May 07

Tesla Model S now has $6,500 Performance Plus option for more range, better handling

Posted in: Today's Chili

Tesla Model S now has $6,500 Performance Plus option for more range, better handling

Current or wannabe Tesla S owners can now opt for a Performance Plus option that adds a bit of range and a lot of extra handling — and the whole idea came from none other than McLaren. After a journalist told Elon Musk that his nimble sedan was nonetheless outdone by a McLaren MP4-12C supercar (duh?), Tesla’s engineers got to work tweaking the suspension and adding new Michelin tires. The latter boosts range by 6 to 12 miles over the stock rubber, while the whole package adds more cornering grip and acceleration “while maintaining ride quality,” according to the company. Current owners can get the option retrofitted for $13,000, but if you’re still kicking tires, it’ll add $6,500 to your total Tesla S bill for the up-rated suspension bits, plus another $3,500 for the optional 21-inch wheels. Sounds tempting for a poor-man’s McLaren, and given the new financing options, you might even be able to justify it.

Update: We’ve updated this post to clarify pricing. The 21-inch wheels are not included in the $6,500 Performance Plus package.

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Source: Autoblog Green

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Apr 09

Laser scans objects in 3D from half a mile away, scientists just need reason to use it

Posted in: Today's Chili

Laser scans objects in 3D from half a mile away, scientists look for excuse to fire it

3D scanning at a range of 0.62 miles? It just became possible, thanks to a laser camera developed by physicists at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. You can pretty much see how it works from the images above — laser beams are bounced off the target and the duration of their return journey is measured precisely enough to detect millimeter depth changes even at extreme distances. Speaking of which, the researchers believe they could pump the range up to 10 miles with a bit of extra research, and even shrink the blaster down to make it “fully portable” in less than five years. Who knows, someday it might even work around corners. But there’s a problem: skin doesn’t reflect the beams properly, which means people can’t be accurately scanned unless they also happen to be ringwraiths. As a result, the researchers seem slightly at loss as to what to do with the technology, with their best suggestions so far being watching the growth of foliage or tracking the movement of rocks. We’d try to think up some other ideas, were it not for the distracting and utterly irrelevant Nazgul v Wilhelm video embedded after the break.

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Source: Heriot Watt

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