Transportation

BRABUS ULTIMA 55 Luxury Catamaran Boasts 1,450 Horsepower, Foils, and a Deck That Swallows a Party

By Bill Smith July 29, 2026

Sunreef Yachts and BRABUS just put their names on the same boat for the first time. The result is the ULTIMA 55, a 55.8-foot carbon-heavy catamaran that treats open water the way BRABUS treats asphalt. Two 10.8-liter six-cylinder engines sit in the hulls, each making 533 kW or 725 horsepower. Combined output hits 1,450 horsepower and the boat clears 40 knots. An advanced hydrofoil system lifts the hulls higher as speed builds, cutting drag and almost erasing heel so the ride stays level and surprisingly quiet even when the throttles are pinned.

How One Builder Created a Hybrid Generator for Boats

By Bill Smith June 29, 2026

Daniel Riley spends his days turning ordinary hardware into machines that do more than expected. His latest project takes a small four-stroke engine of the type found on string trimmers and connects it to an electric motor normally used in skateboards. The result is a compact generator that produces up to 780 watts of electrical power. Installed in a boat, the assembly becomes the core of a hybrid drivetrain built around one clear goal: keep the gasoline engine running where it works best while the electric side manages everything else.

This $1.1 Million 2023 EarthRoamer XV-SX is Ready for Remote Adventures

By Bill Smith June 27, 2026

EarthRoamer builds expedition vehicles that blend heavy-duty truck toughness with the kind of self-contained living spaces most people only find in high-end homes. This 2023 XV-SX stands as a pre-roamed example with just 8,228 miles on the odometer and a full complement of factory options already installed. At $1.1 million it sits at the top of the price range for anything on four wheels that can still tackle serious trails while keeping occupants comfortable for weeks at a time.

Zoox Readies Its Next-Gen Robotaxi for More Riders With Comfort-Focused Updates

By Jackson Chung June 24, 2026

Zoox just released a new version of their autonomous robotaxi, and the vehicle retains its original no-nonsense purpose-built design, but with a few important modifications derived directly from real-world experience on the streets of Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, and Miami. More than half a million cyclists had already completed the route, and they had clearly made their stamp on the most recent round of changes.

Epic’s E1000 AX Turns a Fast Turboprop Into One With Real Backup Brains

By Bill Smith June 22, 2026

Epic Aircraft builds single-engine turboprops that move fast and carry serious loads for their size. The newest version, the E1000 AX, keeps every bit of that performance edge while folding in deeper Garmin automation than the company has used before.

Paris to Réunion and Boston to Honolulu are Domestic Flights That Defy Distance, Officially World’s Longest

By Bill Smith June 9, 2026

Flights within a country’s boundaries can cover a long distance, but there are a few itineraries that genuinely test the definition of non-stop domestic service. Both are extraordinarily long journeys from a mainland center to an island in the middle of the ocean, which are technically classified as domestic under government standards.

He Borrowed the World’s Worst E-Bike and Turned Its Failures Into Features

By Bill Smith June 8, 2026

A viewer handed over a Reevo hubless electric bike with one clear condition. Fix it first, then bring it back better than before. The machine already carried a heavy reputation for every shortcut and oversight that can sink an ambitious design. Original plans leaned hard into a futuristic look. Large hubless wheels replaced traditional spokes. A sculpted body hid most of the mechanics. Nearly every useful function, from lights to wheel locks to performance modes, ran through a smartphone app. Once the company behind that app stopped supporting it, large parts of the bike simply stopped responding.

Matt Spears Built a Camper on a Jet Ski and Spent the Night in a Storm

By Bill Smith May 28, 2026

Matt Spears has turned more than one unlikely vehicle into a spot to sleep. His latest effort started with a big, damaged Sea-Doo Explorer jet ski that weighed well over a thousand pounds and stretched about twelve feet long. The machine had already crashed into rocks once, leaving cracks in the hull. He bought it anyway and set out to make it something he could live on for a night or longer.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Bicycle Becomes a Reality, Built From Old Notebook Sketches

By Bill Smith May 27, 2026

Andy George of the How To Make Everything channel spotted the famous bicycle drawing tucked into Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus and wondered what would happen if someone actually tried to ride one built from ideas scattered across those pages. The drawing itself turns out to be a later addition, not something da Vinci put there, yet the notebooks contain plenty of other mechanical details that could feed into a two-wheeled machine. George set out to combine them and see whether the result could move under its own power centuries before Karl Drais unveiled his push-powered hobby horse in 1817.

Maker Revives the True Voice of Steam Locomotives with 3D-Printed Train Whistles

By Jackson Chung May 7, 2026

AeroKoi set out to answer a simple question. Could a desktop 3D printer produce train whistles that captured the exact chords once carried across fields and towns by steam engines? After months of steady work the answer arrived loud and clear through shop air at 120 pounds per square inch.