Own your own drone ... (to watch-over your charging EV?) % Drones are AeroVironment's $maker$, EVSE are a sideline %
http://wamu.org/programs/tell_me_more/13/01/22/comedian_margaret_cho_as_mother_to_the_world AeroVironment has an unusual combination of products — military drones and electric vehicle chargers. The company's president acknowledges that some workers are uncomfortable with the company's dual interests, but he doesn't see a conflict. http://www.avinc.com AeroVironment - Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Electric Vehicle ... AeroVironment Inc. is a leading manufacturer of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, used for surveillance and reconnaissance by the United States ... http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/US_Army_Awards_AeroVironment_Small_Unmanned_Aircraft_Systems_Contract_999.html US Army Awards AeroVironment Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Contract File image: RQ-11B Raven. AeroVironment, Inc. reports that the United States Army has selected it and four other companies to compete for future small UAS requirements under a new Firm Fixed-Price Indefinite … http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/puma-ae-an-all-environment-mini-uav-04962/ Puma AE: An “All Environment” Mini-UAV Now AeroVironment’s S2AS/ RQ-20A Puma AE is moving beyond Special Operations, and into the regular force. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that can perform battlefield missions seem like a recent phenomenon, but countries like Israel and Canada … http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50344158/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/iran-says-captures-two-us-made-miniature-surveillance-drones/ Iran says captures two U.S.-made miniature surveillance drones Manufactured by AeroVironment, the RQ11 Raven has a wingspan of 1.36 meters (4.5 feet) and a range of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and is used by the U.S. military for low-altitude surveillance. Iran said on December 4 that … http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_22398581/larry-wilson-your-own-personal-drone-floats-above Your own personal drone floats above He reported that our very own AeroVironment was starting to market its little Switchblade drone - 3-feet long and weighing five pounds - to American police agencies. Yes, we've already got police helicopters - the expensive proliferation of which ... http://www.lajollalight.com/2013/01/21/grant-to-allow-expansion-of-ucsds-electric-car-charging-stations/ Grant to allow expansion of UCSD’s electric car charging stations RWE Effizienz GmBH, a subsidiary of a German utility, which is the maker of the charging equipment, has selected Monrovia-based AeroVironment, Inc., as its designated assembler and distributor of RWE DC fast … {brucedp.150m.com} - [ref http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/The-other-hand-of-AeroVironment-on-the-NPR-All-Tech-Considered-tp4660763.html ] On Tue, Jan 22, 2013, at 10:57 AM, David Battery Boy Hawkins wrote: > ... > http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/01/22/169910290/this-defense-contractor-has-a-green-side > > Lots of companies make products that don't have much in common, but > AeroVironment specializes in two products that are very different — > electric vehicle chargers, which keep cars like the Nissan Leaf on the > road, and military drones. The Los Angeles-area firm is a leading > manufacturer of small unmanned aircraft. > > This unusual company was the creation of one unusual individual, Paul > MacCready. He loved things that fly. "As a youngster, I was very > interested in model airplanes, ornithopters, autogyros, helicopters, > gliders, power planes ..." MacCready said at a TED conference in 2003, > four years before his death. > > But as obsessed as he was with flying things, MacCready never wanted > to break the sound barrier like Chuck Yeager or buzz the control tower > like Tom Cruise's character, Maverick, in Top Gun. > > MacCready loved nature, and his dream was to create birds — or > re-create them. He founded AeroVironment in 1971 with that in mind. > His designs were very light and flew incredibly slowly, with just > enough power to stay aloft. > > But passion and interest don't always make money. And MacCready found > himself in debt, to the tune of $100,000. "And I noticed that the > Kremer prize for human-powered flight was 50,000 pounds," he said in > that same speech. "The exchange rate was just about $100,000, so > suddenly I was interested in human-powered flight." > > The result was the Gossamer Condor — the first controllable > human-powered aircraft. That meant a pilot actually pedaled > MacCready's ultralight plane through the air. > > MacCready won the prize. That aircraft led to solar-powered planes; > planes led to solar-powered cars and solar battery packs. And then the > Raven — an AeroVironment drone. > > You will also notice the company's fondness for ornithological > nomenclature. Marine Sgt. Michael Sustad trained on the Raven in > Afghanistan. "It has cameras, GPS, so, that when it comes back, we can > brief our commanders on what's going on in that location," he says. > And, it's so small you can launch it with your bare hand. > > Roger Khourey is a senior electronics engineer with AeroVironment in > California. He works in what is essentially an airplane hangar outside > Los Angeles, but he doesn't work on planes or anything else that > flies. He's testing AeroVironment's other specialty — electric vehicle > charging stations made to line U.S. highways. > > The difference between his company's products doesn't escape him, "One > flies and the other doesn't," Khourey says. > > The core technologies of the drones and the electric vehicle chargers > are actually the same, though, and that means engineering staff can > move from one side of the company to the other. > > And Department of Defense contracts pick up the tab for all kinds of > new research and development, including the Switchblade — the first > hand-held drone that spies and shoots. > > When production began, Tim Conver, the company's president, says, he > had to sit the staff down for a little talk. "And I think a lot of > individuals that initially were a little taken back — 'What are we > doing making weapons systems?' — either got comfortable with it or, in > some cases said, 'You know ... I don't want to work on that program. > I'm fine with us doing it, but I don't want to work on it myself.' " > > Conver's response? "No problem." > > "I understand that it's conventional wisdom you have defense and > you've got environment here, but, as you can see, I don't see any > inherent conflict," he says. > > Drones make up over three-quarters of AeroVironment's revenue, and the > industry is moving at a quick pace with over 4 percent annual growth > projected over the next 10 years. The future of AeroVironment's > electric vehicle charger business is less predictable and will depend > on U.S. demand for electric cars. - -- http://www.fastmail.fm - Access your email from home and the web _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
