Most hybrid cars use a combination of gasoline and electric engines. There are also types of hybrid cars that use a combination of diesel and electric engines. Gasoline & Electric -Powered Cars ‘Regular’ gasoline-powered cars derive their propulsion power from combustion of gasoline. The combustion of gas produces the energy needed to turn the transmission as well as the wheels. Unfortunately, although fossil fuels still delivers the most power per pound, their by-products are harmful to the environment. Fossil fuels are also non-renewable resources and they are becoming more and Read More

Biofuels have been one of the most talked about renewable fuel sources over the past decade. The world is now attempting to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, which create a significant amount of pollution and otherwise harm the environment. As a result, bio fuels such as algae biodiesel, which generate less Carbon Dioxide while being burned, may be able to garner widespread support. A biofuel can have several forms: gas, solid, or liquid. The form that the fuel is stored in is based on how its base material was harvested. Read More

The U.S. drone program has seen significant press since the first Gulf War when the defenders of Faylaka Island surrendered to the Pioneer drone, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), flying spotting services for the USS Wisconsin (BB 64). Since that time, the technology powering U.S. drones has steadily improved now allowing the MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper to conduct surgical strikes in addition to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Other common U.S. drones being flown by the U.S. military and government include the RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-8 Fire Scout, Read More

A magnetic levitating vehicle (MagLev) is a vehicle that uses a strong electromagnetic field to resist gravity and keep the vehicle floating out of the ground. The technical name is Electromagnetic suspension. The principle of the Electromagnetic suspension is to charge with the same pole the base of the vehicle and the rail with a magnetic field strong enough as to generate a force stronger than the weight of the vehicle and have suspension. When and Where Was Maglev Invented? The first patent for a MagLev was granted in 1968 Read More

Electric cars (or Battery Electric Cars) utilize electrical energy for motion instead of relying on energy generated by burning fuel. Batteries are the main source of energy, and are used to power electric motors in order to produce wheel or axle movement History of Electric Cars In the mid-19th century Robert Anderson, a Scottish businessman, came up with the early version of an electric vehicle that more or less resembles the carriage that was popular in his time. This car came before the invention and perfection of cars that run Read More

A magnetic air car is a concept car that Magnetic Air Cars, Inc. designed and developed. The company is based in San Jose and currently holds the patent to the technology, albeit that it is understood that J.M. Custer from Piggott, Arkansas originally created the magnetic air car in 1932. The car ran on compressed air that an oscillating magnet generated. Although the car worked and did not run on fuel, the idea did not become popular due to cheap gasoline and the emergence of the much faster automobile. While Read More

A driverless car (also autonomous/autopilot/auto-drive car) refers to a car that does not need human intervention to function. The first driverless car achieved a maximum speed of 20 miles-per-hour and was built by Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory in 1977. The Mercedes Benz robot van built during the 1980s achieved a full speed of 60 miles-per-hour using vision guidance. Subsequent projects like VaMP, the S-Class Mercedes-Benz, Demo I, II and III of DARPA and VITA-2 were able to achieve higher speeds and accuracy using saccadic computer vision, transputers and other advanced Read More

Automatic number plate recognition is a system designed to automatically recognize and store license plate number data on vehicles passing through a certain point. This is one of the mass surveillance systems that utilize optical character recognition programs and hardware capable of reading 1 plate/second off vehicles running at a maximum of 160 km/hr. Some systems make use of infrared cameras to increase the efficiency of the system. The automatic number plate recognition system can be used to monitor traffic, enforce traffic rules and regulations, collect electronic tolls, etc. Automatic Read More

A throttle position sensor is a device that can detect a difference in throttle position. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) uses throttle position sensors in internal combustion engines to gauge the throttle’s position as well as the rate of change in the throttle’s position in order to relay this information to other devices in the engine. In fact, virtually all internal combustion engines’ ignition timing and fuel injection rely on a throttle position sensor. Applications Although throttle position sensors are almost exclusively found in internal combustion engines, they can perform Read More

A flying car is a personal flying machine that does not require special equipment, runways, or traffic routes. Flying cars differ from commercial aircraft such as airliners, helicopters, and jets. Flying cars are designed to hold only a few people and are no larger than a regular automobile. While flying car designs have been in the works for over a century, it is still unclear whether a flying car would operate via magnetic forces, anti-gravity, or standard aerodynamics. What is clear, however, is that society is on the verge of Read More