Pete McGee TOKYO, August 6 -- NEC Corp. unveiled Monday a prototype of an electric flying car as it seeks to offer its communications and control technologies to other companies amid the global boom to develop such airborne vehicles. Starting with a roaring sound, the 148-kilogram helicopter-like prototype with a length of 3.9 meters, height of 1.3 meters and width of 3.7 meters came afloat by itself to 3 meters above ground and hovered for several minutes at a testing ground at NEC's Abiko plant in Chiba Prefecture. Equipped with four propellers and unmanned, the prototype moved using NEC's software to control flight and determine its location. NEC officials said the company is not seeking to become a maker of flying cars but hopes to see its technology used in them from 2023, starting with the transportation of cargo. "There will come an age where airspace will be used commonly for transportation. We will combine our technologies to create an innovation," said NEC Senior Executive Vice President Norihiko Ishiguro at a press conference. NEC said it plans to provide its technology for flying the cars to engineers' group Cartivator, with which it signed a sponsorship agreement last year. Cartivator, which is also supported by over 80 other companies including Panasonic Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., aims to start operation of a two-man flying car from 2023, conduct a demonstration flight during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, carry people at the Osaka Expo in 2025 and mass produce the vehicle in 2026. The Japanese government is also pushing the development of flying cars in collaboration with private companies ranging from the logistics and automobile sectors, in an effort to catch up with global rivals, including Boeing Co., Airbus S.A.S. and U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. Flying vehicles are expected to be used for tourism, leisure activities, disaster relief, cargo transportation and easing of traffic congestion, but ensuring safety remains a key challenge amid the lack of standards and rules. Under the road map compiled by the government, it aims to build prototype electric flying cars and conduct test flights this year and put the technology into practical use from 2023 onward. By the 2030s, they are envisioned to be used in urban transportation.
0 Comments
Pete McGee
2019 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
Pete McGee
MOGYORÓD, August 3 -- Full results from qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 Hungary Grand Prix - Race Results
Note:
* Max Verstappen: Fastest race lap Lora Smith GENEVA, July 30 -- Swiss prosecutors said Monday they have been assisting Japanese investigations into former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who has been indicted over financial misconduct and breach of trust. Tokyo prosecutors requested Swiss assistance in investigations on Jan. 14, and the request was forwarded to the Canton of Zurich's prosecutors on March 8 following a summary probe, a spokesperson of the Swiss Federal Department of Justice. While Zurich prosecutors did not give details of the ongoing investigation, they are believed to be checking bank accounts associated with Ghosn as Tokyo prosecutors are apparently following the flow of money disbursed by Nissan and Renault SA in Europe and the Middle East. Many European and American financial institutions are based in Zurich, which is known for hosting many private banks and investment banks for the wealthy class. French media have reported Ghosn was making preparations since around last year to move his tax domicile to Switzerland, which offers preferential tax treatment to the rich. The former boss of the major Japanese automaker has been accused of underreporting his remuneration and redirecting company funds, allegations he categorically denies. Since his arrest last November, investigations into Ghosn have spilled over to other countries. Earlier this month, French authorities searched the head office of Renault in connection with a probe into Ghosn's lavish 2016 wedding party at the Palace of Versailles. The once-feted auto tycoon also served as Renault chairman. Ghosn has been free on bail since April and is now awaiting trial in Japan.
Pete McGee
2019 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 28 -- Full race results of the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Race Results
Note:
* Max Verstappen: Fastest race lap (1m 16.645) ** Lewis Hamilton: 5 seconds penalty for wrongly entering the pit lane *** Antonio Giovinazzi: 30 seconds penalty for beaching Article 27.1 in relation to launch control **** Kimi Räikkönen: 30 seconds penalty for beaching Article 27.1 in relation to launch control
HOCKENHEIM, July 28 -- Full race results of the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Race Results
Note:
* Max Verstappen: Fastest Race Lap (1m 16.645) ** Lewis Hamilton: 5 seconds penalty for wrongly entering the pit lane
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 28 -- Starting grid for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Starting Grid
Note:
* Sebastian Vettel: Suffering a suspected turbo issue ** Charles Leclerc: Suffering fuel system problem *** Lando Norris: Grid penalty for exceeding power unit components
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 27 -- Full results from qualifying for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Qualifying Results
Note:
* Sebastian Vettel: suffering a suspected turbo issue ** Charles Leclerc: suffering fuel system problem
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 27 -- Full results from third practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 3 Results
Note:
*
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 26 -- Full results from second practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 2 Results
Note:
*
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 26 -- Full results from first practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 Results
Note:
* Pete McGee HOCKENHEIM, July 26 -- Vettel's lacklustre form has been under intense scrutiny this season, with his on-form 21-year-old Monegasque teammate Charles Leclerc providing hot competition, and the pressure is mounting. If Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is feeling the pressure ahead of his home German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, then he knows who to blame. That, the four-times Formula One world champion recognised on Thursday, is because he has always been his own harshest critic. “If I get something wrong and do a mistake, I can’t be happy with that,” the 32-year-old told reporters ahead of Sunday’s race at Hockenheim. “The pressure I put on myself after that is bigger than any external factors. (It’s been) the same as long as I can remember.” Vettel’s lacklustre form has been under intense scrutiny this season, with his on-form 21-year-old Monegasque teammate Charles Leclerc providing hot competition, and the pressure is mounting. Last year at Hockenheim Vettel started on pole position only to crash out while leading on a track made slippery by rain. That turned out to be the costliest of a series of mistakes in 2018 that undid his title charge, handing Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton — who won in Germany — a lead that the Briton never relinquished. Hamilton is now a five-times champion and well on his way to a sixth title, winning seven of the 10 races so far. Vettel, who won four titles in a row between 2010-13 with Red Bull, has meanwhile looked a shadow of his former self since that mistake. The German has won just once since his Hockenheim heartbreak, at the Belgian Grand Prix last August. Ferrari have been unable to produce a car to match dominant Mercedes this season with the Italian team without a win since now-departed Kimi Raikkonen triumphed in Texas last October. In his fifth season with the glamour team, Vettel is already 100 points behind championship leader Hamilton with no realistic hope of challenging for the title. However, he said the dream of following in boyhood idol Michael Schumacher’s footsteps by becoming a champion for the sport’s oldest and most successful team remained very much alive. Driving for Ferrari despite the weight of expectation that goes with it, he said, was a privilege and not a burden. “I think we all know that Formula One is a world where people are very short-sighted which is also fair and part of the game,” said Vettel. “Obviously this year hasn’t gone the way we wanted after the last two years. “Still, I think things are progressing in the right direction in the big picture.” Pete McGee TOKYO, July 24 -- Nissan Motor Co. plans to cut more than 10,000 jobs globally as part of efforts to turn around its business, company sources said Tuesday. The number, which represents around 10 percent of its global workforce, is much bigger than an earlier estimate. In May the Japanese carmaker said it would cut 4,800 jobs. Nissan's group net profit hit a nine-year low in the year through March, hit by weak sales of its cars in the U.S. market, and the Japanese automaker has projected it will nearly be halved in fiscal 2019. Also, since the arrest in November of its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn over alleged financial misdeeds, Nissan has been struggling to restructure its management team and ties with Renault SA, its biggest shareholder. The additional reduction in workforce, including through early retirement options, is expected to be announced by the Yokohama-headquartered automaker on Thursday, when it releases earnings figures for the April to June period of this year. Some factories in South America and other regions where Nissan has low profitability are likely to be subject to the reduction plan, while it may try to streamline output in Japan. As of March this year, Nissan and its group companies had about 139,000 employees, according to its financial report. Nissan has acknowledged it was overstretching to meet numerical targets, such as by relying on incentives, in the U.S. market. It has been reviewing the expansionist business strategy spearheaded by Ghosn, who built the three-way alliance also involving Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and led an auto group that was the world's second largest last year in terms of vehicle sales. In fiscal 2018, Nissan saw its global vehicle sales fall 4.4 percent to 5.52 million units, including a 9.3 percent decline in the United States to 1.44 million units and a 14.9 percent drop in Europe to 643,000 units. Pete McGee BANGKOK, July 23 -- Racing team Scuderia Toro Rosso, part of the Red Bull Formula 1 network, will have the help of PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) in supporting the Thai-British driver Alex Albon Ansusinha. Jiraphon Kawswat, president and chief executive of OR, which sponsors Alex, and Matthew Strachan of Scuderia Toro Rosso made the announcement at PTT headquarters on Tuesday. Alex becomes the sole Thai national currently competing in Formula 1 and only the second Thai ever to have competed, the first being Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, who gained global fame among racing fans as “Prince Bira” back in the 1950s. PTT Lubricants, an OR brand, has been sponsoring Alex since he started in Formula 2 last year. Thanks to outstanding performance, he’s been selected for Scuderia Toro Rosso’s F1 team this year. Jiraphon said OR hopes its sponsorship deal gives Alex the chance to show off his skills at the world’s leading racing events and put Thailand back on the global F1 map. “I’m really grateful to PTTOR and PTT Lubricants and look forward to representing them around the world,” Alex said. “To be able to count on their support moving forward is really significant and I’m relishing the chance to work closely with them in the future. I’m incredibly honoured and happy to welcome PTTOR to the Toro Rosso family. Albon is currently in 12 position in the F1 standings after 10 of the 21 races for the season, scoring points in Bahrain (9th place 2 pts), China (10th place 1 pt) and Monaco (8th place 4 pts). His next race will be the German GP at on July 29-29. Jiraphon said OR aims to help earn Thai products recognition as global brands and has been supporting various national and international motorsport events, providing opportunities for Thai drivers to gain experience at high-profile competitions on the global stage. Events supported by OR include the Thailand Super Series and BRIC Superbike by PTT Station. Since last year, OR and PTT have also been the main official sponsors of MotoGP, dubbed the world’s most challenging motorbike race and currently called PTT Thailand Grand Prix. |
Thank you for choosing to make a difference through your donation. We appreciate your support.
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
|