Sin A Car

Day 301 – A discotheque and a film set. (Ukraine)

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We had a couch surfing host in Odessa lined up, but before we could go and meet her we had to find someone who could align Trevor’s wheels. When we’d bought two new tyres in Romania (Blog <a href="http://4guysinacar.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/day-289-threatening-to-spontaneously.html">Day 289 – Threatening to spontaneously combust</a>), now almost two weeks <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and about 1,500 km ago, we’d been advised to get the wheels aligned after driving about 300 – 500 km. Having spent €210 on the tyres, we felt we owed it to ourselves not to wreck them by driving around on them wobbly for too much longer so it really needed to be done sooner rather than later, and it was really starting to get later. We price checked a couple of places on our way into Odessa and ended up returning to the first one where we had been quoted 180 Hryvna ($21) for the full caboodle. While we waited for the job to be done another guy who we assumed worked in the yard, but actually we have no idea who he was, came in to see what our story was. He was very excited by our trip, studying all the stickers on the car and asking questions about individual countries and flags. He was so enthusiastic about helping us out and was adamant that he could surely offer us some sort of assistance, so when he found out where we were headed (towards Scotland) he insisted on giving us the phone number of an acquaintance of his called Alex who lives in London. He wasn’t exactly sure when he’d last seen Alex and was a bit vague as to how they knew each other but he suggested that perhaps we could go and stay with him. Of course we gratefully accepted the scrap of paper on which he wrote the name and phone number, but we were just imagining rocking up in London and ringing this fellow: “Hi, is this Alex? Um, we met a friend of yours in Odessa a couple of months ago who said maybe you could put us up. No sorry, we didn’t ask his name. No sorry, I’m not really sure how you know him...”<o:p></o:p></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Odessa is Ukraine’s city of beach resorts, where tourists go to get sun tans and drink cocktails on the sand, and we’d heard a lot of glowing reports about it being a beautiful and exciting place. This couldn’t have been further from our first impression of the place though. The buildings were <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=325810920862365&set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3&theater">greyand drab</a>, the roads were potholed and the traffic noisy, and everything was dirty and crowded. It probably didn’t help that it was raining – something that supposedly only happens four or so times every year, but the suburb where we stayed was one of the grottiest of all the ex-Soviet suburbs we’ve seen. The grey cement walls were covered in graffiti and any paint that had been applied to any trim was peeling off. The “lawns” and “gardens” were squelchy patches of mud and the uneven road surface was covered in deep brown puddles, litter floating on the surface. It was very difficult to imagine this being the desired destination for holiday-makers in summertime, but we are aware that the suburbs aren’t exactly where they aim for.<o:p></o:p></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">When we arrived at our host’s house she was out somewhere so we were greeted by her boyfriend who asked us if we wanted to go to the party that his girlfriend was already at. Other than eventually managing to get out of him that it was a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=325810707529053&set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3&theater">“tourist club”</a> we couldn’t glean any information on what this event was or whether or not we wanted to go. So we decided to go. We walked a bit then caught a bus and walked a bit more and found ourselves at some sort of community hall. Still we had no idea what we were actually going to – we were really struggling to get any information about anything whatsoever from our male host. So in we went and met our host for the first time, who made me look like a giant! (For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m barely 5 foot and generally shorter than anyone over the age of about 11.) The room we entered reminded us of a late primary school/early high school “disco”; there was a DJ in the corner, a line of trestle tables set up with crisps, chocolate and soft drinks, and a group of about a dozen people around our age letting loose and dancing energetically to a selection of pop music. Still not exactly sure what the point of this event was we threw ourselves into the mix, making the most of it and enjoying the simple fun. It was only after we’d been dancing for a while that we eventually spoke to our host, the one who had invited us through the couch surfing website, and found out that the group was some sort of uni club dedicated to tourism and travellers and that this event was just for the sake of fun, loosely celebrating New Year. It was nice to have finally found out what it was that we were gate-crashing!<o:p></o:p></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We spent the following day exploring the old centre of the city and we discovered that this part of town was actually quite magnificent with its <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=325811544195636&set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3&theater">Renaissance architecture</a>, wide boulevards separated by sprawling squares sporting classical statues, trendy cafes and classy restaurants, shadowy residential lanes, views over the port and bits and pieces of quirky modern art dotted along the streets. The main landmark of note was the famous <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=325812014195589&set=a.325810670862390.67120.191591277617664&type=3&theater">Potemkin Stairs</a> (more commonly known by Ukrainians as their Soviet name – the Primorsky Stairs) which were made famous in 1925 by Sergei Eisenstein’s silent movie “The Battleship Potemkin”, and have since been featured in other works of art. We were intrigued when we arrived at the top of the magnificent set of steps to find that parts were closed off by work tape and cones guarding piles of rubble, scrappy wooden structures, canvas mats, shards of metal, sandbags and rusty cannons. The vantage point at the top of the stairs allows you to clearly see a large section of the port, and watching the view whilst noting the unusual items laid all over the stairs, we descended the 200 steps. We realised that this must be a film set and as we reached the bottom of the flight this was confirmed. A lovely parkland area runs adjacent to the staircase and this was filled with actors dressed as soldiers, all sorts of war-time vehicles, directors and cameramen arranging furniture and tents and fake snow and elaborate settlements and buildings. Having made our way back up the 200 steps we watched on for a while, intrigued by the action, but still completely unaware of what the movie might be that the filming was for. We found out later on that the director is a famous Russian director and that this, his latest work, was quite high profile in the area.<o:p></o:p></div>

Day 301 – A discotheque and a film set. (Ukraine)

We had a couch surfing host in Odessa lined up, but before we could go and meet her we had to find someone who could align Trevor’s wheels. When we’d bought two new tyres in Romania (Blog Day 289 – Threatening to spontaneously combust), now almost two weeks and about 1,500 km ago, we’d been advised…

31Mar2013

Mercury Custom Lead Sled "Cool 50"

Mercury Custom Lead Sled "Cool 50"

No technical specification available(click images for a larger view)…

30Mar2013

Lamborghini Veneno

V12 / 6.498 cc / 750 PS / AWD / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 2,8 s / Vmax: 221 mph (355 km/h) (click images for a larger view) <a href="http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7527/lamborghiniveneno1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7527/lamborghiniveneno1.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2379/lamborghiniveneno2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2379/lamborghiniveneno2.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1855/lamborghiniveneno3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1855/lamborghiniveneno3.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6784/lamborghiniveneno4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6784/lamborghiniveneno4.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a name='more'></a><a href="http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2145/lamborghiniveneno5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2145/lamborghiniveneno5.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7533/lamborghiniveneno6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7533/lamborghiniveneno6.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9995/lamborghiniveneno7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9995/lamborghiniveneno7.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7779/lamborghiniveneno8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7779/lamborghiniveneno8.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4070/lamborghiniveneno9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4070/lamborghiniveneno9.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7199/lamborghiniveneno10.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7199/lamborghiniveneno10.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Lamborghini Veneno

V12 / 6.498 cc / 750 PS / AWD / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 2,8 s / Vmax: 221 mph (355 km/h)(click images for a larger view)…

28Mar2013

Day 300 – Friends with the EU Babysitters. (Border crossing Transnistria to Ukraine)

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Exiting Transnistria was disturbingly simple. We’d been expecting all sorts of questions, searches and requests for bribes, but all we got was a quick passport check and a surly farewell wave. The Ukrainian side of the crossing was a bit more serious though. It was quite clean and the buildings were modern and functional. When we arrived, there were about a dozen vehicles lined up in queues waiting to cross, and a female officer was working her way through the cars looking inside the boots and backseats and taking paperwork from the drivers to one of the booths up ahead. As we watched and waited we noticed a burly stern-looking bald fellow in a navy uniform who seemed to be overseeing the operations, casually but purposefully meandering around the cars, subtly observing from a polite distance. When he turned away from us we saw that the back of his jacket had the EU logo on it and we made the assumption that he was probably part of some anti-corruption supervision project.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">He didn’t pay any attention to us until it was our turn to be processed and we were directed to drive up to the front of the queue, at which point he focused his attentions on us. As it turns out he was German and we were correct about what he was doing there. He was surprised to hear that we’d had no problems leaving Transnistria as that’s usually a pretty lawless border post and he’s heard some horrific stories from other Western Europeans making the crossing. His Polish colleague and an EU appointed Russian translator joined him to find out what this group of funny foreigners in their eccentric vehicle was up to. We found out a bit about what their jobs entailed and they were very interested in our trip, asking loads of questions about various aspects of it, specifically but not limited to other borders. The Polish guy advised us about the crossings between Ukraine and Poland: the main one near Lviv is apparently horribly busy and often involves hours and hours of waiting in queues, but there’s a much smaller one close by that’s usually much quicker and simpler. This was great advice which we took on board, even though when it came time to do that crossing we didn’t actually follow his advice. I’ll explain that when we get to it.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We stood around the car chatting to these EU officials while our paperwork (passports, Carnet, insurance etc) was being handled by the Ukrainians. They didn’t interfere at all with the process but just the EU presence was obviously enough to keep them in order, whether legitimately so or not. We weren’t asked for anything unseemly, or anything at all in fact, and even though they were really confused by us our documents were moved through promptly. I’m fairly certain that we weren’t actually processed; they just moved us through as quickly as possible so as not to cause problems for us – the friends of the EU babysitters. That in itself doesn’t feel like it’s in keeping with the nature of an anti-corruption project, but we weren’t about to kick up a stink and get up on our moral high horse about how it’s unfair that we got special treatment. Being different has worked against us in many situations, but every now and then it acts as a blessing.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The odd thing about the way we planned our route, going through Moldova to Transnistria and then Ukraine, is that according to our passports we never left Moldova; we have stamps for entering Moldova, and then stamps for entering Ukraine, but as Transnistria didn’t stamp us in or out there is no record of anything in between.</div>

Day 300 – Friends with the EU Babysitters. (Border crossing Transnistria to Ukraine)

Exiting Transnistria was disturbingly simple. We’d been expecting all sorts of questions, searches and requests for bribes, but all we got was a quick passport check and a surly farewell wave. The Ukrainian side of the crossing was a bit more serious though. It was quite clean and the buildings wer…

27Mar2013

Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition

S4 / 1.742 cc / 240 PS / 258 ft/lb (350 Nm) / turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 4,5 s / Vmax: 155 mph (250 km/h) / Limited edition (1000 cars) (click images for a larger view) <a href="http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a name='more'></a><a href="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/3895/alfaromeo4clauncheditiof.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/3895/alfaromeo4clauncheditiof.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/658/alfaromeo4clauncheditio.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1368/alfaromeo4clauncheditioj.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1368/alfaromeo4clauncheditioj.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition

S4 / 1.742 cc / 240 PS / 258 ft/lb (350 Nm) / turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 4,5 s / Vmax: 155 mph (250 km/h) / Limited edition (1000 cars) (click images for a larger view)…

27Mar2013

Meet the QNX concept team: Alex James, software engineer

<div style="text-align: right;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac2dDanX3agaKuHFmPPEXXADh82yL-WZ8rxe4w1vEdXXZj1WzMTn8DxuuSHxrSPOBeUFGG13Uj_Vh003vitrfPisEy_KJSL05pYB8pPtarF5IijedNJ_fPmRsGa17kt4YqLu0YwIVu88/s1600/kim_cairns_title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac2dDanX3agaKuHFmPPEXXADh82yL-WZ8rxe4w1vEdXXZj1WzMTn8DxuuSHxrSPOBeUFGG13Uj_Vh003vitrfPisEy_KJSL05pYB8pPtarF5IijedNJ_fPmRsGa17kt4YqLu0YwIVu88/s1600/kim_cairns_title.jpg" /></a>We continue our spotlight on the QNX concept development team with Alex James, who gives us his impressions of the Bentley and the buzz at 2013 CES. Besides attending CES, Alex worked on the latest <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2013/01/its-bentley-guided-tour-of-new-qnx.html">QNX technology concept car</a> from conception to launch — an amazing experience for any software engineer. Working with bleeding-edge technologies sometimes brings unexpected challenges, along with interesting opportunities, as Alex discovered. If you haven't had a chance to meet the other team members, you can read their stories<a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/search/label/Concept%20team"> here</a>. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UYUedfRLIRc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>

Meet the QNX concept team: Alex James, software engineer

We continue our spotlight on the QNX concept development team with Alex James, who gives us his impressions of the Bentley and the buzz at 2013 CES.Besides attending CES, Alex worked on the latest QNX technology concept car from conception to launch — an amazing experience for any software engineer.…

27Mar2013

The challenge of creating an (auto)mobile user experience

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfU3tT-xZXTZHfiZ6OIVY4_l1XenIHWzEeYkk7UyTHiPKZAKV5R9cXErdprmGO7hWj56sEBfsS-lws5ID7NCTER9J8EVfVg-AhSP1jTg6M9d0nY_QQkCsYfhXA9yJtMYRVgeksZ6Mhtg/s1600/andrew_poliak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfU3tT-xZXTZHfiZ6OIVY4_l1XenIHWzEeYkk7UyTHiPKZAKV5R9cXErdprmGO7hWj56sEBfsS-lws5ID7NCTER9J8EVfVg-AhSP1jTg6M9d0nY_QQkCsYfhXA9yJtMYRVgeksZ6Mhtg/s1600/andrew_poliak.jpg" /></a></div>On March 12, I had the honor of joining a distinguished group of panelists at a luncheon for the Los Angeles <a href="http://www.motorpressguild.org/">Motor Press Guild</a>. The panelists included: <ul><li>Michelle Avary — director of technology strategy, <a href="http://www.harman.com/EN-US/Solutions/Car/Pages/INFOTAINMENT.aspx">HARMAN International</a></li><li>Henry Bzeih — head of <a href="http://www.kia.com/uvo/#/technology">Kia’s North American Infotainment Technology & Business Unit</a></li><li>Jim Pisz — corporate manager of North American business strategy, <a href="http://www.toyota.com/entune/">Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.</a></li><li>Wayne Ward — vice president of emerging solutions, <a href="http://m2m.sprint.com/m2m-solutions/velocity/?ECID=vanity:velocity">Sprint Nextel</a></li><li>Andrew Poliak (myself) — director of automotive business development, <a href="http://www.qnx.com/">QNX Software Systems</a></li></ul> The purpose of the panel was to share information on trends in the connected car space and in the automotive application ecosystem. The panel was well attended, with journalists from publications like the New York Times, and with representatives from companies like Alpine, Beats by Dr. Dre, Hyundai, and Toyota. Two things stood out for me. First, the press really picked up on the need for solutions that can offer ease of use, upgradeability, and reliability while also reducing distraction and liability. Second, an expert witness hired by car companies to testify in Lemon Law suits told the panel that he was already being hired to provide testimony in cases involving in-vehicle electronics. He speculated that the technology described on the panel was going to “make him rich.” His comments help illustrate a point. A car isn’t a mobile phone. OEMs and end-users may want the same kind of fresh and updateable experience that a phone can provide, but unlike a phone, an in-car infotainment system must be simple to use even while you’re driving down the highway. Such systems offer the ideal environment for a hard real-time OS that can also enable the latest consumer technologies and applications in a reliable and easy-to-use way. Jim Pisz mentioned a sign he saw at the Geneva Motor Show. The sign said “Don’t Worry, Be Appy.” That sign makes me realize that the industry is at a crossroads. OEMs want access to consumer app developers and, in some cases, the apps themselves. At the same time they want a reliable solution that they won’t have to “worry” about. With QNX’s pedigree of reliability and amazing app ecosystem, we are uniquely positioned to help OEMs build “appy” cars, without the worry.

The challenge of creating an (auto)mobile user experience

On March 12, I had the honor of joining a distinguished group of panelists at a luncheon for the Los Angeles Motor Press Guild. The panelists included:Michelle Avary — director of technology strategy, HARMAN InternationalHenry Bzeih — head of Kia’s North American Infotainment Technology & Business U…

26Mar2013

Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Stealth by German Special Customs

V8 / 5.461 cc / 750 PS / 848 ft/lb (1.150 Nm) / twin turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 3,7 s / Vmax: 217 mph (350 km/h) (click images for a larger view) <a href="http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a name='more'></a><a href="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8171/mercedesbenzcls63stealt.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Stealth by German Special Customs

V8 / 5.461 cc / 750 PS / 848 ft/lb (1.150 Nm) / twin turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 3,7 s / Vmax: 217 mph (350 km/h)(click images for a larger view)…

26Mar2013

Toyota i-Road

Electric / 2 x 2,7 PS / Range: 31 mi (50 km) (click images for a larger view) <a href="http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/656/toyotairoad1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/656/toyotairoad1.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/3388/toyotairoad2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/3388/toyotairoad2.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3734/toyotairoad3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3734/toyotairoad3.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2327/toyotairoad4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2327/toyotairoad4.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a name='more'></a><a href="http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/2623/toyotairoad5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/2623/toyotairoad5.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/8857/toyotairoad6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/8857/toyotairoad6.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9956/toyotairoad7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9956/toyotairoad7.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5921/toyotairoad8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5921/toyotairoad8.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3406/toyotairoad9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3406/toyotairoad9.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Toyota i-Road

Electric / 2 x 2,7 PS / Range: 31 mi (50 km)(click images for a larger view)…

25Mar2013

Traveling on reserve power

Or how a new kind of electro-mobility can be fun. A guest post from Thomas Fleischmann of Elektrobit Automotive. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofCPtKjGiwAnaln28ghQEqF3KRw41pD-gLjQymYMlfVENdl3kHVASwouFjTB1xFvgzPMjChEfM80rAsIZNwzV0EZSy36CBktdZ2jibLSSgaawNfVYKI95Xfeb_0AqtnoFckMNEw3YK9s/s1600/thomasf_elektrobit_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofCPtKjGiwAnaln28ghQEqF3KRw41pD-gLjQymYMlfVENdl3kHVASwouFjTB1xFvgzPMjChEfM80rAsIZNwzV0EZSy36CBktdZ2jibLSSgaawNfVYKI95Xfeb_0AqtnoFckMNEw3YK9s/s320/thomasf_elektrobit_crop.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Fleishmann</td></tr></tbody></table>Imagine you are always driving on reserve power. You find this difficult? Get used to it — and welcome to the new era of electro-mobility! Vehicles like the Chevy Volt, with its secondary combustion engine, are already addressing this challenge — but having to support two types of driving technology can be challenging and costly. So how can electro-mobility, which is supported by software, be implemented meaningfully? And how do we get drivers to accept it? Certainly not by abandoning the driver with nothing but a nicely animated display of the car’s battery condition. Let's assume you live in a big city. You don’t even own a car. Instead, you subscribe to a certain number of hours of travel time with your favorite car brand. In addition to your S or XL subscription for four weeks a year, you get access to a fossil-fuel engine for your vacation in another state or country twice a year. In the morning you find and reserve a car with your BlackBerry phone and get into it at a nearby charge-point. The HMI adapts to your profile settings automatically — your friends, contacts, addresses, and music are already there. The navigation system is your energy consultant; it tells you, based on traffic conditions and topography, how far you can drive with this car and, at the appropriate time, suggests an available electric socket within easy reach. Or the system warns you to turn back soon if you want to arrive home safely. After parking the car successfully, your smartphone guides you for the last few kilometers by bus or subway to your destination — it knows the way and easily adopts the data of your navigation system. Using software solutions like <a href="http://automotive.elektrobit.com/home/infotainment-software/hmi/eb-guide-products.html">EB GUIDE</a> or <a href="http://automotive.elektrobit.com/home/infotainment-software/navigation-software/eb-street-director.html">EB street director</a> and frameworks like the <a href="http://www.qnx.com/products/qnxcar/">QNX CAR application platform</a> you can concentrate on creating the end-user experience and transform the journey on reserve power into something fun and convenient — suddenly an electric vehicle becomes a smart mobility concept. Check this out; I fried it last week. The yellow center represents the area in which you can drive and go back home. The white area represents the range you can drive, depending on traffic or topography: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9FPOTEfOksSj4yXCXDQ1KkZvPxpgHPYf44ZWnQskFWevtkGp3bMKwacAeZgc3CQJuTkb4ws6n-ZekDCNFgfIErhbePODnr239_fgoKBTWWexgSGdEfyJVg_AHZp9nKhyrCBXp-Q0tuM/s1600/egg_image_for_elektrobit_electro_post.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9FPOTEfOksSj4yXCXDQ1KkZvPxpgHPYf44ZWnQskFWevtkGp3bMKwacAeZgc3CQJuTkb4ws6n-ZekDCNFgfIErhbePODnr239_fgoKBTWWexgSGdEfyJVg_AHZp9nKhyrCBXp-Q0tuM/s1600/egg_image_for_elektrobit_electro_post.jpg" /></a> <hr /> Thomas Fleischmann is Senior Product Manager at <a href="http://www.elektrobit.com/">Elektrobit Automotive</a> responsible for the HMI solution EB GUIDE. Contact him at <a href="mailto:Thomas.Fleischmann@elektrobit.com">Thomas.Fleischmann@elektrobit.com</a>.

Traveling on reserve power

Or how a new kind of electro-mobility can be fun. A guest post from Thomas Fleischmann of Elektrobit Automotive.Thomas FleishmannImagine you are always driving on reserve power. You find this difficult? Get used to it — and welcome to the new era of electro-mobility! Vehicles like the Chevy Volt, wi…

25Mar2013

Day 295 – Chisinau. (Moldova)

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The overwhelming image we got of Chisinau was how ex-Soviet everything seemed. The buildings were a collection of matching grey concrete blocks, the roads were beautifully laid out but had not been maintained for 50 years, the piping was all overground, and there was a general sense of grey blandness. This is in no way an attack on the Moldovan people, or even my impression of them; it’s just a result of Communism’s harsh hand laid on the country for such an extensive period of time.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The first item on the agenda for our self-tour of Chisinau was the Chisinau Brewery, brewer of “Bere Chisinau” and owned by Efes. Our directions were vague but we found our way, hoping we’d be able to land one of the guided tours that we had heard existed. As we pulled up in the car park we noticed that everything looked very closed up, but when the two sets of automatic doors at the front entrance opened as we approached, we thought “oh, maybe it is open after all”. A smiley grey-haired lady and a sturdy balding man sat behind a desk in the foyer, behind which hung a huge map with the location of each Efes brewery in the world lit up with a small globe. We asked about having a guided tour but without a word of English it was made quite apparent that this would not be possible. At first we thought they were being dismissive and rude, but the lady then went on to explain why it would not be possible. First she pointed at the next few days on the calendar, crossing her arms in front of her chest in the universal sign for “no” at each day. Then visibly impressed at herself for having such a brain wave she scuttled around the edge of the desk and gestured at a pot plant. By crouching down, then raising her arms and standing up straight she imitated the plant growing, and by opening her hands and waving her fingers she acted out the sun beating down on the plant. We realised that she was saying that in summer the tours run, and when she showed the plant dying she was telling us that in winter the tours don’t run. We were thoroughly impressed by this show of common sense and her insistence at doing everything within her power to communicate with us. All too often we try to communicate with people and with only a little will on their part we would manage, but so many people are not interested in making the slightest bit of effort. This lady was the perfect example of how anyone can speak to anyone else; convey a basic message, with a little bit of thought and effort.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We went searching for the National Museum, this time with an exact address which matched up with the map we had. At this address though was a small boarded up brick building, the type of building that in most places you’d assume hadn’t been in use for several decades, but in this ex-Soviet setting could easily still be home to a museum. We did a block around it to see if we could find an entrance but no, this building really was completely dilapidated and out of use. We were just going to drive down the street assuming that we’d probably been given the wrong street number and hopefully the street name was correct, but then we realised that just across the road was a very National Museum looking building. We parked on the icy pavement outside and approached the stately pre-Soviet stone structure.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It was a surprisingly informative and extensive museum housing an unusual variety of artefacts. There was a lot of Soviet propaganda – both pro and anti, some of it was specific to Moldova or Chisinau, some was relevant to the entire region. There was a huge selection of personal items that had been owned throughout the past few centuries; everything ranging from furniture to razors, paintbrushes and books to car accessories. A wide variety of different styles and periods of artwork led onto a room dedicated to fine china and ceramics. Even a tee-pee was set up as part of a display about various war uniforms, weapons, tactics and stories. Probably the most impressive part though was the very detailed 10 or so metre wide war diorama depicting WWII. That we could have spent hours looking at, observing all the tiny details that together told the grand story.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Moldovan national monument, a structure that closely resembles the Arch de Triumph only on a much small scale, is opposite the Government building, separated by a wide boulevard designed for military marches and displays. As it was mid January most of Europe’s Christmas markets had closed down weeks ago, but Chisinau’s one was still running at full pelt on this wide expanse of road. Queues of families waited to have their photos taken in one of the Christmas/Santa/winter scenes that were set up in a line of booths. Several Mr and Mrs Clauses meandered around the market speaking with children and handing out goodies. One Mr and Mrs Clause were even running a miniature train on wheels. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We had lunch in a fine example of a Russian/Eastern European canteen, which like so many places we found completely by accident. This style of eatery is part of the culture of this region that we have really grown to love and enjoy. They tend to be very basic and relatively cheap (although not necessarily the absolute cheapest option), but the food is tasty and filling and much more varied than what you’ll find at a lot of other cheap restaurants. This type of eating probably isn’t for everyone – it’s certainly not very luxurious, but the down-to-earth comfort and anonymity that we found became something we really appreciated.</div>

Day 295 – Chisinau. (Moldova)

The overwhelming image we got of Chisinau was how ex-Soviet everything seemed. The buildings were a collection of matching grey concrete blocks, the roads were beautifully laid out but had not been maintained for 50 years, the piping was all overground, and there was a general sense of grey blandne…

24Mar2013

Rolls-Royce Wraith

V12 / 6.592 cc / 632 PS / 590 ft/lb (800 Nm) @ 1.500 - 5.500 / twin turbo /0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 4,6 s / Vmax: 155 mph (250 km/h) (click images for a larger view) <a href="http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/525/rollsroycewraith1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/525/rollsroycewraith1.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/8286/rollsroycewraith2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/8286/rollsroycewraith2.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6813/rollsroycewraith3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6813/rollsroycewraith3.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/4066/rollsroycewraith4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/4066/rollsroycewraith4.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a name='more'></a><a href="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9046/rollsroycewraith5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9046/rollsroycewraith5.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6625/rollsroycewraith6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6625/rollsroycewraith6.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/8028/rollsroycewraith7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/8028/rollsroycewraith7.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/959/rollsroycewraith8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/959/rollsroycewraith8.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4395/rollsroycewraith9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4395/rollsroycewraith9.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1796/rollsroycewraith10.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1796/rollsroycewraith10.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/159/rollsroycewraith11.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/159/rollsroycewraith11.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2278/rollsroycewraith12.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2278/rollsroycewraith12.jpg" width="480" /></a> <a href="http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/4729/rollsroycewraith13.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/4729/rollsroycewraith13.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Rolls-Royce Wraith

V12 / 6.592 cc / 632 PS / 590 ft/lb (800 Nm) @ 1.500 - 5.500 / twin turbo /0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 4,6 s / Vmax: 155 mph (250 km/h) (click images for a larger view)…

24Mar2013

Sin A Car

Day 301 – A discotheque and a film set. (Ukraine)

Mercury Custom Lead Sled "Cool 50"

Lamborghini Veneno

Day 300 – Friends with the EU Babysitters. (Border crossing Transnistria to Ukraine)

Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition

Meet the QNX concept team: Alex James, software engineer

The challenge of creating an (auto)mobile user experience

Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Stealth by German Special Customs

Toyota i-Road

Traveling on reserve power

Day 295 – Chisinau. (Moldova)

Rolls-Royce Wraith

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