BTCC Memorable Drives: Two Toyotas, One Barrier
That’s what you call an action shot. Image Credit: popscreen.com
For any motorsport team, there surely can be no better feeling than having one of the most competitive driver line ups on the grid. As the 1992 British Touring Car Championship rolled around, it was the Toyota team of previous champions Will Hoy and Andy Rouse that entered the season with this undeniable feeling of confidence and expectations. The two best drivers in arguably the strongest car on the grid. What could possibly go wrong? As the championship reached Brands Hatch, they were about to find out.
The Biofuel Dilemma
The push for more sustainable sources of energy for our cars is intensifying. Biodiesel and ethanol are getting more and more common. Slurping through large amounts of fossil fuel is considered irresponsible, as is belching out a lot of greenhouse gases. In this sort of climate (both the metaphorical climate of opinion and the actual one, which is supposed to be changing), biofuels are looking like a very sexy option.
However, there is a bit of a problem when it comes to biofuels. You see, while it seems like a great idea to grow a crop that can be turned into fuel, there are a few snags. All commercially grown crops take up land, and they require nutrients and water. This means that they’re competing with other crops – like the ones that you and I eat. And this is where the problem lies: if we’re going to do away with world hunger, the people who are currently starving are going to have to eat something. And that something will have to grow somewhere.
A Fast Education: Should 'Car-Culture' Be Taught In Schools?
The modern world has become dominated by the transport culture, most specifically the culture of ‘the car’. Our society rests on a solid foundation of communication, trade and distribution. The global transport system therefore is one of the most fundamental aspects that ties together every ‘sector’ of our world, whether this be business or personal. Of all methods of transportation, arguably the most comprehensive is the road network which accommodates everything from our cars, buses, vans, coaches and lorries to name a few. In our daily lives, most of us will interact with either the road network or the vehicles that use it. Cars especially are becoming increasingly vital for success in our lifetime. However, the auto-verse does not feature in the education of many young people, how can this be right? With so many applications, should ‘car culture’ not be an indispensible part of the education system?
The Global Road Network. Image and Data Credit: CIESIN Columbia University, March 2013
Shot with a Silver Arrow: Have Mercedes cracked the future?
Driving us into the darkness. The Mercedes F015 concept.
The recent New Year celebrations not only gave us the chance to wave a fond farewell to 2014, but it has opened our eyes to a whole new chapter. The past has been left behind. It is time to look forward into the abyss. It is the the single unknown that humanity cannot truly understand or predict; it is the future. In the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, surrounded by the vast Nevada desert the world has taken its first glimpse into what lies ahead. Mercedes have released the F015 Luxury In Motion concept that presents a vision of autonomous cars, powered by a hydrogen cell and electric motors. What I want to look into is not the technical specifications of this dream machine, but instead understanding the accessibility and utilization of future technologies. Have Mercedes cracked the future?
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