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Category: transportation – Page 278

Kawasaki’s unmanned cargo VTOL aircraft completes PoC testing

Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced the successful completion of proof-of-concept (PoC) testing for unmanned cargo transport by the cooperation of its K-RACER X1 unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and delivery robot. The PoC testing was conducted with the aim of helping to solve societal issues such as labor shortages in the logistics industry.

In its Group Vision 2030, which describes the company’s future vision for 2030, Kawasaki specified three areas where it will focus its efforts: “A Safe and Secure Remotely-Connected Society,” “Near-Future Mobility” and “Energy and Environmental Solutions.” In the area of “Near-Future Mobility,” the company has been pursuing the development of unmanned VTOLs, delivery robots, and so on.

Kawasaki’s latest unmanned VTOL adopts improvements to an aircraft flight-tested in 2020. It is able to transport a 100-kilogram payload and is equipped with a delivery robot loading and unloading mechanism.

Waymo plans fleet of self-driving, all-electric robotaxis with Chinese automaker Geely

Alphabet’s self-driving car company Waymo is partnering with Chinese automaker Geely to create a fleet of all-electric, self-driving robotaxis.

The cars will be designed in Sweden (where Geely owns Swedish carmaker Volvo) and will be adapted from Geely’s all-electric five-door Zeekr. Waymo will then outfit the cars with the hardware and software necessary for autonomous driving. Waymo said in a blog post that it plans to deploy the vehicles in the US as part of its existing fleet of self-driving robotaxis some time “in the years to come.”

Concept images of finished vehicle shared by Waymo show a car that is designed specifically for autonomous ride-hailing trips. It has a flat floor, low step-in height, and B-pillarless design for easy entry and exit, as well as sliding doors, reclining seats, and plenty of headroom. Waymo says future models will have an interior without steering wheel or pedals — just a screen (presumably to let riders check on the progress of their journey).

TuSimple successfully operates 80-mile, autonomous semi-truck ride on public roads without a human present

TuSimple has stated that its “Driver Out” program is the first vital step in scaling its autonomous trucking operations on the TuSimple Autonomous Freight Network (AFN).

A robust AFN is now one step closer, following a successful 80-mile, driverless run in Arizona last week.

TuSimple announced its successful driverless ride via a recent press release, along with YouTube footage of the entire one-hour twenty-minute drive.

Big Boost To China’s Hypersonic Technology; Engineers ‘Crack Codes’ Of A Highly Innovative, ‘Miracle’ Engine?

Chinese scientists are celebrating the success of a new hypersonic engine, according to reports. The past few months have been important for China in terms of the success of its hypersonic technologies.

Not only did the country get a new wind tunnel ready for tests of hypersonic weapons but it is also developing a hypersonic passenger plane. The fact that the country is in possession of a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon system that is orbital in nature was also revealed less than a month ago.

Now, the successful testing of this engine will pave way for more advanced developments in components used for hypersonic flight, SCMP reported.

Alphabet’s Waymo Unveils Its New Taxi: No Steering Wheel or Pedals?

More headroom, more legroom, more room in general.

A new design for an autonomous taxi without a steering wheel or pedals has been unveiled by Waymo. The company, which has partnered with the Chinese automaker Geely, announced this week its intention to build a Zeekr minivan filled with passenger seats and little much else.

The minivan will be all-electric and self-driving as in being designed and developed in Gothenburg, Sweden. According to the US-based Waymo, the robot minivan will be added to its existing fleet “in the years to come.”

The announcement came via a blog post where Waymo gave a hint as to some of Zeekr’s planned features. According to Waymo, the Zeekr will have “a flat floor for more accessible entry, easy ingress, and egress thanks to a B-pillarless design, low step-in height, generous head and legroom, and fully adjustable seats.”

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Radical new electric bike drive system requires no chains or belts, entirely ride-by-wire

German company Schaeffler has just revealed an innovative new drive system for electric bicycles that eschews traditional bike chains and belts for an entirely electrical-driven system. The new system is known as the Schaeffler Free Drive and marks the entry of one of the most divergent electric bicycle drivetrains we’ve seen in years.

The Free Drive, which was co-developed with electric bicycle drivetrain specialists Heinzmann, is based upon a generator installed at the bike’s bottom bracket.

The rider’s pedaling action powers the generator and converts the energy from mechanical to electrical energy.

Bangkok’s noisy scooter-filled streets may quiet down with new electric motorcycle trial

The Thai government is starting a new trial in Bangkok that will see electric scooters replace their gas counterparts for motorcycle taxis in the city.

The trial run could have big implications not just for Bangkok, but for scooter and motorcycle-laden cities across much of Asia.

If you’ve ever visited Thailand, you’ll surely have seen two of their most popular forms of public transportation that we don’t offer here in the West: rickshaws (tuk-tuks) and motorcycle taxis.

Electric Bike Company’s ‘made in America’ e-bikes are key to its success. Here’s why

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the sprawling new production facilities for California-based Electric Bike Company (that’s an advantage to being an early mover in any industry, you get to pick the good names). The company has been building electric cruiser bicycles in Newport Beach since the mid-2010s. And as founder Sean Lupton-Smith proudly explained to me as I toured the factory grounds, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

This isn’t my first time visiting Electric Bike Company. Nearly two years ago I toured the previous EBC factory to learn about how e-bikes were being built in the US.

Back then, the company was able to fit inside just one facility, though it was obvious it was bursting at the seams and using every cubic foot of space available (frames and wheels were literally hanging from the rafters several layers deep).

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