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Science

Where Is Tornado Alley, And How Did It Get Its Name?

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If you might be questioning precisely why that huge area of the nation has earned the Tornado Alley designation, it is as a result of tornados have traditionally shaped extra commonly inside the area than wherever else within the nation. Likewise, the areas that sometimes fall underneath the Tornado Alley flag are comparatively flat, making twister occasions notably damaging to low-lying residential areas.

That being mentioned, a case might be made that essentially the most damaging tornados don’t originate in Tornado Alley, with tornados in Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas claiming a bigger toll on human life. Nonetheless, when it comes to the sheer quantity of tornados per 12 months, the American Heartland continues to be floor zero for such excessive climate occasions. There is, after all, a scientific cause behind the variety of tornados plaguing Tornado Alley, with the area serving as a degree of convergence for risky air lots making their approach throughout the nation. When these lots collide, the result’s usually the manufacturing of notably sturdy thunderstorms and even dreaded supercells.

While supercells are the least widespread sort of thunderstorm, they have a tendency to provide extra excessive climate occasions like heavy rain, excessive lightning, and hail. Yes, supercells are additionally vulnerable to the form of higher ambiance circulation that may start a twister. While there is no method to cease tornados from occurring in Tornado Alley, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to review climate patterns all through the area. Combined with technological advances including the potential use of predictive AI and even help from NASA satellites, early warning indicators are higher than they’ve ever been in historical past, and if you’re coping with the damaging forces of a twister, an early warning might be the distinction between life and demise.         

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group strengthens its Technical Development Board perform in China

The Volkswagen Group is strengthening its Technical Development Board perform within the China area as a part of its “In China, for China” technique. Thomas Ulbrich, former Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand for “New Mobility”, will head up Technical Development for the Group in China from April 1, 2024. In his new capability, Ulbrich, who has already held two administration positions for the Group in China, will proceed to advance the technological localization of the portfolio. He succeeds Marcus Hafkemeyer, who – along with his intensive expertise of China – will assist the corporate’s transformation in a brand new position within the Group.

“The Volkswagen Group’s ‘In China, for China’ strategy is about systematically adapting to the dynamic changes taking place in China’s automotive industry. A high degree of localization will allow us to cater to the wishes of our Chinese customers. I would like to thank Marcus Hafkemeyer, whose outstanding personal commitment and broad expertise in China have really moved forward Technical Development’s regional focus, for example through the establishment of our new development center in Hefei,” stated Ralf Brandstätter, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG for the China area and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

“Thomas Ulbrich, one of our top development and software experts, will now continue to advance the localization and networking of our Group’s development activities in the region. Ulbrich has exceptional expertise in important future technologies and excellent connections in the company and the China region. One of his priorities will therefore be to further strengthen the collaboration with our joint venture companies FAW-Volkswagen, SAIC Volkswagen and Volkswagen Anhui. I firmly believe that this will be an important source of impetus in our transformation to smart e-mobility”, Brandstätter added.

In his new position, Thomas Ulbrich will even be the CEO of Volkswagen China Technology Company (VCTC) in Hefei in jap China. The Group’s greatest growth heart exterior Germany is the central growth unit of Volkswagen Group China, which focuses squarely on clever, totally linked electrical automobiles.

VCTC will subsequently play a key position within the growth of particular fashions for China. One of the issues being developed there’s the primary native electrical platform, which is able to kind the premise for brand spanking new Volkswagen model fashions in China from 2026.

By implementing environment friendly growth processes and utilizing state-of-the-art applied sciences, VCTC will scale back the time to marketplace for automobiles and parts by 30 p.c. Further synergies shall be leveraged by intently interweaving growth work with the three way partnership corporations SAIC Volkswagen, FAW-Volkswagen and Volkswagen Anhui in addition to with Gotion (batteries) and Chinese automaker XPENG. Partners Horizon Robotics (autonomous driving), ARK (person expertise) and Thundersoft (infotainment) will even be integrated, working intently with Volkswagen’s software program arm CARIAD.

After a pioneering part, the “New Mobility” Board of Management division of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars model shall be transferred to Technical Development (TE) as deliberate to make sure environment friendly constructions and stronger networking. Thomas Ulbrich particularly examined and established new software program growth processes for electrical automobiles based mostly on MEB within the “New Mobility” division. The switch of those actions to the MQBevo has already taken place as deliberate, and the “New Mobility” division’s mission has been completed. Kai Grünitz, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen model chargeable for Technical Development, will in future handle the technical venture administration for future applied sciences and growth underneath one roof.

Additional Information
Thomas Ulbrich studied automotive engineering at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. In 1992, the engineering graduate began his profession in plant logistics at Wolfsburg, the place he assumed a administration position in 1995.

In 1996, he turned head of logistics at FAW-Volkswagen in Changchun, China. Two years later he assumed duty for meeting “segment II” on the Wolfsburg plant earlier than changing into head of plant logistics at Emden in 1999.

The subsequent stage of his profession took him to AUTO 5000 GmbH in Wolfsburg, the place he was technical managing director and speaker of the administration board from 2001 to 2008. He turned Board of Management member for Production at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover in 2008.

Ulbrich moved to SAIC VOLKSWAGEN, China, as Technical Executive Vice President in 2010, taking cost of growth in addition to manufacturing and logistics at a complete of 5 places.

From April 2014 till January 2018, Thomas Ulbrich was chargeable for Production and Logistics as Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen model. From February 2018 till January 2021 he was Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen model chargeable for E-Mobility. Since February 2021, he has been a member of the Brand Board of Management chargeable for Technical Development at Volkswagen Passenger Cars and took over the newly created “New Mobility” Board perform at Volkswagen Passenger Cars efficient October 1, 2022.

NewsNew

Hunter Lawrence to Compete in Premier Class for 2024 Season

Hunter Lawrence, the reigning 250SX East Region and Pro Motocross 250 Champion, will be moving up to the 450 class for the 2024 season. This official announcement from Team Honda HRC confirms that he will be riding the Honda CRF450RWE alongside his brother Jett starting in January.

Hunter Lawrence, the current champion in the 250SX East Region and 250 outdoor series, will be moving up to the Premier Class.

TORRANCE, Calif. (October 30, 2023) – Team Honda HRC has officially announced that Hunter Lawrence, a 24-year-old Australian rider, will be competing in the AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross, and SuperMotocross series in the 450 class for the 2024 season. Hunter, who secured victories in the 250SX East Region and 250 outdoor series last season, will join his brother Jett Lawrence in campaigning the factory Honda CRF450RWE.

Hunter Lawrence, originally from Landsborough, Queensland, Australia, began his racing career in his home country and Europe before signing with American Honda’s Factory Connection satellite team for the 2019 season. He was later promoted to Team Honda HRC in 2021. Throughout his first two years with the factory squad, he achieved second and third place finishes in the indoor and outdoor series, respectively. However, in 2023, he secured championships in both series.

“I’m proud of my accomplishments in the 250 class, but I’m excited to move up to the premier class for 2024,” said Hunter Lawrence. “I believe that my riding style suits the CRF450RWE, and our off-season testing has been going well so far. I enjoyed competing against Jett in the 250 class before he moved up, and I look forward to doing it again now that we’re both on the big bikes. I have an exceptional team supporting me, and I can’t wait to get back in action at Anaheim 1.”

Brandon Wilson, the Manager of Racing and Experiential Marketing at American Honda, expressed his pleasure in promoting Hunter to the CRF450RWE. He mentioned that Hunter not only has a track record of achieving positive results but also brings a constructive and optimistic influence to the team. Wilson looks forward to seeing Hunter build on his success now that he is in the premier class.

Hunter Lawrence Career Highlights:

  • Birth Date: August 1, 1999
  • 2013: 2nd place in FIM 85 Junior World Championship
  • 2015: 3rd place in FIM 125 Junior World Championship; Australian 125 and 250 Junior Motocross Champion
  • 2017: 9th place in 2017 FIM MX2 final standings; MX2 winner at Motocross of Nations (Team Australia)
  • 2018: 3rd place in FIM MX2 final standings; 2nd place in MX2 at Motocross of Nations (Team Australia)
  • 2019: 10th place in AMA Pro Motocross 250 final standings
  • 2020: 13th place in AMA Pro Motocross 250 final standings
  • 2021: 2nd place in AMA Supercross 250SX West Region final standings; 3rd place in AMA Pro Motocross 250 final standings
  • 2022: 2nd place in AMA Supercross 250SX West Region final standings; 3rd place in AMA Pro Motocross 250 final standings; 2nd place in MX2 at Motocross of Nations (Team Australia)
  • 2023: AMA Pro Motocross 250 National Champion; AMA Supercross 250SX East Region Champion; 9th place in SuperMotocross 250 final standings; 2nd place in MX2 at Motocross of Nations (Team Australia)

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Technology

One Of History’s Most Puzzling Technological Enigmas: The Baghdad Battery

Originally, König believed that the tomb dated back to the time when the Parthians controlled the region (248 B.C. – A.D. 226). He was convinced that these jars served as batteries because they contained galvanic cells with two different metals that had different electro potentials. Moreover, the corrosion found inside the jars consisted of an electrolyte such as vinegar or wine, indicating the presence of both battery components.

However, as scientific methods and carbon dating technology improved, the timeline shifted, placing the jars during the reign of the Sasanian Iranian empire (A.D. 224 – 650). This would mean that the first recorded battery, created by Alessandro Volta in March 1800, existed much earlier than previously thought.

Experiments have demonstrated that when the jar is filled with a weak acid (like vinegar), the “battery” generates approximately 1 volt of electricity. In 1948, a replica made by a General Electric engineer produced almost 2 volts, roughly equivalent to 1/40th of a triple-A battery. Some speculate that if wires were connected, it could potentially generate more power, but no such wires have ever been found. While humanity’s knowledge of electricity predates most people’s awareness, referring to this invention as a “battery” may be a bit of a stretch.

[Image by Ironie via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.5]

BMW

DTM: BMW M Motorsport Teams Struggle in Changing Weather Conditions at the Nürburgring

Nürburgring. The unpredictable weather in the Eifel region once again caused difficulties for the BMW M Motorsport teams during the DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). Particularly on Sunday, the BMW M4 GT3 couldn’t fully exploit its speed due to the wrong tire strategy by the Schubert Motorsport and Project 1 teams in extremely challenging weather conditions. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann, and René Rast (both GER) opted for slick tires as the track seemed to be drying out, only for the rain to return a few laps later and drop them down the rankings. Wittmann and van der Linde managed to score some points on Saturday.

 

On Sunday, the BMW M Motorsport teams took a risk when they believed the track was drying up at the start of the race. Van der Linde and Rast chose to use slick tires, and Wittmann followed suit after the first warm-up lap. Meanwhile, the rest of the field started with wet-weather tires. Initially, the three BMW M works drivers fell behind on the damp surface, but as conditions improved, they were able to make progress.

If the weather had remained stable until the pit-stop window opened 20 minutes into the race, the tire gamble might have paid off. However, a rain shower about 15 minutes into the race foiled their strategy. The BMW trio lost so much time in the laps leading up to the regular pit stop that a points finish became unattainable. Wittmann finished 16th, with van der Linde and Rast in 17th and 19th positions, respectively. On his debut DTM weekend, Sandro Holzem (GER) was the highest-placed BMW driver in 15th position, earning his first DTM point. The second Project 1 driver had started on wet-weather tires. This unfortunate weather luck was particularly disappointing for van der Linde and Wittmann, who had qualified in second and fifth place, respectively.

On Saturday’s race, both Wittmann and van der Linde reached the top ten, finishing sixth and seventh. Despite struggling in qualifying, both drivers performed well in the chase. Wittmann climbed from tenth on the grid to sixth, while van der Linde made an even stronger comeback after starting 15th and at times had the fastest car on the track. Rast finished 20th, just ahead of Holzem.

 

Reactions to the DTM weekend at the Nürburgring:

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW M4 GT3, Project 1): “Overall, we made decent progress this weekend and earned good points on Saturday as the highest-placed BMW. After qualifying on Sunday, things looked very promising. Unfortunately, the team and I made the wrong strategy decision at the start of the race. We thought the dry conditions would last longer, so we switched to slick tires after the warm-up lap. It helped me be the fastest car in the early laps, but when the rain returned, our strategy fell apart. It’s very disappointing, but sometimes these things happen.”

 

Sheldon van der Linde (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “Naturally, I’m disappointed that we made the wrong tire choice on Sunday, especially after starting the day well with second place in qualifying. Unfortunately, our strategy mistake cost us a lot of points. On Saturday, I had a positive comeback from 15th on the grid to finish seventh, showing that we had good pace.”

 

René Rast (#33 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “This time, it hardly seemed worth traveling to the Nürburgring. It was a weekend to forget. We made the wrong tire strategy in both races, robbing us of any chance of scoring points. On Saturday, it started raining, so we switched to wet-weather tires. Just as I seemed to be improving, the rain stopped. On Sunday, it was the complete opposite. It’s disappointing, but sometimes you have those kinds of weekends.”