Fifty Years Of Aviation - The Big Picture

NANOQ Mobile Media-Centric Habitation And Work Unit

NANOQ mobile media-centric habitation and work unit has been designed specifically for workers in extreme as well as temperate climates. This mobile unit features renewable powered hydrogen/oxygen energy supply. The energy production comes from vertical axis wind turbine supported by photovoltaic generators and fuel cell. The skin of NANOQ is made of carbon fiber plates combined with vacuum insulation system to keep the cold away in extreme cold environments.

Hover Car - Prototype

Lucky Punk – Electric Concept Car

Innovative concepts always manage to transcend all limits of conventionality to appeal to our ‘audacious’ side of nature. Well, we are lucky enough to come across Lucky Punk, a four wheeled vehicle concept that certainly falls under the innovative as well as audacious bracket. Conceived by the design squad of Lucky Team 21, the futuristic all-terrain vehicle is inspired by a myriad of influences ranging from aircrafts to bio-engineering.

The petite, aerodynamic form shrouded by a flashy ’see-through’ material, will be supported by a four-wheel system driven by electric hub motors. They in turn will be powered by an exclusive and conspicuous (in comparison to the size of the car) magnetic engine, which according to the designers will have the capability to produce 5 times more power than it consumes. The energy generated by the engine can be stored in batteries for further convenient and practical usage.

 Coming to the unique and rather advanced wheel system, the tires used would be literally self growing. Constructed from a composite of bio-rubber and mushroom, the tires will ‘grow’ around their fixed central system of molds. When supplied with electricity, the augmenting process will become faster, thus helping the bio-engineered tires to reach their fullest form around the molds.

 Other features like the distinct aircraft inspired fin on the back section of the vehicle will help in dissipating heat. The paint job will vary from matte (for absorbing heat) to glossy (for reflecting heat), while the body steering will be controlled by an adaptive suspension mechanism by the wheels. So all in all, the energy efficient, low emission futuristic vehicle will be perfectly suitable for an adventurous romp fueled by green technology.

Renault R4 Rally Is Constructed From Stretched Textiles Over a Tubular Structure

 Parisian designers’ yann terrer in partnership with jérôme garzon has unveiled a new concept car as part of Renault 4 Ever competition, called Renault R4 Rally, focusing on the energy cycle. The competition itself asked its participants to redesign the Renault R4 to feature its historical lineage, contemporary aesthetic and sustainable design.

 Being powered by solar energy, the concept car integrates nanotechnology with eco-friendly materials. The Renault R4 rally adds factors for improving the competence during the sedan’s manufacture and its use. In fact, this concept car earns the honor for being shortlisted among the 3200 submissions from 92 different countries in the competition. This concept car has been made of stretched textiles over a tubular structure, while its body employs less energy during production in comparison to a conventional one that is made of steel.

Since nanotechnology has been used, the sedan’s body fabric lets solar energy to be assimilated and harnessed. The doors are designed to have open structures that necessitate minimal material for manufacture. Renault R4 rally concept gives the other parked sedans the innovative function of generating electricity.

Chevy Volt Batteries

General Motors has demonstrated an end-of-life reuse plan for spent Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries in partnership with ABB, the power electronics and automation giant. The environmentally conscious auto buyer, who opts for buying an Electric Vehicle, remains concerned about what happens to the batteries at the end of their warranted life. In the past, used lead-acid car batteries ended up in landfills that led to heavy metal contamination of ground water and streams that needed expensive cleanup operations.

GM and ABB conducted a laboratory demonstration at the University of North Carolina campus in Raleigh that combined a bank of “used” EV batteries with an Inverter pack to produce 25 kilowatts of power for 2 hours. The 25/50 kWH pack could provide standby power to five homes. The batteries used in the demo were not really used batteries. The Chevy Volt warrants its batteries for 8 years or 100,000 miles and the car has not been on the roads for long enough to generate “used” batteries. The application , which is planned to be field tested in 2012 with help from the Electric Power Research Institute ( EPRI) aims to apply this Inverter to applications like storage batteries for renewable energy sources and as a standby power source connected to a transformer that feeds five homes on a street.

GM senior manager for battery life-cycle management , Pablo Valencia says that even after a 10 year use on the Chevy Volt car, the lithium ion batteries would still have 70 percent residual life that could well meet the utilities requirement of a 15 year further life for any standby power source they install. He also says that more spent batteries than needed could be used in the Inverter application to provide for any deficiencies in battery residual life. Valencia says that battery energy storage capacity declines in the first few years and then it “levels off”

Some battery researchers disagree.They say that as batteries age, they undergo changes in structure and chemistry that would make the performance hard to predict. Other critics point out that battery technologies are evolving fast and in 10 years when the EV used batteries become available in large quantity, then technology would make these batteries unattractive for use.

Nissan has also announced a partnership with Sumitomo Corporation to use spent EV batteries to store solar power. They have installed seven Leaf recharging stations at the Nissan Headquarters that have solar roof panels charging battery packs at the ground level.

TriMove – Three Hubless Wheeled Motorbike By Mohammad Ghezel

 Here is a design from Mohammad Ghezel that will blow your mind away. Primarily a three hubless wheel concept sets this one visually apart from any other bike on a top notch. When you first see this bike, you will only be wonder struck at the three wheels that it boldly flaunts. Unlike all other big, boring three wheeled bikes the TriMove is designed so sensually that agility and speed is a certainty. Very narrow and the tilting three wheels of TriMove redefines a trike for you.

Not just with its looks, this bike also charms with its fantastic features. It has a splendid three-disc braking system that needs very less braking space, making it perfectly safe. Also for all you people who are wondering about how this bike will help you balance; it has a triangular footprint, that balances brilliantly even when it is stationary.

The design, even though criticized for some so-called unergonomic characteristics, it is still avant-garde and highly fancy. There is nothing extrinsic about the bike, but because it is a new concept, its technical potency is not yet explored to the fullest.

Supersonic Futuristic Car

 The Supersonic is developed by Marko Lukovic of Serbia, a professor of industrial design. The structural design of SUPERSONIC is very essential and unique compared to other cars. Supersonic can carry two people seated one behind the other. It’s been designed with superb aerodynamics where main inspiration was established based on high-speed Supersonic flying aircrafts. The principles of the aerodynamic and easy styling are now radically emphasized. The very large Xenon head-lights are installed with blue LEDs, which produce the very striking and eye-catchy exterior design.

This futuristic vehicle has been designed with three wheels where the front wheels are hidden and each of back wheels is driven by its own controlling electric motor. It has extra-durable lithium-ion batteries which are located at the rear part of the supersonic. The steering is composed of Drive-By-Wire system and the transmission is automatic. It satisfies all future needs and is very light and safe. Automatic pilot mode is a typical feature.

Stinger Concept Bike Combines A Scooter and A Motorbike

 Stinger is a concept bike which includes nearly every available ecological niche that a traditional bike generally lacks. The main difference between conventional high-emission bicycles and Stinger is, this bike is helping the environment by keeping it pollution-free by using fuel cells. Moreover, renewable resources were used to make the adaptive, versatile and eco-friendly bicycle which would be a true alternative to traditional ones. This bike is very much adaptive and robust just like an insect that can adapt the narrow space situations of metropolitan areas. Considering the functionality, stinger is neither a scooter nor a motorbike – it combines the assets of both.