producer – DesignApplause

there’s a new all-electric pickup in town : 2021 rivian r1t.

Nov 26, 2018

the world’s first electric adventure vehicles™ [ rivian ]

thinking when general motors got wind of this new detroit(!) upstart all-electric pickup truck packing performance, innovative features, and…supercar stylishness, they announced in 2019 they’re dumping their losses and focusing on self-driving and electric vehicles for their future. smart.

“gear tunnel” — a storage area that spans the width of the vehicle

[ vitals ]

> up to 400 miles per charge – $90,000 usd / 230 miles – $70,000 usd
> zero-to-60 mph in three seconds
> quad motor system – for superior on road control and way off
> wading depth of three feet
> a debut at the 2018 los angeles autoshow

mcdonald’s makes a bold environmental pledge using green packaging.

Jan 16, 2018

“our customers have told us that packaging waste is the top environmental issue they would like us to address,” said francesca debiase, mcdonald’s sustainability officer, in a statement.”

mcdonald’s aims to get 100 percent of its packaging from recycled, renewable, or certified sources by 2025, with a preference for forest stewardship council certification, which ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests.

a 2014, company study of two restaurants, one focused on dine-in business and one centered on the drive-thru found the per-restaurant average was more than 2,200 pounds of waste a week.

mcdonald reminded us their sustainable packaging journey dates back to 25 years ago when they established a groundbreaking partnership with environmental defense fund (edf), a group not paid by the chain.

they not only phased out polystyrene sandwich boxes, but also significantly reduced their environmental impact by cutting solid waste and streamlining material choices. the initiative eliminated more than 300 million pounds of packaging, recycled 1 million tons of corrugated boxes and reduced waste by 30 percent in the decade following the partnership.

“other food companies have said for years that they want to use more recyclable material, but the mcdonald’s plan is more substantive and collaborative,” said erin simon, director of sustainability research and development for world wildlife fund.

last week, mcdonald’s said it would eliminate foam packaging from its global supply chain by the end of this year.

ford to invest $11 billion to launch 16 all-electric and 24 hybrid vehicles by 2022.

Jan 15, 2018

ford motor company promises to spend $11 billion on technology by 2022, rolling out 16 all-electric cars within five years, the first of which would arrive in 2020. also promised is 24 hybrids. the first all-electric looks to be a high-performance suv. other categories could be commercial vans and…a mustang coupe.

in a nod toward global sentiment recognizing that regulation around the globe will continue to crack down on fuel economy and pollution, and rightfully so. lower prices, longer range, and more charging stations, will drive consumers to electricity rather than gasoline.

“we’re expecting more customer acceptance,” said joe hinrichs, ford’s president of global operations, at the detroit auto show. hinrichs added, “we certainly can see the day when internal combustion engines go away.”

[ of interest ] – european union mandates all new homes must have ev chargers by 2019.

tesla model 3 delivery date pushed back to late june 2018.

Jan 14, 2018

everyone but those who put a $1,000 deposit on the model 3, tesla’s lower-priced seemed to be unfazed on another delivery delay.

the best, and most important indicator is the stock price: shares have maintained a market value of about $53 billion. throughout 2017 a 5,000 a week production level by the end of year was promised. in november the delivery date was pushed back end of march 2018. and now the delivery date is end of june.

not experienced or fully ramped up for mass production, the fremont, california, auto assembly plant and sparks, nevada, “gigafactory” are having problems. an aside and poorly handled detail is confusion on the roof headliner. the issue is that cars equipped with a $5,000 premium upgrade option are being delivered with a woven textile material in place of the suede-like alcantara headliner detailed in promotional images and in cars supplied to media outlets for test drives. musk’s response to complaints: “as we continue to increase production of model 3 and produce more high quality cars for customers, all model 3 vehicles are being made with the same premium textile headliner found in our flagship model S and model X vehicles, which has always been planned at this stage of production.”

for another $5,000 for what tesla calls “enhanced Autopilot,” you may add semi-autonomous capabilities that will keep the vehicle within the lane, automatically change lanes, self-park once the driver has arrived at their destination, and match speed to traffic conditions.

for buyers who choose to get every upgrade like a premium paint job, 19-inch wheels, and full self-driving capability—which is not yet available, and likely won’t be anytime soon—the price tag will be just shy of $60,000. a base model S, which starts at $69,500.

stay tuned.

[ model 3 specs ]

safety
automatic emergency braking and collision avoidance
eight airbags
electronic stability and traction control

convenience
15″ touchscreen with onboard maps & navigation
wi-fi and lte internet connectivity
keyless entry and remote climate control with app
voice activated controls
60/40 split folding rear seats

standard interior
15” touchscreen display
dual zone climate control system
fm/internet streaming radio
textile seating
center console with open storage and two usb ports

premium upgrades
premium heated seating and cabin materials throughout, including open pore wood décor and two rear usbs
12-way, power adjustable front seats, steering column and side mirrors, with custom driver profiles
premium audio system with more power, tweeters, surround speakers and subwoofer
tinted glass roof with ultraviolet and infrared protection
auto dimming, power folding, heated side mirrors
led fog lamps
center console with covered storage and docking for two smartphones

warranty
4 year, 50,000 mile limited vehicle warranty
8 year, 100,000 mile battery warranty (standard)
8 year, 120,000 mile battery warranty (long range)

volocopter 2x: the first autonomous all-electric passenger-carrying drone debuts in usa at ces18.

Jan 12, 2018

volocopter debuts in u.s.a. at ces18 as the first autonomous all-electric passenger-carrying drone. the drone’s at-a-glance timeline is volocopter’s first manned flight occurred in 2011 and at ces it’s announced the finished product should be available in five years / 2023. because intel is now on board the prototype is labeled a flying supercomputer. the videos may raise more questions than answers.

below > the story

below > the scary

below > the scarier

is mass customization the future of footwear?

Oct 26, 2017

above> 3-d printed midsole: the futurecraft 4d runner

the partnership between adidas and 3-d-printing startup carbon inc could usher in a new era of bespoke shoes. [wsj]

antoine roset reveals ligne roset is serving up contract furniture to the u.s.

Jun 23, 2017

above > antoine roset / jose rodriguez

designapplause is in the ligne roset chicago showroom located two short blocks from the mart, chatting with antoine roset, executive vice president and fifth generation roset.

[designapplause] we’re told that ligne roset is getting into the contract/commercial business space because of the company’s manufacturing capabilities. do you wish to tell us that story?

[antoine roset] actually, the funny part is that we started with the contract business. we’ve always been doing it in europe, back when the roset company started in 1860. with my grandfather in charge the first thing we did as a manufacturer was contract, working with universities, dorms, both institutional as well as hospitality projects. contract and hospitality was in fact our first business category.

we then moved to residential in the 1960s believing we could better control our own distribution and grow our business. during the 1980s, in the u.s., we developed our brand in residential much more than the contract business. we did this furnishing apartments, giving americans access to our design. for the past four years i see an opportunity to reintroduce our contract expertise in the u.s. and in latin america as well. i feel confident in knowing our past experience and manufacturing could again position our company as major player in contract and hospitality.

with our design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities we again have in the u.s. both residential and contract offerings.

[da] i just met the new owner of the chicago showroom, jose rodriguez. is there a new story regarding the chicago showroom?

[ar] i think the story to tell about jose and this showroom is a human story. we like to say when you become an owner, you get to be part of the family. jose has been in this business with us forever. the first time i met him was like 10-11 years ago and we had promoted him as a manager in miami. he became the owner of the atlanta store 5 years ago. and now, he’s here in the chicago store. to show that it’s a human story it’s about jose being a natural as a new owner. and he also possesses an ability to showcase a new service and a different experience. and as such, something much closer to what we have in mind, namely a new store. a new display. very much like what you can see all around the world with the new stores we are doing and renovating. in chicago, you’re going to see the best of what we do right now.

[da] alright, that’s cool. anything else you want to talk about?

[ar] i can talk about everything you want as long as it’s about furniture. i’ve always been very interested in markets and we can talk about the chicago market a little bit more. we’ve been at this location for 10 years and have learned that chicago’s a very interesting and important market. why? chicago is a very modern city with depth as you can see by its architecture. it’s always been very turned towards the future and not to the past. that’s what makes it very attractive to me. for me, it’s probably the nicest city in the u.s. you can quote me on that. (maybe after new york where i live. let’s put it that way.) chicago is green. it’s a beautiful city. there are two rivers, the lake. i don’t care about cold weather, so it’s not a problem for me. when you’re here you can feel that people really like to talk about the architecture here. i mean look, neocon is here and not in las vegas.

[da] right, neocon. and a new contract message and what appears to be a new store in what is a tremendously convenient offsite location.

[ar] yes. we’re definitely going to use this location more and more. we made mention last year, slowly but surely. the idea is to communicate with the contact world and the hospitality world, sharing with them. we are not the big, big player and we don’t want to be either. we don’t want to compete with them. we want to be the small player that can bring something different. that can give different options. that can give what we do the most: our quality, our knowledge. we are happy to share this with everyone. we have no intention of ignoring our residential business, make no mistake. but more and more, we are going to develop things around the contract and the hospitality business. it’s only the second year. this year has been a bit crazy because we are reopening the store and doing neocon at the same time. so it’s been quite challenging, but next year…

[da] then next year will be boring. (laughs)

[ar] hah! next year won’t be boring. next year will be even more interesting. we’ll have more time to prepare for neocon which is even better. we’re going to look forward to next year.

above/below > chicago showroom

above > ruché / inga sempé – below > cover 1 / marie christine dorner

how engineers at west virginia university caught vw cheating.

Sep 22, 2015

how engineers at west virginia university caught vw cheating. the information was out there for more than a year but the auto press missed its significance. via spectrum.ieee.org [RK]

porsche mission e will step in the ring with tesla s.

Sep 15, 2015

above> mission e | click on image > lightbox navigation

My two favorite cars will present an exciting on-the-road face-off within five years. There’s not much information right now but here’s what we know.

The motor: 800-volt system
Horsepower: Over 600
Transmission: All-wheel drive
0-62 mph (100km)
Top speed: na
Seats: 4 adults
Range 3120 miles

Here’s what analysts think – a certain California car company inspired Porsche to pursue battery electric performance. I’m thinking though this car is not going to sell for about $100K.

2016 miata m5.

Sep 6, 2014

Mazda has unveiled its fourth generation of the Miata MX5 sports car, beloved by many as affordable, basic and fun. Showroom date set for mid-2015. [ 25-yr design history ]

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