The BMW Motorrad E-Scooter With Electric Drive Is One Cool Commuter Concept Vehicle.

In an effort to design more innovative alternatives for the increasing population of commuters, BMW has designed an all electric, but powerful scooter, that seats two. The future-oriented concept vehicle has a battery that can be charged in less than three hours in a common household outlet.



The concept vehicle had two main requirements for its development: dynamic figures comparable to those of a maxi scooter with a combustion engine and a high range in realistic conditions of use. And here's the result: The BMW Motorrad Concept Vehicle BMW E-Scooter.



The press release, July 1,2011:
BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011.

Innovative development study with electric drive.
Space is becoming increasingly scarce in the major conurbation centres and traffic density is growing continuously. Political and social conditions are changing. All these factors coalesce in increasing demands in terms of private transportation. The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter with electric drive provides an innovative look at changing urban mobility needs.



While the currently available, purely electrically-powered scooters have been almost exclusively used inside towns and cities to date due to their performance and range, which makes them suitable for short distances only, the concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter offers a much broader spectrum of use.

High range and excellent performance figures.
Since it was conceived as a future-oriented vehicle for commuting between urban areas and the city centre, therefore attracting funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, there were two main requirements for its development: dynamic figures comparable to those of a maxi scooter with a combustion engine and a high range in realistic conditions of use.



The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter provides the necessary sustained output and maximum speed for safe and reliable overtaking on urban motorways and also when carrying two people. It is also easily capable of managing hill starts on steep slopes with a pillion passenger.



The development study also has the necessary maximum output to be able to achieve acceleration figures within the important 0 - 60 km/h range, which are at the level of current maxi scooters powered by a 600 cc combustion engine.

The high storage capacity of the battery allows a daily driving range of over 100 kilometres. In this way, the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle provides a long-term, zero-emissions urban and suburban travel option which is suitable for everyday use.



Fast charging at conventional power sockets.
The E-Scooter concept vehicle's battery is charged at regular household power sockets as found in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan, so no special charging station is required. When the battery is completely flat, the charging period is less than three hours. However, practical experience has shown that the battery rarely runs out completely, so charging times are generally shorter.

Frame.
Unlike existing maxi scooters with combustion engines, the concept vehicle does not have a main frame. Instead, the aluminium battery casing - which also contains the electronic system required for battery cell monitoring -takes over the function of the frame. The steering head support is connected to it, as is the rear frame and the left-hand mounted single swing arm with directly hinged, horizontally installed shock absorber.



Electric machine, power electronics and charging device.
Due to its high output, the BMW Motorrad development study has no hub motor with direct drive or planetary gearbox. Instead, the high-performance electric machine is mounted behind the battery casing. The secondary drive consists of a toothed belt from the electric machine to the belt pulley mounted coaxially on the swinging fork pivot with drive pinion. From here, power transmission occurs via roller chain to the rear wheel. When the E-Scooter is decelerated in trailing throttle or when braking, the energy released is recuperated, thereby increasing the vehicle's range by between 10 and 20 per cent depending on driving profile.



The electrical components required for the electric drive are installed on the top of the battery casing. The external battery electronics system permanently collects and monitors data such as the temperature and voltage of the battery cells, both during travel and while charging. The power electronics acts as a control system and controls the electric machine. The charging device includes a charge cable which allows the battery to be recharged at a conventional household power socket. In addition to the other components like an ISO insulation monitor, high-voltage indicator and a high-voltage distributor, a DC-DC converter is included. It is required to change high voltage to low voltage power to supply the 12 volt vehicle supply and especially for the control units.

Cooling system.
During travel, the electric machine and power electronics are liquid-cooled, as is the charging device during charging. An electric coolant pump ensures coolant circulation through the radiator. While a coolant is commonly used for the battery in electrically powered cars, the E-Scooter concept vehicle uses an air cooling system in order to save space.

Safety.
BMW Motorrad is one of the very few motorcycle manufacturers to be able to draw on its own experience and expertise in the automobile field in the development of electrically powered vehicles. Synergies are derived from the development of the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle not just in the ready availability of technical components but also in the area of high voltage engineering and the associated safety requirements. Here for the first time, standards established by the leading automobile manufacturers relating to high voltage safety (> 60 volt) and functional reliability are being applied to a two-wheel vehicle with electric drive.


click on the above image to enlarge

[Source: BMW] and images courtesy of Autoblog.

The American Flag Made of Toy Soldiers, Sneakers, Legos, Eyeglasses & More.

above: detail from Dave Cole's American flag made of melted toy soldiers and paint.

In honor of this year's Fourth of July, I'm sharing with you some artistic interpretations of the United States National Flag. However, I can't write a post on modern art and American flags without mentioning Jasper Johns, the artist whose modern paintings of American Flags are known throughout the world, the most famous of which is shown below:

Got Your Nose! Belt Buckles, Pendants & Keychains Cast From Your Dog or Cat's Nose In Sterling Silver.

Incredible Things posted these fabulous custom pet pendants cast from the noses of dogs and cats the other day, so I simply had to dig a little deeper. And I'm glad I did or I'd never have discovered handmade jewelry designer Jackie Kaufman and her Rock My World, Inc.

Even better, these unusual pieces are made from "recycled" sterling silver. The jewelry is crafted from a major jewelry firm that no longer sells their items. Jackie "recycles" the silver by taking the jewelry pieces, melting them down and repouring the silver to make new pieces.

Cat Nose:



Dog Nose:


Using the lost wax cast process, Jackie will not only immortalize your beloved pet's nose as a pendant, but also as sterling silver keychains and belt buckles!

Sterling Silver Custom Cast Cat and Dog Nose keychains:


Custom Dog Nose Sterling Silver Belt Buckle:




The backs of the pieces are inscribed with your pet's name:


Jackie creates many forms of fabulous handcast sterling silver jewelry including human fingerprints and more. Be sure to see all her stunning work at her etsy store here.



You can also find some of Jackie's custom cast products at Uncommon Goods and at Daily Grommet

The Oil Paintings and Pastels of Contemporary Artist Susan Bennerstrom

above: Susan Bennerstrom, Fort Mason, 32" x 36", oil painting

Artist Susan Bennerstrom began working in pastels and then moved to oil paints in 2008, but her exploration with the depiction of light has continued despite the change in mediums as you will see in this collection of her works.


above: Susan Bennerstrom, Expect to Wait, 35" x 42" 2001, oil pastels


above: Susan Bennerstrom, Still Waiting, 2010, 20" x 24", oil paint on panel

With strong plays of light, shadow and reflections, her works seem to imply either anticipation or expectation - and in some cases, absence. Despite the presence of the human figure in her work, the narrative suggests that one is either coming or has been there.

While she continues to paint interiors and objects, recently she added paintings of buildings within landscapes, to her repertoire. Focusing on the structures rather than the environment, she imbues them with the haunting light of dusk or dawn.


above: Susan Bennerstrom, Georgetown, 32" x 36", oil painting

above: Susan Bennerstrom, Stove, 32" x 36", oil painting

Lonely hallways, inviting stairwells, unmade beds, doors ajar, empty chairs and open windows offer a hint of the human presence in many of her works. Below are just a few of my favorites.


















Susan Bennerstrom:


In the artist's own words:
"Since the early 1980’s my main theme has been the exploration and depiction of light. I began with landscape as a foil. Gradually, buildings started to enter the compositions, at first far away and tiny, then closer and larger, until the buildings became the main focus and the landscape shrank. Finally, I concentrated on details of the buildings and the objects within them. Always, however, the structures and objects are stage sets for light with its transformative power and ability to affect emotions. I rarely put figures in my paintings, as I find that they tend to take over; I prefer to let light and shadow imply the narrative and carry the emotional weight. In addition to the dearth of human figures, I also choose to paint quite ordinary scenes, and for the same reason: by focusing on the easily ignorable architectural detail, washbasin, household appliance, piece of furniture, or houseplant, I like to explore how a fall of light can turn a humble item into something poignant and worthy of lasting attention.

I don’t think of myself as a realist painter in the currently accepted sense. I work from photographs, which are themselves abstractions – one step removed from reality. I travel further into abstraction by removing details, shifting things around, changing perspective, exaggerating the quality, color, and direction of light, investing the shadows with greater emotional intensity. The paintings wander far afield of straightforward observations of reality, and instead become my own emotional response to the places and objects depicted.

I have worked for many years in pastels, both chalk and oil. At the beginning of 2008 I laid pastels aside and began working in oil paint. Haven’t looked back. While I continue to love the look and feel of pastels, they presented problems: with chalks it was the dust, with oil pastels it was finding a durable and easy-to-use varnish. Now I’m at home with oil paint, and finally understand why it is the granddaddy of all art mediums."

Susan is presently showing at the Sue Greenwood Fine Art Gallery.
You can see Susan's available works at the Davidson Galleries

VW: The Dark Side. Greenpeace Protests Volkswagon by Mocking "The Force" Ad and Pulling A Big PR Stunt in London.

Claiming that Volkswagon, whose charming television ad for the Passat, "The Force", is a fan favorite and award-winner, emits harmful CO2 emissions, Greenpeace of the UK has organized a large PR stunt in protest.


above: a still from the Volkswagon "The Force" by ad agency Deutsch.

According to Greenpeace UK, automotive brand Volkswagon opposes the European climate laws. In its report, 'The Dark Side of Volkswagen', Greenpeace complains that Europe's largest car manufacturer has purposely restricted its most fuel efficient engines to a tiny minority of vehicles, and then drastically increased the price for consumers.



Unfortunately, the memorable and likeable tv ad served as a perfect target for their message "Welcome To The Dark Side."

The original VW The Force Ad from Deutsch:


Greenpeace created their own parody of the popular ad which, because of a LucasFilms copyright violation, has been pulled from YouTube and Vimeo and other articles on the web. However, here it is from EFE of the UK news (with newscaster talking over it, sorry):

VW: The Dark Side ad from Greenpeace:

Greenpeace Reveals Volkswagen's "Dark Side" by NewsLook

The PR Stunt


The PR stunt began early the morning of June 28th in London's 'Silicon Roundabout" on Old Street. Two teams of climbers scaled the largest billboard ad space in the city to post four banners starring Darth Vader and a VW logo.




As rush hour approached multiple people dressed as Star Wars stormtroopers began standing on boomboxes in the area, broadcasting the Imperial March music, while volunteers gave out flyers and explained the issues to the public.





Later the men in white gathered around the Foundry in the heart of Shoreditch as a second banner unrolled and thousands of people passed en route to work.




Greenpeace has a site that asks you to "Join The Rebellion" here.

images and info courtesy of Greenpeace UK and the EPA