3rd Generation High Speed Train is most efficient

Promised to revolutionise public transport in France, the TGV trains developed by national train carrier SNCF in collaboration with Alstom in 1981 delivered just that.

Today, the 3rd generation, the AGV (the name change is fundamentally linked to its revolutionary technology), allows for an even more efficient mode of transport.  Operating at speeds of 350 km/hr and linking various Italian cities, the AGV has got rid of its engines, each wheel now having its own motor and therefore allowing the entire train to be used for carrying passenger. 

 
Furthermore, the train can now be configured to take up 300 to 600 passengers by changing the number of rail cars attached together.  There is plan to enable an even longer train with a capacity of 1200 passengers.

The train boast an incredible 2.2 gr of CO2 per passenger/km, a record when compared to other modes of transport.  This is due in part to the special brakes on the train that recuperates the energy and puts it back on the electric grid.

Much research has gone into the aero-acoustic properties of the design to allow for a much quieter and comfortable journey.  An interesting fact is that a train that travels at 330 km/h creates twice as much noise as one travelling at 300 km/h.  The design elements of the train has allowed it to travel at 360km/h while preserving acoustic properties of trains travelling at 300km/h.

Already in operation in Italy, AGV will be introduced in France in 2014.

The need for creative design!

A couple of weeks ago I came across an interesting article that was talking about the rise in popularity of a Creative Design course at MIT in the US.  There is a good need for this right here in Chennai.  A few months back the Souther Railways set up new automated vending machines to sell tickets to commuters.  The city's station is scene to long queues of commuters at ticket counters as there are much demand and few open counters.  Apparently the new vending machine required a smart card to operate, which means one has to buy the card in the first place.  One assumes this was meant to solve the issue to machines issuing change and thus not having to empty them of cash each day.  However, given our propensity to neglect schemes for deposit credit, the new venture is a big flop.  Regular, pass carrying commuters are buying their monthly or quarterly tickets as before, while daily commuters do not want to part with the deposit money required to obtain a smart card.  The result is that queues are still forming and the Railways have spent bad money on machines that are going idle.

To remedy this, they are now proposing to have the machines manned with retired railway personnel who will have their own smart card and accept change from the commuters ???? Clearly a problem that has not been well understood and a solution that lacks creative design.

Clipping our wings for self serving interests!

This article is interesting because it is revealing the very deep malaise in India's aviation sector which has been at the root of so many problems we have been reading in the papers lately, from the AI debauchery and KF absurdity to the pilot licensing scandal.  The aviation authorities in India, may it be the AAI (airports) or the DGCA (civil aviation) or even the defence sector (read the infamous LCA project), are all suffering of the same syndrome.  This is best summarised with the following words: 

"What can India do for me?"

Self-serving civil servants have been the bane of Nehruvian socialism and remains the biggest obstacle to India's rise.  Here is a typical issue that arise from officials of Airport Authority of India seeking more money and yet not realising that they are shooting themselves in the foot tomorrow.  Today there is NOT a single flying school with a reputation in the country because it is cheaper to fly to the US, rent a house near a flying school, pay the tuition fees and your living expenses for the next 6 months and return with your CPL to ensure a job in the ever expanding airline industry then to try to get the equivalent license locally... unless you want to buy a licence.  If you want a PPL then forget about it!

The reason is rather straightforward, with aviation authorities reportedly requesting 1 lakh Rs per aircraft seat (private communication from air force officer) to register a new jumbo in the country, you can imagine they are simply not interested in promoting general aviation as it does not have the 'business' opportunities to make it worth their time.  This short-sightedness destroys the grass root of the sector, potentially talented aviation engineers and pilots are shut out form a market that is already saturated with foreign workers due to a restricted pool of local talent.  This has a two negative impact for our future, an aviation sector dominated by external talent and regulating institutions that will suffer from a lack of talented minds resulting in rote-learning, self-serving bureaucrats that have no interest in improving the system.  

India, we need to wake up!

Solarator, 2kVA, Made in India

Sustainable and cheap electricity, the solarator is ideal for your country property or farm.  It generates electricity during the day time to run a pump or some electrical equipment such as drill or a saw.  It can also be used to recharge a UPS system.  It comes equipped with 4 or 8 batteries depending on requirements and therefore has enough back up to provide electricity during the night.

Manufactured in Bangalore by a JV between HHV Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd and  Raj Hamsa Pvt Ltd a company better known for its 2 seater microlight aircraft.  The price of a Solarator is expected to be about 3.5 lakh as it is yet to be fully commercialised in India.  It was recently displayed at the London Solar energy exhibition and made quite an impression, with many specialist in the field saying this is by far the best product on the market.  Way to go India!  For more details on the product check out this article.

Cool personal transport from Kochi local Sanu

Look at what the world is talking about, a personal transportation electrical vehicle designed by a Kochi based designer called Sanu KR.  Still a mystery as to who is Sanu...

Tata Megapixel delivers 900km on a full tank

Wow, what a cool car Tata Motors unveiled on the geneva motor show.  The Megapixel sits 4, and is all electric drive vehicle, 1 motor in each wheel.  It has a petrol engine (325cc) to keep the battery charged.  The result in 900km between refills or recharge.  The other very cool thing is that the wheels drive in opposite direction (like a battle tank) when turning so you can do U turns within 2.8m.

Boats on air!

A nice innovation from Europe could soon see boats ride on a cushion of air, reducing the friction of the hull in the water, saving energy and allowing for faster travel.... way to go!

On the surface the boat has a strange flat hull... and cool name! :)

 ...but below the surface it's a totally different story.