The sun shines. Temperatures creep into the 80s. A Harley roars down your street. You've got to go riding. So what's stopping you? Run to your garage, hop on your Lectra(TM), and take off. The Lectra, manufactured and marketed by EMB, Inc. (Sebastopol, CA), is the world's first commercially produced electric motorbike, according to company founder, Scott Cronk. EMB commercialized an advanced variable-reluctance (VR) electric drive system for vehicle drive applications. The newly patented VR motor is a compact brushless motor system, complete with custom computer controls. The VR has an electronically assisted braking mode. This extends the driving range and preserves brake life by converting the vehicle's kinetic energy into stored electrical energy during braking. The prototype and final design were created using CADKEY software by Baystate Technologies (Marlborough, MA). A cross between a motor scooter and a motorcycle, the Lectra weighs 340 pounds, runs up to 30 miles on a single charge, and features a single-speed transmission, lead-acid batteries, a top speed of 45 mph, and a price tag of $3,995. For the environmentally conscious, it has zero emissions, virtually no maintenance, and a low cost of operation, says EMB. Visit: www.motorbike.org.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
