In the quest for cleaner fuels, scientists from the Purdue University have created a new, solid rocket fuel. In a recent experiment, the nanoaluminum and ice combo was able to propel a rocket 1300 feet into the air. The new fuel called ALICE or Aluminum Ice and relies on the reaction between aluminum and water to provide the necessary energy.

Scientists say that the aluminum-water reaction could theoretically provide a lot of energy but the kinetics would be too slow and hard to ignite to provide acceptable thrust. To get around the problem, aluminum is chemically broken into small particles of nearly 80nm length and mixed with water for the desired effect. A length of 80 nm, scientists say, is most suited for providing the required thrust.

The test rocket was powered by a hollow rod of ALICE, which was seven inches long and three inches in diameter. Within a second of being fired, the rocket was able to reach a speed of nearly 200 miles an hour. That performance is slightly less than the thrust generated by conventional solid rocket boosters. And with the emissions of aluminum oxide, which is much more environmentally friendly as compared to the conventional rocket emissions, ALICE is a cleaner alternative. There is of course, a lot more to be done before the new fuel can find practical use in space missions, but for now, it appears to be on the right track.

Via: Discovery

Considering that the Tata Nano sells because of its low price, and that cheapest models in the US cost $10k, Ford has picked up the offensive by introducing the 1993 Taurus for the 2010 model year. And at $650 price tag, it will trample its opponents. The newly (re)introduced Taurus comes with excellent facilities like a working exhaust, functional batteries, and it even has a standard Primus cassette tape. Click ahead to see the video from The Onion and watch them hit the nail on the head for auto rollout speeches.

Via: The Onion/ TheCarConnection

A vehicle on tracks propelled by magnetic forces quickly brings maglev to mind, but this system proposed by Spanish company Novateq Guerrero SNL shuns maglev along with the conventional system. The idea is to propel vehicles using super strong Neodymium magnets. These magnets can be nine times more powerful than normal/ conventional magnets.

The company has developed a prototype of the system, and claims that the system is robust and simple, with a long life and fewer maintenance operations. The magnetic fields will be modified by steel alloys to create a system that can move and stop vehicles at will.

Via: Inhabitat

The 2009 LA Design Challenge, like its previous versions, gives us a peek into the future. The theme of this year’s design contest has automobiles for the youth of the future. These “youthmobile” cars/concepts have been designed for the youth of 2030, those ranging between 16 to 23 years age. Entries to this year’s contest are from Audi, Mazda, GM, Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Click ahead for a look at the participants, and some ideas that range from the downright impractical to the clumsy.

Mazda Souga

The Mazda Souga concept is meant for the young entrepreneurs of Los Angeles. The Souga lets users create a personalized expression of their own self, a car that can be built, shared and experimented with in the virtual world of VMazda, before the consumer decides to bring it into the physical realm. Once the order for a “physical” car is placed, it is manufactured rapidly to the consumer’s specifications, and delivered at a cost of just $2000. The only additional price the user will have to pay is the monthly electric expense this electric car will generate.

Audi eSpira/ eOra

Audi’s entry has two autonomous cars for the future generation. These autonomous cars will provide safety, efficiency and convenience for their drivers. The eSpira will function as an “extension” to the driver’s body. The car can be controlled by the slightest of movements and gestures from the driver, and the vehicle’s control logic will provide the driver with an uncompromised driving experience. The eOra concept is a “sport vehicle” that moves on the same principle as the eSpira, but has more agile and dynamic looks and handling.

GM Car Hero
The name of this concept points towards an obvious connection with the popular Guitar Hero. The Car Hero, intends to be both a game, and a car. The autonomous vehicle has been designed to actually help people learn to drive. And it actually sounds far-fetched and impractical, even for a concept. Initially, the driver simply enters the destination, and tries to match the skill of the system as the car drives to its destination. As the driver gets better, controls “unlock” to ultimately give the driver a full overriding control. Once there, the vehicle decides to “challenge” the driver by using its “transmorphable” architecture to gradually reduce the number of wheels from four to one!

Nissan V2G

Nissan’s V2G [UNLMTD] concept runs on the high-speed, high-efficiency networks called GRID. The V2G (Vehicle to Grid) is a high-quality, low-cost electric vehicle that, to quote “is the best selling electric vehicle of its time.” I’m surprised they didn’t call it the bestselling vehicle of all time. The vehicle’s access to this high-speed grid is dictated by a number of affordable plans, much similar to our current mobile phone plans. Oh… and ultimately, “In the spirit of LA’s legendary automotive counter-culture” the youth hack the V2G to take it off-GRID and explore the endless opportunities the vehicle provides.

Honda Helix

The Honda Helix concentrates on individuality and unique traits. Like the Audi concepts up there, this one intends to be an extension of the user, though the Helix appears to be a lot more seriously and deeply into this issue. It uses Advanced Adaptive Polymers capable of shifting shape, color or even material properties. These polymers couple with the user’s DNA to create a truly unique bond, the longer the owner stays with the vehicle, the better it understands its users. Taking the DNA connection further, the Helix too has distinct shape-shifting conformations called A, B and Z, each corresponding to different traffic patterns.

Toyota LINK

The LINK is a mass transit vehicle designed to meet networking demands and continuously evolving preferences of the youth. The affordable concept would be available to students at various HUBs throughout the city, and would provide them with facilities for social networking and sharing data. The exterior of the concept is made of “LINK SKINZ” and would allow users to personalize design. The concept moves on spheres that harness energy even from friction to charge the electric vehicle’s batteries.

Via: LA Design Challenge

The TVR Throne concept from designer Hussein Al Jammazi has the power to be in the supercar arena. Its supercharged aluminum V8 engine generates 638 hp, enough to take the car from a standing start to 60mph in a mere 4.2 seconds. The designer has included a two-barrel carburetor to make the car suitable and powerful enough to handle the conditions in hot regions.

Headlights are placed somewhat back into the hood, and mirrors protrude from the sides of the curvy body. Despite sounding interesting, there seems to be something wrong with the design, it is simply has too many curves vying for attention. Also, I may be wrong, but from the renderings I see, the length and wheelbase of the concept look rather too small to handle all those curves, or even the mighty V8 it is supposed to have.

Via: Tuvie

Someday we will be living on and under the oceans. This idea isn’t farfetched and if it comes true then here’s the answer to a new type of underwater transportation system.

The image above and the videos that follow show the immense talent of Pantural. The renderings and CG is amazingly realistic and the unlikely combination that he puts to race is quite intriguing. It’s a race between a Shelby Mustang, Camaro, Jeep, Vaz (Lada) 2107, and a military helicopter. Not a match of equals, and the results are surprising. Oh, and about a minute into the video, a giant sphere with spikes lands to release something that vaguely looked like Symbiote from Spiderman. That thing gives the cars a real aggressive makeover. Checkout the videos after the jump.

Via: Pantural’s YouTube Channel/ Pantural’s Renderings/ Fubiz

The premise of the car finder iPhone app is to help you easily reach your car in a packed parking lot. We’ve seen things like the fireworks system to make your car stand out, and the more sane and practical GPS keyring, but this app may have an edge considering you don’t need to buy another gadget, and a $0.99 app on your iPhone will do the job.

This app relies on the phone’s camera, digital compass and a touch of augmented reality to lead you back to your car. It is compatible only with the iPhone 3GS running 3.1 or later.

Via: Cult of Mac/ BoingBoing

There are weird automobiles that can’t move an inch after their weird mutations, and then there’s this motorcycle that manages to do stunts even with shoes replacing wheels. This FMX bike literally rides on shoes, DC shoes to be precise. The bike is a product of DC Shoes, Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, and it featured in a DC ad. Checkout the video after the jump to see Travis Pastrana and the bike in action, and Pastrana destroying the bike at the end.

Via: DC Moto

The words “Automotive porn” are more of a misnomer for this dual engine hot rod its creator has lovingly named “Priapism.” On display at SEMA, the hotrod has two engines to draw power from, and is completely street legal. Though it hasn’t actually had a run yet, its creators say it could command 900-950 hp. With the mighty engines up front, the hotrod will likely have many enthusiasts lust for it. And be simultaneously attracted to and repelled by the Priapism.

Via: CarDomain Blog