Subscribe to Gizmag's RSS feed
Follow Gizmag on Twitter
Transport
Monster truck turns snowmobile
By Mike Hanlon
15:21 February 8, 2009 PST
With arctic conditions bringing the entire United Kingdom to a halt, the staff at Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire decided to employ Podzilla, the racetrack's 1200 bhp Monster Truck, to travel the otherwise inaccessible 180 acre grounds. With a fuel consumption of 15 gallons per mile (that's not a misprint), Podzilla isn't exactly practical winter transport, but it is a lot of fun in the snow and the six foot tall tires get traction everywhere. Read More
Driverless transport system to be trialled in the United Arab Emirates
By Darren Quick
23:44 February 3, 2009 PST
As we’ve reported previously, the United Arab Emirates is leading the way in sustainable living research with the construction of Masdar City. Planned as the worlds first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, Masdar reflects the commitment by the Government to accelerate the development and deployment of future energy. A key component of any city is its transportation system and as car makers around the world strive to make their vehicles cleaner and greener, the designers of Masdar City have decided to do away with cars altogether, instead opting for a light rail line that will bisect the city, and personal rapid transit, (PRT), a system utilizing driverless “podcars”. Read More
Solar powered pleasure boat gets design overhaul
21:08 February 2, 2009 PST
The Loon is a well known North American water bird that appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin (hence the "Loonie") and it's also the name of a solar equipped pontoon boat from Ontario based Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company that is in the process of receiving a major design overhaul courtesy of the team responsible for the radical teardrop shaped Aptera 2e electric car. The 22-foot long revamped Loon design can cover an estimate 35 miles a day at a maximum of around seven knots using solar energy and features a light-weight twin-hull composite construction with a flexible interior configuration and removable side-rails made from bamboo, natural fibers and recycled plastic. Read More
Taga: it’s not just a bike or a stroller, it’s a multifunctional people carrier!
By Jude Garvey
22:55 December 9, 2008 PST
When you first see the Taga you wonder why nobody thought of this sooner? This machine has taken all the benefits of a bike and a stroller and put them together in one unique package. Firstly, it is a bike with a stroller attached to the front of it but the bike can be removed in a matter of seconds to convert the machine into a stroller and it can also be converted into a double stroller or simply used as a stand-alone bike. A clever way for parents to get their cardio fix whilst their babe relaxes in comfort and watches the world go by. Read More
Gordon Murray's T.25 wins Idea of the Year
By Mike Hanlon
14:28 November 17, 2008 PST
November 18, 2008 Celebrated automative designer Gordon Murray was last night awarded the prestigious ‘Idea of the Year’ accolade at Autocar magazine’s annual awards ceremony for the T.25, a radical, innovative design for a new type and class of personal transport vehicle. Autocar’s editor Chas Hallett said, “Gordon Murray is looking to completely reinvent the cars that we buy and the way they are made. And from what we’ve seen it doesn’t get a much better idea than that”. Three of Murray's diminutive T.25 vehicles will fit in a single parking space. Read More
London takes delivery of hybrid-drive double-decker
17:57 November 7, 2008 PST
London's iconic double-decker buses may soon add a green heart to their familiar red exterior. Having already made an impact in North America, buses equipped with BAE Systems’ diesel-electric HybriDrive propulsion system are soon to be trailed on the other side of the Atlantic. The first of 17 evaluation units built by Britain’s Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BAE Systems was delivered this week to bus operator Transport for London and Metrobus. Read More
Zuumer electric scooter conquers the Californian coast
19:15 October 13, 2008 PDT
Sky-high fuel prices and an increasing awareness of the damage we are doing to our planet with oversized, CO2 spouting modes of transport has seen the electric scooter evolve from plaything to viable short-trip transportation option. So if you're a new manufacturer entering into this growing market, how do you get noticed and stand out from the pack? For San Diego based start-up company ZuumCraft, the answer was to take their three-wheeled, stand-up electric vehicle on a 650 mile road trip from San Francisco to San Diego - nothing like the 2-3 mile journey it's designed for, but a great way to showcase the reliability and performance attributes of this impressive design. Read More
SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 1 into orbit
By Kyle Sherer
19:48 September 30, 2008 PDT
With the Space Shuttle scheduled to retire in 2010, alternative transport vessels will need to be developed to keep the International Space Station manned, and to keep options open for possible manned lunar missions. After three failed attempts, the SpaceX Falcon 1 has successfully achieved Earth orbit – the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to do so. Read More
The CarvX four-wheeled carving recumbent bike
00:39 September 25, 2008 PDT
Vehicles with a carving or tilting mechanism to assist in steering through corners make a lot of sense. We can attest to the validity of the theory following our test ride of the virtually undroppable Piaggio MP3 scooter and we've seen numerous design platforms that incorporate this approach including the VenturOne plug-in hybrid , the Xnovo three-wheeler, Brudeli's Leanster and the Lumeneo Smera. Human-powered carvers have also been spotted on the drawing-board, but we've never encountered a concept design that applies this principle to a four wheeled recumbent bicycle - until now. Read More
Aircraft seat-bed design offers a comfortable journey for all travelers
By Jude Garvey
18:42 September 24, 2008 PDT
Another stand-out entry in the Create the Future Design Contest is the aircraft seat-bed design entered in the transportation section by Mario Martinez Celis from Mexico City. The concept design allows for 594 seats on the Airbus A380 which normally seats 555 but the real beauty of the configuration is that ALL passengers would be given the comfort of seat-beds with more space than ever before. Read More
GE Hybrid locomotive protoype in Chicago
By Emily Clark
21:24 September 15, 2008 PDT
GE Transportation will parade its Evolution Hybrid locomotive prototype at the RSI Railway Technology Exhibition in Chicago later this month. Promising significant fuel and emissions savings, the diesel-electric hybrid technology captures and stores the energy generated by braking a 207 ton train and delivers it back to the propulsion system in the form of an on-demand, 2000 horsepower boost. Read More
rob yates
- November 26, 2009 @ 12:49 UTC
