous Jack Ass stunt. Browning acknowledges how downright alarming the footage of the Daedelus rig appears, but shakes off any notion that he’s actually in danger at any point during the three-and-a-half minute package.

Continue reading… “A UK entrepreneur takes flight by attaching miniature jet engines to his limbs”

Alternative Transportation, cutting edge, Driverless vehicles, Engineering, Future, Hyperloop, Science & Technology News

Hyperloop tech company offers first look at futuristic travel pods

April 5, 2017

Building a new 700mph transport system sounds pretty tricky, so one Hyperloop company has decided to kick things off by building the passenger pods first.

Hyperloop is a proposed plan to transport people or cargo between cities at near-supersonic speed in vacuum-sealed pods.

The technology is just a pipedream at the moment, with rival companies Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT)at the forefront of developments.

Continue reading… “Hyperloop tech company offers first look at futuristic travel pods”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Driverless vehicles, Drone, drones, Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News

Driverless flying taxi service set to launch in Dubai

March 23, 2017

Dubai has announced yet another pioneering initiative, but this time it’s not the world’s first rotating skyscraper or 3D printed office. It’s a fleet of flying taxis.

Small enough to fit into a car parking space when folded up, the one-seater passenger drones made by Chinese company Ehang are set to start picking up passengers in July this year, according to Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA).
Continue reading… “Driverless flying taxi service set to launch in Dubai”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Drone, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Straight Out of Sci-Fi: Hoverbike ‘Surfs’ Through the Air in Test

March 23, 2017

Think of it as half drone, half motorcycle: A new hoverbike prototype aims to make flying as simple as riding a bike.

Hoversurf, a Russian drone startup, recently unveiled its Scorpion-3 hoverbike in a test- flight video — making it the first manned quadcopter that has undergone testing, reported Futurism, a science and technology news website.

Continue reading… “Straight Out of Sci-Fi: Hoverbike ‘Surfs’ Through the Air in Test”

Airbus, Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Future, Ideas

Airbus’ Pop.Up concept may be the best “flying car” proposal to date

March 20, 2017

One of the biggest obstacles keeping flying cars grounded isn’t necessarily figuring out how to make a vehicle capable of flight (hello, helicopters) but rather, designing something that can both fly and drive on the streets.

The flexibility of being able to do both is incredibly appealing but physical limitations on both sides of the spectrum impact the ability to efficiently accomplish the other task.

That’s where Airbus’ latest concept changes things up.

Continue reading… “Airbus’ Pop.Up concept may be the best “flying car” proposal to date”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Big Problems, Ecological Products, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Future, Green Friendly, Hot Issues, Latest News, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Transportation, Travel

Electric cars and cheap solar ‘could halt fossil fuel growth by 2020’

February 16, 2017

Falling costs of electric vehicles and solar panels could halt worldwide growth in demand for oil and coal by 2020, a new report has suggested. A scenario that takes into account the latest cost reduction projections for the green technologies, and countries’ pledges to cut emissions, finds that solar power and electric vehicles are “game changers” that could leave fossil fuels stranded.

Continue reading… “Electric cars and cheap solar ‘could halt fossil fuel growth by 2020’”

Airbus, Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Aviation, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Future

Airbus is planning to make autonomous, flying cars by 2017

February 14, 2017

We live in a time where Level 5 autonomous cars are close to becoming a reality, and more than one company is working towards bringing humans to Mars. Consider all this, it’s almost surprising that flying cars haven’t taken to the skies yet. But it turns out we may not have to wait too long: Airbus is planning to test a prototype, not only for a flying car but an autonomous flying car.

Continue reading… “Airbus is planning to make autonomous, flying cars by 2017”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, City Planning, Crazy Stuff, cutting edge, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Engineering, Future, Science & Technology News

Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

February 7, 2017

Investment in autonomous vehicle technology entered overdrive in 2016, and 2017 is gearing up for more of the same. In the last six months of 2016, the first public self-driving taxi service hit Singapore roads, courtesy of NuTonomy, while Uber followed suit a month later in Pittsburgh. The question of self-driving cars becoming a reality on roads around the world is no longer an “if,” it’s a big fat “when.”

Continue reading… “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

Alternative Transportation, Architecture, Breakthrough Thinking, City Planning, Crazy Stuff, cutting edge, Engineering, Future, Hyperloop, Latest News, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Travel

South Korea makes a 1000 kilometer per hour high speed train that will go from Seoul to Busan in 30 minutes

January 27, 2017

South Korea is seeking to develop a train-like public transport concept that is almost as fast as the speed of sound up 1,000 km / h, the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) said Tuesday. The state-run institute will join forces with other research groups and Hanyang University to build the near-supersonic “train”, which would be able to travel from Seoul to Busan in half an hour.

Continue reading… “South Korea makes a 1000 kilometer per hour high speed train that will go from Seoul to Busan in 30 minutes”