caravan
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Modified Cessna is the 'largest' electric aircraft to take flight
Magnix and AeroTEC have flown what they say is the largest electric aircraft yet, piloting a modified Cessna on a short trip.
Valeo's vehicle camera makes whatever you're towing disappear
If you've already had enough of all the laptops, TVs and Amazon-enabled devices at CES 2019, autonomous vehicle supply company Valeo has unveiled the XtraVue Trailer. It takes images from cameras behind both your vehicle and trailer, and joins them in a virtual view. That appears on a small display in front of the driver, making it look like your fifth wheel has disappeared, David Copperfield-style.
Facebook pulls Trump ad TV networks took off the air
Facebook confirmed that it has followed in the footsteps of most major media outlets and pulled a controversial advertisement released by the Donald Trump campaign. The social media giant, which allowed the video to run for several days on its platform, said the advertisement violates its policy against sensational content, according to the Daily Beast.
Dethleffs' camping trailer uses EV tech to reduce towing strain
German automaker Dethleffs introduced the E.Home last year, an all-electric motorhome wrapped in solar panels. The company recently gave its cozy Coco camper-trailer the EV treatment as part of a new concept, adding an electric drive to reduce towing demands. This is powered by an 80-kWh battery in the caravan's floor, which is recharged by rooftop solar panels, effectively turning the trailer into a mobile -- and quiet -- power station once it's set up at camp.
TomTom's new sat nav: perfect for your van down by the river
If you're prone to hitting the road in a trailer or camper, you probably know that the road isn't exactly made to accommodate to your less-than-dainty vehicle. In a bid to express its deepest sympathies (and, you know, make money), TomTom is unveiling a device made specifically for caravan owners. In addition to offering the standard TomTom Live features for keeping up to date with traffic and weather reports, the Go Live Camper and Caravan includes warnings for narrow roads, low bridges and the like, and it also highlights the nearest rest stops and other points of interest for road trippers. And because you probably trade in that motorhome for a smaller set of wheels on occasion, TomTom lets you switch to a different profile, complete with customizable specifications for size, weight and speed. The Go Live Camper and Caravan will set you back £349.99, and as the price indicates, it's currently only set up to handle roads across the pond.
Speed trap checker Trapster for iPhone updated to 4.0
We've mentioned Trapster once here on the site before, but we haven't really covered it in any depth yet, I believe. It's the official iPhone app [iTunes link] for an online database of speed traps, so that you can get fair warning when the police are checking speeds in a certain part of town. It's a very popular app with over 3 million users already (and if you're constantly looking to dodge speed traps, you've probably already heard of it), but as with all community databases, one of the questions is always confidence: is the information you're getting true, or is it a perception that could be wrong? The company has just released version 4.0 out onto the App Store, and most of the upgrades are designed to help you out with confidence in their listings. There's a new feature called Patrol, which will show you just how recently another Trapster user has driven down the same road you're on, which means the information there is much more recent. Another mode called Caravan will actually let you watch the locations of friends or other users in real-time, so if you're road-tripping with friends, you can track your trip together. There's new Facebook and iPhone connections, and lots of new "trap types," so you can even track accidents, construction zones, or just mark off dangerous intersections. Sounds good, and even better, the app is completely free. The only issue we've heard from users so far is that the app can use battery power like crazy (given that it's tracking GPS and sending information back and forth constantly), but if you've got a car charger going while you're driving around, that shouldn't be an issue. If you do a lot of traveling with your iPhone, it's definitely worth a look.
