| The Tesla Roadster is a rocket. And all-electric, too “Are you ready?” the young driver beside me asked, as we sat in the two-seat Tesla Roadster convertible, facing a straight, steep, quarter-mile road that rises from the water of San Francisco Bay up the headland to the Golden Gate Bridge. Then he floored the accelerator. I was driven into the seat-back behind me--and I mean driven, like I was strapped into some insane amusement park ride--for several full seconds as the car accelerated and accelerated like a rocket up the climb. Only there was no screaming flame blasting behind us. There was no engine roaring either. I was being shot up this road so fast my emergency senses were on full alert, yet all was eerily quiet. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Recommended: Science Coffee Table Book Holiday Gift Ideas Feast your eyes and feed your brain with our favorite science books worthy of the coffee table. Topping our list are volumes commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 400th anniversary of the invention of the telescope. Galápagos: Preserving Darwin’s Legacy [More] rss.sciam.com |
Itâs All Sweetness and Light, Until the Snowballs Fly When a nice day at the playground turns ugly, disturbing behavior from adults and children alike is perplexing and paranoia-inducing. nytimes.com |
Shutdown, Deterioration, and Then a Reprieve After New York lawmakers came up with the necessary money in the state’s budget, John Boyd Thacher State Park is welcoming the public again. nytimes.com |
The Sound of the Automobile's Future? That's the sound of an electric car. I was lucky enough to drive one this week when Ford brought its electric Focus and Transit Connect van to a dealership in Manhattan. Inside the cabin, the only sound was the other traffic on the road.The Focus relies on a lithium ion battery pack to silently convey you up to 100 miles. That's the same battery burning your lap when you use your laptop computer--a primary reason Ford uses liquid to cool the pack. But the car boots up and shuts down a lot faster than a computer when you press the button. And there are no gears to shift--it's all torque from the second you press down on the accelerator. [More] rss.sciam.com |