Articles

The world’s largest wind-powered cargo ship just made its first delivery across the Atlantic

Posted 09-06-2024, by Adele Peters
https://fastcompany.com/91185144/the-worlds-largest-wind-powered-cargo-ship-just-made-its-first-delivery-across-the-atlantic
A French startup is bringing sails back to the shipping industry.
When the wind is strong enough and the ship is moving quickly, the propellers in the engines can spin backwards, generating power from the wake in the water. That energy can be used to run electronics on board, from the kitchen to ventilation.
The sails are deployed with a mechanized system rather than sailors working by hand. “You could actually handle the whole rigging—the seven sails on board, and 3,000 square meters of sail—with just one remote control,” says Le Grand. At around 265 feet long, the vessel is a little bigger than the Cutty Sark, the famous British clipper ship. But while the Cutty Sark had 48 sailors, Anemos has just seven.

“It’s a Little Bit of Utopia”: The dream of replacing container ships with sailing boats

Posted 14 Jul 2022, by Wendell Steavenson
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/it-s-a-little-bit-of-utopia-the-dream-of-replacing-container-ships-with-sailing-boats
https://theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/14/replacing-container-ships-with-sailing-boats-cargo-shipping-wind-power
Global trade depends almost entirely on huge, dirty, dangerous container ships. Now a team of French shipbuilders is bringing back wind-powered sea freight.

Are flying cars finally here?

By Dylan Matthews, posted Jan 5 2024
https://vox.com/future-perfect/2024/1/5/24023892/flying-cars-china-j-storrs-hall-technology-innovation-helicopter
The world had flying cars in the 1930s. Where’d they go?
The social barriers to a flying car world?

Autonomous flying taxi startup Ehang files $100 million initial public offering

https://theverge.com/2019/11/1/20943407/ehang-flying-taxi-drone-ipo-initial-offering-100-million
The flying car industry is trying to go mainstream
Ehang, a Chinese company that builds drones large enough to carry human passengers, filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to go public on Nasdaq with a $100 million offering of depository shares. The company, which has flown thousands of test flights over the years, is preparing to launch what it hopes is the world’s first autonomous air taxi service in the coming months.

Why the hovercraft’s time might have finally arrived

By Mark Piesing, posted 13th January 2024
https://bbc.com/future/article/20240112-why-the-hovercrafts-time-might-have-finally-arrived
Hovercraft were a quick way to zip across the world’s waterways but were noisy and expensive to operate. Could they be about to enjoy a second wind?