Next Generation Electric!

 Better transport Requirements?

This new generation of electric vehicles brings with it great promises of better things and yet Tesla is still having driverless collisions and fatalities?

But design and electrical improvements with docking stations are becoming more popular in England and Wales, but for some what we have and is to come is still not enough and one would have to agree that every petrol station should have a docking facility!

Trucks and buses are now very much to be seen across the country and more are on the way with hydrogen gas and electric on a par with each other in mixed fleets, even rail is starting to adapt to the option of gas powered trains alongside battery ones.

Driverless Vehicles!

 Sooner than Later?

We already have driverless metro's, and various Monorail and tram systems such as here in the U.K. with the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and the not so new system employed at Heathrow International airport.

But with continued experimentation continuing in the United States and Japan, the car and truck is coming soon? A few teething issues remain and the possibility of a slower Motorway speed limit might be for dedicated lanes and safer infrastructure in case of a collision?

Escaped cattle and other farm animals remain a problem in many part of the world, apart from desperate humans trying to cross busy roads for all sorts of reasons?

Electric Power!

Already Operational?

The electric engine is now well into progression to begin the replacement of the Diesel which has been very faithful both in locomotion and shipping and this is were some of the first replacements are being built, designed and are operational!

The world of Aviation is also seeing many new aircraft concepts and a great desire to have something up and running in the near future? Many experimental aircraft are on the cards, but this remains a limited to civil aviation while the military are still burning fossil fuels in both aircraft and helicopter fleets!

The automobile has also taken off from hybrid vehicles to battery and full electric and because bus and delivery fleets are coming into service, many ordinary folk want their own! It is not known yet how much all of this is reducing carbon emissions in towns and cities, since many young people and children are still dying from chronic respiratory failures from breathing in carbon monoxide?

Happy New Year to one and All!!

Electric Progressing!

Many nations are trying?

Sometimes I think environmental groups can or are being to hard on those who are trying to introduce battery powered vehicles into their fleets such as TFL (Transport for London and Royal Mail)?

This new technology will take time as both NASA and Boeing say that they too have now entered the race with Embraer in Brazil! But what we are not hearing in the west is what is happening in China and Russia in this technology?

The protest currently in the U.K. are trying to wake up people to the serious situation that pollution is now going to cause, if we do not stop wanting our independence with the car and the petrol engine?

There are many areas not being mentioned in the media re-the burning of oils in their various forms and their emphasis has been on plastics another product of petroleum! Banks and investments need to be exposed if we are ever going to get on top of global warming in relation to human activity?

Classic Cars?

How many of them makes a real CLASSIC!

We must be having problems as time moves on with the classic or vintage car to now know which are the real gems of the road? The first attempts are worth saving for their individual historical value, but with the advent of mass production what is the best again of each type and model and what does the present and future hold in relation to body shape, design and layout plus the plush interiors?

Humanity has not really left the box when it comes to the design of the automobile, its is still the shape of a four wheel carriage, based on its predecessor the waggon! Many of the new designs and concepts still follow the rectangular shape and is this because its manageable or is it more difficult to combine suspension in a round vehicle?

Limited editions make the value of each vehicle rise, but they may not always really be the best in relation to function! Speed drives the desire for sports cars based on racing improvements, today tech inside the car has made it a commodity that will be easier to dump like your old phone or computer rather than be kept running for years to come!

Roads? Part- Two.

Dual carriage to Motorways!

The automobile still rules the world with other carbon burning vehicles and road building continues to be the most costly infrastructure building programmes around the world! With the improvement of steel and concrete more ambitious projects are being undertaken such as high-level motorways in China and Bridges in Sweden-Denmark!

The movement of goods is essential over difficult terrain and the road seems to be one of the best options over that of railways? Roads can get through most of the weather conditions and elements thrown at it, since metal will crack in the cold and melt in the heat!

Humanity is resourceful in that vehicles can be used in mining, many trucks are opting now for road train ability and can be fitted into specialised trains! Even the prospect of living on the Moon and Mars in this Century will still call for roads to be constructed to move from A to B/Z?

The negatives with roads is the cost of up keeping them and the problem with speed and it being broken by reckless drivers who kill others out of selfishness or irresponsible fun? 

The electric car will not change our need to keep what we have in the future, things will change in relation to speed control, robotic driving and many other areas, but the road is here to stay?

Roads? Part-One.

Paths to Roman Roads!

In times past there were not many roads anywhere in the world, most people moved along pathways through forest and swamp, while others travelled by boat on the sea, rivers and lakes of various types?

Important trade routes were the roads of the day and mostly used by the wealthy and merchants selling their wares? The Romans were the first to build roads that networked their cities and settlements, since they were very much into communications and needed to move their armies around the country, where there was no access to big rivers!

What was left after them was still being used up to this day, across Europe and the Middle-East. But the steam engine changed our world two-hundred years ago with the speed of travel and the ability to go through tunnels.

The German auto-ban or Motorway was the big 20th Century revolution in relation to the car, and after 1946 this has been the choke filled way to travel! More money today is spent on building and widening new roads and any other form of travel!

Landrover and Range Rover!

The demise of another British Institution?

Since it was decided to end the production of the most successful Land rover Defender, much disappointment has been expressed! Despite the current projections of the new products, Brexit has put a spanner in the operations a surprise that no one expected, but here we are again with the Germans?

The Land-Range rovers have a long history for practicality in both farming, off road and police/military and other civil defence and private usage! The Defender was the out come of good design and hard work that improved a product that was for a long time lagging in the vehicle market with the Germans taking it through Mercedes?

When Land rover had got it right, it would be taken by the overtake of the company for some more modern concepts, despite great design and potential only the Range rover now brings in the money! But the Defender and all of its variants will live on since their are so many who love the landies and there is talk of it continuing under a different guise?

As for the military Britain has opted for the Range rover, but world-wide the Land rover is still a good option for a huge variety of roles and abilities including rail adaptions and amphibious use? 

Despite the Evoke being a good design, it so far has as one knows only attracted interest from the police forces across the U.K.

The Armoured car and small APC versions will continue to keep this going for some considerable time?

Alternative Energy.

Diesel and bio-Fuel.

Most of the machines that are working today around the world are operated by Diesel engines, until recently this was thought to be the best performance fuel over that of petrol?

Many nations want to use alternative energy over that of the fossil fuels of coal, gas and oil, but two factors come to the fore?

One cost and two much of what we have in alternative energy will not power the plethora of machines in existence around the world?

When Diesel invented his first engine it was powered by peanut oil and this has lead to much research into various forms of bio-fuel mixtures, lead by the aviation industry! Cost is the main factor in the production of hybrids other than motor cars and it may be some time before we will get over our new pollution problems?

Electric engines are and can be made across the board in relation to the railways, the main problems is again cost as in the GWR Padding to Swansea plan being cancelled in the U.K. The other is that third rail is susceptible to the weather from slipping leaf fall to frost, ice and snow fall?

Stagecoach to Automobile.

The design of the Car.

The origins of the motorcar began with a steam version of the stagecoach minus horses, but it was not popular at least 60 years before the car was conceived? The public in London were scared of this way ahead concept, because it sometimes ran out of control.

Today the car has not changed in its layout since 1890, various chassis and body shells expanded it from a four seats to seven, anything after that is considered to be a mini-bus. Fast cars have come and gone, engines, materials have changed and improved? While fuels have moved from steam to petrol, diesel to LPG and now we are entering the age of electric, bio and hydrogen?

Cars without drivers in the idea of the Android is being developed, but the design of these new types are still based on the original layout? Perhaps some bright spark might come up with a round car in this new field, so people can relax and rest in the open planned vehicle?

Easter Eggs.

The appliance of Science.

Eggs are a unique object in nature, as much as the snowflake! They are shaped to survive being knocked about, while the Snowflake to be able to interconnect with others to form snow.

Much research has been done from the transportation of eggs to using its structure in machines, basically in metal tolerance to impact at certain angles. Even our chocolate Easter eggs some times require a hammer to crack them and I expect their will be a few tears this season in relation to size and quantity, since they have been getting smaller over the years?

Perhaps its my hands that have been getting bigger?

Many light structures from racing cars to aviation have encompassed what has been learned from the humble egg in relation to stress on impact and safety being the priority. So remember this Easter the humble egg and what it has played in improving our world?

Solar Powered Flight.

Not the first to Try.

This solar powered aircraft that is attempting a world flight record is far from the first, in fact there have been longer distance flights made between A and B/Z in the past. These aircraft failed to attract the publicity that this one has got, for various reasons that are not worth going into.

Some commercial airlines have added solar power cells to the roofs of aircraft to charge batteries with some success, but nothing more has happened since. Now that Australia has fashioned the first commercial possibility of a car for mass production I suppose an aircraft is the next target.

Japan was for a time the leader in solar powered said technology on general shipping and perhaps this stop over has really some connection with that factor?

Model World.

Modelling.

The hobby of modelling those machines that we like to look at, film and photograph can be some times the closest we will ever get to seeing how they are designed and made. From Space to trains and automobiles to ships, there is nearly a model for every machine that has ever been created.

Owning a model layout or a racing track to a model diorama is knowing that you have put it together and can adapt and change it at any time.

Wither these models are glued or remote control, racing cars, boats or a model railway they will bring us hours of pleasure.

The model world is not for everyone, but for many it is a great joy and past time. I wonder what Father Christmas will be bringing us this year in our over sized stocking?

ARV's.

Does the ARV still have a value?

Ever army needs reconnaissance, you need to know where the other side is, how many of them and what equipment is being deployed. In the second world war (1939-45), various types from motorbike and side car to armoured cars were deployed.

But in desert conditions small light tanks, such as the Crusader, German and American half-tracks were deployed. Special forces used there own adaptions based on the Rolls-Royce car chassis and later the American Willy's Jeep.

Today some wheeled and tracked vehicle's have been designed such as the Scorpion tank and variants from it. These vehicles are limited in armour, so if they get hit they are a small price to pay for in the reality of war and conflict.

Trains.

Life Lines.

They say that nations without a coast are doomed, but you could say the same, if they have no railways either with laid track or none. Nearly every country on the planet has a railway of some kind, from a narrow gauge to wide track. 

The railways are an essential life line, especially in trade, wither it be cross border or not. The history and development of the locomotive is a backbone to any network. Trains of course come in all forms, some are used just for freight, while others for passengers. Trains can cover great distances such as in Russia, China, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.

In these fore mentioned countries trains can be up to four miles in length for freight cars, some now double decked. While passenger trains can be 25+ carriages long. Some trains are built for speed, such as in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where the rail lines have very few curves.  

So you kind of see the picture and their value. Later in 2014 we will get down to the ''nitty gritty'' of these starter blogs.