The old stigma of hybrid and electric cars being slower than their gas-guzzling brethren is quickly being tossed to the curb. Not to long ago the videos of the Tesla P85D acceleration were making their way around the Internet. This was a car that would quite literally keep you from leaning forward in your seat during acceleration. Now, at the Geneva Auto Show, automaker Koenigsegg revealed its new hybrid, the Regera. This new hybrid monster combines three electric motors totaling a whopping 700HP! As if that's not enough, they then coupled these plug in electric motors with a twin turbocharged V8 to boost the final horsepower count to around 1,500HP! That means this hybrid car can go 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, and 0-250mph in under twenty seconds!! If you'd like one however get in line and reach deep into your pockets. Koenigsegg is only making eighty of them, the first of which is looking at a 2016 delivery date. The cost is only around $1.89 million.
We are all sick of the cold by now. Heck, it was ten below zero when I woke up yesterday. Alberta Canada is looking to harness these miserable temperatures for good, rather than letting them chill and depress their citizens. They are looking into building a seven-mile long "freezeway" during the winter months. If you're like me, you have no idea what that is, well let me explain. They are taking a seven-mile long trail that leads to and from downtown Edmonton flooding and freezing it, turning the trail into a long ice skating rink. This will allow residents to ice skate to and from work, recreation, etc. not only does this promote alternate (very alternate) forms of transportation, but it also turns a seemingly negative thing (the harsh cold of winter) into a fun positive way to get around.
What do vacuums and trains have in common? In the future, more than you think. Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies, or ET3 for short, is a potential game changer for commuting as a whole. The concept is to have a series of tubes to act as a railway. In the tubes are round passenger cars much like a train car. These vessels are encased in electromagnets that will provide the propulsion for the vehicle. The tubes themselves will act as vacuum tubes to also aid in the movement of the commuter-packed vessels. The electric engines can get the whole thing going as fast as 375 mph for short distances. They are also working on a long-distance, international concept that would move commuters around at speeds up to 4,000 mph (that's right, four thousand). If these plans come to fruition, not only would this change rail commuting, but it could also become a competitor to air travel as well. With their proposed international speeds and friendly economic footprint, it will be a sound alternative.
We’ve all been there, stuck in traffic, staring at a sea of break lights. One thought goes through your head as traffic stands still, “what caused all of this?!” Was it a problem with someone’s car? A blown tire perhaps? A driver on their cell phone? Sure, it could have been any of those, but if you were driving on Interstate 20/59 near Tuscaloosa, Alabama it was the tooth fairy that caused the shutdown of a three-lane highway. Ok, that’s not fair, the tooth fairy didn’t cause the crash, I wouldn’t want to soil the tooth fairy’s reputation. But a trucker had a loose tooth and lost control of his vehicle when he tried to remove the loose tooth with his hands while driving. Luckily there were no major injuries caused by this accident, but there was a whole lot of inconvenience caused. Distracted driving is no joke, regardless of how comical the distraction is. We’re glad to hear that no one was hurt, hopefully the tooth fairy brings enough money to cover damages, but last I checked the going rate for a tooth was much less.
We’ve talked about the likes of Uber and Lyft on here before, but now a new contender is tossing their hat into the personal taxi service ring. Drivr is a start up out of Cincinnati that follows much the same model as Uber. You can call up a driver to bring you door to door for $2.50 a mile (a minimum of $15). The difference here is that Drivr utilizes only Tesla electric cars. Not only do you get to arrive at your destinations in style, but you also get to do it with a clean conscious as you save the environment by traveling via electric car. Because there is no need for gasoline; Drivr is able to operate at a lower coast compared to their gas-guzzling competitors. Although the operation is only in Cincinnati currently, if it proves to be a success, you can expect it to spring up in other cities as well.
