Explorers planning to navigate Antarctica this winter are concluding work on one bad-ass snowmobile a Lotus-designed, prop-driven, biofuel-burning ice-rider that will inspect for crevasses under the snow. The Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle will guide the way for the group of 11 researchers in two vehicles that will travel 3,600 miles through the Moon Regan Tran Antarctic Expedition. The trip begins on the west coast of Antarctica at Patriot Hills and starts east to the South Pole repeating the steps of the famous Fuchs and Hillary voyage. Then it heads north to McMurdo through the Trans-Antarctic Mountain Range.
The point of the 40-day trip is to observe the impact of global climate change on the continent and raise consciousness of the issue. They also expect to make the fastest overland crossing of Antarctica. The journey was scheduled for last year but ran into some interruptions, which gave the team time to modify the cool ice-glider we first informed you about two years ago. The biggest change is under the covering — the 1150-cc BMW motorcycle engine is being discarded in favor of a Rotax 914, which is said to suggest better performance in the cold. The four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine, considered for recreational aircraft, is good for 100 horsepower (sustained) and 106 pound feet of torque. They’ve just ongoing the substitute, which is why the photos illustrate the BMW engine.
The engine dashes on E85 biofuel and drives a three-blade support with variable pitch. The BIV weighs 675 kilograms and is more about 15 feet long with a track of 15 feet. It travels on three skis with independent deferment. Flooring it and it’ll top out at 84 mph. When it’s time to stop, a studded “foot” carries you down from velocity much like an ice axe. A GPS-enhanced radar system will help to perceive voids in the ice, and the driver can report the matches up to the rest of the team. There’s only space for one in the BIV, so the 11 people making the trips will take rotates driving it.
The point of the 40-day trip is to observe the impact of global climate change on the continent and raise consciousness of the issue. They also expect to make the fastest overland crossing of Antarctica. The journey was scheduled for last year but ran into some interruptions, which gave the team time to modify the cool ice-glider we first informed you about two years ago. The biggest change is under the covering — the 1150-cc BMW motorcycle engine is being discarded in favor of a Rotax 914, which is said to suggest better performance in the cold. The four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine, considered for recreational aircraft, is good for 100 horsepower (sustained) and 106 pound feet of torque. They’ve just ongoing the substitute, which is why the photos illustrate the BMW engine.
The engine dashes on E85 biofuel and drives a three-blade support with variable pitch. The BIV weighs 675 kilograms and is more about 15 feet long with a track of 15 feet. It travels on three skis with independent deferment. Flooring it and it’ll top out at 84 mph. When it’s time to stop, a studded “foot” carries you down from velocity much like an ice axe. A GPS-enhanced radar system will help to perceive voids in the ice, and the driver can report the matches up to the rest of the team. There’s only space for one in the BIV, so the 11 people making the trips will take rotates driving it.
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