Innovative new tyres launched for electric vehicles and hybrids

While the uptake of electric vehicles may still be slow, German tyre manufacturer, Continental, is aiming to stay ahead of the game, releasing a new tyre especially designed for electric and hybrid vehicles. The new tyre, Continental reports, will increase the range of electric vehicles and reduce running costs. The Conti.eContact, which is described as the first tyres in the world especially developed for electric and hybrid vehicles, was developed in collaboration with Europe’s largest car manufacturers and aims to meet the demands of the predicted 2.8 million electric vehicle owners expected to exist in 2020. With the Conti.eContact, Continental has a new class of tires at the starting line, tires that have been developed for the special requirements of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars. In developing such tires, a particular achievement of the development engineers was in considerably lowering the rolling resistance in order to increase the travel range of electric vehicles and to facilitate longer operation with the electric motor in hybrid vehicles. Tires for EVs must fulfil different requirements than tires for conventional vehicles. For instance, they must have substantially lower rolling resistance and a lower noise level, while the high-speed requirements are lower. In order to maintain high standards for directional stability and handling, different tread variants are produced in some cases, also for use on the front and rear axle. The tire sizes also differ depending on the type of vehicle. For example, smaller, narrower dimensions are required for light urban vehicles, while EVs with more volume use tires for the 20-inch rims. The rolling resistance is 30% lower than with conventional tires. Continental engineers achieved this reduction by using a completely unusual tire dimension. With the tire size for the 195/55 R 20 test setup, the Conti.eContact has become very large and narrow in appearance. Thanks to the larger tire diameter, deformation of the tire is reduced when entering the contact patch, thus lowering rolling resistance considerably. This also means that the same load bearing capacity can be achieved as for conventional tires. In addition, the side wall of the tire was designed in such a way that less energy is lost when the tire deflects and rebounds, and the tire weight was further reduced. These measures also lower the rolling resistance. With its combination of four longitudinal grooves, high number of sipes, the absence of traverse grooves and the rigidity of the tread ribs, the tread has been optimized for low rolling resistance and low noise emission. In this way, precise handling properties and safe braking distances on wet surfaces were achieved as well. The very flat tire contour prevents the tire’s belt elements from moving more, thus further reducing rolling resistance. The side wall has also been designed for low energy consumption. Here, the developers did not use the usual edges and design elements in order to keep air resistance as low as possible. These properties make the Conti.eContact an ideal tire for e-cars and hybrids. By greatly reducing rolling resistance, Continental aims to cut the energy required by EVs and thus increase the operational radius of this new type of vehicle. The extended range this makes possible will significantly increase end-consumer acceptance of these vehicles, while at the same time reducing the energy used per 100 km and the time required to charge the batteries.  “Continental regards the emerging trend toward electromobility as one of the key trends in the future of the automotive industry. As one of the world’s leading suppliers, the corporation wants to actively shape this by developing not just tires, but also battery systems, electrical drive systems, regenerative braking systems and numerous interior applications,” said the company in a press statement. Source: Renewable Energy Magazine

Read More........→April 19, 2012

American geneticist claims Bigfoot is real after sequencing his genomes in a DNA study

Last November team of American scientists led Dr Melba Ketchum of DNA diagnostics in Nacogdoches, Texas, announced that they have found proof that the legendary ‘Sasquatch’ or ‘Bigfoot’ actually exists. After sequencing three Bigfoot genomes the team concluded that Sasquatch is extant in North America and is a human relative that arose approximately 13 thousand years ago as a hybrid cross of modern Homo Sapiens with some unknown primate species. The Voice of Russia contacted Dr Ketchum to ask her for the details of one of the most controversial projects of the decade.

Voice of Russia: Before we get into details, I would like to ask you how you came up with the idea to study bigfoot. At the very least, this is a very unusual choice of study for a serious geneticist. Dr Melba Ketchum: Well, I must say that it came to me, I did not choose it. What we do in our laboratory is we perform species identification mostly for forensic use. However, over the years we have also been receiving samples that supposedly contained DNA of a Bigfoot or a Sasquatch. Five years ago one of the TV show production companies asked us to identify some samples one of which was allegedly a yeti sample. At the same time I also received the samples from North America Bigfoot Search Organization. We did not have enough DNA to go far with neither of the samples but we still got marginally interesting results. When the TV show aired we got a huge amount of calls from people who wanted to submit DNA samples to us, and, out of curiosity, we agreed. When we started testing them we realized that something might come out from this research. To tell you the truth, I did not believe in the existence of Sasquatch before we began our tests. Voice of Russia: In your previous interviews you said that when you submitted your project for peer-review you encountered the worst scientific bias which you called the ‘Galileo Effect’. Some journals would not even read your manuscript when you sent them a pre-submission enquiry. In your opinion, why were you rejected by the mainstream scientific journals? Is it because the modern science is not yet ready for such ground-breaking research? Dr Melba Ketchum: Yes, the modern science is not yet ready for it. There is so much hype surrounding it that the scientific community feels that the research cannot be credible. For most of the scientific world, the results of our study cannot be valid because they know that yeti does not exist and thus the project is merely a hoax, an ad campaign. As a result, the scientists did not even want to look through it. Their unwillingness to even consider the possibility that a mythical creature might actually be real might leads them to invent the reasons why our research was invalid. Another reason why most of the scientific world turned their backs on our research is that the existence of hybrid DNA is a very unpopular theory, even though it is a proven scientific fact that most Caucasian individuals have at least two to three percent Neanderthal genes as well as a lot of South-East Asian people have up to five percent of Denisova genes. Those reviewers who finally agreed to read the paper then came back to me asking for the information that was already in the manuscript, so I knew they did not even read it. Moreover, when the reviewers failed to find any errors in our research they simply asserted that it was ‘contaminated’. Given that most of our project team consisted of forensic scientists we are sure that there is no contamination in our research. In this sense, it seems to me that contamination is the only excuse that the reviewers can come up with to prevent the publication of our study. More generally, one might recall that nearly all major breakthroughs in science have been met with great skepticism or immediately rejected as invalid. This why I call the situation in which we know find ourselves a ‘Galilio Effect’. Every-so-often innovative research projects are not accepted by the scientific community up until the scientist passes away. Voice of Russia: Oh, I am sure this will not be the case with your research! So, your 5-year long DNA study confirms the existence of a novel hominin hybrid species that reside in North America. Is there a possibility that these hybrids can be found somewhere else? In Russia, for example? Dr Melba Ketchum: We actually have some Russian samples which we are currently studying. We are just at the beginning of the sequencing process but we believe that these DNA samples will have the same makeup as North American ones. In this sense, we think that Russian hybrids and North American Sasquatch are all related individuals. More generally, we believe that Bigfoot species can be found all over the world. Only in the United States there are over 30 thousand documented sightings of Sasquatch and probably three times more undocumented eyewitness testimonies. According to my Russian colleague Dr Igor Burtsev there are also numerous documented yeti sightings in Siberia. Voice of Russia: Tell us a bit more about your methods of research. I heard that you used mitochondrial DNA that you obtained from leftover blueberry bagels eaten by a family of 10 bigfoot’s who live in Michigan. Dr Melba Ketchum: Oh, this is not true! Admittedly, one can obtain a DNA sample from anything that an individual ate or chewed because saliva is a very good source of DNA, but we did not use any bagels. We made plastic containers where we placed a piece of food, such as chocolate. This way, we could ensure that only a creature that had ‘hands’ could gain access to the food. We then used food remnants as our DNA samples. This is one of the very few methods that we can use to study Sasquatch. It is almost impossible, for example to get any photographic record or a body. Although, I must say that there is now a photographic record that will soon be released. Voice of Russia: In your statement published last November you suggested that the government at all levels must recognize Sasquatch as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ‘license’ to hunt, trap, or kill them. Can you elaborate on this? Dr Melba Ketchum: Basically, Bigfoot are a particular type of people, so we do not want them hunted, harassed, or being chased through the woods. The wood is their home. They have a right to privacy. People should leave them alone. We are not asking the government to give them large areas of land or anything like that. Sasquatch do not need them – they live right under our noses and we do not see them. Also, people should be aware that an encounter with a Sasquatch might not be as pleasant as they think. People should not be afraid of them but, at the same time, they should realize that if harassed, a Sasquatch can fight back. So, you might need to think twice before you argue with someone who is twice your size. Voice of Russia: Taking into consideration all the obstacles that stand on your way in publishing your research, do you intend to continue your project? Dr Melba Ketchum: First of all, the DNA sequencing is a very complicated technique and it might take years to go through it in full. So, yes, we do continue our research. Second of all, we intend to do a cultural assessment of Sasquatch. We aim to learn how Sasquatch behave and whether they have any specific rituals. Source: Voice of Russia

Read More........→March 03, 2013