cars

Terrafugia’s Flying Car Approved by FAA; On Sale Next Year

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Terrafugia Transition Flying Car

Are you a sports pilot with about $200k to spend on a plane? Then you’re in luck. Terrafugia’s plane-car may go on sale as early as late next year 2011 now that they’ve been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Light Sport Aircraft.

Named the Transition, it uses regular high-octane gas and gets about 30 miles per gallon (mpg). The wings fold up so you can take it out on the road, and you only need about 0.3 mile of ‘runway’.

The ideal situation is if you’re a sports pilot who likes to jet off to other local/regional airports, and can then just fold up the wings and get out on the road without having to wait for a rental car/cab/etc.

GPS Angel V4 warns you when approaching dicey intersections

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GPS Angel V4The GPS Angel V4 is a red light camera and speed camera warning system that you place on your car’s dashboard. It uses GPS to figure out where your car is and maps that against the built-in database of over 6000 known red light camera and speed camera locations, and warns you when you’re approaching one.

There are no monthly fees to keep the database up-to-date. Just plug it into your PC via a USB cable. You can also search the list online at www.gpsangel.com.

One other nice feature is the ability to program the V4 to warn you when you are in school zones, parks, etc.

Buy now!
Price: $117.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Dell’s ‘Solar’ Parking Lot recharges plug-in cars

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dell's solar parking lotDell is one company that is at least trying to tackle the climate problem in whatever capacity they can. For example, here’s what I feel is a great idea: solar cell-lined shaded parking structures.

These ‘trees’ not only shade cars from the sun, but also collect and can power electrical outlets in the column, so you can plug in your electric car during the day.

Built by Envision Solar, hopefully we’ll see many more of these in company parking lots across the world.

via TreeHugger

Heads-Up Displays get Small with Holographic Projection Tech

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Head-up Displays (HUDs) are not exactly a cutting-edge technology any more. However, they still demand a great deal of space. A new HUD based on holographic projection could be squeezed into a space as small as a car’s side mirror.

Just imagine being able to see additional data, graphics or other warnings overlaid on what’s actually in your side mirror or perhaps your rearview mirror. What may be better or at least additional is a HUD display on the windscreen itself.

via Technology Review

Toyota working on anti-drunk driving technology

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In much the same way that certain diseases have been eradicated and we as a society have shed them from our collective consciousness, so one day we may forget that drunk driving was ever the scourge it is today. More than a few companies are working on solutions that will aid in this quest. Toyota is one of these companies.

They are developing anti-drunk driving equipment that would lock the ignition of a vehicle if high levels of alcohol are detected in the driver. The technology uses both a breathalyzer and photo recognition software. In the case of vehicles that are company/fleet cars, it will also alert the home office. Nissan is also working on similar tech. Kudos Toyota & Nissan.

via ChannelNewsAsia

Tesla announces their 2nd all-electric car

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Electric car maker, Tesla Motors, unveiled their 2nd all-electric auto this week, the Model S. Their first model, the Roadster was (and still is) sold for over $100k. Despite the price, there is still a waiting list for these cars.

The Model S will have a more down-to-earth price tag of $50k (with an approximate federal tax credit of $7,500). This may still seem like quite a hefty price tag as compared to hybrids, but bear in mind that this is an all-electric car, so no more buying gasoline, although you will probably be faced with a stiff battery bill every 3 to 5 years.

Notable in this announcement is the fact that Tesla is actually expanding and growing (building a new plant in particular) despite the downturn for the other traditional automakers. Good for them – there is hope yet for a green revolution in transportation yet and sooner than may have been first imagined.

Mercedes aims to get rid of gas-powered cars by 2015

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Kudos to Mercedes Benz for setting themselves such a lofty goal. No more petroleum in their automobile lineup. Alternative power sources include technologies like electric batteries, fuel cells and biofuels.

They may fail, but having set such a goal, they will in all likelihood make a great deal of progress and probably meet their goal only a few years shy.

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