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Electric vehicles have revolutionized mobility, however one space typically feels surprisingly disconnected from its gas-guzzling ancestors: the driving expertise. While conventional automobiles hum with the satisfying rhythm of drugs adjustments and visceral suggestions, EVs glide silently through single-speed operation, prioritizing effectivity over engagement. This clear, clean method is perhaps logical, but it surely leaves some drivers craving for a extra thrilling journey.
Enter Stellantis, the automotive giant born from the fusion of legendary carmakers like Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and Ram. These manufacturers are synonymous with efficiency and a deep connection between driver and machine. Recognizing the potential void within the electrical realm, Stellantis is charting a daring course: injecting pleasure and dynamism into EV driving by means of intelligent manipulation of transmission know-how.
Their secret weapon is a patent, which has been filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), titled “Simulated Shifts and Modes for Battery Electric Vehicles Driving.” This revolutionary idea bridges the hole between the inherent simplicity of single-speed transmissions and the charming attract of conventional gear adjustments. By strategically modulating electrical motor torque, Stellantis envisions replicating the acquainted “shift points” of a multi-speed transmission, full with the satisfying build-up of momentum and even driver-selectable modes for custom-made experiences.
Enthusiasts are in for a deal with: Toyota introduced it’ll deliver handbook transmission to its electrical lineup in 2026.
In order to provide the most recent and correct data attainable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Stellantis, and different dependable sources.
Stellantis, the automotive conglomerate behind Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and Ram, is exploring methods to inject pleasure into the electrical car (EV) driving expertise by means of simulated shifting and driving modes. While most EVs utilize single-speed transmissions, devoid of the normal gear adjustments acquainted to gas-powered automobiles, Stellantis envisions replicating this facet by means of intelligent manipulation of electrical motor torque output.
The underlying idea revolves round mimicking the shift factors of a four-speed or extra computerized transmission by modulating the facility output of the electrical motors. This simulated shifting goals to handle a perceived downside of single-speed EVs: the shortage of a standard driving/shifting expertise, which, according to the patent, could be monotonous or boring to the driver.
The patent outlines varied methods this know-how could possibly be carried out:
The potential advantages of this know-how embody:
However, some concerns stay:
Ferrari’s USPTO submitting hints at in-wheel motors for future EVs, aiming for enhanced efficiency, effectivity, and driving dynamics.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have revolutionized the automotive panorama, however one facet that usually differs from their gasoline-powered counterparts is the transmission. Unlike inner combustion engines (ICEs) that require a number of gears for optimum efficiency, EVs typically utilize single-speed transmissions. This elementary distinction impacts each the driving expertise and the underlying know-how.
Single-speed transmissions simplify EV mechanics by providing a direct connection between the electrical motor and the wheels. This design boasts a number of benefits:
However, some drivers miss the partaking really feel and tactile suggestions of drugs adjustments provided by conventional transmissions. Recognizing this, automakers like Stellantis are exploring methods to inject a way of dynamism into the EV driving expertise.
These patented technologies aim to manipulate the torque output of the electric motor to imitate the sensation of shifting gears. Sensors monitor driver enter and car dynamics, prompting the system to regulate torque supply in response to pre-programmed algorithms. This can create a digital gear sequence, complete with “kick-down” sensations and even simulated manual shifting for a extra interactive expertise.
With a staggering 14 manufacturers, the automotive conglomerate has some fairly radical concepts to realize its future targets towards sustainability
Stellantis, a worldwide automotive powerhouse established in 2021, boasts a wealthy tapestry woven from the threads of legendary carmakers. Its roots lie in the mergers of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Groupe, bringing collectively iconic manufacturers like Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Fiat, and Abarth underneath one banner.
Each model inside Stellantis carries its personal distinctive heritage and identification. Peugeot, as an example, traces its lineage again to 1810, a pioneer in metal manufacturing earlier than turning its hand to bicycles and finally automobiles. Jeep, synonymous with rugged off-roaders, emerged from World War II army car manufacturing. Dodge, identified for its muscle automobiles and sporty efficiency, has thrilled drivers for over a century. This variety of manufacturers and their legacies contributes to Stellantis’ international attain and market affect.
Stellantis’ present car lineup spans a broad spectrum, catering to numerous wants and preferences. From metropolis automobiles just like the Fiat 500 to the luxurious Maserati Ghibli, from the enduring Jeep Wrangler to the sensible Peugeot 308, the corporate provides a plethora of choices.
With a mix of historic giants and a various lineup, Stellantis stands as a significant participant within the automotive panorama. As the corporate navigates the way forward for electrical mobility, its wealthy heritage and numerous model portfolio present a strong basis for innovation and continued success.
Stellantis had the bottom rating of all U.S. automakers within the EPA’s gas economic system report – and its Hellcat fashions actually did not assist the trigger
From securing unique rights for inventors to fostering international collaboration, the world of patent safety is a multifaceted panorama. At its core lie two intertwined techniques: the strong nationwide framework of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the streamlined worldwide pathway provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The USPTO system presents a structured framework for inventors to navigate. From figuring out the suitable patent sort to conducting meticulous prior artwork searches, inventors meticulously construct their case for novelty and non-obviousness. The journey culminates in a comprehensive application, complete with detailed descriptions, illustrative graphics, and exact claims. After an intensive examination by the USPTO, a granted patent bestows upon the inventor a 20-year monopoly on exploiting their creation.
The USPTO system has constantly tailored to fulfill the wants of a altering world. The 1952 Patent Act established a standardized legal framework, whereas the America Invents Act of 2011 shifted the main target to “first-to-file”. Initiatives just like the Patent Application Initiatives and the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative additional streamline the method and uphold high quality requirements.
WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) empowers inventors to hunt safety in a number of nations concurrently by means of a single utility. This not solely simplifies the method but in addition reduces prices in comparison with submitting particular person nationwide functions. WIPO additional fosters harmonization by means of initiatives just like the Strasbourg Agreement, which standardizes invention classification for environment friendly international patent looking and retrieval.
Here in 2024, relying in your specific space of moto curiosity, you may be aware of the Honda Gyro. If you’ve got been following Honda’s efforts at electrification as of late, you may additionally be aware of the newest model, the Honda Gyro e:, which makes use of these swappable Honda Mobile Power Pack e: models.
If you thought that the Honda Gyro was the primary Honda leaning three-wheeler, although, you would be incorrect. As it seems, the Gyro had a couple of predecessors within the Honda lineup, starting with the Honda Stream. (Yes, we all know that there is a Honda automotive that got here later with the identical mannequin identify, however we’re speaking in regards to the OG Honda Stream three-wheeled scooter right this moment.)
In 1981, Honda first launched the Stream as an especially sensible and mild-mannered three-wheeler. As you’ll be able to see on this reasonably wonderful exploration of the Stream from Small Bike Stuff, the 2 wheeled rear portion can also be the place the engine sits. It stays in fixed contact with the bottom, whereas the rider can lean the entrance portion backward and forward nearly as a lot as they need. The result’s a fairly secure journey for whoever’s within the saddle.
Ask anybody who’s aware of Honda motorcycle historical past and so they’ll inform you that a very long time in the past, Honda took a couple of extra design dangers than it has been recognized to do within the 2000s.
Still, even when the Honda Stream did not keep in manufacturing lengthy, the truth that Honda went on to refine it into further three-wheeled designs just like the Honda Just and later, the Gyro, reveals that the corporate was clearly onto one thing. The Gyro and now the Gyro e: have been well-liked supply autos for companies in a number of nations throughout Asia for many years.
The many and various threads of motorbike historical past intersect in unusual methods generally, and that is a kind of instances. See, with out BSA, there would arguably have been no Honda Stream, Honda Gyro, or every other Honda leaning three-wheelers.
BSA was wanting to get into the moped market, and a British designer named George Wallis had been engaged on arising with a safer bicycle design for a couple of years. Prior to his involvement with BSA, Wallis had additionally began engaged on motorized three-wheeled prototypes. Some of them even utilized an engine from a Triumph Tina scooter.
Anyway, BSA went on to license a design from Wallis that finally turned the Ariel 3 leaning three-wheeled scooter, which premiered in 1970. While it in all probability wasn’t the one factor liable for the corporate’s downfall, the Ariel 3 undeniably proved to be a large gross sales flop for BSA. The firm had reportedly anticipated to promote round 25,000 Ariel 3s, and as an alternative solely shifted 7,000 in that first 12 months.
After that, for a really quick time within the Seventies, Daihatsu briefly acquired into making scooters. It additionally licensed Wallis’ leaning three-wheeled design for the leaning three-wheeled Hallo, which you’ll be able to see above.
The third firm was evidently the allure, although, as Honda determined it wanted a few of that candy leaning three-wheeled scooter design for itself. Thus, it launched the Stream, and finally the Gyro, which has now been going sturdy in its area of interest for many years.
Now, ultimately, we come to a 1984 Honda Stream that somebody is promoting proper now on Bring a Trailer. While Honda by no means bought the Stream within the US, it was imported a while in the past and is at present registered in Maryland. It’s powered by a wee little 49cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine, and has a complete of 610 kilometers (about 379-ish miles) on the clock. As with all used autos, complete precise mileage is unknown.
The earlier proprietor previous to the present vendor is claimed to have completed some routine upkeep, together with cleansing the carburetor and altering out issues just like the spark plug, fluids, and battery. There’s a working video up prime, the place you’ll be able to see that it was apparently working fairly properly in late 2023.
Does it have what may presumably the best sprint recognized to humankind? Perhaps I’m overstating the case a bit, however I believe you’ll be able to agree that it is fairly wonderful.
This is clearly not going to win any pace awards (except, after all, you do some form of mad engine swap with it), however it will definitely be a superb dialog starter.
It’s at present being supplied at no reserve on Bring a Trailer, with an public sale finish date of Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 1:15 p.m. Eastern. The bid is as much as $1,000 on the time of writing. We’ll record the hyperlink in our Sources to see extra images or bid on it when you’re .
+++ Largest ever contribution at a BMW Championship within the Chicago space +++ $50 million raised by the playoff event since 2007 +++ BMW Championship named “PGA TOUR Tournament of the Year” for the fifth time in 2023 +++
Munich/Glenview. The 2023 BMW Championship raised a report complete for the Evans Scholars Foundation of event organiser Western Golf Association. The prestigious golf event held at Olympia Fields Country Club in August of this yr raised $5.5 million to fund full school scholarships for deserving caddies – the most important ever quantity raised for a BMW Championship held within the Chicago space. The BMW Championship has now contributed $50 million to the Foundation since 2007, serving to award full tuition and housing school scholarships to greater than 3,300 caddies throughout that point.
“The BMW Group is much more than an automobile manufacturer. With about 150,000 employees from 110 nations worldwide, we are an integral part of global society, and as such we are also involved away from our offices and factory gates. One of these commitments is our long-standing support of the Evans Scholars Foundation,” mentioned Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources and Real Estate.
This yr alone, a report 1,130 caddies are enrolled as Evans Scholars at 24 main US universities nationwide. “We are very proud to be able to contribute to a successful future for so many young students through the BMW Championship. These are exactly the kind of initiatives that we as a company promote to create opportunities for young people to reach their full potential,” mentioned Horstmeier, who, through the 2023 BMW Championship, visited the Evans Scholarship House at Northwestern University in Chicago and spoke to Evans Scholars.
Viktor Hovland (NOR) gained the 2023 BMW Championship with a sensational last spherical, firing a course-record 61, in entrance of round 120,000 passionate spectators through the course of the event week. All of them additionally supported the Evans Scholars Foundation – all proceeds from the event are donated to the muse.
“Everyone who came out to watch these incredible players compete played a direct role in helping hard-working young people get to college,” mentioned Vince Pellegrino, WGA Senior Vice President of Tournaments. “We can’t say enough about the passion of the Chicago-area golf fans, as well as the unwavering support of our partners at BMW, Olympia Fields Country Club and the PGA TOUR.”
The BMW Championship was not solely a powerful success for the Evans Scholars Foundation. The penultimate playoff occasion was, together with the WM Phoenix Open, named “PGA TOUR Tournament of the Year”. This is the fifth time after 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014 that the BMW Championship has obtained this award from an important golf tour on the planet. In specific, the PGA TOUR acknowledged the premium expertise for followers and gamers, in addition to the dedication of title companion BMW, the event organisers, and the volunteers.
The 2023 BMW Championship additionally earned the award within the “Best On-Site Staging” class for the fourth time – a report. This award recognises one of the best total on-site presentation, which incorporates the setup for a lot of constituents corresponding to gamers, caddies, media, competitions and guidelines, volunteers, event operations, safety, first help, and the structural construct out.
Next yr the BMW Championship might be held at Castle Pines Golf Club close to Denver for the primary time, from twentieth to twenty fifth August 2024.
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Another area where the two brands take a different approach is how easy it is to take out the battery units. Steam Deck OLED is still loyal to the cause of smattering a generous heap of glue, which needs heating and prying to take the L-shaped battery out. The Legion Go makes it a tad difficult to access the battery by hiding it behind wires and brackets. However, removing it only requires you to pull flexible adhesive tabs, and it comes off without any risky business.
Notably, the internal engineering between the two handhelds is quite different. The Steam Deck was designed with repairability as one of the key priorities, and that reflects the moment you pop open its shell. In fact, Valve made some crucial changes over the past two generations despite the front design staying identical. iFixit notes that screw pillars on the OLED model have been upgraded with metal threads, which significantly decreases the chances of them getting stripped compared to the previous-gen’s plastic threads.
The Lenovo handheld could’ve done a better job with cable management and ease of accessing the internal components. However, both the gaming consoles still stick with soldered slots for the microSD card and the USB-C port, which is less than ideal from a longevity perspective. Overall, neither device is a repairability hell, but the Steam Deck came out on top with a repairability score of nine out of 10, compared to the eight out of 10 figure posted by the Legion Go.
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When you dig out the area for your patio, the soil will be freshly disturbed and loose — which doesn’t make for a strong foundation to build on. To prep the area for pavers, you need to compact the soil so it’s flat and solidified. If you’re building a small patio or you’re confident in your strength and stamina, you can complete this job with a hand tamper. This is basically a long stick with a heavy square plate at the bottom that you lift and drop onto the soil over and over until it’s flat and compacted. If you’d rather avoid that ordeal, you can invest in what’s known as a plate compactor.
At Home Depot, one of the best-selling plate compactors is the Wen 7 JP 4500-Pound Plate Compactor, which will set you back around $600. Its gas engine produces 4,496 pounds of force, slamming the 24 by 17-inch plate into the ground 5,400 times per minute and compacting dirt without the need for any human effort. The tool is easy to maneuver and easy to transport, plus it dampens vibrations to extend the engine life and increase ease of use. If you’re not about to spend $600 on a tool you’re only going to use once, Home Depot also offers rental plate compactors that you can use for just a few days or even a few hours.
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Volvo Cars is making significant technology investments and focusing on research and development in order to become a fully electric car manufacturer by 2030. One key area of focus is the improvement of e-motors, inverters, and overall electric drivetrain optimization.
To achieve this goal and create pure electric Volvo cars that meet customer demands for longer range, faster charging, and a superior driving experience, Volvo aims to gain control over its electrification technology stack through a process called vertical integration.
The recent investment made by Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the company’s corporate venture capital arm, reflects this ambition. Leadrive, a Shanghai-based start-up founded in 2017, is a promising player in the field of power electronics and control units for fully electric cars.
Leadrive specializes in designing and building power modules that utilize silicon carbide (SiC) technology. SiC is a semiconductor material that enables highly efficient and flexible electric propulsion systems.
Alexander Petrofski, CEO of Volvo Cars Tech Fund, believes Leadrive’s technology shows great potential for developing more efficient electric drivetrains. He expressed excitement about investing in the company and supporting its growth.
Both Volvo Cars and Leadrive have collaborated closely on the development of next-generation SiC technologies, leading to a strategic partnership. Jie Shen, founder and CEO of Leadrive, considers this investment to be a significant milestone in their global strategy and a testament to their collaboration in advanced electrification technology.
Firmly focused on vertical integration
Volvo Cars’ investment in Leadrive aligns with their electrification roadmap, which emphasizes vertical integration while also seeking collaborations with relevant partners. The company has made critical technology investments, bringing the development and manufacturing of e-motors and inverters in-house. They are also developing their own battery management software and investing in the production of battery packs through their joint venture with Northvolt, Novo Energy, to optimize battery chemistry and integration in their cars.
These investments enable Volvo Cars to have full control over the entire electrical propulsion system in their fully electric vehicles. Partnering with companies like Leadrive expands their knowledge base and allows them to explore new and exciting technologies.
Accelerating the transformation
Volvo Cars Tech Fund was established in 2018 to invest in companies and technology areas that drive transformation in the automotive industry, including artificial intelligence, electrification, autonomous driving, sustainability, and digital commerce. The fund strategically invests to help start-ups thrive and contribute to the rapid transformation of the global mobility industry.
This latest investment by the Tech Fund is part of Leadrive’s new funding round, securing the fund a minority stake in the company. Financial details of the investment have not been disclosed.
