LED and Solar Lights

June 26, 2009

Samsung May Provide OLED Displays for “Holographic” In-Car Display

Just in case the 3-D dashboard didn’t pique your interest, Samsung has also been looking into the automotive industry to see where they can provide some improvement. Their idea of a futuristic dashboard provides a somewhat similar experience as the 3-D cousin, but is based on Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) that create pseudo-holographic image to provide you with data.

Traditionally, when OLEDs are used in the televisions, or similarly constructed products, the OLEDs are placed in front of a black background. This creates a contrast that makes the color more vivid and easier to distinguish from the surrounding environment. The dark color also provides a sense of depth to the image and grounds it to whatever product is being viewed.

For vehicle information however, Samsung opted to remove the black backdrop and essentially make a transparent OLED board that, when illuminated, projects an image into thin air. The effect is basically the same as a 2 dimensional hologram, only smaller.

According to Samsung, the technology could easily be adapted to fit on the inside surface of the windshield and display anything from GPS Navigation data to your favorite playlist. The system could also be installed above the steering wheel and act as the vehicles information center.

The has been no official word about plans to move forward with this, but considering the current trend of in-car technology, it shouldn’t be too long before we see these in almost every vehicle on the road.

Jalopnik , How Stuff Works

June 12, 2009

Protoscar Unveils All Electric Lampo Concept

Last month, another all electric roadster called the Protoscar Lampo was partially unveiled to the public. Aside from a few pieces of information about the power train, Protoscar didn’t give out many details regarding their new sporty EV, however they did say it would be bowing at Geneva and more information would be available just before the show.


The name Lampo comes from the Italian word for lightning. It is supposed to represent power and reference where the Lampo gets its power; electricity. The logo of the vehicle was also designed to mimic the shape and flow of a bolt of lightning.

Power for the Lampo comes from two independent electric motors, one in the front and the other at the rear. Together, the two motors produce 268 horsepower and 325lb/ft of torque. As with all electric motors, that torque is available from 0 rpm. Power goes to all four wheels so there should be no problem getting that much torque to the ground.

Storage for all the power comes in the form of a 32kWh Lithium Ion battery pack. Thanks to the lightweight components used for the Lampo, those battery packs should provide a range of about 125 miles between charges. As with most new EVs, some additional miles can be squeezed out from a regenerative braking system.

Charging the Lampo takes about 12 hours on a 220 volt outlet, which can happen overnight for most people. If you want a faster charge time, Lampo has developed a special accessory that can convert the standard flow of electricity from 16amps to 32 amps, cutting the charge time back to about 6 hours. According to Lampo, such a system could be used to shift the charge time to the off-peak hours when electricity is most abundant.

Protoscar has also linked the Lampo to a solar power plant in Seggiano, Tuscany that is able to produce up to 16 kilowatts of electricity. According to Protoscar, this will help reduce the reliance on outside sources for energy.

Protoscar is also working on a system that uses GPS navigation to estimate how much farther you will be able to travel on the current charge. The system will take into account the topography of the surrounding terrain and incorporate a previously gathered data into the estimation.

More details about the Protoscar Lampo should be available after it is officially unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Auto.

Protoscar , ExpertMotor

May 28, 2009

Solar Car Kit Turns Sunlight into Zippy Fun

Politicians, oil companies, and automobile manufacturers take note: many of us citizens are getting tired of having to rely on the combustion engine as the only means of getting around.

I must hasten to add that this statement obviously has nothing to do with living sources of transportation (horses, elephants, taun-tauns… oh, wait… that’s a Star Wars critter…).  I’m merely stating that alternate fuel sources are available, but still need considerable research before they can be employed to full effect.

Solar power has not yet been developed into a practical source of energy for everyday transportation, but research continues-primarily in the form of racing vehicles.  The limitation of the power input into battery cells from solar panels is the primary hurtle yet to be overcome.

But, there is hope: The Tamiya Solar Powered Car Assembly Kit.

The problem: You can’t climb inside it.

Maybe if I just pull my legs up to my chest and bend my head a little...Maybe if I just pull my legs up to my chest and bend my head a little…

Yeah… it’s really, really, really tiny.  3.3 x 2.2 x 1.4 cm to be exact.

Essentially, this is a solar powered car stripped down to its very basics.  The kit is assembled with screws and snap-together parts.  Three gear ratios are available-1.7:1, 2.2:1, and 3.4:1-making this quite a zippy little toy.

The solar panel (0.5V-12mAh) is attached to a ball pivot.  This allows the vehicle to collect sunlight (or strong artificial light) at various angles.

The only downside (aside from the fact that its just not gonna be able to get me to-and-from work due to it’s ant-like size) is that it can’t turn.  The Tamiya Solar Powered Car Assembly Kit is not a remote-controlled vehicle.

It is, however, an excellent educational tool concerning what could become the future of transportation energy.

This little item can be found at Amazon.com and ThinkGeek.com.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

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