Google is quietly lobbying legislators to make Nevada the first state to allow autonomous vehicles on public roads. The company’s self-driving cars might soon become more than a pet project. (Video)
A radical new single-seat aircraft dubbed the FlyNano was unveiled at the Aero Friedrichshafen, Germany (April 13-16) byaviation consultant, flight designer and enthusiastic pilot Aki Suokas. You don’t even have to have a license to fly the single-seat fun flyer. It is made entirely of carbon fiber and weighs in at a mere 70kg. The FlyNano takes off and lands on water. The FlyNano falls under the weight of what is considered to be a plane so you don’t have to worry about applying for a flying license in most parts of the world. (Pics)
Airlines are getting better in America. But that may be hard for the bedraggled frequent fliers among us to believe. The overall quality of air travel has shown improvement over the last year according to an annual assessment of U.S. airlines.
Last year was a good one for the airline industry, with U.S. airlines churning out the highest profits in more than a decade. With the exception of American Airlines, every major carrier turned in positive profits for the year.
In the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report released on April 4, quality is up as well.
Low-cost carrier AirTran had the best overall performance of the 16 largest U.S. carriers last year in an annual study of airline quality released Monday, knocking the previous leader – Hawaiian Airlines – into second place. Regional air carrier American Eagle ranked last in the study, which is based on Department of Transportation data.
Marijuana’s fibrous cousin hemp has a long history with auto makers. in 1941 Henry Ford unveiled a car body made primarily out of organic fibers, hemp included. seventy years later, the world’s first production-ready biocomposite electric car—with hemp as the “bio”—will finally hit the streets. The Kestrel, a three-door hatchback, is made of a “hemp composite as strong as the fiberglass in boats, yet incredibly lightweight,” says Nathan Armstrong, the president of Motive industries, Kestrel’s manufacturer.
It may not look much different than your average black cab on the outside (decals aside), but it’s quite a different story under the hood of this taxi, which has just been deemed road legal in the UK. Developed by Intelligent Energy, the cab actually includes both a fuel cell with a 30 kW net output and a 14 kWh lithium polymer battery pack, which combined promise to provide enough juice for a full day of operation — along with a top speed of 81 MPH and acceleration from zero to sixty in fourteen seconds. Londoners won’t be seeing them everywhere just yet, however, as the company only expects the first fleet to be ready sometime next year in time for the 2012 Olympics.
The steering wheel of the McLaren Mercedes MP4-26.
It wouldn’t be Formula 1 without some kind of constant friction between racers, team owners and organizers, and this year’s kerfuffle involves steering wheels that force drivers to push more buttons than a 747 pilot having a seizure. (video)
It’s like something straight out of the mind of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor … but German. This is hands-down the craziest road vehicle we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Teens risk their lives by clinging to the back of underground trains.
A new craze has come up in Moscow called metro surfing, which has teenagers risking their lives by clinging to the back of underground trains as they hurtle through darkened tunnels.
The fully-working cycle, which is made of nylon, is the result of an extraordinary project and is as strong as steel and aluminium but weighs 65 per cent less.
This bicycle is the first in the world to be created simply by printing it out on a computer, using groundbreaking new technology.
A footwear manufacturer in China has made an electric car out of a giant shoe. A shoe shaped electric car is the newest promotional tool of the Kang Shoe Company, headquartered in Wenzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province.