Hasta La Gadget!

NVIDIA just wrapped up an intimate press briefing here at SIGGRAPH 2011, where — amongst other things — it officially took the wraps off of two major initiatives. Project Maximus and Virtual Graphics are the two main topics of conversation here, and while both are obviously targeting working professionals at the moment, there’s no question that a trickle-down effect is already on the company’s mind. With Maximus, the outfit plans to stop recommending bigger GPUs to pros, and start recommending “a light Quadro GPU and as large a Tesla as you can get in the system.” The overriding goal here is to make multi-GPU technology entirely more accessible; to date, it hasn’t exactly been easy to get a finely tuned multi-GPU setup to the masses, but it sounds like a good deal of future flexibility (it’ll be “nearly infinitely scalable”) aims to change that. Just imagine: dynamic coupling and decoupling of GPUs depending on user load, at a far more detailed level within the application…

Update: Regarding that Tesla bit, NVIDIA clarified with this: “What we’re saying is for applications that are light on graphics / don’t place a heavy demand on graphics, but more so a heavy demand on computational tasks, users will have an option to choose an entry- or mid-level Quadro card for graphics functions, such as the Quadro 600 or Quadro 2000. For certain applications, better performance is achieved by adding a Tesla companion processor, as opposed to scaling up the primary Quadro graphics. Users still require as much graphics as possible.”

Continue reading NVIDIA’s Project Maximus takes multi-GPU mainstream, ‘Virtual Graphics’ takes it to the cloud

NVIDIA’s Project Maximus takes multi-GPU mainstream, ‘Virtual Graphics’ takes it to the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

We’ve already seen a short bit of footage of a single Model S on the road, and now Tesla has released an even briefer video of not one, not two, but three vehicles on the track for some alpha-level testing. No, they’re not racing (at least not on the video), but it certainly looks like they’re ready for one. See for yourself after the break, and look for things to improve further from here — Tesla says it’s now already applying what it’s learned from the testing to its forthcoming beta vehicles.

Continue reading Gone in 43 seconds: Tesla’s Model S gets teased on the track (video)

Gone in 43 seconds: Tesla’s Model S gets teased on the track (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Tesla Motors  | Email this | Comments

So you think you’re a huge fan of the Dark Knight, huh? Not so fast. Do you own a full-sized Batmobile? Yeah… we didn’t think so. But, auto restoration guru Casey Putsch does, and to launch himself further into super-fanboy status, he upgraded the engine with a Boeing turboshaft — snatched out of a naval drone helicopter. According to him, this makes his collector’s item one of a kind, in true Bruce Wayne fashion. Sure, these discarded movie props are usually powered by a standard 350 (especially the older models), but that wasn’t enough for a dude’s dude who appraises and designs all types of vehicles for a living. Mods were also made to the interior, including an iPad in the dash which serves as the avionics system and keeps track of the important GPS coordinates — you know, stuff you’d expect Lucious Fox to toss in to track villains and such. For a look at this beast in action, check out the video after the break; meanwhile we’ll try to figure out how to cram a jet engine into a Tesla Roadster.

Continue reading Man builds turbine-powered Batmobile, brags about having the only one (video)

Man builds turbine-powered Batmobile, brags about having the only one (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog, Tood Cooperider  |  Putsch Racing  | Email this | Comments

You’re looking at an unlikely picture: two Tesla EVs on the same street. The Silicon Valley carmaker is hoping to become more mainstream, however, when it releases its Model S sedan next year to complement the exuberantly expensive Roadster 2.5. Tesla has just released photos of the latest, nearly production-ready build of the Model S to whet our appetites. The shots reveal a couple of sleek cosmetic changes to the front bumper and body panels, but mainly we’re just happy to see the S rolling on schedule. Oh yes, and there’s another glimpse of the 17-inch infotainment console, which Auto Evolution now reports will be accompanied by built-in 3G. Sounds dandy, but that $57,400 starting price had better include a data plan. Man, who are we kidding?

[Thanks, Lucian]

Tesla Model S is almost production-ready, does photo shoot to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Business Insider  |  Auto Evolution, Tesla  | Email this | Comments

That non-standard charge port on your Tesla Roadster isn’t proprietary, it’s just outmoded — but don’t worry, a four foot adapter is here to save the day. This new J1772 to Roadster connector bridges the Roadster’s 2008 designed charge port to the industry standard J1772, adopted by automakers and energy firms over a full year after the Roadster’s debut. The new coupling cable will juice up your wheels in just four hours at EV stations outputting 70 amps, or in seven and a half hours for the average 32 amp level 2 charger. Native plug access to those thousands of ChargePoint stations will set you back $750, but if you’ve already bought a Tesla Roadster, that’s just another drop in the ($100,000) bucket.

Tesla J1772 mobile connector standardizes Roadster, costs $750 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  Tesla  | Email this | Comments