Airbus Group confirmed production plans for electric aircraft E-Fan 2.0 from late 2017 or early 2018.

The company will invest €20 million in the overall design and development of the E-Fan 2.0 aircraft, while the rest will comes from partners and government support.

The aircraft will be manufactured by subsidiary Voltair in a new plant, for which construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 in Pau in the southwest of France.

Initial production volume will be small, and should grow to some 80 units annually by 2025.

“Voltair will also be in charge of selling and providing services like maintenance for the E-Fan aircraft. Airbus Group will invest € 20 million in the overall design and development of the E-Fan 2.0 aircraft, in addition to contributions from Airbus Group’s partners. The consortium is supported by La Nouvelle France Industrielle. The Aquitaine region is also supporting the project through a regional subsidy and the FEDER (Le Fonds Européen de Développement Regional) investment for a total of € 2.25 million. Pau, which is already a regional centre for the aeronautics industry in France, was chosen as it is located close to design partner Daher and offers direct access to the runway, a medium size airport and good meteorological conditions. The purchase of the site from the current owner is due to be signed by mid-year 2015 with construction works for the FAL scheduled to start in the middle of 2016. The targeted goal for entry-into-service of the first E-Fan 2.0 is around the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018. E-Fan 2.0 is a key project in the industrial plans launched by the French government in 2013.”

“Airbus Group will bring its electric technical demonstrator aircraft, E-Fan, into serial production with the E-Fan 2.0, a two-seater version dedicated to initial pilot training. Airbus Group’s E-Fan project started in 2012 with an intensive development phase of more than 12 months. The demonstrator aircraft was first presented at the Paris Air Show in 2013. Since its first flight on 11 March 2014, the E-Fan has performed more than 78 test flights with more than 38 flight hours in total.”

What is the best building in the world?

A High Performance Building

Firstly, let’s define what a high performance building is, according to the High Performance Building Council definition “high performance building” is a building that integrates and optimizes all major high-performance building attributes; including energy efficiency, durability, life-cycle performance, and occupant productivity.

My simple definition of a high performance building is;

 Based on the above image which explains what is a HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING (HPB) There are no cars that posses all the criteria of a High performance building. One will immediately think that a HPB will be extremely expensive, well with the research that I conducted; proves that HPB is a feasible structure especially over the Life cycle of a building. For instance, a HPB consumes very little energy and natural resources including water. Furthermore, the building is designed to run fully on renewable energy (wind & or solar) and the excess energy produced are sold to a local electricity company.

So who designs a High Performance building? Certified professionals in the fields of building science, sustainable design and building performance. Currently major Architectural, Engineering and Construction firms focus on HPB designs to achieve LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. (For more information go to http://www.usgbc.org/leed) These professionals are highly trained in doing complex building simulations based on climate adaptations, building performance analysis, integration of structural systems and material selection (just to name a few). This highly technical feat is accomplished by utilizing both top-notch B.I.M (building information modeling) intelligent model with simulation tools and site investigations.

Will driverless cars be the death of the insurance industry?

Driverless cars are coming and they will reduce the risk of accidents - so what does that mean for the future of the motor insurance industry?


Driverless cars could be on our roads within the decade. Some of the technology is already out there, from automatic brakes to cruise control to warnings when a car drifts out of its lane.
But if the idea of travelling at 70mph in a vehicle controlled by a computer, rather than a person, scares you, it shouldn’t. An estimated 90pc of road accidents are the result of driver error. Eliminate the driver, and you eliminate the error - or so the theory goes.

But that begs the question: if the risks of driving are removed, will there be any need for motor insurance?
The development of this new technology has certainly given the industry pause for thought. This week Britain’s largest motor insurer, Direct Line, described driverless cars as an emerging risk which could have “a major impact on the size and nature of the insurance market and the role of insurers”.

Toyota’s 2017 Highlander heads to New York with updated styling, powertrains

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The Toyota Highlander is one of those crossovers that makes one wonder why its owner didn’t just buy a minivan. Sure, it’s got a tall ride height and styling that makes it look vaguely like a truck, but that styling isn’t very interesting, and there’s nothing on the spec sheet that hints at the Highlander being fun to drive.

At least Toyota is diligent about updates. Debuting at the 2016 New York Auto Show, the 2017 Toyota Highlander gets a refresh that includes revised styling and some mechanical changes. The updates will likely keep the Highlander selling in droves, but probably won’t make it any less boring.

The biggest news is the addition of an eight-speed automatic transmission and a 3.5-liter direct-injected V6 that Toyota says is new. The company wouldn’t release specifications for this powertrain, but says it will be shared with the 2017 Sienna minivan. The 3.5-liter V6 in the current Highlander makes 270 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a six-speed automatic.