Head of design Wolfgang Egger comments, “As a high-performance e-bike for sports and trick cycling, it features the Audi core competences of design, ultra, e-tron and connect.” The Audi e-bike Worthersee puts in its first major appearance at this year’s Worthersee Tour, the 31st meet for Audi, VW, Seat and Skoda fans; trial biker Julien Dupont and downhill specialist Petra Bernhard will demonstrate their stunts and streetbike skills.
“When developing the Audi e-bike Worthersee we drew on motor racing design principles for inspiration,” explains Hendrik Schaefers, one of the designers at Concept Design Studio Munich. “The e-bike appears incredibly precise, highly emotional and strictly functional. Indeed, the design effort focused on its function as a sports machine. All design elements are thus firmly aligned to the technical features.”
The frame features a low center of gravity and a compact overall volume. The lithium-ion battery is incorporated into the frame and requires 2.5 hours to fully charge. On long trial tours, only a few simple steps are required to remove the battery and replace it with a charged one.
The frame and the swinging arm that holds the back wheel are made of carbon fiber composites. The same material is used for the 26-inch wheels, which feature an innovative “Audi ultra blade” design with broad flat spokes for an optimized transmission of pedal power. “We were able to demonstrate with the choice of materials just how closely design goes hand in hand with expertise in ultra lightweight construction,” Hendrik Schaefers comments.
Homogeneous LED light strips round out the frame and create the immediately recognizable Audi light signature. For extreme tricks and stunts, the seat can be lowered to run flush with the frame itself. At the press of a button, the seat then rises up and the biker can adopt a comfortable position.
Cycling modes and other functions can be set using the touchscreen on-bike computer. The cyclist’s smartphone hooks up by WLAN to the computer – when the rider starts cycling, for example, the immobilizer is deactivated. Video images of the trial drive or of a trick, as recorded via the in-helmet camera, are uploaded to the Internet in real time via smartphone. Each trick performed successfully is then awarded success points, and as the number of points awarded grows, the cyclist receives awards and the challenge level rises, too. The rankings table in the Internet means the rider can measure himself/herself against other bikers.
The cyclist can choose between a total of five cycling modes – pure muscle power, the electric motor alone, or pedaling supported by the electric motor. In the “Pure” mode, the drive power is purely the product of the cyclist’s legs, while in “Pedelec” mode the cyclist is supported by the electric motor that then makes speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) possible and provides a range of 50 to 70 kilometers (31 to 44 miles).
In “eGrip” mode, the Audi e-bike Worthersee runs solely on the electric motor and can reach a top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The cyclist then controls forward momentum using a gripshift and can configure the power as desired using the computer.
When performing wheelies, an electronic control system support the rider when performing tricks and back-wheel biking. Different modes can be set using a smartphone or directly on the e-bike – either “Power Wheelie” mode, with adjustable wheelie angle for less skilled bikers or “Balanced Wheelie” mode for sporting challenges. In “Balanced Wheelie” mode, the electronic control system maintains the rider’s balance, by compensating the biker’s movements forwards or backwards via the electric motor.
Why are the signs being added?
The signs, a national standard approved by they Federal Highway Administration, are being added to increase safety for both bicycles and automobiles. No laws have been changed. The signs are simply stating existing state law.
Making our city and our region more bike friendly by improving safety makes it a more attractive place to live. Thriving cities across the country are improving bikability and walkability in order to attract more residents. Statistics show that doing so is good for local property values as well as local businesses.
Is biking in the street legal?
Yes, in the state of Ohio, and in most states, bicycles are considered legitimate vehicles with the same rights to the road as cars. Bicycles can ride on roads as long as they are not freeways containing overpasses. Drivers of automobiles may pass bicycles just as they would pass any other slow moving vehicle such as a tractor, Amish buggy, delivery truck, etc. Drivers should leave a minimum of three feet between their cars and a bike when passing.
What are the key rules for biking on the road?
Bicyclists must follow all the same rules that one would follow in a car. You must ride with traffic, NOT against it. Stop signs, stop lights, yield signs and turn signals must be obeyed. You cannot pass on the right.
Bikers must also ride to the right in most situations, unless making a left-hand turn or riding at the same speed as traffic. Do not, however, ride so far to the right that you put yourself in danger of hitting the curb if you have to avoid an object on the road. It is best to ride where the right tire of a car would normally be on the road. This encourages drivers to safely pass you and gives you room to safely avoid objects and potholes in the road. The added safety comes from the fact that riding in this zone allows the biker to swerve right to avoid hazards instead of swerving left into passing traffic. Riding too close to the curb encourages passing drivers to "squeeze" by you. This creates a dangerous situation for everyone and prevents you from being able to avoid road hazards.
For riding after dark, you must have a white front headlight and a red tail light. Make sure that it is bright enough to be seen by cars in poor visibility situations like rain and fog. You may even wish to purchase lights that are bright enough to be used during the day. Good LED bike lights can be purchased at a local bike shop for under $30 and can last all season on one set of batteries.
Bright reflective clothing and a helmet are also recommended for obvious safety reasons. They key is to be seen by others so that they do not accidentally hit you!
When Ardenwald residents heard Portland-Milwaukie light rail was coming to town, some saw an opportunity. Their opinions differed on the merits of the MAX, but maybe they could get something out of it for the community.
From that community brainstorming, they came up with a plan: TriMet would pitch in some money, and if residents could raise $300,000, they could restore Johnson Creek around the Tacoma Street light rail station and install an interpretive boardwalk.
TriMet contributed a $64,000 match to an East Multnomah County Soil and Water Conservation District grant that was used to design the educational and interpretive aspects of the boardwalk.
To restore the creek, the Creek Committee, as the resident group has become known, and Johnson Creek Watershed Council must work with public and private landowners. Ardenwald resident Russ Stoll sees the “Connect the Dots” project as a beginning to bringing salmon back to the creek.
“If we can connect these dots on these first three miles of creek, we can really improve the overall watershed,” Stoll said.
TriMet engineer Jeb Dorian said that the agency must do some restoration and planting around the station area. TriMet has also agreed to construct the actual improvements once funding is secured.
Watershed council director Matt Clark remembers being 8 years old when his mom bought him a stamped brick that was installed in Pioneer Square. He wants to offer a similar way for people to connect to the project while raising money.
“It gets people really excited about it and gets ownership of the project,” Clark said.
They envision a project that brings local students to the interpretive boardwalk for fieldtrips, where they’ll learn about the history of the region, the Grand Ronde tribes' influence in the area and environmental facts.
“I think for this project to be a success, we need to make it a project that appeals to a lot of people,” Clark said.
But first they need to raise $300,000 from residents and outside donors. They are planning events over the summer for the community paired with knocking on doors.
“Our environmental project is not just going to benefit the salmon, but let us do a lot of environmental education,” Stoll said.
The Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building at Penn State Berks has been awarded LEED gold level certification, established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
This is the first project at Penn State Berks to pursue LEED certification and the first at Penn State, outside of the University Park campus, to be awarded gold certification.
Among the innovative design elements noted in the award, is the collaboration with our students in the advanced business writing class that resulted in a signage program promoting a "Sustainability Awareness" program.
Designed to complement the natural beauty and existing architecture of the campus, the three-story structure is as cutting-edge as the learning and discovery that take place within it. The facility includes a range of sustainability strategies, including rainwater collection and a heat-recovery system, just to name a few.
The Gaige Building exceeded LEED requirements, and was evaluated in six major categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation in Design.
Forty-two thousand square feet of natural habitat were preserved by constructing the Gaige Building on its current site, rather than in the woodlands behind the building. In addition, the wooden doors are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which ensures their composition comes from sustainable forests.
Aspects of the building that reflect the Water Efficiency category include two buttons to control the water needed to flush toilets, with low-flow fixtures. Two 35,000-gallon underground tanks collect rooftop rainwater (grey water) which is then purified and used to flush toilets, water plants, and wash the building exterior, for a 92-percent reduction in portable water consumption. Water bottle filling stations, equipped with motion sensors for touch-free sanitary operation, save energy and materials normally used to make, transport, fill, and cool typical plastic water bottles. Outside, the rain garden captures excess rainwater from underground storage tanks. Native plants absorb this, preventing runoff and flooding.
Sensors in hallway ceilings adjust interior lighting based on the amount of daylight entering the building. Natural light illuminates 95 percent of the building, promoting a more productive environment, while reducing energy consumption. All occupied public spaces have natural light from windows or doors; and all rooms contain occupancy sensors that turn lights on and off.
Sunshades minimize glare, angling off incoming rays, and have an added benefit of reducing cooling costs. Twelve thousand square feet of layered windows contain argon gas, helping to insulate the building and reducing heating and cooling costs. Energy efficient thermal windows, LED lights, and motion sensors save 26 percent more energy than typical buildings of similar size.
A Canberra kangaroo's corpse being eaten by teeming maggots. A pale blue moon floating in a matchingly pale blue Canberra sky. Two living kangaroos looking as if they are the sole occupants of the national capital metropolis. The "tangerine goodness" of the Australian National University campus. We have a right to expect some originality and eccentricity from our university students (what else are they for?) and our expectations are met in the Canberra In My Eyes photography exhibition that opened in Civic last night.
The Australian National University invited students of all nationalities and disciplines to join in celebrating Canberra by contributing, to a competition, a photograph of Canberra as they have experienced it. The result is, mostly, a refreshing improvement on those suburban photography and painting exhibitions of the works in which every bland image of Canberra looks like something that belongs on the lid of a box of chocolates or in one of those awful Canberra calendars.
Yesterday afternoon the photographers were arranging their works on the walls of the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, where they will be hanging their photographs for the exhibition opening. Hannah O'Neill explained how she came to do her striking nocturnal work in which two kangaroos, looking down Anzac Parade across to a distant illuminated old Parliament House, seem to be the only living things in a town that's a kangaroopolis.
"I had a friend staying from America. She wanted to see some kangaroos, and the sights too I guess. We went one night at 10 o'clock (it was last winter and it was freezing!) to take photographs of Anzac Parade and the War Memorial. And when we got there, there were all these kangaroos, just hanging about. The first time my friend saw just one kangaroo she freaked out but then she saw there were about 20 there all at once!"
There's not a single human soul in the picture and O'Neill liked the way in which the picture is of Canberra the metropolis but also of Canberra the bush place.
At last a Canberran has photographed that iconic Canberra structure, a suburban stormwater underpass! Lachlan Pini explains in a caption that he's always lived "on the edge of Florey" and that one day when he was only three or four and when his mother's vigilance had lapsed, he walked down into an underpass where "I was mesmerised by the discovery that somewhere could be so dark and black in the middle of the day … I've never been able to get it out of my head. That solid black place between suburbs could be a gateway to anywhere. Somewhere beyond my greatest imagination".
Late one night, Jessica Hieo explained yesterday, she was bored and wide awake and went for a walk around the ANU's campus, finding it "at its most stunning" with "dim fluorescent lights and glowing lamps casting hazy and eerie shadows". In her rather ghostly photograph of ANU billboards crammed with flapping notices ancient and modern, the nearby lamps are casting an orange glow she likes to think of as the nocturnal campuses "tangerine goodness".