Hasta La Ideas

Why won’t the internal combustion engine die? To oversimplify the issue, it’s partly because of its incumbency and partly because it’s very good at what it does. Environmentalists hate it because it’s dirty, and while some engineers pursue alternate energy forms, there are still plenty of smart people tweaking the internal combustion engine to make it less dirty, more efficient, and more powerful.

One person in the latter category is Christian von Koenigsegg, the rather brilliant inventor behind the Swedish supercar skunkworks that bears his name. Anyone with a basic understanding of how engines work is bound to be impressed by von Koenigsegg’s latest, a camshaft-free design.

With a conventional engine, the valves are driven by cams that are necessarily egg-shaped, with each cam driving its attendant valve stem into its deepest extension at the pointiest part of the egg as the cam rotates on the camshaft. Simple physics dictate this be a gradual process; because of the egg shape the valve gradually opens, maxes out, and gradually closes. If a cam was shaped like an off-center square, for instance, the valve stem would break on the corners.

With von Koenigsegg’s “Free Valve” engine design, the valves operate independently and electronically to depress/open, while a mechanical spring returns them to the closed position. This means the valves quickly slam open, allowing fuel to flood the combustion chamber, then quickly slam shut. Ditto for the exhaust valves. So fuel is not gradually seeping in and exhaust is not gradually seeping out—it’s going BAM in, BAM out. The benefits? The engine is much smaller, of course, requiring no camshaft or timing belt. On top of that they’re projecting 30% less fuel consumption, 30% more torque, 30% more horsepower, and a staggering 50% less emissions.

In the video below, von Koenigsegg walks you through it:

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Last year, we caught wind of a company called Roof for Two that had a cool project under wraps, no pun intended: A portable, fold-flat, quickly-deployable rain shield for a motorcycle. We contacted them, but they couldn’t send us video or images of it at the time, as they were in the midst of applying for both a design patent and a utility patent.

Well, the wait is over: The patents have been granted, and a demo video of what they’re calling the RainRunner is ready.

Would those of you with motorcycle experience use of these? While the concept looks cool to a non-biker like me, the company has been struggling; they’re currently lights-out, due to problems acquiring seed funding. Your opinions could provide some useful insight.

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The SXT-A Iron Speed aircraft concept combines three types of next-gen propulsion engines that work in different stages to connect destinations. It’s like any commercial flight but offers space-tourists the opportunity to experience a supersonic cruise speed at Mach 2, a maximum hypersonic speed at Mach 6, as well as a few minutes on the border of space at an altitude over 100km. With break-neck speed and the excitement of a moment in space, it’s like taking your favorite roller coaster from New York to Paris.

Designer: Oscar Viñals

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Yanko Design
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(Supersonic Space Tourism was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Guest post by Richard Green of Plan

With European car sales in decline, it should come as no surprise that many manufacturers are increasingly focused on growth in China and the US. Couple this with the fact that many brands now opt for CES as a showcase for their latest connected car technologies, and this year’s Geneva Motor Show was never going to be the showstopper of old.

To save you the trip, we’ve pulled together our highlights from the show—a selection of some of the finest design executions and some food for thought on an industry going through some massive changes.

The Crass Italian Super-cars
The mass drooling over this year’s pin-ups—the Ferrari LaFerrari and Lamborghini’s eccentric Venero—is perhaps an indication of what is wrong with the car industry. Testosterone prevails and with price tags of €1.3m for the LaFerrari and €3.12m for the Venero, it’s also clear to see that the global recession is having little impact on high-end luxury purchases—if anything it’s spurring on ever more ostentatious forms. Lamborghini no longer even seem concerned with aesthetic coherence, a frenzy of hard facets being ‘complemented’ by confused looking softer forms. Ferrari’s counterpart, although slightly more refined, is plain awkward looking, a common result when attempting to flex F1 credentials too literally on consumer cars.

Mixed Fortunes for British Luxury Brands
Over at Aston Martin, the Rapide seems to have lost a little of it’s predecessors’ understated elegance. The deeper, more aggressive face gives the car a burly presence that you might not usually associate with the brand, but it is a measure that will surely increase its appeal in China, a key market for the brand if it is to survive in the future. At a cool £250k, Rolls-Royce’s Wraith Coupe had what was probably the most sophisticated interior on display. With a nod to modern boating materials, the ‘Canadel’ wood options are named after the South France cove where company founder Sir Henry Royce and team spent time developing their wares in the 1910s—nice story and nice execution.

Last and perhaps least, Bentley looked every bit a manufacturer in transition while new studio boss Luc Donckerwolke begins his task of reinventing the brand. The new Flying Spur looked unconvincing from many angles, though especially the rear—a duller and more slab-sided take on Maserati’s distinctive derrière. It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but it just seemed to be lacking character—something Donckerwolke brought to Lamborghini in spades. Let’s hope he can do the same with Bentley moving forward.

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Designer Francisco Ulla’s concept for a Toyota brand Hybrid Bike focuses on use of lightweight materials and straightforward functionality of its electric motor that together offer efficient mobility in the city. The small rechargeable motor is located in the crankset near the pedal and provides instantaneous assisted power on command using the handlebar throttle. Composed almost entirely of aluminum and bioplastic, the design upholds Toyota’s modern eco-conscious direction making it a perfect compliment to the hybrid city car. 

Designer: Francisco Ulla

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store – We are about more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the YD Store!
(2 Wheels for Toyota was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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