Breakthrough in Hydrogen development!

 BMW has the first hydrogen powered vehicle?

For many years now the engine of converting them to other fuels has been something of an issue, but the German car maker claims that they have developed a converter motor withing the axle of their prototype car and this will be the future for motoring, since it requires no conventional engine and a smaller fuel tank if that!

But what it has is it will be far lighter than electric vehicles, while also not over heating in summer and catching fire, while in winter loosing up to 30% of power. 

Something which have caught many drivers with these expensive cars and the waste of time charging them up before moving and having to keep doing so, since the lithium drains in cold weather even when the engine and the vehicle is moving!

Mercedez.

Jeeps and four-wheel drive.

For a long time the British landrover series has been seen as ruling the world market in the four by four. Nearly every country in the world produces their own versions of this type of essential off road vehicle and it is the German Mercedez company that over the last thirty years or so have taken the market of many other well know names.

This week we will just have this introduction to the German manufacturer and its other famous off road type the Unimog truck. Please check previous articles on Unimog and 4X4 for further references.

The four by four is used for all off road traffic from farming, search and rescue, police and fire services to ambulances and military activities. Reliable engines and gradient capability along with hauling heavy loads must be the essential elements over that of immediate comfort. Here we are not really dealing with a civilian vehicle like others. many other 4X4 contain many gimmicks to sell them to the general public.

Gyro-Planes. Part-Two.

One of the first gyro-plane designs was the German Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 (water wagtail). It looked more like a helicopter kite, than a gyro. but it did the same job. A modern version of this is the micro-light Brock KB-2 operating in the U.S. for a $1000 dollars. 

The gyro platform is one of the cheapest ways of enjoying both hover and movement in an aircraft. Police and survey work of several kinds can be achieved. But to go beyond, one needs the Beagle-Wallis, which can be armed with a light machine gun and rockets pods.

Cessna 0-2 and Dornier Do-335A

Both of these aircraft are unique in the aviation world for having both a rear and forward propeller. The Cessna 0-2 was developed for psychological warfare in the Vietnam wars and is powered by two engines. It also belongs to the twin boom family. Meanwhile the Nazi-German Luftwaffe Dornier DO-335A has both a similar engine layout, except the rear propeller is engine less. 

The Germans required a new fighter and despite plans laid down in 1942, it was not produced until late1944. At end end of World-War-II only about 30 aircraft had been built and 80 remained unfinished.

The Cessna O-2 Sky master has been built in the thousands and under licence in France as the FR-337. 

Performance wise, the Dornier was much faster. But by 1944 it was being superseded by the early jets. 

The O-2 could operated high-low and had a good range. 

Recently it has been discovered that this type of layout is much more economical on fuel consumption and a whole plethora of new types are being experimented with in the U.S. One of them being the Adam A500.

Mobile homes.

Also known as camper vans. 

There are two roads to how these vehicles came about.

1. Travelling communities across the world, Circus's, Showmen, (Fun Fairs/Fairground attractions), moved from their horse drawn waggon's and houses to the steam engines and then on to the motorised versions.

2. The 1920's saw the rise in Caravaning craze in the UK and after World-War-II (1939-45), the Camper van came in to an easy tourer. 

In the 1960's the German Volks Wagen VW camper was associated with the 'Hippie movement and Woodstock'.

It became the iconic vehicle of young people travelling around and it remains so to this day in Europe anyway.

 

Today there are quite a varied selection of vehicles on the market. In the U.S. the Winnebago is probably the largest mobile home. Many people have over the years converted trucks and buses, coaches to live in.

MBT (Main battle tank).

Since the development of the tank in the first world war (1914-18) the British female Mk-1, great strides have been made to reach the level of today's machines. It was during world-war-II (1939-46) that the tank really came into its own. Nazi-Germany built just over 400 Tigers and believed that was a sufficient number to decimate any opposition. At first this seemed to be proved right, opposing the Germans were light machines, such as the British Matilda's and Crusaders, the Polish had ex-British Mark-ones, while Russia still were developing its T-34 in secret and the U.S. had not yet got involved in the war.


But both the U.S. and Russia came up with lighter vehicles such as the Sherman and T-34, which were more manoeuvrable and fast.


After 1945 both super powers entered into supporting other conflicts and an arms race ensued with many improvement being introduced. Today there are a number of what could be described as great machines. The U.S. Abraham's, Israeli Merkava, German Leopard, Russian T-74/82 family, British Chieftain and challenger.


But what does the future hold? Perhaps computer controlled unmanned vehicles will prove better?

Blimps and Airships.

Blimps and Airships.

Will the days of the airships such as the British R101 and the German Zeppelins return again? 

Airships are still used today, predominantly by the U.S. navy, but other civilian craft are used for advertising. 

It is still probable, despite being slow that they could be used commercially for long distance travel. But I suppose they probably would be easy to attack with portable surface to air-missiles. What a view they could provide for the paying public, as well as being covered with solar panels?