Cheki Nigeria launches virtual showroom for brand new cars

February 25, 2016

Nigeria’s popular online auto marketplace, Cheki, has launched a virtual showroom for brand new vehicles on their website.

The virtual showroom contains all necessary information about brand new cars from Cheki. There’s a brief description about the new vehicles on the page.

Users get to know the specs, pricing detail and other vital information about the vehicles. Users can also take advantage of warranties, servicing and even book test drives before making any purchases via the virtual showroom.

Although Cheki promised a 360-degree virtual tour of all the featured vehicles in the brand new section, the feature is still a work in progress at the moment. Country Manager of Cheki, Tomi Hodonu, expressed excitement about the new virtual showroom.

“We at Cheki are very excited to announce the Brand New Cars virtual showroom” he said.
“This innovation was borne out of the need to give our clients a select service that directly meets their specific automobile needs, and enable them to make well informed purchase decisions regarding brand new cars,” he added.

Established in 2010, Cheki’s main value proposition has been to provide a platform for users to buy and sell used cars. In addition to this, it is a market place for buyers and sellers of auto spare parts to meet and do business.

There’s also a car insurance section on the Cheki site. However the firm has now expanded their offerings to include brand new cars from accredited dealers in a masterstroke business decision.

Now that they’ve cultivated a rather large audience, asides from the usual used cars business, Cheki can now begin to sell access to that audience to car dealers, hence the launch of the brand new cars’ virtual showroom.

Their first partnership is with West African conglomerate, Stallion Group, to provide a wide array of Volkswagen cars. It’s expected they’ll partner with more auto dealers in the near future as things go on.

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Scientists Develop Cell That Can Chemically Store Solar Power

Emmanuel

February 24, 2016

A team of scientists has developed a way to chemically store solar energy. The team designed a photo-electrochemical cell that does this amazing feat even at high temperatures.

There are numerous ways of storing energy from the sun. Plants naturally can absorb sunlight and store its energy chemically.

However, imitating this on a large industrial scale is difficult. Photovoltaics on the other hand can convert the energy from sunlight to electricity, but the efficiency of the solar cells at high temperatures decreases.

The researchers from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) were able to solve this problem by combining high temperature photovoltaics with an electrochemical cell. This allows ultraviolet light to be directly used to pump oxygen ions through a solid oxide electrolyte and the energy of the UV light is stored chemically.

“This would allow us to concentrate sunlight with mirrors and build large-scale plants with a high rate of efficiency”, said Georg Brunauer a member of the team.

The team managed to assemble a cell by using special metal oxides – so-called perovskites – instead of the ordinary silicon based photovoltaics.

“Our cell consists of two different parts – a photoelectric part on top and an electrochemical part below. In the upper layer, ultraviolet light creates free charge carriers, just like in a standard solar cell,” he added.

The electrons in this layer are immediately removed and travel to the bottom layer of the electrochemical cell.

Once there, these electrons are used to ionize oxygen to negative oxygen ions, which can then travel through a membrane in the electrochemical part of the cell.

“This is the crucial photoelectrochemical step, which we hope will lead to the possibility of splitting water and producing hydrogen,” Brunauer noted.

In its first evolution step, the photoelectrochemical cell works as a UV-light driven oxygen pump. It yields an open-current voltage of up to 920 millivolts at a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius.

The cell was recently presented in the Advanced Functional Materials journal. It looks promising and will solve a lot of energy problems if perfected.

NASA touts new Laser Propulsion System that’ll take men to Mars in 3 days

Emmanuel

February 24, 2016

Researchers at American space agency, NASA, are working on a new laser propulsion system which they say will take men to Mars in just 3 days.

As things stand, it will take humans an average of five to six months to reach the surface of the Red Planet.

However, NASA researchers are now working on a new laser technology to propel spacecraft with giant sails to Mars in just three days. The new “photonic propulsion” system relies on the momentum of photons – particles of light – to move forward.

But instead of photons from the Sun’s rays, the design from NASA scientist Philip Lubin will involve a push by giant Earth-based lasers to the spacecraft. According to Lubin, the technology is very much readily available and the system can easily be scaled up.

“There is no known reason why we can’t do this. There is a roadmap which you can look at in our paper to relativistic flight. The system is completely scalable modularly, built to any size you want from a tiny one to a gigantic one,” he said.

Lubin agrees that the technology shouldn’t immediately be used on a Mars mission. He suggests instead it be used on a wafer-thin spacecraft that would be equipped with integrated optical communications, optical systems and sensors combined with directed energy propulsion.

Lubin and his team have received a proof of concept grant from NASA to demonstrate the system could work. He is already dreaming of sending probes to the outermost part of the universe.

“We could propel a 100 kilogram robotic craft to Mars in a few days. If you want to push something like shuttle class, it takes you roughly in order of month to get there,” he said.
“Within 25 year light of Earth, there are actually quite a few potential exoplanets and habitable things to visit – that may be habitable. We don’t know of course. There are many targets to choose from. The closest is Alpha Centauri, which is about four light years away,” he added.

Volvo cars to stop using keys from 2017

Emmanuel

February 19, 2016

Volvo have announced plans to become the world’s first company to produce cars without keys from the year 2017.

The cars instead will use a Bluetooth-enabled digital key technology which will allow owners to do everything a physical key currently does.

Basic car operations such as locking or unlocking the doors or the boot and allowing the engine to be started will be carried out using the new Volvo app, the firm said.

This will also give car owners the possibility to receive more than one digital key on their app, allowing them to access different Volvo cars in different locations, Volvo added.

“Using the app people could potentially book and pay for a rental car anywhere in the world and have the digital car key delivered to their phone immediately. On arrival a customer could simply locate the rental car via GPS, unlock it and drive away, avoiding those frustrating queues at airport or train station car rental desks,” Volvo said.

The firm hopes to pilot this technology in spring 2016 via its car sharing firm Sunfleet, in Sweden. Volvo said the new technology will be shown for the first time at the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona at the Ericsson booth.

It added that a limited number of cars with this technology are expected to be commercially available in 2017. The firm also said that physical keys will continue to be offered for people who want them.

Volvo’s Vice President Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management, Henrik Greenm said the auto makers are out to make life better for its customers.

“At Volvo we are not interested in technology for the sake of technology. New technology has to make our customers’ lives easier and save them time. Mobility needs are evolving and so are our customers’ expectation to access cars in an uncomplicated way.Our innovative digital key technology has the potential to completely change how a Volvo can be accessed and shared. Instead of sitting idle in a parking lot the entire day, cars could be used more often and efficiently by whoever the owner wishes,” he said.

NASA to unravel secrets of Dark Energy & Dark Matter with new WFIRST Telescope

Emmanuel

February 19, 2016

American space agency, NASA, in a bid to unravel the secrets of the universe, has announced that it will build a new, wider telescope which will have a view 100 times bigger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The new telescope is named the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), and is slated to be launched in the mid-2020s.

WFIRST is NASA’s next major astrophysics observatory, following the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018.

The observatory will help unravel the secrets of dark energy and dark matter and explore the evolution of the universe.

It will also help discover new worlds outside our solar system and advance the search for worlds that could be suitable for life.

The WFIRST will begin operations after travelling to a gravitational balance point known as “Earth-Sun L2” which is located about one million miles from Earth in a direction directly opposite the Sun.

The observatory will survey large regions of the sky in near-infrared light to answer fundamental questions about the structure and evolution of the universe.

It will carry a Wide Field Instrument for surveys and also a Coronagraph Instrument designed to block the glare of individual stars and reveal the faint light of planets orbiting around them.

By blocking the light of the host star, the Coronagraph Instrument will enable detailed measurements of the chemical makeup of planetary atmospheres.

Comparing these data across many worlds will allow scientists to better understand the origin and physics of these atmospheres, and search for chemical signs of environments suitable for life.

“WFIRST has the potential to open our eyes to the wonders of the universe, much the same way Hubble has,”

said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC.

“This mission uniquely combines the ability to discover and characterize planets beyond our own solar system with the sensitivity and optics to look wide and deep into the universe in a quest to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter,” he explained in a statement.

Jaguar F-Type range topper debuts March 2016

Emmanuel

February 17, 2016

Jaguar has announced that it will unveil the SVR high-performance version of its F-Type two-seat model on the 1^st of March 2016 in Geneva.

The F-Type SVR is expected to become the brand’s fastest and most powerful production road car. The vehicle will be available as a coupe and convertible, and features an upgraded suspension, a titanium exhaust, ceramic brakes and forged wheels.

The car will compete directly with the Porsche 911 and will go on sale around July with prices starting at $125,950 (that’s about 25.2 million naira) for the coupe and $128,800 (that’s around 28 million naira) for the convertible. Order books are open now ahead of the car’s debut next month.

The vehicle sports an upgraded supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 700Nm torque engine which develops 567 hp, up from 542 hp in the R model, the current fastest F-Type.

The Jaguar F-Type SVR accelerates to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds or from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds. The coupe’s top speed is 200 mph and the convertible’s is 195 mph.

Inside, there’s an updated steering wheel with aluminium shift paddles and seats with a quilted leather finish. The dashboard features contrast stitching, and the seats are unique to the SVR model.

The Jaguar F-Type SVR also sports a few aerodynamic upgrades over the standard car. There are new air inlets at the front, along with an upgraded splitter and more vents to allow bigger quantities of air into the new cooling system.

There’s also a revised diffuser, an active rear wing at the rear and a flat underfloor for better aerodynamics.

That rear wing can reduce lift by up to 80 per cent, but to reach that impressive 200mph top speed it needs to be lowered to make the car more slippery.

The wheels are wider and lighter, allowing for bigger tyres to be fitted to improve grip. Carbon-ceramic brakes feature on the SVR to reduce weight by 21kg and are joined by stiffer suspension for better cornering ability.

Carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as well to improve the car’s braking ability on track. The upgraded titanium exhaust system results in a 12kg weight saving as well as giving the SVR a unique exhaust note.

The vehicle is the latest product from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division which was established in 2014 to create high-performance and bespoke vehicles for wealthier customers.

First ‘Made in Africa’ solar bus unveiled in Uganda

Emmanuel

February 16, 2016

Kiira Motors has launched Africa’s first solar-powered bus termed the “Kayoola” in Uganda.

The 35 seater bus can travel up to 50 miles straight and has two batteries powering it. One is connected to solar panels on the roof, while the other is charged electrically for longer distances and journeys at night.

CEO of Kiira Motors, Paul Isaac Musasizi, is the brains behind the bus. According to him, it takes just one hour to fully charge each battery. He said this makes the vehicle suitable for all sorts of duties in the cities, such as school buses or long journeys across borders.

“In Uganda, we have non-stop sun. No other countries manufacturing vehicles are on the equator like Uganda. We should celebrate that, and make a business out of it,” he said.

Kiira Motors recently ran a test drive of a prototype of the solar bus near the national stadium in Kampala. The test drive caused a buzz locally and grabbed a lot of attention overseas.

Musasizi was excited by the response.

“By launching the bus, we are saying Uganda now has the potential to add value in the world, especially within electric technology,”

he said.

The Kayoola solar bus prototype costs $140,000 to produce, but it would come with a much lower price tag of $45,000 if mass-produced.

Kiira Motors is fully-owned by the government and is funded by the Presidential Initiative on Science and Technology scheme. Musasizi said he hopes to attract investors interested in green energy for funding and future staff training.

He also has big plans for the future. The initial plans are to produce 50 solar buses a year and later start supplying pick-up trucks, sedans, light and medium duty trucks and buses to East Africa and beyond.

The firm currently has 32 staff and aims to have 200 by 2021.

Gravitational Waves Detected, Confirming Einstein’s Theory

Emmanuel

February 12, 2016

An international team of physicists has confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, which was first proposed by Albert Einstein about 100 years ago, marking one of the biggest astrophysical discoveries of the past century.

The news is causing waves in the scientific community. This is because it not only improves human’s understanding of how the Universe works, it also opens up a whole new way of studying it.

It’s believed that the waves will help scientists to understand how the Universe is shaped by mass.

Although the gravitational wave signal was detected on September 14 last year, it was recently announced at a press conference. Experts are already saying the discovery is a shoo-in for a Nobel Prize.

Moreover scientists have been searching for 100 years for the waves, as they are the last major prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity that’s yet to be confirmed.

The scientists used LIGO – the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory – to detect the waves.

The LIGO laboratory works by bouncing lasers back and forth in two 4-km-long pipes, allowing physicists to measure incredibly small changes in space-time.

On 14 September 2015, they picked up a relatively big change in their Livingston lab in Louisiana, what one would call a blip in the system.

Then, 7 milliseconds later, they detected the same blip with their lab in Hanford, Washington, 4,000 km away, suggesting that it had been caused by a gravitational wave passing through Earth.

In the months since, researchers have been rigorously studying this signal to see if it could have been caused by anything else.

The overwhelming conclusion is that the blip was caused by gravitational waves – the discovery has statistical significant of 5.1 sigma, which means there’s only a 1 in 6 million chance that the result is a fluke.

More so, the signal almost perfectly matches up with what scientists predicted gravitational waves would look like, based on Einstein’s theory.

The physicists were able to trace the signal back to the colliding of two black holes around 1.3 billion years ago. They said they had heard and recorded the sound of the event – a fleeting chirp, which confirmed the existence of gravitational waves.

This event was so massive that it significantly warped the fabric of space time, creating ripples that spread out across the Universe… finally reaching earth last year.

Members of the LIGO group, a worldwide team of scientists, along with scientists from a European team known as the Virgo Collaboration, published a report in Physical Review Letters on Thursday with more than 1,000 authors.

“I think this will be one of the major breakthroughs in physics for a long time,” said Szabolcs Marka, a Columbia University professor who is one of the LIGO scientists.

Several other gravitational wave observatories and detectors are scheduled to come online in the next five years, and they’ll allow us to more sensitively detect gravitational radiation.

2016 Volkswagen Passat (8th Generation) unveiled in Nigeria

Emmanuel

February 12, 2016

Popular Nigerian car dealer, Stallion, has unveiled the latest Volkswagen (VW) Passat which falls in the 8th Generation of the model in Nigeria.

The much anticipated revolutionary 8th Generation 2016 Volkswagen Passat was announced at the firm’s Victoria Island showroom.

The vehicle is considered a successor of the Chattanooga, another member of the mid-to-upscale Wolfsburg family sedan, which was launched in 2012.

The new Volkswagen Passat has an overall upscale cabin design. It boasts of 12-way power-adjustable front seats which are wide enough to not incarcerate the passengers.

The back seat would give 6-footers ample room to stretch out their legs. The car’s trunk is large enough to accommodate 15.9 cubic feet of cargo, and one can haul bulkier items when the 60/40 rear seatbacks are folded down.

The vehicle has a sleek outside design. It comes with uniquely shaped headlight units and LED headlamps that look strikingly different.

This is in addition to short overhangs, long wheelbase, striking bonnet and shoulder lines with excellently shaped radiator grille and front bumper.

The 2016 Volkswagen Passat is powered by a 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine and sports a Post-collision Braking System- which is now standard on all models across the line-up.

This new system will apply the brakes after a primary collision is detected by airbag sensors which help to reduce residual kinetic energy and the possibility of additional damage.

Stallion Motors Volkswagen Centre head of Sales & Marketing, Mr Manish Daryanani, said the quality of the VW Passat’s interior materials is among the best in the class.

“The premium Fender Audio System will please even hard-core audiophiles, and the new infotainment system is faster to respond to inputs and easier to use than the old unit. Smartphone and media players can now connect to the system via a USB port rather than the previous MDI plug,” Daryanani said.

Other features of the vehicle include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert, lane departure warning, aerial view overhead camera and parking steering assist.

The vehicle is considered to be positioned between Golf (Jetta) and Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up.

The VW car is expected to compete directly with the likes of Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Ford Fusion, and even the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes Benz C-Class.

Toyota Innova Crysta launches Q2 2016

Emmanuel

February 11, 2016

Toyota have announced that bookings for the Toyota Innova Crysta, which was unveiled at the Auto Expo 2016, will open by March 2016 in India.

Toyota said the vehicle, which is considered to be the latest model of the popular MPV, has a booking price of Rs. 50,000 (that’s about 150,000 naira).

The Toyota Innova Crysta is the first major update that the Innova has received since its launch in 2005. The vehicle underwent a complete cosmetic and mechanical revamp.

There is a brand new front end, with projector headlamps and a large hexagonal grille. The vehicle’s side view looks like that of the current Innova, but it’s longer and has a redesigned D-pillar. The rear end is completely fresh as well, with new lights, bumper and bootlid.

The Toyota Innova Crysta’s interior is more spacious than before and sports a layout loaded with automatic climate control, a 7-inch infotainment system with navigation and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat.

The second and third row seats can be folded at the touch of a button to make ingress and egress easier.

Other new features the vehicle has include a smart entry system with start/stop button, auto-close for tailgate, airbags as standard along with ABS, EBD and BA. It also has cruise control mode, and a powered driver’s seat.

The Toyota Innova Crysta will be powered by an all new 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine with options for a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The new engine puts out 149PS of power and 342Nm of torque (360Nm with the automatic transmission). It has two drive modes – Eco and Power.

The Innova Crysta is expected to be launched in India either by the end of March or in early April, 2016. It is likely to have a price tag above Rs 1,800,000 (that’s about 5.2 million naira).

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