Technabob » electric

Tesla Charges Up New Model X SUV with Impressive Performance, Falcon-Wing Doors

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:00:10 +0000

I’ll admit that generally I’m not a big fan of most green vehicles such as hybrids or EVs. I don’t have anything against the technology or saving the environment, I just think most of the green vehicles out there are butt-ugly. I will say that Tesla has a history of making some of the few nice-looking electric vehicles such as the Roadster and the Model S. The downside is those vehicles are both very expensive.

Tesla has unveiled a third model for its all-electric line of cars and it is dubbed the Model X. This new vehicle is actually an SUV that borrows much of the Model S’ drivetrain with tweaks to make it all-wheel-drive. As big as this SUV is, Tesla claims it will scoot from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.4 seconds – impressive for a sports car, let alone an SUV. Especially one that can seat seven.

Anyone that grew up in the 80s will see those gull wing doors on the Model X and immediately think about the DeLorean and Back to the Future. I happen to know for a fact, that the doors on one of those DeLorean’s are very far from friendly in a crowded parking lot. As a kid I watched a local man that owned a DeLorean standing at the grocery store waiting for the person parked next to him to move their car so he could get in his stainless steel ride and drive home. The “falcon-wing” doors on the Model X shouldn’t have that problem; Tesla says they actually need less space to open than conventional doors. They also arc high enough that an adult can stand underneath them.

Production versions of the vehicle won’t arrive until 2014 and when they do hit dealer lots, they should sell for $50,000-$70,000. I would expect the car to have a driving range on a single charge in the 200 to 300 mile range, much like the Tesla Roadster and Model S, though that might go lower when fully loaded with passengers and cargo.

To see the reveal of the Model X for yourself, jump to about 13:30 in the video below:

[via Engadget]

Boxx Electric Bike is as Small as Basic Transportation Gets

Conner Flynn — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:00:02 +0000

City life is tough. Sure, you can walk most anywhere you want or take a cab, but having your own mode of transport gives you a bit of freedom. But cars are expensive. Bikes are good, but require a lot of energy on your part. Mopeds are an option, but not if you can’t store them – never mind the emissions from the gas-powered ones. The BOXX electric vehicle seems like the perfect solution.

Reminiscent of the design of the old Honda Motocompo, the BOXX It’s basically a small box on wheels that can go up to 80 miles in a single charge, with a top speed of up to 35mph. It measures just 36 inches-long, weighs 120 pounds, and can handle a single passenger from 90 to 300 pounds. It’s got a suprisingly rich feature set for its size, including drive-by-wire control systems, all-wheel drive, traction control, anti-lock brakes, LED lighting and an optional heated seat for cold weather.

It takes up less space than a standard bicycle, and fits just about anywhere. Sadly, you have to be rich right now to own one since it will cost you $3,995(USD). If you have the money, it seems perfect for city living. If you want one, head on over to the BOXX product configurator now.

[via Redferret]

Ridekick Trailer Turns Any Bike Into an Electric Bike

Range — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:00:14 +0000

Have you ever wished that you had an electric bike, especially while hauling groceries home from the store? Well the Ridekick trailer promises to do everything an electric bike does, plus offer you some extra storage space as well. It also allows you to unhitch the trailer and go without using electric power.

The Ridekick trailer has got a 1HP/500W electric motor. The twelve amp-hour rechargeable battery is enough for a maximum range of 12 miles and a top speed of 20 mph. The throttle control can be affixed to your handlebars, and can be used to give you that little extra boost while hauling cargo or heading up a steep hill.

Ridekick costs $699 (USD), so it’s cheaper than the vast majority of electric bikes out there. It will certainly enable people who wouldn’t normally consider using bikes everyday to do so, thanks to the extra power.

[via Inhabitat via DVice]

Rinspeed Dock + Go Makes Mini-Cars More Useful

Range — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

For a moment, I thought that this dock for your super mini-car would make it into a mini-pickup, but that’s not the case. Once attached, the resulting car looks kind of cool, albeit strange and wrong in so many ways.

The Dock+Go concept by Rinspeed was created by Frank Rinderknecht. It adds a third axle, which will allow you to store a lot more stuff in your sub-sub-compact car. Rinspeed suggests a variety of different configurations for the Dock + Go, including a heated box for food delivery, a segmented toolbox, a golf camping box, beach or party box. There’s also the option of adding a combustion engine in this extra space, or extra fuel cells, allowing you to go further and faster.

Rinspeed is demonstrating the Dock+Go on a tw0-seater Smart car, but the system is intended to work with any electric city-type car. The concept vehicle will be displayed at the Geneva motor show, from March 3rd to 13th, 2012.

[via designboom]

115 Year Old Electric Car Matches the Mileage of a Chevy Volt

Conner Flynn — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:00:40 +0000

Sometimes when we think that technology is marching forward, it isn’t as a big of a deal as we thought and you find out that someone has had the technology for years already. Take the Chevy Volt for instance. These cars have a lot of cutting edge technology packed inside. Or so we thought. However, there’s one single 115-year-old car that can match it’s mileage.

The Chevy Volt will cost you $32,000 today, but the Roberts electric vehicle – built all the way back in 1896 – gets 40 miles to a charge, just like the Volt. It actually was built 12 years before Ford’s Model T, for that matter. The current owner of the vehicle says that it runs great, even competing in some classic car derbies and doing okay. No word on what he paid for this antique car, but it is one of a kind, built before mass production. It’s so unique that the steering mechanism is a tiller instead of a wheel.

Yes there really is an electric car this old. “The man” didn’t want you to know about it so that he could sell you his gas and oil, or so I hear. Sorry Chevy, you’ll have to up your game now.

[via The Daily Caller via Geek]

Electric DeLorean DMCEV Lacks Flux Capacitor, Still Looks Great (Scott!)

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:00:17 +0000

I can remember when I was very young standing at the window of the local GMC dealer looking at the DeLorean sitting on the showroom floor and thinking it must be the most awesome car in history. The gull wing doors and stainless bodywork did it for me. I really wanted one. I also remember the local guy that bought that car not being able to get into the car because the doors wouldn’t open if someone parked too close to you at the store.

DeLorean didn’t last long and the car went into history as a curiosity until it was revived in the Back to the Future franchise. The DeLorean still looks good today, and there is a company around that makes replacement parts for the car called the DeLorean motor company or DMC. At a show at DMC HQ this last weekend, the company unveiled a new version of the DeLorean with all the style, but more green inside. Jalopnik was there and shot some awesome shots of the electric DeLorean, known as the DMCEV. The new car is replacing the anemic V6 the cars normally use with an electric motor and batteries that give the equivalent of 260hp under foot.

The inside of the car also gets updated with more modern switches. The electric DeLorean isn’t ready for prime time just yet; the car is still a prototype. The car has a driving range of 70 miles and the company says closer to 100 miles is possible if you drive with extra efficiency. I guess that means limiting your 88mph runs.

The company claims the DMCEV electric DeLorean can also do 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, a feat that no other production DeLorean has achieved. Like Doc Brown says, if you are going to build an EV, why not do it with style?

[via Jalopnik]

Electric TRON Lightcycle Outed by Parker Brothers

Technabob — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:45:13 +0000

Do you guys remember those awesome TRON lightcycle motorcycles from Parker Brothers bike customizers? Well they’re back, and this time they’ve done away with the old gas-and-oil-guzzler and replaced it with something much more likely to exist in the world of TRON – an all-electric drive-train.

The new all-electric TRON lightcycle is driven by a 96-volt electric motor, powered by a bunch of lithium-ion battery cells. The bike is able to hit a top speed over 100mph, and can go for about 100 miles per charge (and a charge only takes 15 to 35 minutes). Of course, it also features authentic TRON illumination with the flick of a switch. Check out some footage of the electric lightcycle tooling around a shopping mall parking lot, as well as a brief glimpse at the bike’s internals in the video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Parker Brothers says they are intent on making the bike street-legal, but it’s not designed for heavy duty use – so don’t expect to get in a light bike race with evil CLU and expect to beat him if he’s still on a petroleum-powered bike. For more info on the electric TRON bike, head on over to parkerbrotherschoppers.com or give them a buzz at 321-215-5116.

Electronic Guitar Bag Lets You Strum Your Pain Wherever You Go

Hazel Chua — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:21:18 +0000

I think music is a great outlet to release pent-up emotions, be it the good kind or the bad kind. It doesn’t really matter if you’re not very musically inclined or can’t carry a tune; I mean, it’s got to be better than throwing a tantrum or breaking stuff, right?

The thing is, you most likely won’t be carrying around some musical instrument while you go about your business everyday–unless it’s right on your bag like on the Electronic Rock Guitar Bag, that is.

Most bags that are for the musically-inclined feature designs of musical instruments like guitars and pianos and drums printed on the bag. But on this bag, you can actually play the guitar.

That little box you see in the lower right corner is actually a mini-amplifier, and that’s where the sound will play through. So how do you actually play this thing? Just place your fingers on the desired frets on the shortened neck on the bag and move your thumb across the strings at the bottom of the bag.

The bag is large enough to accommodate a 17-inch laptop, and comes with six small pockets and two larger ones to carry all your other stuff. The Electric Guitar bag is on backorder right now at ThinkGeek, and is priced at $49.99 (USD).

[via Geeky Gadgets]

Chevy Volt Plugless Power Charger Needs No Wires

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:25:24 +0000

The Chevy Volt is a cool car if you are into the green vehicle movement. You can charge the batteries in the car up at night for full EV driving for short drives. The cool part is that you don’t have to worry about being stranded because the Volt has a gasoline motor that recharges the batteries when the driving range exceeds the charge.

The thing that bothers me about any plug-in hybrid or pure EV is that I know I would forget to charge the car. I never seem to remember to plug in my phone or my iPad to charge, so I know the same would happen with a battery-powered car. A new charge system for the Volt is being shown off from Evantran called Plugless Power which should help with this.

The system has a little green circle that the driver can park over and the power charges the battery with no cords. The charger is 90-91% efficient between the charger and the wall. Between the circle thing and the car, the charger is 97% efficient. That means more of the power gets into the car’s battery pack, making it charge faster.

Production models of the Plugless Power system should sell for between $2,000 for an indoor model to $3,000 for one that works outdoors, but you’ll also need to spend another $2k or so to retrofit your Volt to use the charging station. Evantran expects prices to drop substantially over time, though.

[via Autoblog]

Orphiro Electric Motorcycle is a Cruiser, not a Racer

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:58:14 +0000

Back in January, I mentioned the Mission R electric racing motorcycle that was so cool and looked really sexy too. If that sort of racing motorcycle isn’t what gets your green geek lust stoked, perhaps this cruiser from Orphiro will get you excited. This bike is powered by rechargeable batteries and is totally electric.

The bike reminds me of one of the old Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the 50′s. The bike also has more than a little of the flavor of the old British bikes in it too. It looks like that seat might be hard on the butt though.

The bike has a 72V electric motor, and has battery packs under the wide bodywork that can zip the bike along at up to 75mph. The Orphiro motorcycle has a cruising distance of 60 miles on a charge. The bike is set to launch in September and the pricing is unknown, but I bet the Orphiro isn’t cheap.

[via Inhabitat]

Drawing Electronic Circuits with Pen and Ink

Range — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:58:57 +0000

Have you ever thought about creating electrical circuits with a pen? Apparently some engineers have, and came up with this prototype. These electric circuits were drawn using a silver-inked rollerball pen. The circuits can be drawn directly on paper, wood, and other surfaces. Now that’s an amazing pen.

The ink of the pen is composed of silver, which, after drying, maintains conductivity even if it is bent or folded. This handheld device will lower the cost of producing certain types of circuits, and allow for the production of circuits directly on paper and other flexible materials.

The idea opens up a whole new range of flexible and disposable electronic circuits, as well as electronic art. The research team behind the prototype was led by engineers Jennifer Lewis and Jennifer Bernhard, from the College of Engineering of the University of Illinois. Their research is published in a paper called Pen-on-Paper Flexible Electronics in the Journal of Advanced Materials.

[via gizmag via designboom]

Green Siemens Airplane is the Chevy Volt of Aviation

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:31:46 +0000

I have always wanted to learn to fly, since aviation is an interest of mine. It’s been very interesting over the last few years to see the giant push for green vehicles in the automotive sector spill over into aviation. Sure, it’s nice that these green planes can reduce pollution, but for the most part reducing fuel needed in commercial and military flights saves money on expensive aviation fuel.

Siemens has teamed up with a couple other companies including EADS and Diamond Aircraft to build the cool hybrid electric plane you see in this photo. The aircraft is called the DA36 E-Star and it’s design is based on the powered glider made by Diamond Aircraft called the HK Super Dimona. The battery packs the hybrid plane uses are from EADS and Siemens provided the other tech for the plane.

The aircraft has a 70kW electric motor from Siemens that drives the propeller. Similar to the Chevy Volt, battery packs that hook to the motor can be charged by a Wankel combustion engine to keep the plane in the air. The electric system can be scaled for use in larger commercial planes too and promises to save 25% in fuel consumption. That means less pollution and lower flight costs.

[via CNET]

EDWARD, aka Electric Diwheel with Active Rotation Damping (and no Gerbiling)

Technabob — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:41:50 +0000

There are lots of ways to get around town, but I’m pretty sure that most of us have never driven around in an electric diwheel transportation device. Nope, didn’t think so. EDWARD (which stands for Electric Diwheel with Active Rotation Damping) was created by students at the University of Adelaide’s School of Mechanical Engineering.

The moving contraption gets around using a pair of motor-driven wheel rings, which surround a central seat for its driver. Because of this design, the seating compartment can move independently from the wheels. Top speed for EDWARD is about 25MPH, and its two-wheel design allows for it to spin on a dime. It also has a sophisticated control and vertical stabilization functionality that ensures the passenger stays parallel to the ground when activated. The driver can even drive upside-down (assuming they’re buckled in tightly.) Or as the creators put it EDWARD includes “inbuilt dynamic lateral stability and slosh control to prevent ‘gerbiling’ or tumbling in aggressive braking or acceleration maneuvers”. And we all know how important it is to prevent “gerbiling.” Yeesh.

But enough tech talk. Be sure to check out the video clip below to see the EDWARD in action. It sure looks like fun to drive, although it might induce just the slightest touch of nausea with all that rocking and spinning action when slosh control is deactivated.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Upside-down driving, FTW!

[via Fancy]

Geely McCar: Electric Car Has Electric Scooter in the Trunk

Range — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:09:36 +0000

Geely’s new McCar concept vehicle stuffs an electric scooter in the back. While this might sound like science-fiction, it’s actually going to be made. The main question will be if it’s going to be available in the US. Still, it’s an interesting take on the whole mobility scheme.

The McCar allows you to bypass walking or public transport and just zoom to your destination using the electric scooter that rolls out of the trunk. While this sounds pretty cool, the fact is that you could probably get the same result by using a Toyota Prius or Nissan Leaf and jamming a Segway inside.

The McCar will be available as a fully electric model, with a range of 93 miles, or a hybrid. The scooter can go 18 miles on a charge. Another option would be simply allowing to easily store a wheelchair or traditional electric scooter for people with limited mobility. A prototype of the McCar is currently on display at the Shanghai Motor Show.

For those of you who don’t already know, Geely is the Chinese company that now owns Volvo. I wonder what McDonald’s is going to say about the McCar?

[Born Rich via DVice]

Electric VeloMini Bike: Green and Geeky

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:00:10 +0000

If you are the sort that has to commute a relatively long distance each day, but you want to do that commute with a small and green bike you don’t have to pedal, the VeloMini could be just the ticket.

The VeloMini bike has a driving range of up to ten miles and it folds up small enough to be taken in the trunk of a car or inside a home or office without getting in the way.

The little bike is battery-powered and has a 180W electric motor inside. It can hit speeds up to 12mph with an average rider without having to pedal.

At $995 (USD), the little bike is expensive, but electric bikes – like the Ultra Motor A2B – can cost as much as $2700 and more.

GM EN-V Goes for a Spin at CES

Technabob — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:16:16 +0000

I’m not quite sure how I missed this thing at CES. It must have been shown behind closed doors, or maybe some doors I just didn’t bother to peek through. At least the guys at Mashable shot some footage of this goofy looking two-seater, the GM EN-V. They titled the clip “eggcar” though, and I like that better, so that’s what I’m going with.

The guys in the video describe the two-wheeled concept car as both “an enclosed Segway” and “the coolest vacuum cleaner I’ve ever seen.” I’d have to say both are completely accurate characterizations. Here’s the zero-emission eggcar in all it’s glory…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I honestly can’t believe they can fit two occupants inside this tiny little thing. Still, you’ve got to hand it to them for the unique touchscreen steering wheel. I thought that was pretty cool. For some reason, I doubt the EggCar will ever be street-legal in the States, but you never know. After all, they let the Renault Le Car and the Yugo out on the roads.

Mission Motors Shows Off Fast and Awesome Electric Mission R Motorcycle

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:18:07 +0000

If you like green vehicles, you might think of green cars like the Prius or maybe the Tesla Roadster. Motorcycles can be green too and a company called Mission Motors has pulled the wraps off an awesome looking electric racing motorcycle called the Mission R.

The bike has a 14.4kWh energy storage device and the electric motor makes 141hp. All that go is packed into a frame smaller than that of a 600cc sportbike. The bike uses a single speed transmission and can hit 160mph with that single gear.

The AC induction motor is liquid-cooled and has 115 ft. lbs of torque. The battery power of the bike is controlled by the MissionEVT 100kW motor controller with regenerative braking and more. The Mission R should hit the track in time for the 2011 race season.

If Skynet Made Bikes, the M55 Hybrid Would be It

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:54:58 +0000

Despite most popular opinions, I really liked the Terminator Salvation flick. My favorite machines in the movie were those cool motorcycles that Skynet built. I think if Skynet built bikes, the M55 Hybrid Bike would be what they looked like.

The M55 Hybrid Bike is a sweet bicycle that is made from a cast structure and is completely water resistant and serviceable. It has an electric motor that can push the bike along so the rider doesn’t have to pedal. The rider can pedal and get assistance from the electric motor for hills and such.

Power comes from 22 Tenergy battery cells that can be charged to 80% of full capacity in only 15 minutes. The battery is good for 1000 charge/discharge cycles.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This has to be one of the coolest bikes ever made. If you want to be one of the first to own an M55, fill out the pre-order request form here.

Flyrad is the Love Child of Segway and a Unicycle

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:58:26 +0000

It took me years to recognize that many asshats have no idea just how asshatty they really are. Take my cousin for instance; he once had a unicycle he wanted to show off on in front of some girls when we were about eight. As you can imagine, things didn’t go well with him crushing his gonads between the wheel and seat post and smacking his face in the dirt. It was epic and I still laugh about it each time I see him.

I took that as a valuable lesson that unicycles are the devil, and never tried to ride one myself. A dude has come up with a new modern looking unicycle with a touch of Segway DNA that looks cool and I might actually try this one. You don’t have to balance on the thing, you sit on it and it balances with the help of your weight it seems. The front wheel is battery powered and you balance with rollerblades and zip around.

The thing is called the FlyRad (German), and the adult size has a 500W electric motor and a 36V battery. The thing is good for about 31 miles per charge at 25 mph. A kid’s version and a version for teens is also available. If you are really into speed, you can opt for a 1000W motor and bigger battery for more power.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you ride one, wear a cup – Unicycle + asshatery x 25mph = eunuch. You were warned.

[via GizMag]

Electroadhesion Could Lead to Friendly Neighborhood Spiderbots

Lambert Varias — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:04:20 +0000

A company called SRI International is currently developing an exciting new technology called compliant electroadhesion. Simply put, an object with electroadhesive properties can hold or stick to most common surfaces, like wood, glass, brick or concrete by inducing electrostatic charges.

This method consumes a small amount of power – theoretically, 11 sq.ft. of an electroadhesive will be able to support 440lbs while using only 40mW of power. Another advantage of electroadhesion is that it can be turned on and off with the flick of a switch.

Pictured above is an electroadhesive robotic gripper. As you can see, electroadhesion not only makes for wall-climbing robots…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

…it can also lead to robots that can hold a variety of objects without the need for mechanically complex appendages.

Aside from robots, SRI International is also looking at other applications for electroadhesion, like safer ladders, and yes, human wall-climbing.

[via SRI International, BotJunkie & Hizook]