Showing posts with label Elon Musk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elon Musk. Show all posts
March 05, 2018

The Tesla Semi electric truck is a real monster

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The much-awaited reveal of the Tesla Semi electric truck took place in Hawthorne, California, in typical Elon Musk style. Speculation prior to the presentation was substantially exceeded with its claimed range well beyond the 300 miles (500 km) expected and acceleration figures that place the unladen tractor unit in sports car territory.
After the two Tesla 18-wheel Semis swung into position, Elon Musk stepped out of the high-roof model to begin his presentation. The first statistic presented was the Semi's acceleration to 60 mph (97km/h) from standstill which, he said it does in 5.0 seconds when empty. That is sports car territory. Perhaps even more impressive was the claim of reaching 60 mph fully laden to the maximum permissible total of 80,000 lb (36,288 kg) in 20 seconds. Also remarkable is the claim that the Semi can maintain 65 mph (105 km/h) fully laden up a 5 percent grade.
As to the all-important range figure. When fully laden and travelling at 65 mph, the Tesla Semi can cover an astonishing 500 miles (805 km) on a single charge according to Musk. For those who might quickly compare that to the average range of a diesel truck, which can approach twice that, he added that 80 percent of long-haul routes are less than 250 miles (400 km) one-way, so the Semi can complete most round trips on a single charge. If not, 30 minutes on a Tesla fast charger will enable a topped-up range of 400 miles (644 km). To deflect concerns about the 30-minute wait, Musk pointed out that it takes 15 to 20 minutes to refuel a diesel truck and added that drivers must take rest breaks providing an ideal time to recharge.
Elon Musk presents the new Tesla Semi
When the trucks first pulled into the presentation site, they made a large U-turn in front of the audience before being parked and the snug fit between the back of the cab and the trailer could be seen to open with what looked like hydraulic rams creating room for the cab to turn. The gap immediately closed again as the rig straightened up, eliminating the gap that creates significant aerodynamic drag on conventional rigs.
That innovative feature on the Semi is entirely in keeping with its streamlined cab and surely contributes to the claimed coefficient of drag (cD) of only 0.36. As Musk pointed out, the $2.7 million Bugatti Veyron supercar has a higher cD of 0.38. Also adding to the vehicle's efficiency is the use of four independent wheel motors on the two rear axles of the cab. This avoids the mechanical losses of driving the wheels from a single motor and enables electronic traction control.
Inside the cab the driver's seat is in the centre and placed well forward, leaving room below and to the rear for what is surely a massive battery pack, and while it appears to be large enough to accommodate a sleeper, it is a day cab configuration. In place of the usual collection of levers and switches there are two touch screens mounted either side of the steering wheel.
In place of the usual collection of levers and switches there are two touch screens mounted...
Unsurprisingly, the electronic systems include advanced driver assistance features such as lane keeping assistance and automatic emergency braking, and extend to autonomous functions such as platooning capability. As part of the data input required for automated driving, two cameras mounted under the large, exterior mirrors, also display images of the side of the rig on the two interior screens.
The weight of the Semi was not specified, raising the question of how much of the 80,000 lb can be payload. Likewise, the retail price was revealed, although Musk gave a hint about its premium over a diesel semi when he claimed that the expected payback period from fuel savings will be around two years under average operating conditions. That claim was based on his assertion that the Tesla Semi will incur operating costs of $1.26 per mile, whereas a diesel equivalent costs $1.51 per mile.
And the final surprise? Out of one of the trucks popped the new Tesla Roadster. Its claimed range is 620 miles (1,000 km) and its zero to 60 mph time is an eye-popping 1.9 seconds. But that is another story.
Source: Tesla, NewAtlas
February 15, 2018

AirSpaceX's autonomous, electric air taxi lands in Detroit

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Mobi-One is designed to ease traffic congestion and speed up urban commutes(Credit:AirSpaceX)
Airspace Experience Technologies, LLC (AirSpaceX) has given a preview of its vision for the future of air taxi services at this year's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The company unveiled a sub-scale model of its vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, Mobi-One, an autonomous, tilt-wing electric aircraft designed to carry both passengers and cargo at speeds of up to 250 mph (400 km/h). 



According to AirSpaceX, US$300 billion dollars in fuel and productivity costs a year are wasted in traffic jams and other delays in the United States alone. Additionally, urban drivers spend 42 hours stuck in traffic each year, while pumping 38 billion pounds (17 billion kg) of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Designed and built by AirSpaceX parent compant Detroit Aircraft Corporation (DAC) at Detroit City Airport, Mobi-One is targeted at the point-to-point commuter market as a clean, quiet alternative to road transport that relies on "lean automotive design and mass production techniques" to be affordable to produce.
Mobi-One uses four wing-mounted electric motors that the maker claims makes the aircraft quieter than a helicopter. It's designed to carry two to four passengers or payloads of over 200 kg (440 lb) at a cruising speed of 150 mph (241 km/h) over a range of 65 mi (104 km).
A scale version of Mobi-One
Along with its pilot assisted/autonomous flight avionics, it also has broadband connectivity for high speed internet access, V2X collision avoidance, and safety messaging. Aside from passenger and cargo services, it can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation; tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); and research flights.
The Mobi-One was developed in cooperation with Camilo Pardo, who was the chief designer of the 2005 and 2006 Ford GT. Completion of the aircraft's engineering packages are still the primary focus, but the hope is that a full-scale version of the craft will soon be available for US FAA certification.
"Our goal is to deploy 2,500 aircraft at the nation's 50 largest cities by 2026, targeting existing infrastructure at first," says JP Yorro, Chief Commercial Officer at AirSpaceX. "The MOBi development program will be capital intensive, but air Mobility as a Service could generate billions for the economy. We are considering a broad array of financing options, including potential fractional ownership interest and profit sharing models."
February 08, 2018

SpaceX posts images of historic launch as Starman heads for the Asteroid Belt

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 Falcon Heavy powering into space(Credit: SpaceX)


A day after SpaceX's Falcon Heavy blasted into space, the private spacefaring company has posted some spectacular images of the launch as well as updating the status of the Tesla Roadster that acted as ballast payload. In a Twitter post, CEO and Founder Elon Musk confirmed that the second stage of what is now the world's most powerful rocket fired successfully, sending the car and its dummy driver into an orbit that will take it well into the Asteroid Belt. 
On February 6 at 3:45 pm EST, the first Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida on a demonstration mission. Due to the tremendous complexity of the new booster and the 50/50 chance that the mission might end in failure, no active satellite was carried in the nose cone of the vehicle. Instead, Mr Musk's own Tesla Roadster was used as ballast in a gesture that he characterized at a post-launch press conference as a ridiculous bit of fun.
At the conference, Musk confirmed that the core rocket that made up the center of the three-part first stage of the Heavy did not have enough propellant aboard to make a soft landing, and hit the water at about 300 mph (480 km/h). He went on to say that, if the onboard cameras survived, "There could be some pretty fun footage." 
Musk went on to say that neither of the recovered side boosters that successfully landed at Cape Canaveral, Florida will be reused because they were not built for commercial missions. They are Block Four versions of the Falcon 9, and SpaceX will be using only Block Five versions from now on.
Also, during yesterday's conference, Musk expressed concern about the second stage of the rocket, which spent five hours parked in the Van Allen Belt before it restarted its Merlin engine for the third time to escape Earth's gravity. The Van Allen Belts are regions of intense radiation created by cosmic ray particles captured by the Earth's magnetic field. They act as a protective shield for the planet, but they can be a hazard for spacecraft that do not make a quick transition of the belts.
In this case, the second stage was not adversely affected, and fired as scheduled. It expended its propellant entirely, causing it to not only reach escape velocity, but also to reach an orbit that will circle the Sun at a distance between 91 million mi (150 million km) and 240 million mi (390 million km) – well into the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, and almost as far out as the orbit of the dwarf planet Ceres. 




The Tesla Roadster atop the stage was the focus of media attention, especially after SapceX livestreamed video from the cameras mounted around it. The car has a spacesuited mannequin called Starman at the wheel and even includes a tiny Roadster with a tiny Starman.
"That will really confuse them" said Musk, referring to any future space travelers that might come across the Roadster.
Musk said that the spacesuit worn by Starman is a fully functional production model that took three years to design. He went on to say that the problem was to make a suit that works and looks good.
According to Musk, the battery aboard the Roadster was good for only 12 hours after launch, which is confirmed by the YouTube video that has switched from live feed to a four hour, 40 minute recording.
When asked about the price of the Falcon Heavy project, Musk said that it had estimated development costs of over US$500 million. The company is now transitioning from the Falcon 9 and Heavy as it concentrates more on developing the BFR, which he estimates will fly in three or four years.
Source: SpaceX, NewAtlas
February 07, 2018

Falcon Heavy takes off on its maiden mission

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Falcon Heavy lifting off
Commercial space travel took a quantum leap forward today as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket made its maiden flight. At 3:45 pm EST, the world's most powerful operational booster lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida on a demonstration mission intended to gather information about the reusable launch system before it goes into service. Today's launch came after a two-hour and 15 minute delay due to high-altitude shear winds that were outside the rocket's safety parameters. During liftoff, the 27 Merlin 1D engines of the Falcon Heavy's three Falcon 9 core boosters generated 5,548,500 lb of thrust as they gulped down supercooled liquid oxygen and kerosene. Two minutes and 29 seconds into the flight, the two outboard boosters shut down and then separated from the central core four seconds later. The latter shutdown at the three minute and four second mark, then the second stage separated three seconds after.The second stage then fired for five minutes and 16 seconds, followed by a second burn for 30 seconds. Once the orbital maneuver was executed, it marked a first for SpaceX as its unique payload separated and was set on an elliptical interplanetary trajectory around the Sun that will send it as far as the orbit of Mars.

Because the Falcon Heavy was only given a 50/50 chance of success, SpaceX decided not to risk a functioning spacecraft. In such a situation, it's usual to swap out the satellite with ballast made of blocks of steel or concrete, but in a whimsical move, the company used SpaceX CEO and Lead Designer Elon Musk's midnight-cherry Tesla Roadster. This marks either the first time that a motor car was sent into space or the fourth, if you count the three Lunar Rovers carried on the last three Apollo lunar landing missions in the early 1970s.
In the driver's seat of the Roadster is a mannequin, named "Starman" after the 1972 David Bowie song, who is dressed in one of the spacesuits that will be worn by the passengers and crew on SpaceX's manned dragon missions. In addition, Bowie's hit "Space Oddity" was playing on the car's soundtrack, though in the vacuum of space, there won't be anyone to hear it. However, in a nod to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the words "Don't Panic" were displayed on the dashboard screen in large, friendly letters.No details were given about the Roadster itself, but it's likely that it was modified to make it suitable for space travel by removing the lithium ion battery banks or replacing them with dummies. Though the Roadster is headed out toward Mars, its trajectory is such that it has no chance of colliding with the Red Planet.


In keeping with SpaceX's policy of developing a fully reusable launch system, the two side boosters, which had already flown before, executed a reentry and landing maneuver to bring them down on SpaceX's Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida to the cheers of the crowd outside of Mission Control. Meanwhile, the center core attempted a sea landing on the company's "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.Update: Musk has confirmed in a press conference following the launch the landing of the middle core was unsuccessful, as two of the three engines failed to fire and the booster slammed into the ocean at 300 mph (482 km/h).
Source: SpaceX, NewAtlas