As reported by Jalopnik: Yeah, sure, Bugatti breaking the 300+ mph mark with the Chiron is a pretty big deal, but have you ever seen something go 6,599 miles per hour before? Can you even see that? This video features the U.S. Air Force testing a hypersonic sled at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. While you might only see a bright flash of light, what you’re actually seeing is a sled traveling at Mach 8.6. You’re going to want to turn the sound on for this one.
The threshold of hypersonic speed is Mach 5—something that this sled extremely exceeds. The U.S. Air Force is testing a lot of things to see if they can withstand hypersonic speeds given that this is a growing focus of the military. If something is going to be moving at thousands of miles per hour, everything involved in it needs to be able to withstand high acceleration forces and heat stressors. That includes everything from wiring to exterior coatings, which is why the military uses the Holloman High Speed Test Track on the base. The original track was completed in 1949 and grew to be ten miles in length, used by government agencies and contractors to test weapons and other things, since it’s cheaper to do that on the ground than it is to do it in the air. This particular test, as the base noted on Instagram, saw the sled going over a mile per second.
As reported by TechCrunch: CEO Elon Musk promised a more powerful powertrain option in future Model S and Model X vehicles, as well as the next-generation Roadster sports car, which will push acceleration and speed beyond the current high bar known as Ludicrous mode. Musk tweeted Wednesday evening “the only thing beyond Ludicrous is Plaid,” a teaser to a higher-performing vehicle and a nod to the movie “Spaceballs.”
These new higher-performing versions of the Model S, Model X and Roadster will contain what Musk describes as a Plaid powertrain and is still about a year away from production. This new powertrain will have three motors, one more than the dual-motor system found in today’s Model S and X.
Yes. To be clear, Plaid powertrain is about a year away from production & applies to S,X & Roadster, but not 3 or Y. Will cost more than our current offerings, but less than competitors.
This Plaid powertrain has already seen some action. Tesla revealed Wednesday that a Model S equipped with a Plaid powertrain and chassis prototype had lapped Laguna Seca racetrack in 1:36:555, a second faster than the record for a four-door sedan.
The “Plaid” powertrain will not be offered in the lower-cost Model 3 or Model Y, which isn’t expected to go into production until late 2020. Musk also promised that this Plaid powertrain will cost more than “current offerings, but will be less than competitors,” without explaining what that means. Close followers of the automaker might recall hints of a three-motor powertrain in the past. When Tesla unveiled a new Roadster prototype in November 2017, Musk said it would have three motors and be able to travel a whopping 0 to 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds with a top speed of 250 mph or even more. The Roadster isn’t expected to go into production until 2020.
What is new are Tesla’s plans to make this more powerful three-motor powertrain available in the Model S and Model X. And it stands to be an important option, if it does in fact materialize. The Model S has been around since 2012; since the introduction the cheaper Model 3, sales have dipped.
And yet, Musk has said the X and S won’t be getting a major refresh. If Tesla hopes to maintain demand for either of its higher-margin luxury vehicles, new trims like this Plaid powertrain will be essential.
Tesla first announced Ludicrous mode in its Model S vehicles way back in July 2015. As shareholders and customers awaited the Model X to arrive, Musk unveiled several options for the company’s Model S sedan, including a lower-priced version, longer battery range and “Ludicrous mode” for even faster acceleration.
Ludicrous mode, which improved acceleration by 10% to let drivers go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, came about as a result of an improved battery fuse. This new fuse, Musk explained in a blog post at the time, has its own electronics and a tiny lithium-ion battery that monitors current and protects against excessive current.
Tesla also upgraded the main pack contactor with a high-temperature space-grade superalloy instead of steel. This enabled the battery pack to remain “springy” under the heat of heavy current. In the end, the max pack output increased from 1300 to 1500 Amps.
Ludicrous was a $10,000 add on for new buyers. Tesla did reduce the price for existing Model S P85 owners for the first six months following the announcement and sold them the pack electronics upgrade needed for Ludicrous mode for $5,000.
Musk joked in this 2015 blog post that there is “one speed faster than ludicrous, but that is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid.”
Ford is wooing its base with the promise of mammoth torque.
As reported by Engadget: Ford is trying to show its rabid pickup truck fans that EVs aren't just for latte-sipping Tesla pilots. In an impressive demonstration of torque, an electric F-150 prototype towed 10 double-decker rail cars stuffed with 42 current-model F-150s, weighing over a million pounds (500 tons) in total. That shows promise that it could beat Ford's current towing champ, the 2019 F-150 with a 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6, that's rated to tow 13,200 pounds (6.6 tons).
It's just a technology demo and of course there's a big difference between rated and maximum towing capacity. It does show, though, how electric motors can develop more torque than ICE engines, even at zero RPMs. There's a reason, after all, that most train locomotives are diesel electric, with the diesel engine acting as a generator and the electric motor actually driving the train. Left unsaid in all this, of course, is that while an electric F-150 might be able to pull more weight than a gas-powered model, it wouldn't be able to do so for nearly as long. The ICE model has a (non-towing) range of 720 miles with the optional 36-gallon tanks, while the longest-range EV out there, the Tesla Model S 100D, can go 370 miles. Ford has yet to reveal the battery capacity of the electric F-150, nor when it will hit the market.
When the F-150 EV does arrive, it will have to contend with Tesla, which is set to launch its own "cyberpunk" EV pickup pretty soon. CEO Elon Musk has also bragged about towing capacity, tweeting that Tesla's model will be able to tow 300,000 pounds. An electric F-150 will also be competing with Rivian, which recently unveiled the impressive looking R1T electric truck. However, that should be a more friendly rivalry, as Ford has invested $500 million into the startup. The automaker plans to build an "all-new" electric vehicle using Rivian's platform, on top of the F-150 and its other EV projects. Ford also recently announced that it was collaborating with Volkswagen, and will use VW's MEB platform for its own electric cars.
As reported by CNBC: SkySkopes, an unmanned aircraft operator based in North Dakota, has devised a new way to string power lines using drones.
Their multi-step process uses an unmanned drone to pull a lightweight rope. This initial lead line pulls a heavier metal cable, and finally the cable pulls the much heavier power lines.
Typically, large power lines are strung using helicopters or workers climbing the towers. However, these methods can be quite dangerous. In April 2018, two workers stringing power lines in Northeastern Pennsylvania died when their helicopter crashed.
Drones do not present the same risks to people nor costs that helicopters do. SkySkopes estimates that the initial cost savings is about 25%.
The company is still researching ways to bring this method to a larger scale.
As reported by Engadget: Charge's electrified Mustang is controversial. The original, after all, is an automotive icon that many associate with 'American muscle,' a sub-genre of cars that growl loudly and consume gasoline like water. The Mustang before me, however, does neither of those things. It's powerful, yes, but runs on batteries and will, presumably, be whisper-silent on the road. For some, the combination is an attractive blend of technology and 1960s design. For others, it's a monstrosity that betrays the Mustang heritage. From afar, the car looks like nearly identical to its more than 50-year-old inspiration. Charge is building its electric road warrior with officially licensed Ford Mustang shells from the 1960s. The basic shape and bodywork is, therefore, indistinguishable from the original. Look closer, though, and you'll notice the Charge badge -- a cross-shaped symbol that resembles a snowflake -- on the hood, trunk and wheels of the vehicle. The front and rear lights have been updated, too, and the exhaust pipe has obviously been thrown out. It's a unique refresh that, against all odds, straddles the line between modern and vintage design sensibilities. Unfortunately, the car I saw at the Goodwood Festival of Speed wasn't moving. Charge is promising performance levels, though, that are worthy of the Mustang name. The final version will, for instance, have a top 'V-max' speed of 149MPH (240KPH), the company claims, and a nought to 60MPH (97KMH) time of under four seconds. A 64 kWh battery will take the car 200 miles on a single charge, which is low by luxury EV standards (the standard Model 3, for comparison, has a 220-mile range) but strangely fitting for a car that, at least outwardly, is imitating American muscle.
So why the Mustang? Well, Charge knew it would be a head-turning project. The car's enormous size, though, also made it easier to squeeze in all of the necessary EV components. An old Jaguar E-Type or Mini would have been considerably harder to pull off. "Yes, [a Mini] is too small, Vadim Shagaleev, CEO of Charge told Engadget. "That's almost impossible." There is, of course, one huge advantage to owning Charge's Mustang over the 1960s original: reliability. "It's a well known fact that it's very difficult and problematic to drive old classic cars," Shagaleev added. "They're unreliable and always smoky and leaking. There are just plenty of problems." Charge's version, meanwhile, is effectively a brand-new car powered by modern and, hopefully, more reliable components. Owners should, in theory, be able to drive the car every day and spend minimal time, if any, cooped up in their garage with various tools and oily rags. There will always be people who prefer the original and want to spend their weekends repairing and restoring a classic car. And that's fine -- Charge knows its electrified Mustang won't be for everyone. If you do fancy owning this unusual and somewhat eco-friendly vehicle, though, there's a reservation form online. Be warned, though: only 499 cars are being made, and each one has a starting sticker price of £300,000 (roughly $377,000).
The guideline sets out 12 principles that autonomous vehicles must adhere to.
As reported by Engadget: Intel and a team of automotive companies have teamed up to create new guidelines for autonomous vehicles. The intention of the "Safety First Automated Driving" paper, published today, is to establish a framework of universal safety principles that all self-driving cars should abide by. The standards deal primarily with how the industry should monitor and report safety standards when building and operating autonomous cars. Aptiv, Audi, Baidu, BMW, Continental, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Here Technologies, Infineon and Volkswagen were all involved in crafting the paper, which established 12 principles for autonomous vehicles. They include: safe operation, operational design domain, vehicle operator-initiated handover, security, user responsibility, vehicle-initiated handover, interdependency between the vehicle operator and the automated system, safety assessment, data recording, passive safety, behavior in traffic and safe layer. The paper, which is more than 100 pages, contains more details specifications for each principle. The move by the industry to establish its own guidelines comes at a time when self-driving cars may be facing additional government scrutiny. The US Department of Transportation has been working to establish rules at the federal level while states have offered their own, varied requirements -- some considerably more lax than others.
