Korean EVs, Made In America   09 Jul 2009 18:16 GMT
Former Hyundai executive Young Gi Lee is bringing his start-up EV and battery company CT&T to America, a move that could create 2,600 jobs within five years and bring a reasonably affordable, if highly unusual, low-speed electric car to the U.S. CT&T is a leading EV provider in its native state of South Korea, and unlike [...]
Source: wired.com

Antares Is First To Take Off With Hydrogen   09 Jul 2009 18:12 GMT
A German motor glider has become the first piloted aircraft to take off under fuel-cell power, a feat its designers believe will help hydrogen gain acceptance within the aviation industry. The Antares DLR-H2 developed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt in German, which explains why it goes by the acronym DLR) [...]
Source: wired.com

Cities Lose Out on Road Funds From Federal Stimulus   09 Jul 2009 17:41 GMT
A New York Times analysis found that transportation stimulus funds went disproportionately to rural areas, which advocates say could stall economic progress.


Source: NY Times

Endangered Speech: Changing Technology Breeds Changing Terminology   09 Jul 2009 16:01 GMT
Amidst the changing of cogs to sprockets and do-hickeys to whatchamacallits as the auto industry lurches toward a more high-tech and environmentally friendly future, consumers trying to make sense of the terminology are left with the blank stares of a 12-year old transplanted into advanced calculus. Internal combustion isn’t going away anytime soon. But as hybrids, [...]
Source: wired.com

Hyundai’s Hybrid Has a Twist   08 Jul 2009 23:32 GMT
Hyundai Motor Co. launched its first hybrid today, but if you think it’s just another Prius wannabe, think again. The Elantra LPI runs on liquid petroleum gas and lithium-polymer batteries. The world’s No. 5 automaker hopes the LPG-electric sedan will help meet South Korea’s growing demand for fuel-efficient cars and bring it a reputation for technological [...]
Source: wired.com

1,000 Miles in an Electric Mini: So Far, So Good   08 Jul 2009 22:48 GMT
Our friend Lyle Dennis is the world’s No. 1 Chevrolet Volt fanboy, but he’s taken to driving a Mini E electric car until General Motors gets its range-extended EV on the road. He’s just watched the odometer on the electric two-seater roll over the 1,000-mile mark and so far he’s ecstatic about the car. Dennis is [...]
Source: wired.com

Forget the Staten Island Ferry — A Hovercraft Is Coming!   08 Jul 2009 19:50 GMT
A New York investor has proposed using a “wing-in-ground” hovercraft to carry passengers on the five mile trip between Staten Island and Manhattan. There’s only one problem: with a cruising speed of 200 mph, even the project’s engineer doubts such a short trip will be possible. Anthony Weiburg, an Annandale, NY electrician who says he has [...]
Source: wired.com

Upside to the Economic Downturn: Less Traffic   08 Jul 2009 18:58 GMT
The economy sucks, but at least we’re spending less time in traffic. People are driving less because of high fuel prices and as a result spent an average of 36.1 hours creeping through traffic in 2007, according to a biannual study released today by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. That’s down from a [...]
Source: wired.com

Wheels: John Dillinger’s Ford V-8   08 Jul 2009 16:49 GMT
In the film “Public Enemies,” J. Edgar Hoover, played by Billy Crudup, appeals to Congress for aid because the automobile made it so easy for criminals to flee across state lines.


Source: NY Times

Phone App Puts New York Subway System In Your Pocket   08 Jul 2009 09:30 GMT
Jonathan Wegener and his sister Ashley spent two months mapping many of the 468 stations of New York’s labyrinthine subway system to create a smartphone app that they claim will shave precious minutes off most commutes. Plan Exit Strategy NYC tells you exactly which subway car to ride and which door to step out of to [...]
Source: wired.com