Gizmag News - Triple-E Maersk: the world's largest and most efficient container ship

Welcome to the newsletter for gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for February the 22nd, 2011. The Triple-E Maersk container ship will be the world's largest ship and the most efficient Korea’s Daewoo is to build the world’s largest ship for Mærsk line. The US$190 million, 400 metre ‘Triple-E’ class bohemoths will carry 18,000 TEU containers, 2500 more than the current largest, Emma Mærsk. Superior economies of scale will enable the new monsters to surpass the industry record for both fuel efficiency and (20% better) CO2 emissions per container moved. In a move set to impact global shipping transport costs and efficiencies, ten Triple-E ships will go into service between 2013 and 2015 with a further 20 ships optioned. If the same number of containers were loaded on a train, it would be 110 km long. If they were stacked on top of one another, they’d reach beyond the stratosphere (47 km). Read More BMW i – car giant's new sub-brand focuses on sustainable mobility In a move designed to highlight the company's commitment to "sustainable mobility solutions," BMW has launched a new sub-brand – BMW i. Two models based on existing concept studies will start the ball rolling under the new label from 2013. The BMW i3 will be based on the all-electric Megacity urban vehicle concept, while the BMW i8 is the planned production version of the plug-in hybrid BMW Vision EfficientDynamics sportscar shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2009. Read More The US$930,000 Rebellion REB-5 Black Diamond – the intersection of jewelery and horology Proof that the jewelery and watchmaking industries are indeed one and the same, is the Rebellion REB-5. The watch on the right is the base model REB-5, which sells for 189,000 Swiss francs (US$196,000) and it’s hard not to take someone seriously if they’re wearing one. The one on the left is unique. It’s the Rebellion Black Diamond REB-5 and the person who buys it will have parted with 890,000 Swiss francs (US$928,500). Read More The 2,200 bhp 42ft Ducati Edition US$700,000 Cigarette Boat will top 120 mph on water Ducati is making a serious effort to move its motorcycle brand upwards and leverage the visibility its MotoGP and World Superbike success has given it. The recently announced marketing alliances with automotive brand AMG and apparel company Diesel have now been extended to the luxury go-fast Cigarette boat company. Some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential people have owned cigarette boats including George Bush Snr, King Hussein of Jordan and King Juan Carlos of Spain. This week a Cigarette Racing 42X Ducati Edition was launched at the Miami Boat Show with staggered 1,100hp Mercury Racing engines, a special sound system, a top speed in excess of 120 mph (on water no less), and a price tag of US$700,000. Read More U.S. Army takes delivery of iPhone app for Patriot Missile training Want to learn how to launch a Patriot missile? Turns out there’s an app for that. Incorporating video of actual Patriot Missile crews in action as well as 3D animation and illustrations, C² Technologies, Inc.’s Patriot Missile mobile app trains Patriot missile crews how to position and ready the Patriot missile system to launch and fire. The app is designed to not only provide training for soldiers at any time and any place, but also to offer access to critical information in the field. Read More Researchers increase the efficiency of cheaper quantum dot solar cells Developing solar cells that are cheaper to produce and can harness the sun’s energy more efficiently are both important factors in ensuring the widespread use of solar energy to provide a clean alternative to fossil fuels in the future. Stanford researchers have found that adding a single layer of organic molecules can achieve both these goals by increasing three-fold the efficiency of quantum dot solar cells, which are cheaper to produce than traditional solar cells. Read More The US$465,000 Lexus LFA Nurburgring – the most expensive Japanese car ever Lexus' LFA supercar is, or was, the most exclusive vehicle ever built by the world’s largest automobile manufacturer – only 500 of the exotic carbon fiber 200 mph V10s will be sold at US$375,000 apiece. Now the racetrack-focused “LFA Nürburgring Package” is set to be revealed. Only 50 such 562 bhp vehicles will be produced with revised aerodynamics and technical refinements designed to fine-tune the exotic two-seat sports coupe to be capable of lapping the fabled Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit under 7:20. Now the average Gomer needs more than just a wad of cash, industrial-sized gonads and a sweet handling, brutally powerful car to get around the “Green Hell” inside eight minutes, let alone seven twenty, so the price includes special instruction sessions on the circuit into the bargain. The car can be had in white, orange or black at US$445,000 or in and matte black for US$465,000, making it the most expensive Japanese road car ever. Read More Two slightly used space suits for sale More space history will go on sale in New York on May 5 when Bonhams will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Alan Shepard’s historic mission in Freedom 7 with a Space Sale. Some early highlights of the sale include a Sokol K spacesuit worn by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the historic 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Project (the symbolic end to the Space Race) and a Sokol KV-2 spacesuit worn by Gennadi Strekalov during a 1990 mission to the Mir space station. Can you tell which is which? Read More Volvo's production-ready V60 Plug-in Diesel Hybrid Plug-in diesel hybrids seem like such a no-brainer that it’s surprising that we haven’t seen a production model prior to now. Peugeot and Mercedes Benz announced the first production diesel hybrids last year in the form of the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4 and E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID which should both see showrooms this year. Volvo today announced the first diesel plug-in hybrid – the incredibly frugal V60 Plug-in Hybrid uses a 215 bhp five-cylinder 2.4-litre D5 turbo diesel coupled with a 70 bhp electric motor to offer sporting acceleration (0-100 km/h in 6.9 secs thanks to a whopping combined 640 Nm of torque) and just 49 gm/km of CO2. Its electric-only range of nearly 60 km (32 miles), means most folk will be able to use it as an electric only vehicle. Read More Viewsonic unveils world’s first Dual-SIM Froyo smartphone Those that like to keep their business and personal lives separate know that two SIMs are better than one. To that end Viewsonic has unveiled the world’s first Dual-SIM Android Froyo smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2011. The Viewsonic V350 is aimed at businesses looking to provide staff with a device that can offer separate numbers and bills for personal and business use, travelers looking to reduce roaming costs while retaining access to their regular number, or just regular consumers looking to take advantage of different deals from different network providers. Read More Maserati’s new 285 km/h Grancabrio Sport Another high horsepower premium soft top will debut in Geneva in the form of the 331 kW (450 bhp) Maserati Grancabrio Sport. The hard-edged Grancabrio uses the same 4.7-litre V8, driving through a ZF six-speed automatic though the engine has benefited from Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program to achieve a 6% reduction in fuel consumption. The new six-speed 285 km/h automatic will debut at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in a new colour (Rosso Trionfale) inspired by the Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis such as the Maserati 250F in which Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth F1 World Title in 1957. Read More If you would like to refer this newsletter to a friend or colleague, please point them at our free subscription page. Please don't try to forward this email, as the formatting is unlikely to remain intact. And don't worry, we don't share email addresses. Please read our privacy policy if you are concerned. Watch for more of the best new innovations, ideas and practical technologies in your inbox. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please click here to unsubscribe. COPYRIGHT GIZMAG (C) 2011