Hasta La Gadget!

Riding a fully-functional mech is probably extremely high on most people’s list, or at least people that could be considered to be extremely cool, and we might never get to see the day where we can ride a mech, a Japanese company is making it possible for your kids to do so.

Sakakibara-Kikai created the Kidswalker NT, which is a miniature gas-powered exoskeleton which features a chest plate that flips up to protect the rider, moving arms and a “drill” attachment for those days when adventuring into ground is a must. The drill can be activated by twisting on the Kidswalker NT’s throttle-like controls, although we certainly would warn the kid rider to watch where they point that thing as we’re sure it’ll poke more than a few hundred eyes out.

The Kidswalker NT measures in at 5.2 feet and weighs 397lbs and costs a total of $21,000, although if you’re thinking of having it shipped to the U.S., we’re sure its shipping costs would certainly reach in the thousands as well. If you’re an awesome parent with some extra pocket money to spend, we’re sure your child will never forget this gift.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New York City Celebrates Earth Day With All-Electric Taxi Pilot, Boeing 787 Dreamliner Battery Modifications Approved By FAA,

New York City’s full-on EV taxi blitz may not come until late this year, but the metropolis is taking its first tentative steps into that electric world as of today: it’s deploying the six Nissan Leaf cabs promised as part of a pilot program. The half-dozen sedans will spend a year on the road, with officials able to gauge the effectiveness of EVs as taxis when they have access to both regular chargers at their home bases as well as fast chargers in Manhattan’s far West Side, Lower East Side and Union Square. Don’t expect to hail an eco-friendly cab very often, though — along with the daunting numerical odds, the Leaf drivers have more liberty than usual to turn down passengers and protect their remaining power supply. If you do happen to find yourself in the back seat, however, you’ll likely get a glimpse at New York’s cleaner and quieter future.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: Autoblog

Source: New York City (PDF)

Fiat may now be producing electric vehicles, but CEO Sergio Marchionne apparently doesn’t think they represent the future for the automaker just yet — or, at least, the only future. Speaking at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit yesterday, Marchionne said that his company is losing $10,000 on every 500e car sold (a figure he first offered fully two years ago), and added that “doing that on a large scale would be masochism in its extreme.” Those comments came as part of a larger point he was making about the push towards electric vehicles, and what he described as “strong arm” tactics from governments promoting EVs over other alternatives. Instead of “rushing into embracing EVs as the only technological solution,” he says, “government can help drive best results by remaining technology neutral.” As for what Chrysler itself is looking at beyond EVs, Marchionne pointed to traditional engine improvements and alternative fuels like natural gas, which he says is the “cleanest alternative available in terms of emissions.”

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: Auto Spies

Source: The Windsor Star, Detroit Free Press

Many see Apple and Volkswagen as two peas in a pod given their similar marketing, even if previous talk of collaborations amounted to little more than speculation. That purported dream team will soon become real through the iBeetle, an adaptation of the modern VW Bug designed with a little help from Apple. Don’t get your hopes up for a tie-in on the level of VW’s iPad-friendly Bulli concept, however. The integration mostly amounts to an iPhone dock as well as a car-optimized iOS app that can play music, read messages aloud, take photos and augment the instrument cluster. It’s a solid idea, especially when a large number of us already use our smartphones this way, but it isn’t very adventurous — the iPhone won’t coordinate extensively with the center stack, unlike smartphone-aware infotainment platforms such as GM’s MyLink or Ford Sync. We’d still take a close look at the iBeetle when coupe and convertible models reach US dealerships in early 2014, but it may be best for those already bent on getting some fahrvergnügen from their next ride.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Apple

Comments

Via: Autoblog

Source: Volkswagen

While the Tesla Roadster did a great job of satisfying our jones for an electric vehicle with great performance and no roof, it was a bit pricey and is now out of production. Into that void steps the three-wheeled Torq Roadster from Epic EV, a team also responsible for that electric-engined DeLorean prototype we saw a couple of years ago. This video shows Translogic’s Bradley Hasemeyer behind the wheel of the track-friendly (but also street legal, licensed as a motorcyle) vehicle and talking to the people who built it. It’s not quite as fast as the Tesla Roadster, but it’s still capable of 0 – 60 in about four seconds and a top speed of 110mph.

You’ll notice a Samsung tablet mounted on the dash, and many of the components are sourced from Volkswagen. Unlike most of the daily driver-aimed electric vehicles we’re familiar with that are very locked down, founder Chris Anthony claims its design allows owners to tweak and tune many features. Its DC motor means there’s no regenerative braking, but he claims it’s cheaper and allows owners to rewind the armature or upgrade the brushes. The first Torq Roadster was delivered earlier this month to a former Tesla exec and you can read about his experiences on BoostedGroup. Those of us who haven’t paid the $65,000 base price can check it out in the video, which is embedded after the break.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: Autoblog

Source: Translogic, TorqEV