Posts Tagged ‘car’
Jul13
Hot Wheels to release new Mario cars
2016 at 05:26 pm by admin | Comments Off
As a continuation of last year’s Super Mario-themed Hot Wheels line, which featured box art from a number of Mario games on the tiny collectible vehicles, Mattel has announced a new wave of Super Mario Hot Wheels! This new line of vehicles will be themed around the characters of the Mario universe themselves, and will feature vehicular representations of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, and Bowser. These unique vehicles will be released in limited amounts later this summer, so Nintendo fans should make sure to keep an eye out for these cool little Nintendo cars!
Jun16
Rolls-Royce looks to the future with the 103EX
2016 at 06:41 pm by admin | Comments Off
All images © Rolls-Royce
In order to help celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary, BMW second company Rolls-Royce has rolled out a fresh look at their vision of the future in automation with their new vehicle, dubbed the 103EX. The 103EX is a high-concept futuristic proposal for the company’s future in fully autonomous luxury transportation, taking advantage of the latest in technology and design to bring ease of use and style to users. Using Rolls-Royce’s Eleanor virtual assistant and autonomous driver, the interior of the cabin is steering free, allowing a wide space for drivers to relax on sofa-like seats. The vehicle will be emission-free, running off of an electric powertrain, and using 65 individual pieces of aluminum for wheels, rather than standard rubber tires. While the vehicle is not currently scheduled for retail release, it is a shining concept of the future of automation for Rolls-Royce and cars in general. Check out the videos to see specifics on the 103EX!
Jun16
LEGO goes vintage with Volkswagen Beetle kit
2016 at 06:13 pm by admin | Comments Off
All images © The LEGO Company
LEGO is continuing its series of accurate model cards, alongside its recently released kit of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, with the announcement of a new vintage 1960 Volkswagen Beetle set! The set, which will represent the vintage vehicle in a stylish sky blue, is meant to recreate the classic vehicle down to the tiniest detail, and will include opening hood and trunk, removable roof, flip down seats, and a number of accessories for a summer beach party like surfboard, cooler, and drinks. The completed set will measure just under a foot long, and will be made available to purchase starting July 17. Check out the video to see specific details on the set!
Jun25
World’s first 3D-printed supercar
2015 at 10:51 am by admin | Comments Off
Divergent Microfactories has revealed their first stab into the 3D-printed automobile market with their new supercar, the Blade! The vehicle was revealed earlier this week at the O’Reilly Solid Conference in San Francisco, California, where investors, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs gather to invent and display new hardware and software innovations in a variety of fields. The Blade itself is created from 3D-printed aluminum nodes in a variety of sizes and shapes that can be connected by simple carbon fiber tubing, which is then quickly assembled and fitted with the chassis. 70 nodes are involved in construction, and the process takes only 30 minutes to complete. This makes the Blade one of the most environmentally friendly 3D-printed cars to date, creating 1/50th the factory emissions and costs of other cars.
The Blade is no slouch on the roadway either. Billed as the world’s first 3D-printed supercar, it is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds, thanks to its 700-horsepower internal combustion engine that can run on either standard gasoline or compressed natural gas. The car is also safe and durable, weighing 90% lighter than other cars while maintaining a stronger, more durable frame. Divergent Microfactories plans to release the tools and tech used in the creation of the Blade to the open market, and hopes that independent factories and entrepreneurs alike will take advantage of their work to create their own car designs. While there is no news on whether the Blade will hit retail or the future of Divergent Microfactories, their work with this supercar is a good sign of the future of 3D printing in the car industry.
Feb24
Alex Chinneck’s gravity-defying car installation
2015 at 03:37 pm by admin | Comments Off
Known for his work in abstract art installations, ranging from melting wax buildings to levitating walls, Alex Chinneck has displayed his newest installation piece in London this past week, titled “Pick Yourself Up and Pull Yourself Together”. This latest piece was created in collaboration with Vauxhall Motors in order to promote their new Corsa Supermini automobile, and uses ingenious techniques to suspend the car fifteen feet above ground in a seemingly gravity-defying feat! The car, which seems to be driving upside down on an upheaved piece of tarmac peeled from the pavement, takes advantage of sturdy steel supports hidden from signt in order to keep the piece secure and safe for passerby to gaze at. The artwork was erected overnight, and will remain on display at the South Bank Center in London, England until February 26th.
Jan14
3D printed car at 2015 NA Auto Show
2015 at 04:42 pm by admin | Comments Off
Oak Ridge National Laboratory has collaborated with a number of companies in 3D-printed automobile venture, most recently with Local Motors and their 3D-printed car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show last September. Now, designers at ORNL has debuted their newest 3D-printed vehicle at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, located in Detroit. Here, ORNL is showing off their new 3D-printed replica of the vintage 1965 Shelby Cobra sports car, sporting a glossy paint job and a number of unique features. While the car looks like a classic Shelby Cobra on the outside, the vehicle is actually made of over 500 pounds of 3D-printed parts, including shell, frame, grill, and even headrests! The printed material is made of a carbon fiber filament mixture, allowing for a sturdy yet lightweight build. The car itself took only 24 hours to print, a step up from their 44-hour long print at the September IMTS, and is a step towards speeding up the creation and testing of car prototypes from drawing and clay concept models. While the world is still a long way from printing out our own cars from the comfort of our home, ORNL’s Shelby is a proof of concept, facilitating the testing and creation of new vehicles.
Jan07
Mercedes-Benz’s self-driving car at CES 2015
2015 at 04:50 pm by admin | Comments Off
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a convention in Las Vegas in which inventors and companies big and small can show off planned releases and prototypes for the future of technology. Automobile company Mercedes-Benz, hoping to lead the world into a new future of driving, unveiled their newest vehicle by driving it up the Las Vegas Strip to the convention hall, only to reveal that the car was driving itself. The new Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion, sporting a sleek silver look fitting of a futuristic car prototype, is the company’s first fully autonomous vehicle.
The F015 uses an innovative interior designed around a carriage-based concept, and features fully rotating seats that allow users to face each other directly while the car is in self-driving mode. The interior also features a number of touch-screen panels and screen throughout the vehicle, and can even project an image of what’s in front of the car to passengers through these screens, allowing users to monitor the road at all times. The F015 can be switched between autonomous mode and manual mode, and uses LED-studded bumpers on the car to let fellow drivers know which mode the vehicle is in. The vehicle is even designed to sense pedestrians, and will stop and project an image to signal to people outside of the vehicle that it is safe to cross.
On top of that, the F015 is emission-free! The car runs off of a fuel cell that creates electricity through the combination of hydrogen and oxygen, and uses innovative cylinders within the vehicle that keep the hydrogen components safe, even in the event of an accident. Clearing this hurdle was a major step in making this emission-free vehicle safe for the road. The car is currently designed to run for 550 miles off of its hydrogen fuel cells, and an added 125 miles off of its internal batteries. Unfortunately, the F015 is not slated to be available to consumers until around 2030, making the Mercedes-Benz F015 a look into the distant future of vehicular transportation.
Oct30
Flying car takes to the skies
2014 at 11:16 am by admin | Comments Off
Auto company AeroMobil has been working on prototypes for flying cars since the 1990s, with advances in technology and new prototypes bringing their dream vehicle closer and closer to reality. Now, the company has unveiled their latest prototype, the AeroMobil 3.0, which is finally ready to take to the skies! The vehicle debuted on October 29th at the 2014 Pioneers Festival in Vienna, Austria, and has taken several test drives and flights, as seen in the video below.
This newest prototype was built in 10 months, using high quality composite materials in this chassis, and includes avionics equipment, parachute deployment systems, autopilot, and more. The car itself features retractable wings and two seats for a passenger, and is capable of reaching 100 mph on the road, as well as 124 mph in the air. With the AeroMobil 3.0, the designers hope to gain certification for use on European roads and airspace, and will continue fine-tuning specifications to make the vehicle ready for retail in the near future. Flying cars have been a fantasy for people across the world since the invention of the car and the plane, and now we’re closer than ever to see that dream become a reality!
Sep17
Saltwater-powered car approved for European roads
2014 at 12:02 pm by admin | Comments Off
Nanoflowcell, a Liechtenstein-based automobile and research company, has been showing off the prototype for their new electric car, the Quant e-Sportlimousine, since its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show this past March. The vehicle, which is unique in that it uses a unique salt water mixture as fuel rather than gasoline, has now taken a huge step towards retail as it has been approved for testing on public roads throughout Germany and Europe!
The Quant e-Sportlimousine, which has been in development for the past 14 years, runs off of a petrol solution made from salt water that is activated through an electrochemical reaction and pumped into the car’s fuel cell, where the fluid creates electricity sent to the vehicle’s four electric motors. This unique technology allows the Quant e-Sportlimousine to travel up to 373 miles off of a single tank of the salt water solution, and reach speeds over 210 miles per hour.
Nanoflowcell has also partnered with German automobile company Bosch Engineering in order to further improve on the technology in the vehicle, and to help develop more street-ready prototypes over the course of 2014. With the aim of transforming their prototype into a retail-ready mass produced electric vehicle, the approval to test their car on European roads is the first step towards making that future a reality.
Sep11
World’s first 3D car printed and assembled live
2014 at 11:16 am by admin | Comments Off
The biannual International Manufacturing Technology Show, which takes place at the McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, often focuses on the future of technology in the manufacuting workplace, including automobiles, medical facilities, green tech, and more. Automobile company Local Motors is set to tread new ground at this year’s IMTS, which will take place from September 8th to the 13th, by showcasing one of the newest and fastest growing technologies in the industry: a live printing and assembling of the world’s first 3D car!
The car, known as the Strati, will be printed over the course of 44 hours throughout the event, and will be assembled and driven on Saturday, September 13th. While the printed car will still have to use conventional non-printable parts such as the battery, motor, and suspension, the completed Strati vehicle will use only 40 parts throughout its chassis. This unprecedented event will be the first time a 3D car is printed and driven, and serves to showcase the possibilities of 3D-printed vehicles in the future. Local Motors also plans to release the plans for the Strati’s 3D printed components for purchase in the near future.
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