Transport Archives - Mechtraveller

Five minute EV FLASH charging from BYD

Alastair — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:55:50 +0000

Electric vehicle manufacturer BYD have just demonstrated their FLASH charging system for the first time in the UK. This could be something of a game-changer. As we all know, one of the main disadvantages of electric vehicles is the time it takes to re-charge. Despite improved charging systems, you simply can’t pull into a service […]

The post Five minute EV FLASH charging from BYD appeared first on Mechtraveller.

“Hey Google, can I park here?”

Alastair — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:41:21 +0000

At this week’s Google I/O conference, Volvo Cars and Google have been demonstrating ‘contextually aware driving experiences’ using the latest advancements in AI in Volvo’s EX60 SUV. Making use of the Google Gemini vehicle camera integrated in the EX60, Gemini can (with the driver’s permission) see and understand its surroundings from the perspective of the […]

The post “Hey Google, can I park here?” appeared first on Mechtraveller.

Air New Zealand launch Economy Class Bunk Beds

Alastair — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:57:07 +0000

Air New Zealand (ANZ) have unveiled their new economy class ‘Skynest’ mini dormitories, featuring six bunks that will be available to book on flights from 18 May 2026. Each Skynest bunk (“pod”) provides a quiet, private space with a full-length mattress, bedding, ambient lighting, ventilation and charging ports (USB C & A). The six-bunk Skynest […]

The post Air New Zealand launch Economy Class Bunk Beds appeared first on Mechtraveller.

The annual 1000 Miglia classic car rally is both a motorsport and tourism event

Alastair — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:40:13 +0000

This year’s ‘1000 Miglia Experience Italy’ classic car rally is almost upon us*. For the first time, the 1000 Miglia will take place entirely in Puglia. From 9 to 12 April, the crews will embark on a journey that combines a passion for driving with the exploration of iconic landscapes and villages steeped in history, […]

The post The annual 1000 Miglia classic car rally is both a motorsport and tourism event appeared first on Mechtraveller.

What’s the significance of Brittany Ferries’ New-Generation Cross-Channel Ferries?

Alastair — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:10:37 +0000

Almost one year ago, Brittany Ferries introduced their new flagship ‘Guillaume de Normandie‘, intended to replace the old ‘Normandie‘ on their Portsmouth – Caen/Ouistreham* route. Like her sister ship, Saint-Malo (SM), which began operating Portsmouth – St Malo two months earlier, the Guillaume de Normandie (GdN) is not a simple replacement, she’s a Chinese-built new-generation […]

The post What’s the significance of Brittany Ferries’ New-Generation Cross-Channel Ferries? appeared first on Mechtraveller.

Great Central Railway is to host a classic diesel locomotive this year

Alastair — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:18:56 +0000

The Great Central Railway (GCR) has confirmed that Class 55 Deltic D9015 Tulyar will be based at the heritage railway during 2026* and that it will hopefully mark a major milestone for diesel preservation when it hauls its first passenger train in 29 years. Owned by the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS), D9015 is one of […]

The post Great Central Railway is to host a classic diesel locomotive this year appeared first on Mechtraveller.

Chinese eVTOL Developer Unveils the World’s First 5-Ton Class eVTOL Aircraft

Alastair — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:51:35 +0000

One of the earliest eVTOL developers, Autoflight, has revealed Matrix, the world’s first 5-ton class electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Matrix successfully completed a public full transition flight demonstration this week at the company’s low-altitude flight test facility centre in Kunshan,Jiangsu Province. During the demonstration (flying alongside AutoFlight’s 2-ton CarryAll cargo eVTOL), Matrix […]

The post Chinese eVTOL Developer Unveils the World’s First 5-Ton Class eVTOL Aircraft appeared first on Mechtraveller.

What would happen if your preferred Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) shut down?

Alastair — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:36:08 +0000

This is some interesting engineering. Have you wondered, as you watch your Amazon parcel “just 5 stops away”, what our world would look like if we suddenly lost GPS? It’s not just you, and a squillion delivery drivers. It would effect all transport systems (apart maybe for rail!), and it’s estimated that just a short […]

The post What would happen if your preferred Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) shut down? appeared first on Mechtraveller.

200 Years of Railway Heritage celebrated at the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology

Alastair — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 17:21:20 +0000

The Museum of Science and Technology in Vienna (Technisches Museum Wien) is, like us in the UK, celebrating 200 years of technical and social advances brought about by the railway. Their temporary exhibition Under the Spell of the Railway – 200 Years of Rail Transport, opened in October and uses impressive models, historical objects, and […]

The post 200 Years of Railway Heritage celebrated at the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology appeared first on Mechtraveller.

The Rotabuggy

Alastair — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 15:53:40 +0000

Designed in 1943 by Austrian aeronautical engineer, Raoul Hafner, for the British Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE), the Hafner Rotabuggy was a standard Willey’s Jeep converted into an autogyro*. What is an autogyro? Well, like a helicopter it has rotor blades, but unlike a helicopter they are not powered. The blades autorotate with forward motion, […]

The post The Rotabuggy appeared first on Mechtraveller.