Aerodynamics

In its most ambitious set, PowerUp Toys' StarFlux Balsa Wood RC Airplane Kit delivers a hands-on experience where each step influences success in the air. And let's just say, the experience was a humbling one for a flight enthusiast like myself.

It has been a long, twisting journey for Aptera’s solar-powered electric vehicle, but we can at last report that the extraordinary futuristic car has taken a huge step toward mass production.

This has to go down as one of the most inventive and ambitious motorcycle designs I've seen in nearly 20 years following two-wheeled innovations. That doesn't mean I'd have the cojones to ride it, especially given its eye-popping steering setup!

White Motorcycle Concepts, a UK-based firm dreaming up the future of motorcycles, is teaming up with Italian design house Pininfarina to explore ideas for more naked bikes with big holes in them – and it's got sketches to show off.

R&D shop White Motorcycle Concepts has punched a gaping hole in a Zero SR/S electric motorcycle to reduce aerodynamic drag by 10%. The prototype bike now goes faster, and can deliver extended range at highway speeds.

Ever wonder how well your model cars would slice through the air if they were full-scale automobiles? Well, a little something known as the Windsible could tell ya (sort of), as it's touted as being the world's first consumer desktop wind tunnel.

A futuristic-looking electric vehicle that was launched way back in 2007 is finally on the road to production. Following a year-long crowdfunding effort, the first 2,000 Aptera Launch Edition solar EV production slots have now been taken.

Hyundai has developed a new active aerodynamics system for electric vehicles, in the form of "active air skirts" ahead of the front wheels that can increase downforce and stability, while reducing drag and improving highway range.

A plane wing that changes shape in flight to better handle the airflow crossing it could be on the horizon thanks to a materials science advance from researchers in Stockholm. The trick involves the melting and hole-punching power of lasers.

Austrian company Turbulence Solutions claims it's already flight-testing a system that can detect and neutralize air turbulence, reducing the forces felt by passengers by up to 80% – and reducing fuel burn by up to 10%. It's set to launch in 2024.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has announced that the world's fastest hypersonic wind tunnel is up and running, a detonation-driven shock tunnel that'll allow aerodynamic testing for aircraft, spacecraft and missiles at air speeds up to Mach 30.

Following the development and rollout of a "big hole" hybrid three-wheeled scooter for police and emergency services, UK-based R&D outfit White Motorcycle Concepts has teamed up with Mahle Powertrain to produce a fully electric version.