London’s new Routemaster buses might not be as green as you think

London’s Mayor Boris Johnson has long championed green public transport, but his hybrid Routemaster buses are now being criticised for faulty batteries and an overdependence on diesel. According to MayorWatch‘s Christian Wolmar — who hopes to be Labour’s next Mayoral candidate — 40 drivers from Holloway Garage have put together a dossier slamming the broken batteries. As a result, the group says Routemaster buses are relying on diesel for 90 per cent of their journeys and overworking the conventional engines, which are only supposed to run while the internal batteries are charging.

Both Transport for London (TfL) and Metroline, a bus operator which manages some of the Routemaster routes, have confirmed that there’s been a problem with the electric systems. Mike Weston, TfL’s director for buses, says the batteries are now being upgraded “as soon as possible and within the warranty period, at no cost to TfL or the taxpayer.”

According to Wolmar, however, the problem isn’t just economical. He’s brandished the buses a “dangerous con” because, according to drivers he’s spoken with, the faulty batteries are also making them a hazard on the road. The engine doesn’t initiate as quickly as it should, so drivers are keeping their foot on the accelerator while the handbrake is engaged. Not only is this dangerous and a waste of fuel, but the slow acceleration means buses are rolling back on inclines. Drivers have criticised the Routemaster design for other reasons too, such as the lack of opening windows and doors that hit passengers as they fold inwards. TfL is strongly denying most of these claims though: “New Routemaster buses are completely safe whether they operate in diesel mode or electric mode.”

[Image Credit: AP Photo/Sang Tan]

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: MayorWatch, BBC

Lockheed Martin buys helicopter maker Sikorsky

Don’t look now, but Lockheed Martin just became an even larger aerospace powerhouse. The aircraft maker has acquired helicopter maker Sikorsky (best known for the UH-60 Blackhawk) for $9 billion. The two have already been partners on programs like the MH-60, but this gives Lockheed its very own rotary-wing team. If a customer wants something that flies, the company will have it covered. The buyout is poised to close by late 2015 or early 2016, provided everything goes smoothly.

The union might come at a stiff price, however. Lockheed says it’s conducting a “strategic review” of both its information systems group and a chunk of its missile division — tough times in the market have led Lockheed to believe that these segments would be better-off either spun out or sold to someone else. That puts the future of more than 17,000 workers in doubt, and that’s not including whatever jobs might be cut when the Sikorsky deal wraps up.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee]

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Lockheed Martin

Inateck 4-Port USB Car Charger review

Smartphones are capable of so much, from checking emails and messages to bank accounts and watching videos, whether we are at home or on the move. The more we use our smartphones and tablets, though, the quicker we need to recharge them. Many of us routinely use our handsets as navigation devices in the car and that quite often exhausts the battery in no time at all. But, just because you are in the car doesn’t mean you have to put up with disappointing battery life, especially if you have something like Inateck’s 4-port USB car charger to call upon. 

In the box, you get the Inateck 4-port USB car charger, two handy MicroUSB charging cables, and a short instruction manual which we’ll deal with first. The manual advises that the charger should be unplugged when starting or stopping the car motor. This is something I forgot about entirely until it came time to write the review. Thankfully, no harm came to our Renault Clio nor to the car charger, but your mileage may vary. When it comes to safety recommendations, it is best to follow what the manufacturer says.

The charger has a plastic main body with the 4 USB ports encased in aluminium. Each USB slot is capable of outputting 2.4A, 9.6A in total. Once connected and drawing power, a tiny blue LED lights up indicating the charger is ready for use.

I found that some devices charged quicker than others, with the choice of cable having an impact on charging rates. For example, the third-party magnetic charging cable I use with my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet would only charge at a rate of .650A while its proprietary micro-USB cable went up to 1.2A. The two Inateck branded micro-USB charging cables included are 4ft long, each with a nifty little velcro tidy that keeps them, well, tidy. More importantly, the Sony tablet received a 1.2A charge when using the included cables.

At one point, while we were travelling, I hooked up an LG G3, Note 3, Galaxy S5 and my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet, all of which were topped up at a good rate. The image above shows my G3 while it was the only device plugged in while the one below shows the charger with all four ports occupied.

Things I liked:

• Four USB slots resulted in us arriving at our destination with fully charged devices, no more having to prioritize which device is more deserving of a charge.
• Peace of mind thanks to the built-in protection from overcharging and overheating. The built-in chip also intelligently detects the safest charging current for your device.
• Each USB slot is rated at 5V/ 2.4A.
• The charger is solidly constructed, plugging into the socket tightly. It also looks pretty smart.

Things I didn’t like:

• Having four USB slots means the charger is a little more obtrusive than usual for a car charger. This slight negative was balanced out when we used all four USB slots.

In conclusion, Inateck has done a good job with the design and features of its 4-port USB car charger. For the price, it’s a good item. If you are on a road trip with your kids in the back, using your phone for navigation, you can rest assured that the Inateck 4-port USB car charger will keep everyone’s device topped up; helping you avoid being asked if you are there yet.

The Inateck 4-port USB car charger is available from Amazon in the United States for $14.99 or in the United Kingdom for £15.99.

[Inateck]

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