Posts Tagged ‘vehicle’
Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Remember happier times back in aught-eight, when “Pribot,” the famous autonomous Prius, was roving the Streets of San Francisco with a huge SFPD escort and teams of camerapeople in tow?
Well, those halcyon days are over, so now Pribot has been relegated to getting ticketed by DPT, just like regular nonrobotic cars.
See?
Click to expand
You can’t see the the damage from when Pribot scraped its left side exiting the Bay Bridge, but these days there’s evidence he/she/it has had more driving trouble.
See?
Did Pribot crash into something? Or maybe a careless San Francisco driver backed up too far? Or maybe a human master made a mistake?
(Of course, when you’re making an omelet, as Google is doing in full force in 2011, you’re going to break a few eggs. Anyway…)
Poor Pribot!
All I could do was put a spare Kraftwerk mixtape under one of its windshield wiper arms and then turn to walk away.
Pribot, you were the first, you are the ur-robotic Prius, you are the Jetfire of the autonomous car universe.
Bon courage, Pribot!
Tags: 2008, 3d, 510, 510 Systems, Anthony Levandowski, Anthony's Robots, Autonomous, bay bridge, Berkeley, Beyond Productions, bus, camera, Class 1, contest, DARPA, DARPA's, discovery, Discovery Channel, DPT, engineer, escort, Ghostrider, google, google's, GPS, grand challenge, guidance, hybrid, inertial, infrared, island, laser, lasers, map, Motorcade, mountain view, mta, Oakland, october 15, parking, Pier 7, police, Pribot, prius, Prototype This!, pulsed, pulsed laser, robot, robotic, RTK base station, SFMTA, silver, sponsor, TI, ticket, Topcon, toyota, treasure, treasure island, TV, UC, university of california, University of California at Berkeley, vehicle
Posted in cars, technology | No Comments »
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
Apparently, PG&E has been testing these Mitsubishi i-MiEV‘s (“Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle” or “Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle”) for a while, but this is my first time seeing one. PG&E fleet-tests all sorts of electric vehicles all the time, of course.
Isn’t that a wonderful contribution from a great local corporation? They’re a great company that gets it.
[What, what did I just say? What? Oh, why'd I say that? Mmmm. Now, is PG&E the outfit that lies about how they killed people or are they my number one booster?* Both, maybe? I'm conflicted. Note to self: Hire fashionable spokesmodel to clean up this mess. Get money from PG&E people to hire said spokesmodel. That's using the old bean! Bingo-bango.]
Now, where was I? Oh, the electric motors are in the wheels – this is the approach Mitsu is taking. So that’s a little more advanced than what other companies (like Tesla Motors and (heh) CODA Automotive) are doing. Is that a good idea? We’ll see.
Click to expand
Those stalk things are your manual mirror adjustment controls – old school!
All the deets:
“ALL-NEW, 100% ELECTRIC.
Welcome to a whole new era of fleet efficiency. The result of more than four decades of dedicated EV engineering, the 100% electric Mitsubishi i offers a host of advantages over traditional gas-powered fleet vehicles.
The Mitsubishi i has less moving parts than its gas-powered counterparts which can translate to reduced maintenance requirements and less downtime for repairs.
Volatile, rising fuel costs make it difficult to project expenses. Charging with electricity can stabilize that variability and help keep you in control of your budget.
With a low acquisition fee of under $30,000 and an operating cost of just $.03 per mile*, the Mitsubishi i is remarkably cost-effective.
Of course, the Mitsubishi i isn’t just about improving your bottom line. Featuring world-class performance, a targeted range of 85 miles,† comfortable seating for four and zero on-road emissions, this EV is equipped to handle a wide variety of tasks—and demonstrate your company’s commitment to the environment.
* Estimate based on 5.3 miles per kWh at .15 cents per kWh.
† Targeted LA4 EPA city cycle. Actual range will vary depending on driving / charging habits, speed, conditions, weather, temperature and battery age.”
You’ll be able to buy one for yourself next year. Maybe they’ll be calling it the Mitsubishi i by that point.
In other news, the big anti-PG&E protest will be tomorrow at noon
“Jail the PG&E Corporate Criminals For Murder-Public Power Now
NO MORE SAN BRUNOS!
Rally Friday, Sept. 9 at Noon
1st Anniversary of the
CRIMINAL SAN BRUNO BLAST
Protest PG&E
for its Arrogance,
Incompetence &
Criminal Negligence!
Public Power Now!
PG&E Headquarters
77 Beale Street, SF
Sponsored by Terry Joan Baum for Mayor 2011
email: staff(at)terryjoanbaum.com
phone: 415-553-8847″
See you there!
*Actually, I was in the Presidio one time, IRL, I’m srsly, and while I was there a PG&E employee came up and told me, twice, that “it would be in your interest” for me to pull my post about PG&E hiring people from Nevada to canvas for some proposition in the Mission. And then, when I was huffing up Arguello to get home later that evening, she offered me a ride in her car! I didn’t get in. (“Never get in the van.” – that’s the lesson I learned from Three Days of the Condor)
Joubert: It will happen this way. You may be walking. Maybe the first sunny day of the spring. And a car will slow beside you, and a door will open, and someone you know, maybe even trust, will get out of the car. And he will smile, a becoming smile…
Tags: 2011, 77 Beale, battery, bay area, blast, california, car, cars, ed lee, election, electric, ev, explosion, fleet, gas, great company, i., miev, mitsubishi, pacific, pacific gas and electric, pg&e, protest, san bruno, San Francisco, spokesperson, Terry Baum, Terry Joan Baum, terst, testing, Tony Winnicker, vehicle
Posted in cars, paranormal | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? UFO RESPONSE TEAM.
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good, who ya gonna call? UFO RESPONSE TEAM.
Click to expand
This is my second sighting.
I don’t know, I just feel safer when I know that they‘re around.
Merry part.
Tags: 2010, 2011, auto, bay area, black, california, car, cop, crown victoria, crown vis, divisadero, ford, fulton, grand, marquis, mercury, police, response, San Francisco, SFPD, team, ufo, UFO RESPONSE TEAM, vehicle
Posted in paranormal | 3 Comments »
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Well, I’ll tell you, I was worried about Costco’s unused electric charging stations last year, and now it looks like America’s favorite big box has given up on them, electing not to upgrade to this year’s flavor-of-the-month charging system, the au current J1772. (The chargers Costco installed in their parking lots back in The Aughts looked like they were from an electric car museum, covered so much with detritus and spider webs and whatnot they were.)
Anyway, electric car and plug-in hybrid drivers be pissed, you know, they’re saying, Who Killed the Electric Car Charging Stations?
But you know, if you live in the 415, your new Nissan Leaf all-electric car should be able to make it home anywho.
Click to expand
Let’s ask, “Why would an electric car pioneer like Costco just give up now?” (They must have a rationale or two…)
This is quite a change from the heady days of 2006. Indeed, Costco has been offering electric chargers of some sort since the 1990′s:
“Costco offers 90 charging stations at 64 locations. Most of the stations are in California, with a handful in Arizona, New York and Georgia…The process couldn’t be simpler. Members park in reserved spaces, attach special paddles and head into the warehouse. By the time their shopping is done, their car should be, too.”
Now, some are saying that Costco is looking into / reviewing this issue, so who knows what will happen.
All right, here’s a bit from 2008 to show you what things looked like at San Francisco’s SoMA Costco back then:
“Whether your ride swings AC or DC, whether it needs MagneCharge or Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (EVI) “brand” electricity, Costo has got you covered. Shop at the store and buy a $1.50 hot dog and a Coke, all while recharging.
The future is now:
Click to expand.
The future hasn’t looked this bright for battery-electric vehicles (BEV) since 1895.”
Tags: 2010, 2011, bay area, big box, california, CEO, charger, charging, costco, electric, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, ev, hybrid, James Sinegal, leaf, magnecharge, nissan, park, parked, parking lot, plug-in, removal, San Francisco, soma, standard, Station, store, street, vehicle
Posted in cars | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
This is one of them “ice bikes” from Fortune Hanebrink.
Or something.
Use it to tow your sledge to the South Pole.
As seen in the Western Addition:
Click to expand
All the deets:
“Engineered and handcrafted 8000 ft above sea level in Big Bear Lake, California, HANEBRINK Electric All-Terrain vehicles are the confluence of ingenuity, ecology, and luxury. The capabilities of the HANEBRINK are as limitless as your own sense of adventure; as a commuter vehicle, it is smooth and dynamic.
Nearly 10 years ago, national champion cyclist, bicycle innovator, and NASA aerospace engineer, Dan Hanebrink was approached by an Arctic explorer looking for an alternative to skis that could take him and his equipment across the icy terrain of Antarctica. Hanebrink created a bicycle unlike anything ever built before. The original “Ice Bike” by HANEBRINK had no plastic parts and used superfat, low-pressure tires that devoured all surfaces in all conditions silently and effortlessly. Today, our drive to create innovative outdoor recreational vehicles continues and is reflected in our mission to satisfy and serve the adventurous worldwide.
The HANEBRINK Electric All-Terrain Vehicle is the evolution of the original, revolutionary HANEBRINK design, combining state-of-the art green technology with an on-demand hybrid electric system and the latest in bicycle technology. Crank the throttle and the 600 watt motor powers the HANEBRINK to speeds up to 20 mph. If you want to go faster, just start pedaling.
Three design features help the HANEBRINK achieve outstanding on and off-road performance.
• The widest tires in the industry. The 20 x 8 inch tires radically increase the surface area where rubber meets road for enhanced stability at all speeds, added traction on rough terrain, and unprecedented float on sand and snow.
• A mid-mounted, bracket supported motor optimizes the vehicle’s center of gravity beneath the rider and enables tight turns, rapid weight shifting, and provides more stability.
• 14 speed gearing tuned for a wide variety of surfaces, grades, and utility applications including a low range capable of carrying up to 300 pounds of bulky cargo up steep terrain or deep into inaccessible areas.
With a single Lithium ion battery (LiFePO4), the HANEBRINK has a one hour run time and three hour recharge. For longer excursions, the rear rack can be fitted with up to five lithium ion batteries, a run time of over 5 hours and more than 100 miles of riding. The wide rear rack is standard HANEBRINK equipment and can hold up to 100 pounds of cargo.
The HANEBRINK can truly go anywhere on the planet while maintaining minimal environmental impact and zero-carbon emissions. Where can you go with one?”
Tags: 2011, aerospace, All-Terrain, Antarctica, Arctic, batteries, battery, bay area, bicyckes, bicycle, Big Bear Lake, bike, california, Dan Hanebrink, electric, engineer, fortune, fortune HANEBRINK, HANEBRINK, ICE, ice bike, Lithium ion, motor, nasa, San Francisco, sand, snow, street, tires, vehicle, wide
Posted in bikes | No Comments »
Monday, July 25th, 2011
I have no idea what happened in this incident here,* involving a serious head injury and a MUNI bus on Market Street, but check out Famous Akit‘s recent first-hand experiences of people who don’t know enough to stay behind the yellow line right here.
Da Law is the Da Law, both above and below ground, right?
Here’s how it works, peds, and this applies the world over, you need to stay behind the yellow line and leave that airspace free for people who are driving buses and taxis and cars and motorcycles and bicycles, and, I don’t know, skateboards and Segways.
Leave us review:
“Use X-Walk to Cross Street, Stay Behind Yellow Line, Use X-Walk to Cross Street, Stay Behind Yellow Line…”
Click to expand
If you spend any time at all driving any kind of vehicle up and down Market Steet, you’ll know that, for some reason, San Francisco pedestrians feel:
1. It’s their innate right to jaywalk 24/7/365; and
2. There’s no reason for them to actually look for oncoming traffic before jaywalking because of #1 (see above), their innate right to jaywalk 24/7/365
The biggest threat to any pedestrian is the pedestrian him or herself, obviously.
And that goes double for the 415, home of the Worst Pedestrians in the World.
*I’m thinking that the initial reports of this tragedy had more certainty over what occurred. The ped in this case might be 100% not at fault.
Tags: 2011, bay area, Behind, bicycle, bike, california, car, cars, cross walk, crosswalk, cyclists, head, illegla, injry, jay walkers, jaywalk, Line, market, Muni, ped, pedestrian, pedestrians, San Francisco, SFMTA, street, subway, vehicle, world, worst, yellow
Posted in bikes, cars, paranormal | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Remember the former mayor’s P.O.S. Chevy Tahoe with an engine bigger than that found in the city buses from the failed CultureBus program?
It was necessary for his safety or something. Oh, here it is, parked in a bike lane for an hour or two on a Healthy Saturday, or a Healthy Sunday, or a Healthy Holiday – mem’ry fades…
Anyway, that machine is long gone so here’s the new ride for our new “interim” Mayor – it’s a Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.
See? Mr. Pig’s Wild Ride:
Click to expand
All right, Remedial Ed:
“The Chevrolet Volt is Not an Electric Car – Repeticion: El Chevy Volt No Es Un Coche Electrico“
Are we on the same page now? Good.
Let’s see here, even if you keep this rig charged up and topped off with juice all the time, it’s going to burn fuel from its gas tank, right? I mean at least some of the time. (The people at Government Motors recommend a half a tank of fuel for people who intend to drive around mostly in electric mode.)
Regardless of what anybody tells you, this machine will burn gasoline – it has to, by design. It’s programmed to do so, actually.
So avert your gaze here:
“The Mountain Mode option gathers an energy reserve in the lithium-ion battery so that the car has the full power of both the gasoline engine and the electric powertrain behind it for, say, navigating a series of San Francisco inclines.”
Or I don’t know, just drain every last drop of gas from the tank and fill it up with sawdust and then see how far you and your Volt make it, I don’t care.
Or, just get a Nissan Leaf – that probably would have been the better move, considering the stated parameters.
Oh well.
Anyway, those are the differences between the old and new mayors so far – nothing else has changed.
Tags: 2011, battery, bay area, bev, blvd., california, car, CEO, Chevrolet, chevrolet volt, chevy volt, company, ed lee, edwin lee, electric, eletric, ev, gavin newsom, geary, gm, hybrid, interim, lease, Mayor, pg&e, plug-in, retiring, San Francisco, vehicle, volt
Posted in cars | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
How it looks outside of City Hall sometimes:
Click to expand
Leave us begin, starting with the white one on the left:
Honda Civic Hybrid;
Third-Generation Toyota Prius Hybrid, possibly with plug-in feature;
Nissan Leaf* pure electric vehicle;
Honda Insight hybrid
About the only thing that’s missing from this array is the 2012 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.
Oh, here it is, with garish utility monopoly graphics removed.
Better one…
…or better two?
Now you know better your electric and hybrid electric vehicles…
*The funny thing about the Leaf is that some crappy competing company what says oh, we’ll have an electric car ourselves this year (employees have been saying that about the same basic vehicle every year since 2008) criticized the Leaf last year because “housewives” wouldn’t “feel comfortable” behind the wheel of such a futuristic-looking vehicle. Ridiculoso.
Tags: baby got back, batteries, battery, bev, car, cars, City Hall, civic center, coda, corporations, electirc, electric, green, green vehicle showcase, honda civic, honda insight, hybrid, nissan leaf, nissan prius, plug-in, rear, showcase, trunk, vehicle
Posted in cars | No Comments »
Monday, April 25th, 2011
[UPDATE: Well, I spoke too soon - Pigs, Giraffes, & Elephants just decided to foot the bill for their departing CEO. See below]
I don’t know, the problem with talking about “GM’s race to develop the electric Chevrolet Volt” is that the Chevrolet Volt isn’t an electric car.
It’s a plug-in hybrid, just like those familiar Toyota Priuseses you see being driven (badly) all over town.
So, calling the Volt “electric” is muy prohibidado, ‘specially for the writers at the New Yawk Times.
A PG&E exec motoring through the Inner Richmond to the glamorous West Bay suburbs of the 415 – let’s hope he won’t get $35 million of our money* when he screws something up/kills people and then quits/gets fired.
Click to expand
(Garish decals removed, you’re welcome)
*”PG&E Shareholders to Pay Pension Benefits for Retiring CEO
SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Earlier today, PG&E Corporation’s (NYSE: PCG) Board of Directors voted to amend the pension benefits for retiring Chairman, CEO and President Peter Darbee to provide that all pension benefits will be funded by the Corporation’s shareholders.
“With Mr. Darbee’s decision to retire, the Board is fully committed to taking steps that demonstrate the company is moving in a new direction,” said Lee Cox, the Board’s Lead Director. “Renewing public faith in PG&E is critical to our future. Today’s decision is another opportunity to show customers, regulators and others that PG&E is listening closely and taking action to earn back their confidence.”
The company announced last week that Darbee will retire effective April 30, 2011. Effective May 1, Cox will serve as interim Chairman, CEO and President of PG&E Corporation until a long-term successor to Darbee is onboard.
PG&E Corporation is a Fortune 200 energy-based holding company, headquartered in San Francisco. It is the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California’s largest investor-owned utility. PG&E serves more than 15 million Californians throughout a 70,000 square-mile service area in northern and central California. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.pgecorp.com.
Tags: 2011, battery, bay area, bev, blvd., california, car, CEO, chevrolet volt, chevy volt, company, electric, eletric, ev, geary, gm, hybrid, lease, Lee Cox, pacific gas and electric, Peter Darbee, pg&e, plug-in, retiring, San Francisco, vehicle, volt
Posted in cars | No Comments »
Friday, April 8th, 2011
Your horrible Department of Motor Vehicles has all the deets on those “A” and “S” license plates you might occasionally notice about town.
Let’s see here:
A is for Assembly, S is for Senate, numbers represent the district concerned, R is for Retired and E is for the Extra car that Retired Senators sometimes acquire.
It’s all from CVC section §5002.8, which got approval from…. the California Senate and Assembly, believe it or not. Special they are.
Here’s a helpful chart:
Click to expand
Now I’ll tell you, even some CHiPs don’t know how to read these plates, so don’t feel bad.
Here, you can practice on this car. Oops, it’s from Massachusetts. Oh well. It looks special as well, tho.
I think that’s how you can save yourself a lot of money – just use out-of-state plates like so many others do…
Happy motoring!
Tags: 2011, 5002.8, assembly, assemblymember, bay area, california, california highway patrol, car, chp, code, cvc, dmv, license, plate, plates, sacramento, San Francisco, sentae, sentaor, special, state, vehicle
Posted in cars | No Comments »
