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Category: transportation – Page 254

It burns about half the fuel of the same-sized rotorcraft.

In 1989, Vox conceptualized fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing airframes (VTOL), along with a plethora of sketches that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie, for a way to innovate the idea. Several prototypes and component tests later, the aircraft is in its final stages of assembly, and testing is expected to start next year.

Revolving around the concept of increasing the safety and convenience of the passenger, this hybrid aircraft can also fly three times faster than a helicopter.

“Our aircraft can travel at turboprop speeds and land on nearly any helipad in the world,” Brian Morgan, the COO and EVP of engineering at Vox, told Robb Report. “Like any helicopter, it provides the flexibility and ease of point-to-point travel, but at two to three times the speed, with more comfort and the ability to fly above the weather, all while burning about half the fuel of the same-sized rotorcraft performing the same mission,” he said.

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Continue reading “A New Hybrid Aircraft Is 3 Times Faster Than a Helicopter” | >

Micro-electromechanical systems or MEMS are tiny integrated devices that combine mechanical and electrical components. Traditional manufacturing techniques such as milling, turning, and molding become impractical at small scales so MEMS devices are fabricated using the same batch processing techniques used to fabricate integrated circuits. These devices can range in size from a few microns to several millimeters.

Because MEMS devices are a hybrid of mechanical and electronic mechanisms, they’re generally fabricated using a combination of traditional integrated circuit technologies and more sophisticated methods that manipulate both silicon and other substrates in a manner that exploit their mechanical properties.

In bulk micromachining, the substrate is removed in a manner similar to traditional integrated circuit techniques.

Surface micromachining, by comparison, is a predominantly additive in nature and is used to create more complex MEMS-based machinery. Material is deposited on the surface of the substrate in layers of thin films.

Continue reading “The World Of Microscopic Machines” | >

AMD to offer five Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX CPUs for workstations.

Dual-processor workstations are the stomping grounds of companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. They tend to cost as much as a car and are aimed at the most performance-demanding professionals with very deep pockets. It is hard to expect motherboard makers to offer dual-socket sWRX8 platforms at this time since 128-core/256-thread machines are complete overkill even for the workstation segment (which is why this capability might be canned if AMD feels that it is easier to offer Epyc platforms for the same market segment instead). Meanwhile, the report also says that Asus and Gigabyte intend to release all-new single-socket motherboards for the upcoming Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX CPUs.

AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper Pro retains eight memory channels to provide loads of bandwidth and support for plenty of memory for professional applications. The CPUs will continue to use the sWRX8 socket, though we do not know whether the new products will be drop-in compatible with the existing sWRX8 platform (probably they will, albeit with a BIOS update).

Since the Ryzen Threadripper Pro processors are designed for professional workstations, not gamers (so you shouldn’t expect to see them in our list of the best CPUs for gaming), it shouldn’t come as a surprise that all the CPUs have a similar rather conservative 4.55 GHz boost clock at a maximum TDP of 280W. The chips will also come with the B2 stepping.

Continue reading “Threadripper Pro 5000WX’s Secret Weapon: Up to 128 Cores per Workstation” | >

PENA, the division of Panasonic which produces lithium-ion batteries at the Sparks Gigafactory, will move into an existing building at 645 E. Plumb Lane, about half a mile east of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. PENA’s headquarters will move from the Gigafactory to the Plumb Lane campus.

“Our new facility in Reno underscores our commitment to evolving and growing to stay at the forefront of the mobility market,” Allan Swan, president of PENA, said in a news release. “Investing in innovation and workforce initiatives in the local community supports our mission of creating a future powered by sustainable energy.”

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And soon it will even dock automatically.

X Shore, the Swedish sustainable boat firm responsible for the Eelex 8,000 recently opened two new offices in the U.S. as part of its plans for expansion, following its U.S. debut at the Palm Beach International Boat Show in March.

“The Eelex 8,000 can travel up to 100nm at lower speeds and can reach speeds over 30 knots. This allows our customers to enjoy being environmentally conscious, without sacrificing performance,” X Shore CEO Jenny Keisu explains in an interview over email.

Since it was founded in 1996, the company has added a host of impressive technologies to its electric boat, drawing comparisons to the “Tesla of the seas”. But, as Keisu tells us, the benefits of the Eelex 8,000 go far beyond providing a sustainable alternative to private boats running on fossil fuels.

Continue reading “X Shore: The ‘Tesla of the Seas’ Is Now Selling Its Luxury EV Boat in the U.S.” | >

Taiga Motors announced that it has manufactured its first production electric snowmobiles and deliveries are expected to start early next year following regulatory approval.

Like the auto industry, the powersports world is being electrified, and Quebec-based Taiga Motors is one of the companies leading the way for electric snowmobiles and jet skis. Earlier this year, Taiga made waves when it went public and raised $100 million to bring its electric vehicles to production.

Most of the money is going to be used for a big new factory in Shawinigan, but in the meantime, the company is starting low-volume production at a smaller facility in Montreal.

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Australian researchers have struck a deal to commercialise a new next-generation graphene material they say could unlock cheaper and better performing lithium-ion batteries.

Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), based at the University of Wollongong, say they have discovered a new form of graphene, called ‘Edge Functionalised Graphene’ (EFG), which is both highly conductive and processable for use in a range of electronics.

This includes lithium-ion batteries, with the innovative graphene material promising to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of battery technology used in energy storage devices and electric vehicles.

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A multipurpose electric truck with a 400-mile range.

Wolfgang, a creative agency based in Los Angeles, California has recently unveiled the Thundertruck, an electric off-roader concept with dashing, futuristic features including bat wing-shaped solar panels.

The company says that the multipurpose EV offers superior on and off-road performance and an entirely new level of versatility and functionality without zero emissions.

The team behind Thundertuck figured that since there aren’t charging stations out in the desert, a solar roof to power the vehicle would come in handy. Since the sun is an endless power source, the bat wing-shaped collapsible solar awnings provide the vehicle with the necessary battery energy while also doubling as an auxiliary shade for when you’re camping or fishing.

The 800-horsepower Thundertruck EV boasts a 180 kWh battery, a 400-mile range, and an 800 lb-ft of torque. What’s more, it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The truck comes in two models, 4×4 and 6×6. The company website states that “Our state-of-the-art TT Range Extender easily converts the Thundertruck into a 6WD monster that quietly delivers unparalleled power and performance.”

Continue reading “A New Off-Road Electric Truck Concept Boasts Bat Wing-Shaped Solar Panels” | >