NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine took to Twitter on Friday to announce that, after almost nine years, astronauts will finally once again launch into space from American soil. And you have Elon Musk to thank for that. His rocket and spaceflight company, SpaceX, has captured headlines and imaginations thanks to the Falcon 9 rocket’s ability to send its first stage back into the atmosphere to land upright on the ground or a robotic barge in the ocean. It’s a technical achievement that nothing at his other company, Tesla, can touch. Sorry, folks, the Model S sedan’s Plaid Mode is really cool, but it ain’t rocket science.
BREAKING: On May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil! With our @SpaceX partners, @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will launch to the @Space_Station on the #CrewDragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Let's #LaunchAmerica ???????? pic.twitter.com/RINb3mfRWI
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) April 17, 2020
The [...]
The 2021 Porsche Taycan 4S has proven to be a serious Tesla competitor. Although it’s slightly less powerful than other Taycans, the 4S is much more affordable, lining it up better with the Model S, and still quite fun to drive. Now, we’re learning a few more details about the least-expensive Porsche EV that arrives in U.S. dealerships today. The 4S gets an EPA-estimated range of 203 miles, a number that we suspect is too low, based on our previous experience with the Taycan.
Keep in mind that this rating applies only to 4S models with the upgraded Performance Battery Plus. Going by the EPA numbers, these 4S models achieve more range than the Turbo and Turbo S, rated at 201 miles and 192 miles, respectively. That said, those less-efficient Taycans strongly out-perform their EPA numbers outside of a lab. In our real-world range test of the Taycan Turbo S, we achieved 254 miles between [...]
Those most familiar with Lamborghini under its stable VW Group ownership might be unaware the supercar maker was a bit of a wayward child for the quarter-century prior to the Germans’ acquisition in 1998. After founder Ferruccio Lamborghini divested himself of his company in 1974, the firm went bankrupt, was placed into receivership, and eventually was sold to Chrysler—yes, Chrysler—in 1987. Under American guidance, Lambo launched the Countach-succeeding Diablo, but there wasn’t much synergy realized between the companies before Lambo was shuffled to its next ownership group. But what if there was?
That was the question artist Abimelec Arellano asked himself when he read an interview with Bob Lutz published last year by Road & Track in which it was revealed Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca wanted to cloak the unimpressive Imperial in Lamborghini’s mystique with a special-edition model. So Arellano turned this “what if” into rendered reality and created an Imperial Lamborghini Edition, as well [...]
As we just recently reported, Mazda has a mid-size rear-wheel-drive car platform and Skyactiv-X inline-six in the works for the next Mazda 6 sedan. To amortize development costs, that new platform will have to underpin other vehicles, too, including the next CX-9 SUV. But the platform isn’t Mazda’s only trick up its sleeve. We know 48-volt mild hybrids and plug-ins are in the cards, and this latest patent filing shows Mazda is considering revolutionary in-wheel electric motors powered by a capacitor—and the high-tech hybrid setup could be destined for a future Mazda RX-9 coupe.
The patent, uncovered by Japanese Mazda blog T’s Media, appears to be an update on an earlier patent filed last year. Both filings detail a front-engine, rear-drive car equipped with two in-wheel electric hub motors for the front axle, a third motor located at the back of the engine, a capacitor, and small lithium-ion battery. The first filing shows an inline [...]
Lech Marcinczak is a reporter and camera operator for Poland’s TVN24 news network. Off the clock, though, Marcinczak is a self-described inventor with a particular passion for live video streaming. These days, Marcinczak’s off-work interests are increasingly tangled with this on-the-job responsibilities, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. His station requested he find or invent a way for TVN24 (owned by Discovery, Inc., MotorTrend Group’s joint-venture partner) to isolate and interview guests in a professional-looking on-screen setting outside of the station’s main studio.
While Marcinczak initially built a small stationery studio for this purpose, he soon realized a mobile studio would allow TVN24 to reach guests wary of wandering too far from their residence. In short order, Marcinczak converted the station’s 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cargo van into a fully functioning television studio.
The diesel-engined van’s once-empty cargo bay now includes a dedicated green screen, an array of LED lights, all necessary camera equipment, and a [...]
