Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: transportation – Page 366

Airbus Tests Bird-Like Flapping Wings For Its Future Aircraft

The planes of the future may have flapping wings. 😃

Is it a bird, is it a plane? Well, this new Airbus prototype aircraft is kind of both.

The plane manufacturer has unveiled a scale model aiplane that actually flaps its wings during flight. The model, named AlbatrossONE, has been going through various stages of testing since last year, and recently hit a new milestone by completing a successful ‘gate-to-gate’ proof of concept flight.

While the AlbatrossONE fuselage looks more or less the same as the aircraft we’re used to flying on, the model is equipped with longer-than-normal wings that are able to bend backwards and forwards at the tip, which Airbus says will allow for more efficient flight.

Tesla owners share first glimpse of Full Self-Driving Beta in action, release notes, Autopilot settings

Tesla owners who are part of the limited Full Self-Driving rollout have started sharing some images and videos of the advanced driver-assist features in action. Based on videos and the Release Notes of the limited beta, it appears that Tesla is heavily emphasizing safety.

Among the lucky Tesla owners who received the update were @brandonee916 and the @teslaownerssv group, both of whom shared a images and short clips of the limited Full Self-driving beta in action.

Overall, the UI of the limited beta seems to be quite rough in its current state. With this in mind, there seems to be a good chance that the visuals of FSD will be more refined by the time it gets a wider release.

Tesla to wide-release Full Self-Driving ‘by the end of this year’

I think some people would be excited. 😃

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite is poised for a wide-release by the end of 2020 to all drivers who purchased the capability, Elon Musk said, during its Q3 Earnings Call.

“We’re starting very slow and very cautiously because the world is a very complex and messy place,” Musk said when talking about the Beta rollout of the FSD suite to a minimal group of people, which began late Tuesday night. “We put it out there last night, and then we’ll see how it goes, and then probably release it to more people this weekend or early next week. Then gradually step it up until we hopefully have a wide-release by the end of this year.”

On October 8th, Musk stated that the latest build of the FSD software would be capable of “zero-intervention drives. Will release limited beta in a few weeks.”

Tesla’s 4680 tabless cells are curiously similar to LG Chem’s ‘new form factor’ batteries

As the electric vehicle sector grows, the demand for batteries is poised to see a significant increase. This is a big opportunity for companies like LG Chem, which supplies batteries for several EV makers like Tesla. Amidst this surging demand, LG Chem revealed on Wednesday that it is planning on tripling its production capacity for cylindrical batteries, the type used by the Silicon Valley-based electric car maker.

LG Chem currently forecasts a further rise in its battery sales and profits this fourth quarter. This is rather optimistic of the South Korean company considering that the company has already posted record quarterly earnings thanks to its growing EV battery business. “Sales are continuously expected to grow thanks to greater shipments of automotive batteries and cylindrical batteries for EVs,” LG Chem noted.

Volcon Grunt unveiled as affordable 60 MPH US-made electric motorcycle

Volcon is the latest startup hoping to bite off a piece of the growing electric motorcycle pie. The company’s new Volcon Grunt is poised to fill a gap in the market with an interesting mix of specs and pricing.

Volcon Grunt electric motorcycle unveiled

The Volcon Grunt is a fat tire electric motorcycle of sorts that doesn’t just talk the talk.

Tesla’s limited Full Self-Driving beta is rolling out tonight, confirms Elon Musk

Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta test will indeed be rolled out tonight. The Full Self-Driving beta will feature improvements from Tesla’s Autopilot rewrite. Musk has described the upcoming FSD beta as “profound,” which has only fueled excitement for its release.

While Musk confirmed the rollout of FSD’s limited beta, he did set some realistic expectations to the electric car community. The CEO stated that this limited beta will be rolled out in an “extremely slow and cautious” manner, likely to maximize safety. This bodes well for Tesla’s public Full Self-Driving rollout, as it shows that the company is taking a very conservative approach with regards to the release of its autonomous driving features.

Earlier this month, the Tesla CEO gave the public some information about the FSD beta coming out tonight. He said that Tesla’s new FSD build will be “capable of zero-intervention drives.”