The original doesn't exist anymore. It disappeared many years ago, its fate uncertain. But, in its day, the Semper Vivus (always alive) was as unique as anything plucked from the fertile imaginations of futurists - or prescient science-fiction writers such as Jules Verne. Unlike Verne's fanciful Nautilus, however, Semper Vivus was very real, the mechanical monstrosity a product of the equally prolific mind of a young Ferdinand Porsche, decades before he became associated with the sports cars that would bear his name.
However, a new Semper Vivus does exist; the result of a three-year, €600,000 (Dh3 million) project undertaken by the Porsche Museum, which had the vehicle - the world's first fully functional hybrid car - recreated. Semper Vivus was unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show in commemoration to Porsche's hybrid technology - 111 years after Porsche's groundbreaking car moved under its own power.
The Porsche Museum engaged the talents of Hubert Drescher, a specialist in classic-car restoration. Working from one technical drawing and two grainy black-and-white photographs, Drescher had to reinvent Semper Vivus, doing so, he says, by trying "to think like Ferdinand Porsche". No easy task!
In 1900, the automobile was less than 15 years old. Petrol engines were waging a battle for supremacy with electric and steam propulsion. Porsche caught the electric bug early and began his career as an electrical engineer. In the late 1890s, he met Viennese coachbuilder Ludwig Lohner. In 1898, Lohner decided that electric propulsion was the way to proceed with the motorised carriage, enlisting 23-year-old Porsche to complete the development work for his line of chassis frames and bodies.
Around this time, Porsche developed a plan to integrate electric motors into a vehicle's wheels, eliminating the need for a power-consuming transmission and differential. Unveiled in 1900, the Lohner-Porsche Semper Vivus was a prototype based on an earlier electric car that had been entered for a hill-climb event. After conversion, it became a full hybrid.
Porsche combined his electric wheel hub motors with two internal combustion engines that had no mechanical connection with the driven axle. The engines drove an electrical generator that supplied power to both the wheel hub motors and the accumulators. To save weight and create enough space for the petrol engines, Porsche replaced the 74-battery accumulator with a smaller unit with 44 cells. To drive the two 2.5hp generators, he installed two water-cooled de Dion 3.5hp petrol engines at the centre of the chassis. These two engines ran separately.
Power flowed from the dynamo generators to the wheel hub motors, with excess current then passing to the batteries. The car's biggest problem was the weight of the wheel hubs - each weighed 270kg. Although Semper Vivus was only 70kg heavier than the hill-climb car, its total weight of 1,200kg was still too heavy for the soft rubber tyres. Further development would be needed. In recreating Semper Vivus, Drescher says that looking at the photos required him to try to figure out what certain things were. His attention to detail is such that he counted the nail holes in the car's body as well as the number of perforations in the panels covering many of the powertrain components. Amazingly, he actually found two de Dion engines of the type that powered the original - one in Strasbourg, France; the other in England.
This dedication to making Semper Vivus identical to the original has paid off - which is to say the car looks more than a century old - and handles like it.
I am perched about 1.5m off the ground in the driver's seat, about to steer it around the courtyard of Stuttgart's Schloss Solitude. Drescher's instructions to me are basic. There is a brake pedal. If the car feels like it's going too fast, use it. The three-speed gear shift is mounted - in the fashion of the day - externally. Drescher tells me to put the car in first gear only.
Theoretically, Semper Vivus has a top speed of about 40kph but the courtyard is a public place and I don't want to cause an international incident. About the steering - remember, the wheel hubs each weigh some 270kg - the upper-body workout is intense as it takes about eight turns to go lock to lock.
Semper Vivus is pretty much an oversized golf cart. It moves forward as silent as a thought, slowly building speed. It feels faster than it is; Drescher walks beside the car, ready to do something - I'm not sure what - in case of impending disaster. However, the brake pedal does work, in a fashion, and the steering steers, eventually.
The ride is all too brief - only a couple of hundred metres - but no less memorable in its brevity. I take away a couple of thoughts from the experience: First is that Ferdinand Porsche's genius was in full bloom well before he conceived the People's Car. Second, Semper Vivus was well ahead of its time, somewhat ironic considering all the fuss car makers create in their rush to build electric vehicles.
Oh, yeah, and Drescher is an artist.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
