Well-known rocker Neil Young and Sun Microsystems' James Gosling, the creator of Java, are working on a Java-enabled, hybrid-electric Lincoln convertible to compete for the Automotive X Prize, a competition for 100 MPG vehicles. The Linc Volt, Young's entry in the X Automotive Prize competition, is a 1959 Lincoln Continental Mk IV that has been repowered with a new series-hybrid system and runs on electricity produced by a generator powered by natural gas.A couple of Canadian-born superstars in their
own diverse fields, rocker Neil Young and the "Father of Java," Dr.
James Gosling of Sun Microsystems, found some common ground Nov. 11 at Sun's
Menlo Park, Calif., campus.
For about 14 months, Young, a longtime resident
of nearby La Honda, has been working with a team from Wichita,
Kan., to develop the Linc Volt, a hybrid
electric/CNG (clean natural gas) car that uses a natural-gas piston engine to
keep it charged up when it's on the road. According to the Linc Volt project's
Web site:
The Automotive X Prize, a competition for
100 MPG vehicles, has been announced and the Goodwin Young "Linc
Volt" team has had its "letter of intent" to participate
accepted. A qualifying race will be held in 2009 and the final race from California to Washington D.C.
will take place in 2010.
The Linc Volt is a classic 1959 Lincoln Continental
Mk IV that has been repowered with a series-hybrid system and now runs on
electricity produced by a natural-gas-powered generator.
Java is playing a major part in this project. Perrone Robotics has installed
sensors that use Java technology to monitor performance elements of the Linc
Volt as it travels down the road. This data is displayed on a touch-screen
panel in the car. The controls let the driver keep tabs at all times on how
good the electrical charge is, how much natural gas fuel remains and other real-time
information. The GPS on board also keeps the driver informed about the
location of the nearest source of natural gas.
Read more about
the Linc Volt on Sun Microsystems' Web site.