EPA Certifies Altech-Eco's CNG Transit Van

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March 31, 2015

Altech-Eco has received certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce a dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) version of the 2015 Ford Transit 150/250/350 3.7L van and wagon with Ford's gaseous prepped engine option.

The Altech-Eco CNG system for the Ford Transit is approved by Ford's Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) program, and is available as bi-fuel or dedicated, according to the company. Using an Altech-Eco CNG System ensures the original manufacturers warranty remains intact.

The dedicated system, which is available in warm weather states only, enables the vehicle to operate completely on CNG, and the bi-fuel version enables the vehicle to operate on either CNG or gasoline, according to Altech-Eco.

Altech-Eco also offers CNG versions of the 2015 Ford Transit Connect 2.5L, Ford F-250/350 6.2L, and Lincoln MKT 3.7L.

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EPA Certifies Altech-Eco's CNG Transit Van

Bombardier wireless electric bus charging to power Berlin fleet

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PRIMOVE 12m e-bus for Berlin showing the components of PRIMOVE charging and battery syste.

Berlin will be the first capital city to turn a complete bus line into an eco-friendly route using e-buses with the wireless PRIMOVE charging system and the compact PRIMOVE battery system. Starting in summer 2015, passengers on the city centre bus line 204 will be able to enjoy a quiet and zero-emission ride through Berlin. The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is supporting the project in the context of the "International Showcase Programme for E-mobility Berlin Brandenburg".

RELATED: German bus system to test Bombardier electric charging tech

On the occasion of the installation of the inductive charging pad at Berlin's first charging station the project partners Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG; Berlin public transport authority), Technical University (TU) Berlin and Bombardier Transportation invited representatives from the BMVI, the City of Berlin and media to inform them about the technical details of the wireless charging technology, the current project status and the further project milestones. At the event, guests had the rare opportunity to inspect the charging pad, which will be invisibly embedded under the ground in just a few days. The precast charging pad weighs seven tons, is 16 feet long, 6.5 feet wide and 10 inches thick.

Bombardier's innovative PRIMOVE system charges the Berlin buses' batteries at 200 kW in the very few minutes of dwell time spent at the end stations. This allows the e-buses to serve the nearly four-mile-long bus line back and forth - without additional stops or battery changing for an entire day. As with an electric toothbrush, charging works without a cable connection. As soon as the e-bus is positioned over the underground charging pad, the pick-up coil mounted on the underside of the vehicle lowers. The inductive energy transfer begins, generating an electromagnetic field. This poses no danger to drivers, passengers or pedestrians - or even to people with pacemakers. With the optimization of the transfer frequencies and advanced shielding, the charging system falls well below the very strict European limit values for electromagnetic emissions.

Starting in April 2015, additional PRIMOVE charging stations will be installed at the route's second end stop as well as at BVG's bus depot where the four e-buses will be based. The e-buses will be built this spring by the Polish manufacturer Solaris. The twelve meter long vehicles are nearly identical to the Urbino 12 electric bus equipped with PRIMOVE charging and batteries, which has been in successful passenger operations in Braunschweig, Germany, since March 2014. The delivery of the first e-bus to the Bombardier site in Mannheim, Germany, for final coordination of the technical components is planned for May 2015. Following this, the vehicles will be delivered to Berlin for approval and commissioning. In summer 2015, passenger operations on route 204 will commence.

Berlin's new fleet of e-buses will save around 260 tons of CO2 per year. In order to achieve the same affect, around 250 private cars in Berlin, on the basis of normal driving behaviour, would have to be switched to electric mode.

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Bombardier wireless electric bus charging to power Berlin fleet

Gameplay de prsentation – Tuto FR : Cyborg ADC (Coast City) – Infinite Crisis – Video

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Gameplay de prsentation - Tuto FR : Cyborg ADC (Coast City) - Infinite Crisis
gameplay de prsentation de l #39;ADC Cyborg sur la map Coast City du MOBA Infinite Crisis pour joueur dbutant ou intermdiaire. Tuto de build, positionnement, combo d #39;attaques etc... N #39;hsitez...

By: [ICFR-TV] - Officiel

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Gameplay de prsentation - Tuto FR : Cyborg ADC (Coast City) - Infinite Crisis - Video

The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel – My Best Find Is You – Shell Spot – Video

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The Beaches of Fort Myers Sanibel - My Best Find Is You - Shell Spot
Think southwest Florida and imagine blue skies and warm Gulf waters. Think sunshine, white-sand beaches and uninhabited islands. Think of days spent spotting dolphins and searching for shells....

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The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel - My Best Find Is You - Shell Spot - Video

Modern apartment tower features include internal parks and shadowless buildings

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The proposed artificial beach at the Central Village development. Photo: Central Village

It's April Fools' day and there's no shortage of amusing but completely untrue stories doing the rounds.

With a burgeoning collection of ever more extreme amenities and inclusions in apartment developments, however, it has Domain wondering why these jokes are even necessary there are plenty of real and upcoming features to be amazed at.

Here are some apartment building features you might struggle to believe aren't hoaxes.

Man-made beaches

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Source: Newsteadcentral.com.au

Brand new apartment developments are making a literal splash. The latest coveted feature in highrise amenity is set to be man-made beaches.

A new Urbis report has explained that developers are seeking more variety in their recreation choices to help tap into specific buyer markets and that man-made beaches are a recent popular option.

"This is in spite of the fact that beaches are notoriously difficult to execute and incredible expensive to maintain," the report stated.

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Modern apartment tower features include internal parks and shadowless buildings

WATCH : To prevent drowning, Pangasinan PDRRMC bans beach swimming after 6 pm

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Vacationers heading for Pangasinan's beaches for the Holy Week and summer vacation will not be allowed to swim after 6 p.m.

This was one of the measures the Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has taken to ensure zero drowning incident.

"Ang aming number one objective(s) ay zero drowning incident and ma-avoid ang mga petty crimes," Pangasinan PDRRMC spokesperson Avenix Arenas said in an interview on GMA Dagupan's "Primera Balita" Tuesday.

PDRRMC at PPO, handa na sa pagbabantay sa semana santa at oplan sumvac - Alfie Tulagan

Posted by PRIMERA BALITA on Monday, March 30, 2015

Signage by the PDRRMC had been posted at beaches, informing visitors of the no-swimming policy after 6 p.m.

"(B)awal ... maligo pagsapit ng 6:00 ng hapon," read the signs.

The PDRRMC also encouraged the use of lifesavers and floating devices when big waves occur.

Arenas also reminded vacationers not to swim when drunk or shortly after eating.

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WATCH : To prevent drowning, Pangasinan PDRRMC bans beach swimming after 6 pm

Spring breakers to seniors swarm the beaches

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While cold weather this winter has been unusually rough on residents of the North and Midwest, it is proving to be a boon for businesses on Pinellas County's beaches.

Higher than average occupancy rates began in January, well before the magic months of March and April, when tourism is at its peak. Hotels enjoyed occupancy rates of 90 to 100 percent in March thanks to international visitors, spring breakers and Phillies fans.

Canadians and Germans, who love Pinellas County, came in full force.

And teens and college students, who love themselves, snapped up hundreds of selfie sticks at surf stores.

"Last year was good but this year is even better. The families are coming in now. Before this week we had a lot of college kids," said Carl Palmer, manager of the Clearwater Beach Wings on Poinsettia Avenue. "The selfie sticks were flying off the shelf."

Members of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce are seeing a great season, chamber president Robin Sollie said.

"The rental car agencies are all out of cars. The beach trolley has been full every time I see it go by," she said. "I haven't heard any downsides at all, well, except for all the traffic. But we all know that's the challenge we face when we have a good season."

She's also hearing that the bump in business started earlier than usual. Bed tax revenues support that.

"We were up more than 23 percent (in January) compared to last year," said David Downing, executive director of the tourism marketing agency Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. "There is a huge demand, and that demand is being reflected in occupancy and (higher) rates."

January bed taxes topped $3 million for the first time, he added.

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Spring breakers to seniors swarm the beaches

Deep Space Exploration Will Demand Artificial Gravity

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Long stays in space have a major hitch. Medical studies on the effects of microgravity on astronauts after many months in low-Earth orbit (LEO) cant get around one hard truth humans arent cut out for life without gravity. Thus, artificial gravity habitats are now being discussed as a crucial component of long-duration near-Earth asteroid (NEA) mining missions.

Artificial gravity will be particularly important for years-long commercial missions where real-time telerobotics will need to be performed by crews housed in close proximity to the asteroid itself. Such gravity habitats would also be useful for years-long exploration of low-gravity bodies such as the Moon, Mars Mars, or eventually even the moons of the outer planets.

William Kemp, a Washington, D.C.-area defense contractor, thinks he and business partner, Ted Maziejka, have come up with a design that offers a viable solution in such instances. Its a 30-meter diameter cylindrical space station, capable of creating variable artificial gravity by spinning the cylinder about its long axis.

If we want to stay in space longer than a year Kemp, Founder and CEO of United Space Structures in Falls Church, Va., told Forbes.

An artists concept of a cylindrical space station in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that would be capable of creating artificial gravity. Credit: William Kemp/United Space Structures

For more than three decades, Kemp has been working towards perfecting his ideas. The company is currently in the design patent-pending process and seeking funding and other partners for what would be a multi-billion dollar investment.

The idea is that artificial gravity is achieved through centrifugal force which requires spinning to create a downward pressure. A small 10-meter structure could, in theory, rotate fast enough for humans to feel gravity, but Kemp says astronauts using such a structure would have horrible inner ear problems as a result.

If the spin velocity were too great, your sense of balance would be thrown off and you would soon be on your hands and knees violently ill, said Kemp. However, a small cylindrically-shaped 30-meter diameter station, of the sort that Kemp is proposing, would create 0.6 gravity; the minimum needed to keep humans safely in a gravitational environment for at least two years. Astronauts would live both inside the cylinder and within the structures semi-hemisphere.

Kemp says a 30-meter diameter cylindrical station would need a spin rate of 5.98 revolutions-per-minute and is the minimum useful size to create artificial gravity. A spin rate any faster would be too uncomfortable for the astronauts.

The direction of the spinning cylinder is not important, said Kemp. The speed is based on the radius of the spinning object and the gravity you are attempting to achieve; the larger the radius; the slower the spin rate.

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Deep Space Exploration Will Demand Artificial Gravity

#3 Avatar Technology Digest / Bionic hand, BioMicroRobot, 3D-printed bionic ants etc. – Video

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#3 Avatar Technology Digest / Bionic hand, BioMicroRobot, 3D-printed bionic ants etc.
Welcome to #3 Avatar Technology Digest. And here are the top stories of the last week. As always we start our Digest with incredible news on Technology, Medical Cybernetics and Artificial Intellige...

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Famous '2001' spaceship to go on display

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Imagining artificial intelligence Machines have surpassed humans in physical strength, speed and stamina. What if they surpassed human intellect as well? Science fiction movies have explored this question. In the classic "2001: A Space Odyssey," astronaut David Bowman, played by Keir Dullea, struggles for control of the spacecraft against the sentient computer HAL 9000.

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Imagining artificial intelligence In "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, who must find a way to win the war against the Matrix, intelligent machines that have taken over the world.

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Imagining artificial intelligence Human-friendly robots C-3P0, left, and R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" series.

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Imagining artificial intelligence Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg assassin in "The Terminator." The movie centers around an artificial intelligence defense network called Skynet that seeks to destroy mankind.

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Imagining artificial intelligence Good robots known as the Autobots and bad robots, the Decepticons, fight for dominance on Earth in the "Transformers" franchise.

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Famous '2001' spaceship to go on display