Hasta La Gadget!

Electric vehicles have not really gone mainstream just yet, although you can say that it has certainly picked up steam in the past few years, as more and more people look at electric cars in a different light. The Chevrolet Volt could prove to be a “mainstream” electric vehicle, so to speak, but demand has not been as strong as what its executives anticipated ever since the Volt entered production at the beginning of this decade. General Motors has been touted to be working on a more affordable bank account friendly version of its Chevrolet Volt, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

It seems that GM has sold a mere 58,158 Chevrolet Volts to date, which is far behind the likes of the Nissan Leaf that has already achieved over 80,000 in total sales, and the number is set to continue in an upward trend. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt will arrive in an entry-level version that has been priced “from just over $30,000,” which is cheaper than the existing model’s $35,000 price tag. If this rumor proves to be true, then we are looking at a looking price war which might end up good for the industry if adoption rates of the Chevy Volt increases. Are you looking to purchase an electric vehicle anytime soon?

Cheaper Chevrolet Volt Could Arrive Soon , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Green, Transportation, chevrolet,

61 year old Bran Ferren has spent millions to custom make the KiraVan, aptly named considering this is a gift for his daughter who is named Kira, and Kira will be able to enjoy her travels on her very own pop tent that is located on top of the truck. The father and daughter pair intend to travel across America and eventually, the world in KiraVan.

The KiraVan has been called the ultimate recreational vehicle, where it will come with an office, a kitchen, bedrooms as well as its very own motorbike and drone, now how about that? It seems to be more like something out of a James Bond movie than anything else. The KiraVan was a labor of love that has taken a long time to come into existence, where this humongous six-wheeled vehicle is more than capable of driving down mud-swamped roads, and even rock covered roads, courtesy of Kevlar reinforced tyres.

It has enough supplies within to travel up to 2,000 miles without having to stop by and resupply, and it boasts of a special suspension system that can navigate slopes as steep as 45 degrees. Apart from that, the cockpit comes with a special vibration reducing chair, in addition to the ability to use drones that fly ahead in order to check out the traffic condition. The KiraVan measures 31 feet in length and is over 10 feet high, it is a whole lot better equipped compared to some homes out there.

KiraVan Custom-Made Camper Van Costs Millions , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Transportation, kiravan,

Utopia is one of the most loaded words in the English language. Utopia is perfection; utopia is unachievable; utopia is no place. Which is precisely what makes it so interesting. And why this week Gizmodo is taking a look at all things utopian.

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Back in 2012 there was a concept created by a Dutch designer that suggested that glow in the dark road markings should be used in place of street lights. The goal is to make the roads more interactive while at the same time help to cut down on the amount of electricity and resources required to maintain street lights, especially on long stretches of a highway.

Well it looks like the concept has stopped being a concept and is now a reality, at least as far as a certain highway stretch in the Netherlands is concerned. At this point in time, one of Netherlands’ highways, the N329 highway in Oss, has replaced its streetlights with glow in the dark road markings that stretch as far as 500m.

The glow in the dark markings are created using a photo-luminescent powder that has been integrated into the road paint and has been painted onto the roads by road construction company, Heijmans. The goal is to eventually add more areas as well as include technology such as weather markings, like snow drops, that would illuminate once it hits a certain temperature.

Unfortunately due to the lack of contracts, expansion of this plan is still on hold. While we admit that this sounds like a really cool idea, there is the question of sustainability. How will the paint hold up to cars driving on them constantly? After all patchy pieces of glow in the dark markings aren’t exactly safe, nor are they as efficient as evenly lit streets, but either way it is a good start. What do you guys think?

Netherlands’ Glow In The Dark Highway Is Now A Reality , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Green, Transportation,

The U.S. Navy has certainly made plenty of waves in the previous week, with the intention to deploy a railgun in 2016 as well as working on a laser weapon that will see action in the summer. Having said that, to establish your military might across the seven seas would take plenty of coordination and resources, where chief among them would include fuel issues. Going nuclear might work, but it is far from green, so when word of scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. came about that they have successfully turned seawater into fuel, it is a cause worth celebrating.

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U.S. Navy Turns Seawater Into Fuel For Its Vessels original content from Ubergizmo.