Lifeboat Foundation

VISALIA, Calif. – Forget about the high-speed rail zipping commuters from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

One Southern California politician, state Sen. John Moorlach, has introduced a bill that would do away with speed limits for certain lanes on I-5 and Highway 99 – two vital roadways that stretch across the Golden State.

The measure would require the Department of Transportation to expand the 235-mile stretches from Bakersfield to Stockton on both sides of I-5 and Highway 99 by two lanes.

Continue reading “No speed limits: It works for Germany but could it work for California?” »

Tesla will have the technology to pick up passengers and drive them to destinations by the end of the year, said CEO Elon Musk said on a podcast with an investor.

Advanced technologies come together to get autonomous vehicles driving safely and efficiently.

To make a regular car go faster on the track, you can add go-fast components like a turbocharger or better fuel, or improve handling components like brakes and tires. Carmakers can also make a dizzying amount of software tweaks to everything from the stability and traction control systems to throttle mapping and how much fuel gets into the engine.

But with an electric car, the software is the star of the show. Code controls everything. That’s why Tesla can introduce Track Mode to the Model 3 with a software download, unlocking new features designed to get the electric sports sedan around a track faster than before.

On something like the BMW M5, putting the car in Sport Mode adjusts a dizzying array of settings for throttle response, transmission, chassis, steering, stability control, and whether the car operates in all- or rear-wheel drive.

Continue reading “Tesla is making the Model 3 faster with a software update” »

Electric cars could be charged at any time and any place.

It could reliably supply energy 99 per cent of the time, at six-times the intensity of solar farms on earth, he said.

Chinese scientists first plan to build and launch small to medium-sized solar power stations to be launched into the stratosphere to generate electricity, between 2021 and 2025.

Continue reading “Plans for first Chinese solar power station in space revealed” »

These hovering taxis are a cleaner, faster way to travel on water.

Over the years, we’ve seen thousands of unique van conversions, but Nissan has taken the van-loving world by storm with its new NV300 concept van — a mobile workshop for woodworking professionals. The amazing design, which was a collaboration between Nissan and UK-based firm Studio Hardie, is fully-functioning mobile woodworking studio that can be taken off grid, letting wood-loving artisans find inspiration anywhere they choose. What’s more, the van runs on solar power and its tools are powered by an emissions-free, weatherproof power pack made out of recycled electric car batteries.

DARPA wants a stealthy, fuel-scavenging hybrid-electric motorcycle for special forces.

We take a closer look at the amazing turbine-powered hoverboard invented by former jet ski world champ Franky Zapata.