Hybrid Vehicle Has Wings Plug-In

-

Maybe I’ve just watched “Back to the Future” too many times but the latest design from Ma.-based Terrafugia, the maker of flying aircrafts that also work as cars, looks like all that’s missing is Doc and some plutonium. The next-gen TF-X will be a street legal plug-in hybrid car that has collapsible wings, retractable propellers, and is capable of driving and flying on its own in the event of an emergency.
When I talked to Terrafugia co-founder and CEO Carl Dietrich about the highly anticipated Transition, Terrafugia first street legal plane, four years ago, Dietrich said the fuel-efficient vehicle promised to both revitalize under-utilized regional airports and alleviate traffic congestion (video).
Just getting on a commercial airplane is tough enough these days, so it’s no surprise that Terrafugia has taken so long to navigate regulatory hurdles. Earlier this year, it cleared a major one when the FAA classified the Transition as a Light-Sport Aircraft, which means drivers don’t need a pilot’s license, just FAA certification in this category. While the company has been working on getting the Transition in the air, Terrafugia hasn’t stopped designing.
That’s where the TF-X plan comes in. Unlike the two-seater Transition, this new street-legal aircraft will seat four and run on electricity. That means the engine will recharge the batteries in the air or it could be plugged into a charging station on the ground. According to Terrafugia, the vehicle will also have electric ground drive and electric power assist for takeoff and landing.
Other cool features include retractable wings and the propellers that open from two motor pods. Initially the propellers point up for takeoff, then the motor pods tilt forward until the vehicle cruises and after that the propellers can fold in. The TF-X will have a non-stop flight range of at least 500 miles, and is expected to be able to automatically avoid other air traffic, bad weather, and restricted and tower-controlled airspace, according to the website, as well as implement an emergency auto-land at the nearest airport, if the operator became unresponsive. See more details in the Youtube video.
The vehicle will also have extensive safety features such as a parachute system to prevent it from crashing horribly should something go seriously wrong. Terrafugia indicated that learning how to safely operate the TF-X will take the average person five hours; a light-sport aircraft certification takes an additional 20 hours.
Before you get your hopes up, the TF-X will likely be in development for eight to 12 years and cost way, way more than a new car. According to the company, Transition owners will have the first shot at purchasing these vehicles when they do get produced. Nevertheless, I look forward to the day when we hear drivers turn to their passengers and say, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meaning of 1.2L, 1.4L, 1.6L,engine in a car?

-
Image
In a car, which has a multi(4/6/8) cylinder engine, the above nomenclature viz. 1.6L,1.4L, etc. refers to the combined volume capacity of all the cylinders( expressed in cubic centimeters, 1L=1000 cc).  Here volume capacity refers to the swept volume or displacement volume or breathing capacity of the cylinder. It is basically the volume of air that can be sucked insde the cylinder as the stroke moves from TDC to BDC. Swept Volume,  V= pi/4*d^2*L*K   , where                                            d- Bore, L-Stroke,  K-no. of cylinders. This is the common terminology used to specify the engine size. A 1.2L engine means a 1.2 litre engine, which is equal to 1200cc (cc = cubic capacity).  Hope that explains it! Pros/Cons: Usually, higher swept volume means higher power and subsequently higher fuel consumption. This is because Power, P= Mean Cyl.Pressure*Stroke*Pisto n area*No. of power strokes*No. of cylinders.  So, Power generated is a directly proportional to the cyl
Read more

Difference between a muffler and a catalytic converter

-
Image
A muffler makes the  car  quiet, the cat makes the exhaust clean. Cars built after 1974 originally had both, but it's legal to run with no muffler as long as the car isn't too loud. The cat is required, you can't pass emissions without one. Some people will remove the cat, if they live in a county without  emissions testing , but that is illegal. If you have a car with no  catalytic converter , and the muffler goes bad, sure you could put a cat on instead. They're more expensive, and louder, but that would get you legal. Actually, the cat is supposed to be mounted closer to the engine, where there is more exhaust heat to burn off exhaust crud. I suppose if you wanted to, you could run two catalytic converters. That would greatly restrict your exhaust and cut down on horsepower, probably reduce fuel economy as well. Probably wouldn't help emissions, either. hey are two totally different things,each with it's own  seperate purpose. You could put 2 co
Read more

Nitrox suspension - Gas charged suspensions

-
Image
The advantages of using a Nitrox suspension - Gas charged suspensions. The rear shock absorbers on current Bajaj Pulsar series bikes are also popularly known as NITROX shock absorbers . These types of shock absorbers are actually called as ‘Gas Filled Shock Absorbers’. The visual differentiation between a conventional shock absorber and a gas filled shock absorber is a small canister (box) which is attached on one side of it. This canister holds a small amount of Nitrogen gas in it. Hence these hydraulic shock absorbers or dampers are called as gas filled shock absorbers. So what is the reason to use a gas filled hydraulic dampers instead of using a conventional one? we'll find out the answer here. The 'Royal Enfield - Bullet Electra' was the first bike in India to have this feature. The Pulsar 150/180 UG II (2’nd upgrade) then became the second model (and the first in the 150 cc and above category) to make this feature available on Indian bikes. A
Read more