Only the smartest people win millions!

The qualified teams

Extraordinary innovations in technology and science are the goal of the X PRIZE Foundation. The X PRIZE Foundation was founded in 1995 and has since then announced prizes which are privately sponsored and conducted competitions in various disciplines with the goal to inspire companies to go new ways and to further develop research and know-how. Among others the X PRIZE Foundation is looking for the world's most fuel-efficient car. And that means: the car must not consume more than 2.3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and be suitable for everyday use. Click here for more information!

Google Patents Transition To Autonomous Driving For Cars

Google has just been granted a patent that describes a possible switch from a car that is driven by a human to an autonomous driving mode. The patent was written by a group of engineers that includes the winners of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.

We have heard quite a bit about Google’s autonomous cars driving around in California. A patent approved by the USPTO yesterday provides more detail on these cars and the technology they may use. The patent #8,078,349, filed on May 11 of this year, specifically refers to the event when a mixed-mode car is enabled to transition from a human driver to an autonomous mode.

source:
http://www.conceivablytech.com/9983/products/google-patents-transition-to-autonomous-driving-for-cars

"The new mechanical wagon with the awful name automobile has come to stay..." New York Times (1897 article)

The New York Times' mention of the name automobile was the first public use of the term by the media and helped to popularize that name for motor vehicles. However the credit for the name automobile goes to a 14th century Italian painter and engineer named Martini. Martini never built an automobile but he did draw plans for a man-powered carriage with four wheels. Martini thought up the name automobile from the Greek word, "auto," (meaning self) and the Latin word, "mobilis," (meaning moving).
The other popular name for an automobile is the car. The word car is derived from Celtic word "carrus," (meaning cart or wagon).

link: inventors.about.com

Driving a car using thought control instead of a steering wheel?

An iPhone, iPad or even thought-controlled car - this is made possible using technology which was developed for autonomous cars. It proves: In the future artificial intelligence will find its way into traffic - but only from the passenger seat.



Further information about the project AutoNOMOS:

http://autonomos.inf.fu-berlin.de/

Maverick – the flying car

A driving car is just too boring for you and you have 80,000 euros and don't know how to spend them? Just invest your money into Maverick, the second flying car since 1956. The tandem designed two-seater gets off the ground with a propeller and a parachute. The small craft can fly on one tankful for about 2.5 hours at 65 kilometres per hour.



Click here for more information:
http://itecusa.org/maverick.html

Do electric cars have to look like electric cars?

The magazine mobility2.0 reported on 17 March 2011 on page 2 that electric cars have to look different to be successful: For design professor Lutz Fügener of the Hochschule Pforzheim it is clear what makes electric cars attractive for buyers: "You have to see by passing by in the street: That is such an ecological thing."

Do you agree?



To download the German magazine go to:

http://www.leoni-electromobility.com/~mobility_week.pdf

Further information about the Renault Twizy:

http://www.renault.com/~twizy

Ecological power deluxe

The Porsche 918 Spyder drives frenzied activity into the gear of electric vehicle specialists such as Tesla Motors.



For too long hybrid cars had been reserved to manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda. German car manufacturers seemed to have been missing the trend. Now Porsche leaves all other cars in the dust with the 918 Spyder, currently the fastest hybrid vehicle in the world. Faster than most sports cars and more economical than any small car.



The elegant green ultra-fast car accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) - without any emissions in the "E-drive"-mode because it is electrically driven. It can cover a distance of 25 km. If you want to jet through the city centre you should have 450,000 euros at hand. The new high-performance hybrids from Porsche illustrate one aspect, in spite of the utopian price: Even car producers who were quite hesitant to start with have got wind of the emission restrictions and specifications concerning low petrol consumption.



"In the innovative 918 Spyder concept study Porsche combines "intelligent performance" technology, motor sport high tech and also its classic modern shape language to a convincing statement."

The 8-cylinder engine with a cylinder capacity of 3.6 litres achieves 500 HP at max. 9,000 rpm. The rear drive works with a dual-clutch transmission with 7 gears. An electric motor between the engine and the transmission provides an additional torque. Electric motors on each of the two front wheels ensure 4-wheel drive. The three electric motors fed by lithium ion batteries with 5.1 kilowatt hours provide an additional 218 HP. According to simultaneous calculations made by Porsche the 918 Spyder is even a bit faster than the last super model, the Carrera GT. What remains to be said? Today ecological awareness is more elegant and somewhat more expensive than jute bags and batik shirts.



»»» www.porsche.com

Mazda R360

Mazda's vintage micro car

Easy task?

There is a need to design, build and drive a car whose fuel consumption should also be highly efficient:

The Shell Eco-marathon challenges high school and college student teams from around the world to design, build and test energy efficient vehicles. With annual events in the Americas, Europe and Asia, the winner is the team that goes the furthest distance using the least amount of energy. This event also affords an outstanding engagement opportunity for current and future leaders who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the world’s energy challenge.



»»» http://www.shell.com/home/content/ecomarathon/



Interesting:
Shell Eco-marathon vehicle and its driver combined generate less carbon dioxide than a world-class athlete, running around a circuit at 25 km/hr.



Image sources: Shell Eco-marathon Image Library

For a change a short excursus

If less is more: With its X-Bow the motorcycle manufacturer KTM wants to redefine car driving leaving out unnecessary features for much money.

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTM_X-Bow



»»» http://www.ktm-x-bow.com/

Exotic vehicles in Geneva

Every time I am fascinated by the special cars which are build only in a small series or as an individual item; here are some examples:

Source of the images: www.classicdriver.de

Excursion: Geneva Show 2010

Porsche 918 Spyder Concepts Hybrid

If you're a lover of high-end machinery designed for ultimate driving fun, three of your favoured marques could well be Ferrari, Porsche and Lotus. None of these three is a name you would immediately associate with the green-tinged motoring that our legislators would like to force upon us but, at the Geneva show, all three revealed cars designed specifically to tackle environmental sensibilities head-on.

»»» Source: www.classicdriver.com

Lotus Evora 414E