The Zenn: Taking Hybrid Vehicles One Step Further

With the world going green nowadays, it is no surprise that more and more Hybrid vehicles are popping up all over the place. The latest addition to the Hybrid menu is The Zero Emission No Noise car (The Zenn) from none other than the Zenn Motor Company.

The Zenn runs entirely on electric, unlike the Spokesperson for the Hybrid Vehicle, the Toyota Prius and is charged via a cable extension that is plugged into one of your house's electrical outlets. This well get you about 40 miles down the road before it cuts out and will cost you around about 25p. Don't worry though when you run out of electric all you need to do is chap a nice strangers door and say "Hey mister, Do you mind if i borrow your plug socket for a bit? I need to charge up me car"

The Zenn will go no faster than 25mph so it can be classed as a low-speed vehicle in the United States which puts it on a bit of a downer. Owner of Amenia Motors, Tom Bevilacque says "I know it will only be tree huggers who buy this car" (which i am relieved to hear as i was beginning to think that no-one knew) "People don't like to hear that word. But tree-huggers like these cars. They're environmentally friendly, cost next to nothing to operate, there's no maintenance and they like the car."

A plus point is that the Zenn does look like a real car instead of looking like some kind of novelty experiment. Check out The Zenn in more detail in the video below.

Porsche Design Ultra Quick Fearless Yacht

Usually when you hear "Porsche" you think of a gleaming 911 with that roaring engine or cruising through the country on a sunny Saturday in a Boxster. Porsche have now decided however, that they fancy getting a little bit wet.

Porsche have teamed up with Fearless Yachts to help produce these magnificent looking speedboats and yachts! Five different Yachts are set to be made but for now only one is complete. The Fearless 28, a 525 bhp, 80+ mph demon! If you opt to go for the one with the V-10 Viper engine then you'll get 550 bhp out of it. The Fearless 28 although it is a "yacht", to me it seems to be more of a speedboat. Personally i don't know of any yachts that push waves aside at 80+ mph! I am by no means a boat fanatic and sea sickness happens regularly when i am on one but, give me one of these and i think i could battle through the cold, wet, windy, vomiting experience of sailing. Living up to true Porsche standards, they really do look fantastic! Owning one of these, you'd feel like a kid with a new toy car. Shame they cost $300,000! Full specs and details are at the Fearless Yachts website.

New Revolutionary 3 Wheel Hybrid Vehicle From Venture Vehicles!

Ventue Vehicles have announced they are developing a revolutionary, very exciting and very wild looking new Hybrid vehicle. It has been named the VentureOne and is a 3-wheel, tilting, plug-in Hybrid vehicle. It is a 2 passenger flex-fuel vehicle and it will give you 100 miles to the gallon! It will go from 0-60 in just 6 seconds! and will reach speeds of over 100mph and yet it will cost you less than $20,000! that's dollars, not pounds!

On the whole tilting thing. Venture teamed up with Carver Engineering to create this Dynamic Vehicle Control technology which will allow the passenger compartment and the front wheel to tilt when cornering, so i wouldn't be expecting cup holders if i were you! Taking that into account, along with the look of this thing, you can probably work out that It truly is "Car, meet Motorbike! Motorbike, meet Car!" Venture say the only way that they can describe what it is like to drive one of these bad boys is by comparing it to flying a fighter jet 2 feet off the gravel! Which will probably explain their whole "Fly The Road" promotion. Hmm... we'll see. But by looking at the picture of the "cockpit" though, i have to say it does look pretty cool and looks like a blast!

There are to be 3 different models. The e50, the Q100 (which will do 0-6 in 5 seconds) and the EV (which is all electric) Below are the specifications for each.

Just How Much Has Computer Technology Come Along?

Recently i have been pretty obsessed with the Sony PS3 and cant wait for it to hit the UK shores, as you may be able to tell if you happened to read my recent post on it. Today however i stumbled across a blog post on one of the PS3's great great great grandfathers ,the old BBC computer, and it got me thinking just how much computer technology has come along. It got me rather intrigued so i have decided to post a little time-line of some selected gaming consoles from over the years.

Magnavox Odyssey - 1972 - Worlds first video game console.

The Magnavox Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer. It was powered by batteries! and had no sound, sounds like a blast eh?. A prototype known as the Brown Box was actually completed in 1968.

Atari 2600/VCS - 1977

The Atari 2600 was originally named the Atari VCS but was changed to the 2600 in 1982. This is the console that gave us classics such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. With the Atari 2600 you got 2 joystick controllers, 2 paddle controllers and a cartridge game. Wow!

Sega Game-1000/ Mk II - 1984

The SG-1000 was Sega's first games console which was popular in Japan, Italy, Spain and Australia. Sega released an improved Mk II version shortly after which had a detachable keyboard and a better looking case, looking back now though you wonder just how much of an improvement they actually made.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - 1985

The Nintendo Entertainment System was THE games console of its time selling 60 million consoles worldwide. This is when Super Mario and his mushroom friends came to life along with King Kong's cousin Donkey Kong and set the bar for competitors to follow.

Sega Master System - 1986

Ah, the Sega Master System, Alex The Kid! What a game, i absolutely loved that game! The Master System was to rival the NES and in the US it came off battered and bruised but here in the UK it was ultra popular. Definitive piece of technology in my mind, i loved it!

Sega Mega Drive - 1990

The Sega Mega Drive or Genesis as it was called in the US due to the suing culture they have in the states, had the same amount of power as the Amiga and Macintosh II home computers which at the time were the best hardware so you can just imagine how popular it was.

Super Nintendo - 1991

The arrival of the Super Nintendo started the war between Nintendo and Sega, if you think of what it is like between PlayStation and XBox today, times that by 50 and you'll see how fierce the competition was. We used to fight as kids over who would squish who between Sonic and Mario. (Sonic would win of course!)

Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn - 1995

The year of the Sony PlayStation, this is when gaming went to the next level with its 32-bit console, 3D graphics and all new great game list. It soon became the worlds best selling console and was a very exciting time for game lovers. Can you imagine life without PlayStation? The Sega Saturn however didn't live up to its high expectations despite its two 32-bit CPU's and was a flop.

Nintendo 64 - 1996

Nintendo were expected to release a new console to match the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn and instead of matching the very popular PlayStation's 32-bit console they decided to up the stakes and release a 64-bit console. The N64 was far more popular than the Sega Saturn but was no match for the PlayStation.

Sega Dreamcast - 1999

After the disaster of the Saturn, Sega had to take it a step further and with the Dreamcast they certainly did. The console boasted a 128-bit processor, Internet browsing with a built in modem which led to Online Gaming with SegaNet. In its first year the Dreamcast did amazingly well however Sony had announced that the PS2 was going to be arriving soon. This proved to be the death of Sega. I can just imagine the guys at Sega standing in the factory listening to the news of the PS2's arrival while the funeral march plays on the loudspeaker. After being the big dogs of the gaming world for so long, Sega made there exit from the hardware business in 2001.

Sony PlayStation 2 - 2000

When the PS2 was released in the US it became the all time fasting selling games console, with the introduction of its DVD-Rom it gave consumers that little bit more. With its ability to play new better looking games, DVD movies and PlayStation 1 games AND make them look a little better, it was a breath of fresh air.

Xbox - 2001

This is where Microsoft finally got their feet running into the race to have the best console. With an 8GB hard disk and a Pentium III processor, the Xbox was a beast and was right up there with PlayStation. The Xbox's update, the Xbox 360 was released in 2005.

Nintendo Wii - 2006

Now Nintendo have been clever with their Wii console, when i look down this time-line i notice a pattern. All competitors tend to compete with each other by matching each other. When you already have Microsoft and Sony producing such mind blowing machines i cant see how you can fancy your chances much... So Nintendo make something that is totally different! simple. With its unique control system it gives a gaming experience that is brand new to everyone. You know the graphics aren't going to be as good before you play but you don't care because playing the console is different from anything else you've played before.

Sony PlayStation 3 - 2007

So we're back to the present after going back in time, if you have actually read the full post and made it to the end i salute you! and invite you to give your brain a rest and let you finish off by watching a video review on the Sony PlayStation 3.

Gadgety Jag! New Jaguar C-XF

At this years Detroit Motor Show, Jaguar is going to display the new C-XF concept car and though its name alludes to the new XF saloon due out later in 2007, Jaguar claims that it is not a close representation of that car. This is the gadget-ridden new motor from our favourite big cat that definitely looks like an all round meaner creature. The XF will replace the Jaguar S-Type saloon, so the C-XF concept shares that car's four-door, rear-wheel drive layout, but in a contemporary shape that Jaguar says offers a glimpse into the future of its design direction. Once inside, fire up the 300 horsepower V8 and a blue Tron-esque light snakes its way from the centre console, around the cockpit and meets behind the back seat – infinitely cooler than those neons you find on the underside of a pimped up Honda Civic. In-car entertainment is also great!It holds a control screen that slides out when the driver’s moves his hand towards it. Coolest of all, it’s capable of showing two images at once; meaning whoever is riding can watch a DVD, while you check the sat-nav. The XF also boasts a 155MPH top speed but with all this stuff inside to play with, who the hell needs to drive anywhere just sit inside while parked in your drive and you'll have the time of your life! Starting prices are expected to be of £28 - £30,000.