This & That, Ceci et Cela » Transportation

Motoring: Mitsuoka Himiko

Geekette — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:35:07 +0000

Neither a Weissman nor a Morgan (but maybe Mazda innards), but a Himiko from Mitsuoka, those auto pimps specializing in cars with schizoprenic origins.

Pimp Hearse: Mitsuoka Galue S50

Geekette — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:17:35 +0000

From the auto pimps at Mitsuoka came this here gansga hearse called the Galue S50: ~€70,000 (for 223hp 250LX) to €80,000 (for 313hp 350LX 4WD)

Dunno why but methinks that side view has ‘Snoop dogg’ written all over it! Just tint the front windows & blow some smoke out.. Pity it ain’t available stateside.

Chromed Out

Geekette — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:53:19 +0000

Because sometimes you gotta roll all out. Or at least dream it.

…Apparently, optimism this big can be found only in Russia.

Geely Phantom, but not by Rolls

Geekette — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:19:37 +0000

Rolls-Royce is apparently consulting lawyers after the Chinese automaker Geely unveiled a new model that looks a lot like the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The GE (Geely Excellence) was launched a few days ago at the 2009 Shanghai motor show.

The GE reportedly includes features like an “oxygen bar” (air purifier and separate air conditioning, what with the pollution rates over there), cigar storage, fridge, all for just about USD$44,000 compared to $293,000 for the Phantom. Although the jury’s out on the engineering inside it, the fact that the ‘impostor’ looks a bit better than the Phantom (as far as big, ugly but expensive, rectangular cars go) probably makes things more vexing for Rolls.

This is not an isolated case; Brit newspaper the Telegraph also has a slideshow on this and other cases of ‘mistaken identity’ at the show including the Mini Cooper, Benz SmartCar, and Toyota Yaris.

Moving Art: Gallery Inside Subway Train

Geekette — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:21:39 +0000

This picture gallery installed on a Moscow metro line provides an interesting enhancement to public transportation, although practicality (space during rush hour, etc) & safety (vandalism) may be debatable.ï¿½ Could probably achieve permanent, widespread success only in a place with much funding, strong govt control & public adherence to regulation such as Singapore.ï¿½ Via EnglishRussia.

Off-road to on-road: Spyder Roadster

Geekette — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:18:40 +0000

Bombardier wants you to extend your off-road experience to on-road traveling. Why 3-wheels? They say its a “balance of performance and peace of mind” which might be stage-speak for baby-boomers too scared of 2-wheelers, but hey; its still a fairly slick looking ride. Features include ABS and traction control, and it will be available this fall for USD $15000 and CAD $18500.

Kick your trailer-parking up a notch

Geekette — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:48:04 +0000

This mobile home from Volkner Mobil features a valuable modification; storage for your car. A mini-garage is built into the underside of the vehicle, allowing you to run out to get some eggs or just zip around town with your car after docking the RV at the next stop. The vehicle is on display at the International Caravan Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany until September 3 (via Daily times).

Tesla Roadster: battery-powered speed

Geekette — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:38:10 +0000

From Tesla Motors comes the battery-powered Tesla Roadster. The first production run will be built in England by Brit company Lotus Design and will go on sale next summer for about $80,000. Powered by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, it can go 250 miles on a single charge, with a fuel efficiency of 1 to 2 cents per mile and a top speed of over 130 mph. Tesla Motors is based in Silicon Valley and headed by Martin Eberhard (via wired).

Ferrari: Knit edition

Geekette — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 00:32:27 +0000

With wheels, it normally has to move in addition to moving me, but this immobile exception rocks: 22 year-old UK art graduate Lauren Porter knitted herself a full-size Ferrari. She has reportedly gotten men admiring the racing lines and old ladies digging the stitches. All hail the art of the craft!

The red bodywork consists of 250 squares of garter stitch made by Lauren and 20 family members and friends. The windows are V-shaped stocking stitch, while the details are crochet and the badge is embroidered. It’s all supported by a steel frame which she welded herself. Her 12 Miles of Yarn will exhibit at Studio 95.

Car that runs on air debuts in France

Geekette — Wed, 31 May 2006 05:54:18 +0000

Just the other day, I was thinking it would be so crazy-cool if some company bust out a new technology that allows cars to run on a dirt-cheap gasoline alternative thus banishing the great oil dependency for good. Unpurified water, sand, who knows? The kicker would be that pre-existing cars could also be converted at little or no cost to run on the new fuel. Well, beggars may dream, but in the meantime, one company has created a car that can run on air, and is now in production. The Discovery Channel has a short video on this online. Although the video takes a few minutes to load and starts with a Loewe’s commercial, it’s worth waiting to view it to see it in action.

Invented by Guy Negre and his team after twelve years of R&D at MDI (Motor Development International) in France, the “Air Car” is pollution free to boot with zero-emissions. The only exhaust is cold air, which can be rerouted into the car for air-conditioning. It is powered by CAT (compressed-air-technology) and the air is stored in special lightweight carbon fibre tanks. The company says the same technology is also used in space shuttles. The engine is designed as a modular piece; meaning multiple engines can be attached to form a 2, 4, or a 6 cylinder engine. While its top speed on air is 60km/hr, it is considered adequate for urban city centres where speed limits usually don’t exceed that anyway. The firm’s website indicates that recent incorporation of a bi-energy format (air + gasoline) increases the driving range to almost 2000 km (you can only go 150km using air only). When the car switches to gas mode, the zero-emissions obviously no longer applies but the pollution is still considerably reduced. One imagines that in time, the concept will be improved upon for air-only, higher speed, longer distance travel, thus increasing the realm of usage.

The tank can be refilled by plugging in the car to an electrical outlet for 4 hours or in just 3 minutes using an air compressor (MDI envisages adding such pumps to traditional or purpose-built gas stations). In any case, filling up your airtank at a projected cost of €1.5-2.5/$2.5-2.5 just cannot be beat; they estimate that it would cost at least $12 to go that 150km in a regular fuel car. You’d probably need gasoline only when you’re travelling out of town long distance. The cars themselves are to go for €6860-9500.

Some may counter that refueling the engine requires an air compressor that runs from a high power source like gas or fossil fuel-generated electricity. Therefore, how much emissions reduction or energy conservation is there really at the end of the day? That may not be relevant to the immediate context given that France is estimated as deriving about 80% of it energy from nuclear power. However, there are possibilities of ensuring that the whole energy cycle is natural, e.g. by powering motors from renewable energy sources like solar, hydro, or windmill sources if applicable. The technology has infinite possibilities. Since North America didn’t get on the alternative fuel bandwagon early with countries like Brazil (which uses ethanol for fuel), it has to go even further in order to catch up properly. A possibly more efficient alternative like air could be that stepping stone.

On to the superficial but crucial:

Understandably, the primary focus was to get the technology working, but now that it has, the exterior body style of the car should be updated to match the sexiness of the technology in order to attract heavy consumer interest. The current look of the car underscores the importance of aesthetics in a product. Of all people, ze styleesh Fronsh should know that Fugly doesn’t sell. If Lagerfeld, Lacroix, Slimane, et al were too busy or too expensive to participate in this project, some fresh design grad student(s) would probably be very excited to work on something like this. However, Mr. Negre still merits our Pimp-In-Deed medal on the basis of his application of technology alone; a Pimp in need is a Pimp in Deed and the alternatives he’s pushing are sorely needed.