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Video: Watch Terrafugia Transition flying car make its first public flight

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Specialty

Terrafugia Transition made its first public takeoff.

The boundless imagination of post-war American car design has long been on display at the AirVenture museum in the form of the 1949 Aerocar. But as of Monday, flying cars became a bit more relevant when the long-delayed, street-legal Terrafugia Transition took off and flew in public for the first time, reports the Journal Sentinel.

It was the first day of the EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an international event where the newest in aviation technology is often unveiled. The Transition took off, flew smoothly and circled around the airfield for the public audience, and the low-speed landing looked especially drama-free, with all four of the flying car’s wheels touching the ground at the same time. After landing, the pilot parked for a minute to show off a crucial feature: motorized self-folding wings. The pilot/driver can fold the wings up after a flight and be ready for street driving without ever having to get out of the vehicle. The vintage Aerocar, on the other hand, had removable wings that had to be towed when it was driven on the street.

While everything seemed to go as planned for the Transition, at the 31-second mark in the first video we noticed that the wings didn’t fold up at the same speed, which has us questioning the effectiveness of the prototype’s wing-folding mechanism. It’s a good thing that this is the second of three generations of prototypes, so Terrafugia has plenty of time to iron out the details.

Look for the Transition to go on sale in 2015 or 2016 with a projected price tag of $279,000. The company is taking $10,000 refundable deposits now, the Journal Sentinel reports, and over 100 people have already reserved their own flying car. Check the takeoff, flight and landing in the videos below.

Continue reading Watch Terrafugia Transition flying car make its first public flight

Watch Terrafugia Transition flying car make its first public flight originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steering wheels are nine times dirtier than public toilet seats

Filed under: Etc., Safety

international interior and steering wheel

Have you ever driven a vehicle that had a sticky steering wheel? It’s probably one of the most disgusting feelings there is, and a report in IBN Live shows that the adhesive can be more than just grape jelly. Researchers at Queen Mary University in London claim that there are, on average, 700 different kinds of bacteria per square inch of steering wheel. That compares to 80 distinct bacteria types on a public toilet seat. Even worse, the trunk has 1,000 bacteria types per square inch. The most common form of bacteria was bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning.

The reason cars are filthy is simple; we simply don’t clean them. While we vacuum, dust and disinfect our home on a semi-regular basis, only one third of study participants cleaned their vehicle once a year or more. That sounds pretty crazy (and a bit lazy), but think about it. You may jettison the trash and vacuum the carpet on a somewhat regular basis, but how often do you wipe down that nasty steering wheel? And when you think about how many Americans regularly eat in their vehicles, our cars could be a solid reason why we are sick as often as we are. Now we know why valet parking attendants tend to wear white gloves.

Beyond cleanliness, the study also shows that many drivers know next to nothing about their vehicles. For example, two-thirds of us don’t know how to change a tire, while one third of those surveyed don’t even know how to put air in the tires. It’s a sad, sad world.

[Source: IBN Live | Image: Zach Bowman/AOL]

Steering wheels are nine times dirtier than public toilet seats originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Muller to let investors know in May if Saab will go public

Filed under: Saab, Earnings/Financials, Spyker

saab 9-4x grille

In the past year, Saab has gone from a near-death experience to an automaker searching its audience. The Spyker-owned automaker claims it is looking for about 120,000 annual sales, but it expects to be profitable by 2012. While the company has a long way to go before sniffing those meager totals, Saab owner Victor Muller is still thinking about going public in the company’s home market.

Bloomberg reports that Muller says the company will announce whether it will enter the Swedish stock market at its annual shareholder meeting on May 19. You’re probably wondering why a company would discuss going public at a shareholder meeting. The short answer is that Saab is already present and accounted for on the Amsterdam Euronext. And even with very lean sales totals for 2010 while the company struggled to restart production and reinvigorate its supplier chain, the stock is Amsterdam’s third highest gainer of 2010, with reported gains of 63 percent.

While Muller and company are considering whether to enter the Swedish stock market, the reborn automaker claims to have no intention of diluting shares to raise additional funds. Instead, Saab is considering opening up to both stock markets simultaneously with the potential to switch to only the Swedish market for future investment purposes. Muller says the company doesn’t “foresee any share issue at this time, but who knows, maybe in many years it becomes a vehicle for future funding.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Muller to let investors know in May if Saab will go public originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smithsonian asks public to vote on cars for American History display

Filed under: Classics, Government/Legal

Smithsonian

The recently renovated National Museum of American History – Click above to cast your vote

The Smithsonian Institution’s collection of treasures extends far beyond what’s actually on display in its D.C. museums. Ranging from ancient artifacts to modern marvels, this bit is likely to interest automotive enthusiasts more than any other:

The National Museum of American History is preparing to put two of the most historically significant American automobiles on display from its archives. But instead of letting the curators pick the cars, they’re asking the public to vote in a campaign it paradoxically calls “Race to the Museum.”

The candidates include a 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout (the first car built on an assembly line in the U.S., well before the Ford Model T); an 1880 steam-powered trike built in Massachusetts; an 1894 Blazer (the first American-made automobile to hit New York City, built by a Tiffany-trained watchmaker); a 1948 Tucker (pioneering many advanced safety features and the subject of the 1988 Jeff Bridges film); a 1929 Miller supercharged Indy race car, which set a 143 mph speed record and prompted Detroit to press race organizers to ban superchargers; a 1953 Glasspar fiberglass sports car and two modern examples of green propulsion from General Motors: the EV1 and the 1987 Sunraycer solar-powered prototype.

So far the Tucker is in the lead, with the Miller and the Olds in a close race for the second slot. Follow the link to get your vote in before January 11, 2011.

[Source: Smithsonian via The Detroit News]

Smithsonian asks public to vote on cars for American History display originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Democrats and Republicans agree on higher gas taxes, just not in public all the time

Filed under: Government/Legal

Senator Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles

Senator Alan Simpson (left) and Erskine Bowles (right), Co-Chairman of the Deficit Reduction Commission

There is a sport in Washington D.C. that comes around like deer season every year: the gas tax debate. And stepping into the clearing this week with brown overcoats and deer antler hats are some former legislators and government officials – none of whom have to run for office – who are recommending a 15-cent additional federal gas tax starting in 2013 to help trim the federal budget deficit.

This measure has about as much chance of getting through the new Congress as a proclamation that would make Earth Day a national bank holiday. Still, given the fact that the Feds have laid a claim to my nine-year old son’s unborn children’s piggybanks, it’s worth a few minutes to air out the subject.

The co-chairman of the bipartisan deficit reduction commission, former Clinton Administration official Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, have called for a sweeping set of reforms in the way of taxes, spending cuts and elimination of a myriad of tax credits and deductions to which we have grown accustomed – mortgage interest for one.
The 15-cent per gallon hike in Federal gas taxes is paltry by European standards, but would be used specifically for transportation infrastructure improvement: roads, bridges, etc.

Continue reading Democrats and Republicans agree on higher gas taxes, just not in public all the time

Democrats and Republicans agree on higher gas taxes, just not in public all the time originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man caught driving 200 km/h on public roads gets $235,000 Ferrari taken away

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., BMW, Ferrari, Canada

Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Two speed-loving Canadians have had the keys to their hoon machines taken away. A 2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia and a 2008 BMW M6 were caught speeding up Mount Seymour in British Columbia, hitting speeds of up to 200 km/h (about 126 miles per hour) in a 60 km/h zone, as well as narrowly missing a mother who was walking with her two children. As you’d expect, the cars were impounded, but the provincial government is taking things a step further. Both vehicles are going to be sold. In fact, the Ferrari has already moved on to a new home and the M6 is set to hit the auction block in the very near future.

The Ferrari is owned in part by a relative of the person driving at the time. That relative will receive 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale, while the other owner receives 30 percent. The government is going to hold on to the rest. The owner of the M6 also receives 30 percent but the government keeps the other 70. The reason for the payouts? To clear notes on each car with the owners respective banks.

[Source: CNews]

Man caught driving 200 km/h on public roads gets $235,000 Ferrari taken away originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Safety, Technology, Videos, Volvo, Australia

Volvo V60 Pedestrian Detection failure

Volvo V60 Pedestrian Detection test failures – Click above to watch the videos

Volvo’s new Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake is under scrutiny after a series of demonstrations for journalists in Australia went awry in rather spectacular fashion. During the presentation, an inflatable test dummy was mowed down after the system failed to detect its presence in time to stop. This, despite the fact that the technology was showcased under controlled conditions. The optional hardware, which debuts on the 2011 S60 and V60 wagon, utilizes both radar and camera technology to avoid or mitigate an accident with a pedestrian by automatically slowing the vehicle to either a full stop or at least initiating full braking to lower the rate of impact (Volvo: “The system can avoid a collision at speeds up to 22 mph. At higher speeds, the focus is on reducing the car’s speed as much as possible prior to the impact”).

Volvo officials themselves cautioned… that the system may not always detect the dummy’s presence.

According to Aussie motoring website Car Advice, journalists at the demonstration were told by a Volvo spokesperson that the system may have been ‘confused’ by a tractor-trailer parked around 30 meters behind the dummy, but the subsequent removal of the big rig still saw two more failures resulting in impacts. According to the same report, Volvo noted that “around 650 media participated in the week-long demonstration – with a claimed 99.7 per cent success rate – the nature of the failed 0.3 per cent of runs appears to be undisclosed.”

Autoblog had the chance to sample this system firsthand at the Oregon launch of the S60 earlier this month in similar parking lot tests with different dummies. It performed as-advertised for us, though a few other journalists did record failures of their own – though those lapses were evidently at least partially exacerbated by the drivers giving-in to their instinct to tromp on the brake pedal. Interestingly, Volvo officials themselves cautioned us in advance that the system may not always detect the dummy’s presence, in part because it doesn’t mimic the behavior of a human (the Pedestrian Detection system is trained to look for human movements – arms swaying, legs moving, and so on). In fact, when we asked if the system would also detect and activate when animals are in the road, officials said that the safety feature has not yet been trained to do so – it is only capable of registering bipeds.

As you may recall, this is not the first failure of Volvo’s new auto-stop impact avoidance systems. Back in May, we told you about another incident in which an S60’s City Safety auto-brake system test resulted in the car plowing into the back of a semi truck. Volvo would apparently later state that the crash was caused by a ‘low-voltage event’ in the car’s electrical system that turned the rear-impact avoidance system off, a flaw that has since been repaired.

Follow the jump to watch videos of the PSD failures as well as an official Volvo video explaining how the system is designed to work.

[Sources: Car Advice, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion

Video: Volvo suffers another auto-stop safety system failure in public fashion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nation’s first public quick-charge station opens up in Portland, OR [w/video]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Electric

Quick charge station in Portland, OR – Click above to watch video after the jump

The installation of what’s being dubbed “North America’s first public quick-charge station” is now complete at the parking garage of the World Trade Center building in downtown Portland, OR. The nation’s first public charger is capable of taking most electric vehicles from zero to 80 percent charge in just 20 to 30 minutes.

The grand opening was lead by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, who’s seen in the video below cautiously attaching the charging cable to the Nissan Leaf. As Engadget reports, use of the quick-charge station is free of charge, but entry into the public parking garage will set you back three dollars.

Follow the jump to read more about the nation’s first public quick-charge station and don’t forget to watch the Nissan Leaf as it inches its way in for an electron fill up. Hat tip to Raymond!

[Source: Portland General Electric, Engadget]

Continue reading Nation’s first public quick-charge station opens up in Portland, OR [w/video]

Nation’s first public quick-charge station opens up in Portland, OR [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obama working to pitch success of auto bailouts to American public

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Chrysler, GM, Earnings/Financials

You don’t have to be a pollster to know that for the most part, the American public remains none too happy about the federal government handing over the people’s hard-earned tax dollars to pull General Motors and Chrysler out of the fires of insolvency. Despite the fact that both companies have managed to keep their lights on, doors open and paychecks flowing due to their generous federal loans, Joe Plumber still can’t stand the thought of paying the price of the two companies’ failures. With midterm elections right around the corner, President Obama is in Detroit to attempt to sway that opinion.

The Commander-in-Chief will speak to crowds at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant about the positive side of loaning close to $85 billion to two of our country’s largest automakers, including the fact that in 2010, the Big Three have re-hired a total of 55,000 of the 334,000 workers it sent packing a year prior. That may seem like a fraction of the total, but the President is certain to point out that without the loans, that job loss figure would have been much higher.

And then there’s the matter of getting the federal government’s money back. President Obama is also focusing on sharing his belief that a large majority of the country’s money will be returned once GM and Chrysler go public once again.

Interested in keeping tabs on Obama’s visit to Motown? The Detroit Free Press has a liveblog that you can follow along with (including live audio) by clicking here.

[Sources: Bloomberg, Detroit Free Press | Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty]

Obama working to pitch success of auto bailouts to American public originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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