The folks out at Dell have given us a pretty sweet gadget to check out. Now, chances are, you’ve heard about a LOT of solar powered whatnot, especially right here. And some of it is pretty strange. Solar powered jackets, solar powered cars…well, now Dell’s going to bring you what may be the strangest solar powered device of all.
The solar powered parking lot.
I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen–Dell has put together a series of solar panel-laden paviliions in its parking lot designed to provide not only shade to the cars beneath in the hot sun, but also to take that sun and convert it into electrical energy by which employees can charge, at no cost to them, their plug-in hybrids and full-on electric vehicles.
The equivalent of free gas is a pretty nifty perk, and the crew out at Dell has to be feeling some love off of this one.
Speed bumps are great and all, especially if they prevent unwanted deaths in your local neighborhood, but for those law abiding citizens they can be a menace on your car’s suspension, especially if you’ve got ground effects. The speed sensing speed bump detects when a car is traveling slowing and flattens, thus rewarding those that follow the posted speeds. For those that speed, though, the metal plates detect the sudden force and harden creating what is commonly known as a speed bump…or hump in some places. Built by Mexico’s Decano Industries, each speed sensing speed bump will cost roughly $1,500 to install and that doesn’t include the inevitable repairs from tampering. Stupid video demo after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Smart Speed Bump Flattens To Reward Law Abiding Drivers (video)
For those of you who live and die with your iPhone, now there’s a way for you to actually start your car with your smart phone of choice. Viper has just announced their new iPhone app and vehicle module appropriately titled the Viper Smart Start. From your iPhone you can start your car, turn on the heat, unlock doors and the trunk, and manage the alarm. The app itself is not limited by any certain distance parameters as long as it receives a signal. Sounds crazy right?
So while the App itself is free, the device that needs to be installed into your car is not. Costing somewhere between $300-$500 depending on the make and model of your car, there’s also a annual fee of $30. Available now at BestBuy.
A life lived in a fear is a life half lived. Of course, a life behind bars because you lack the evidence to prove your innocence might not be a life at all. The Car Cam Voyager with LCD records 720×480 video at 25-30fps, and provides you a real time view on its 2-inch LCD.
It’s not exactly a ground breaking piece of kit, but its super simple setup – just mount it on your dashboard or visor and plug it into your cigarette lighter – makes it very appealing. Pop in a 32GB microSD card and you can record up to 48 hours of footage, more than enough evidence to exonerate you in the case of a life threatening accident. You can pick one up from Brickhouse for $299.95.
September 29th, 2009 5:25 PM | by Christen da Costa
What at first glance appears to be a defunct fighter jet of some sort is in fact the fastest fuel cell vehicle on the planet. The Buckeye Bullet 2 (it’s older brother is electric and slightly faster) achieved a top speed of 304mph. It’s powered by a custom 700hp electric motor and fueled by a combination of hydrogen and oxygen batteries. Me want to ride in..drool.
If you’ve got that one great gadget that you always rely on in the car, and you always find yourself needing a change of batteries for it, then Wagan Tech may have exactly what you’re looking for. It’s a two-battery charger that plugs directly into your car’s cigarette lighter and always keeps a couple batteries on hand, charged and ready.
Not only does this charger come adjustable for the best positioning, it also has an LED reading light built in. You can pick one of these up for just $12.49 direct from Wagan Tech’s website.
This is actually a pretty sharp idea, because I know I’ve found myself without batteries for something on the road, and being able to slip into a quick recharge on the go makes for a lot of frustration that I didn’t need to have. This is a pretty sweet idea–now to let them come out with a four or eight battery model….
September 27th, 2009 12:46 PM | by Christen da Costa
Thule, who is no stranger to external car accessory parts, has come up with a new and innovative snow tire chain that is both practical and easy to attach. Crafted of metal studs and a plastic body, the K-summit attaches to one of the tire’s lug nuts and then using a crank tightening system fits into places providing that much needed grip to traverse even the most slippery of slopes.
The below video screams ‘concept’, but since it’s a 2008 product, at least according to their catalog, it should be available now, right?
Here’s a shocker–apparently,for teenagers, driving and gadgets just plain old don’t mix.
The Brits did a survey and discovered that teenagers are likely to be distracted when they drive, especially by the gadgets in their cars. Sure, the music system knobs were the biggest distractor (even the GPS and the air conditioner played roles in distraction), but there were plenty of other, more unnerving, surprises.
Twenty five percent of drivers aged seventeen to twenty four have texted while driving. Interestingly, only three percent of those drivers thought it was acceptable behavior to do so.
Better yet, sixteen percent have put on makeup while driving.
The Brits, for their part (who are starting to look more like V For Vendetta with every passing day) have declared this a massive failure of government to get its message across. Never mind that what this really should be is a massive failure of parents to make clear rules about what the kids can do in the car.
September 4th, 2009 2:32 PM | by Christen da Costa
If there was ever a product every truck driver with a penchant for losing their keys should own then it’s the Hitch Safe. It slides into your pickup’s trailer hitch (must be 2-inches) and attaches by two metal bolts that can only be removed when its unlocked. A rubber cap conceals the 4 dials, which provide up to 10,000 possible combinations and it’s large enough to hold cash, credit cards and an extra key for your house or truck. For just $70 you can turn your Chevy into a safety deposit box.
Now, one thing’s hugely clear. If you’re looking to go electric for your ride, you’ve got one of basically two choices–shelling out ridiculous amounts of bank for a pure electric ride, or going with a golf cart. It’s not easy to find an electric ride that just anyone can afford. But thanks to the Zap Alias, which weighs in at a (relatively) paltry thirty grand, your dreams of gasless car ownership may be closer than you dared dream.
Zap expects its Alias to do some pretty sweet specs, too–they’re looking to have this purely electric car go from zero to sixty in six seconds, AND have it do a hundred and fifty miles on one battery charge. They’ve also got a hybrid range extender planned, so if you need to go farther you can always turn to gas.
This optimistic picture, Zap believes, will be available for the public to own within the next two years. Will it actually make it to market, or will unexpected delays keep this sucker out of showrooms? We’ll have to wait two years to find out, so keep your fingers crossed.
