- 6 months ago
Ever wondered how your gas pump knows when to stop or what it's like to drive the biggest machines on Earth? Explore these fascinating technological mysteries and uncover why we still don’t have electric planes despite all the advancements.
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00:00Most of us load up our gas tanks until they're full, whenever we're out of fuel.
00:05Let's face it, it's more convenient and it will save you some unnecessary extra trips to the gas station.
00:11If you're the kind of person that does that too, you'll be familiar by now with that noisy thud,
00:16which you'll hear the pump make after it's finished loading up your tank with gas.
00:20It's the sound that lets you know the process is done, and that you can safely remove the nozzle from
00:26the vehicle.
00:27Ever wondered how gas pumps got so smart?
00:30Let's look at the engineering process behind it.
00:33Each time we load up the gas tanks with fuel, we replace the air inside with the liquid.
00:38That air escapes through a small pipe featured in the gas nozzle.
00:42As more pressure builds up inside the tank, that pressure is released as the air escapes.
00:48Each time we begin pumping the gas in the tank, its pipe lets go of that air really quickly.
00:54That air comes out with such pressure that it's enough to hold the gas valve open.
00:58Once there's no remaining air to come out because the tank is filled with fuel, we get a small suctioning
01:05force that moves the valve back to its initial closed position.
01:17Sure, you might think that if you add a couple of drops of gas after the pump has stopped, won't
01:23be such a bad thing.
01:24It might even give you a little extra time before you have to get back to the gas station.
01:28But that is in fact potentially dangerous, and you should refrain from topping off.
01:34Most types of fuel need some room to stretch.
01:36So adding that little extra to your tank may lead to some unneeded extra pressure.
01:41It can even reach your car's carbon filter, which only works for vapor.
01:50If you've been driving for a while now, you know this for sure.
01:54Even if the gas light goes on, you still have some miles to go before your car completely stops working.
02:01Depending on the type of car you have, you'll surely get to the next gas station in time.
02:05It might go anywhere from 40 to 110 miles before it stops running altogether.
02:11But it's best to check the specifications of each car manufacturer.
02:15It might also be related to the size of your gas tank too.
02:19Here's another extra tip to remember when you're heading for the gas station, which might save your life.
02:25Once you get out of the car, be sure to touch the vehicle first before reaching the gas pump, especially
02:30during wintertime.
02:31That's because of a little thing called static electricity.
02:35And it's more noticeable during the colder season because we tend to wear clothes that are more prone to this
02:40effect, like nylon or polyester.
02:43As you move around the car, you can create static electricity.
02:47Once you touch the gas nozzle, a spark can occur.
02:50You can also touch a metal part of the car so that the effect is annulled and you can proceed
02:54with loading up the tank safely.
02:57To keep your car in tip-top condition, never let your gas tank level go below one-fourth of its
03:03total amount.
03:04Because once you reach the last bits of fuel inside the tank, it may create condensation, which will dilute the
03:10gas and potentially damage the engine.
03:13More so, those last drops of gas might not be the best quality fuel.
03:17At the bottom of the gas tank, most cars have some fuel sediment, which isn't the best for your car
03:23engine either.
03:24So make sure you make regular visits to the gas station, way before your emergency lights start going all over
03:30the place.
03:32When the driver forgets to shift while driving, there will be a high-speed, low-speed driving or low-speed
03:37driving at a high speed.
03:39In case of low-speed, high-speed driving, the engine needs more fuel to supply in order to achieve a
03:45certain speed.
03:46But this will cause increased fuel consumption.
03:49High-speed driving needs a lot of gasoline into the engine at low speed.
03:54But it cannot fully burn, which will lead to the carbon build-up.
03:58To prevent it, put the pedal to the floor and blow the junk out.
04:02If you are mostly driving commuting miles, then it might be good to take your car out on the freeway
04:07and let it go.
04:08But again, this will not totally prevent carbon build-up.
04:13If you don't have a garage or you need to have your car parked outside for longer periods, specialists recommend
04:20you wash it weekly.
04:21It may seem like a bit of a splurge, but if you consider things like acid rain or bird droppings,
04:26you may want to protect the finish of your car for as long as possible.
04:30Or hey, you can even turn it into an afternoon workout.
04:34Washing, vacuuming, and waxing your car will burn somewhere around 1,100 calories.
04:41Same goes for your sunroof, if your car is equipped with one of those.
04:45Car maintenance specialists say that you need to open the glass or metal panel often to ensure the drain holes
04:50aren't blocked by debris.
04:52To check if the drains are working properly, pour some water onto them.
04:56You'll need someone to help out here, so check if the water flows out correctly.
05:01If it's not draining, it will most likely end up inside the car, so you might want to have it
05:05checked out professionally.
05:08But washing it way too often or visiting automated car washes can be detrimental too.
05:13It's all in the balance, I know.
05:16Again, this is another one that requires a balance.
05:19Some car enthusiasts have noticed that bristles on the automated car washes can be a bit too rough.
05:25And they can potentially harm your car's paint, or even dislodge a windshield wiper.
05:30It's best if a car is washed by hand, and with some soap designed to be gentle with car paint.
05:37Making sure you have the same types of tires isn't just for the aesthetics of it.
05:42It's of utmost importance for some sensitive features in your car, like the ABS system.
05:47Mixing and matching tires may damage the speedometer, and the sensors that have to do with the car wheels.
05:54Different types of tires react differently to the same amounts of pressure or friction, which may unbalance your car overall.
06:02If you live in an area where you don't feel your car is safe at all times,
06:06you may want to think about installing a tracking system on your car as well.
06:10It may need you to consult with a professional to do so, but if your car is ever displaced,
06:16most of these systems rely on wireless and GPS technology to emit a signal, showcasing your vehicle's location.
06:23But if that's a bit too much, here's a basic three-item security checklist you can remember to follow
06:29each time you want to make sure your car is safe and sound.
06:32Firstly, lock it each and every time.
06:36Even if you believe to be in an area without much theft, an unlocked car parked outside can seem tempting
06:42for uninvited guests.
06:44Next, carefully consider your parking location.
06:47That means close to where you live, if possible, and in a well-lit area.
06:52This should discourage any potential intruders from barging in.
06:55Crooks are not big fans of well-lit areas.
06:58Lastly, always remove purses, cell phones, or any other valuable items from your car before leaving it unsupervised.
07:05If you do, however, need to leave some things in the car, make sure to place them somewhere not as
07:10visible,
07:11like in the trunk or in other compartments of your vehicle.
07:15Another way is to keep your car nice and shiny as often as possible.
07:20If the vehicle looks clean and well taken care of,
07:23people might assume that you have an effective alarm system and GPS as well.
07:28Basically, it's another effective way to discourage any potential damage before it even happens.
07:35Are you ready to find out what it feels like to operate the largest machines in the world?
07:41Ooh, that's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so don't miss out.
07:45The first monster you're going to control is the giant bucket wheel excavator.
07:49It can tear the ground to shreds in no time.
07:52The excavator you're about to climb into is the Bagger 293, one of the largest machines in the world.
07:59This real titan among giants was built in Germany in 1995.
08:03Now, if you want to check it out before starting work,
08:06you have to be physically prepared since it's going to be a long walk.
08:09The excavator is almost 740 feet long.
08:13When in the cabin, you'll observe the surrounding landscape from a height of 314 feet.
08:18And don't even try to lift this ginormous machine.
08:22Just kidding.
08:23It weighs a staggering 14,000 tons.
08:26That's about as heavy as the Brooklyn Bridge.
08:29If you want to try something new,
08:31I can suggest driving the Bagger 293's not-so-little brother, the Bagger 288.
08:37You might like it even more.
08:38Currently, an energy and mining company is using this enormous machine.
08:43Hopefully, they'll let you test this bucket wheel excavator.
08:46It was created as a mobile strip-mining machine.
08:49It took them around 10 years to design and construct this behemoth.
08:53And it costs reach about $100 million.
08:56The excavator is just a bit slimmer than its mighty brother, weighing 13,500 tons.
09:03It's half as heavy as the Statue of Liberty.
09:05Walking around the excavator or climbing inside the cabin is going to be as hard as dealing with the previous
09:11machine
09:11because their sizes are kind of similar.
09:13Ugh, too much exercise for one day.
09:16And look at those 12 enormous caterpillar tracks propelling the machine.
09:21They make this giant quite fast, allowing it to travel at a speed of almost 33 feet per minute.
09:27Woo, let's race!
09:29Oh, I see.
09:30You're tired of excavators and eager to try something new.
09:33Okay, let me show you the Tyshin crane.
09:36This gargantuan construction makes sense when you think that to build big machines,
09:41you need something equally big, or even bigger, to move around bits and pieces of them.
09:46The Tyshin crane might be a perfect fit for this purpose.
09:49To test it, you'll need to travel all the way to a shipyard in China.
09:53Wow, isn't it the biggest crane you've ever seen?
09:56It's also considered to be the most powerful crane in the world, boasting a payload of more than 20,000
10:02tons.
10:03It means it could lift more than 150 blue whales at a time.
10:07And those are the biggest animals on Earth.
10:09Not that you could train them to, you know, stack up like that.
10:13How about doing something boring?
10:15Well, Big Bertha can assist you, making this activity a child's play.
10:20It's the world's largest tunnel-boring machine, dwarfing all competitors with a total length of 300 feet.
10:27So take Big Ben in London, place it on its side, that's how long Bertha is.
10:32This machine is also five stories high, and there's no elevator to get to the top.
10:37This 7,000-ton monster has to be shipped between work sites, and it's not an easy feat.
10:43So perhaps it's time to try something different, like a super dozer.
10:47Meet Komatsu D575A, the world's biggest and most powerful production bulldozer.
10:53They produce it in Japan, but the machine is mostly active in Australia and North America.
10:58So you can pick any of these regions to test this super machine.
11:02But you'll have to do your best to get inside its cabin, considering how high it's located.
11:07But if you'll succeed, you'll feel what 1,150 horsepower feels like.
11:12If you want something more exotic, we could go and test NASA's crawler-transporter.
11:17It was built to move entire rockets.
11:19Even though it's about 50 years old, this giant machine is still impressive.
11:24The crawler is the size of a baseball infield, and its top speed is 1 mile per hour when the
11:30machine is loaded and 2 miles per hour when unloaded.
11:33Since it began working, the crawler has already traveled more than 2,300 miles.
11:38That's almost the length of the Mississippi River.
11:41Well, I hope you enjoyed this extraordinary experience.
11:44But now, it's time to fly.
11:46And here, the McDonnell Douglas AC-10 Extender rules the skies.
11:51This giant machine has two functions, refueling and cargo transportation.
11:56Look at this plane.
11:57Its wingspan is similar to the height of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
12:01It'll definitely take your breath away.
12:03The length of this aircraft is even greater, over 180 feet.
12:07Once you take off, you'll feel the might of the machine.
12:10It's carrying 356,000 pounds of fuel.
12:14Ooh, let's do some math.
12:15A plane, like a Boeing 747, uses one gallon of fuel every second.
12:20During a 15-hour flight, it might burn 54,000 gallons or about 383,000 pounds of fuel.
12:27So our McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender could supply this passenger plane with fuel for almost the entire duration of
12:35the flight.
12:36Now, I'll show you something you have never seen before.
12:39This is the overburdened conveyor bridge, F-60.
12:43This colossal beast is the world's largest conveyor bridge.
12:46I bet you can't wait to operate this monster.
12:49It's almost 1,650 feet long, 660 feet wide, and towering at 260 feet high.
12:56Getting to the top is like climbing an 18-story building.
12:59The entire construction weighs a whopping 11,000 tons, almost as much as the world-famous Eiffel Tower.
13:06The conveyor bridge was built back in 1991 in East Germany.
13:10How about catching some sunlight and watching waves crash against the shore?
13:14Right, we're going to visit one of the largest ships in the world, the Prelude.
13:19This giant floating machine is a floating natural gas facility.
13:23At almost 1,600 feet long, it's so huge that if you placed it vertically next to the Empire State
13:28Building,
13:29it'd still be around 147 feet taller, and it would really block the traffic in Manhattan.
13:34You can assume that it might be tricky to control this monster.
13:38When fully loaded, it weighs an insane 600,000 tons.
13:42It's five times as heavy as the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada.
13:46Now, speaking of legendary ships, we can't but mention the famous Sea Wise Giant.
13:52It also has other names.
13:53For example, the Happy Giant or Knock Nevis.
13:56It was built in Japan and once held the record as the world's longest ship with a deadweight tonnage of
14:02657,000 tons when fully loaded.
14:05The ship was so big, it couldn't even fit through major canals like the Suez and Panama canals.
14:11Unfortunately, the ship was once heavily damaged in a conflict, but later it was saved and became a floating storage
14:17unit.
14:18Sadly, you can't visit it anymore.
14:20In 2009, the ship was finally scrapped after its final journey.
14:25Next up is a floating vacuum cleaner.
14:27I'm talking about the Queen of the Netherlands, a hopper-dredging ship built in 1998.
14:33This machine has a dead weight of 60,000 tons and is twice as long as a football field.
14:38Its job is to suck up silt and debris from the seabed.
14:41Oh, and by the way, you can even track where this massive ship is in the world right now.
14:48So, you might have noticed that we haven't traveled by train yet.
14:51Well, let's fix that.
14:52Meet the big boy.
14:54This steam locomotive is the largest one ever built, 132 feet long and weighing a massive 1.2 million pounds.
15:02These machines were so powerful, they could haul entire freight trains across mountain ranges without breaking a sweat.
15:10And finally, you can visit the largest machine in the world, the Large Hadron Collider, sitting on the border between
15:17Switzerland and France.
15:19It's a 17-mile-long particle accelerator.
15:22Scientists use it to smash subatomic particles together and unlock the mysteries of the universe.
15:27So, you better stay away from that thing.
15:30Rumor has it, it can open a black hole on Earth.
15:34Just kidding.
15:35And still, the LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator ever built, pushing the limits of what we know about
15:42physics.
15:42And here's a small bonus for you.
15:45I hope you like speed, because you're going to climb the world's biggest motorbike.
15:50This gigantic bike stands an incredible 16 feet tall and weighs 5.5 tons, as much as a small elephant.
15:56But the best thing, this bike has actually traveled a distance of around 300 feet.
16:02So, which of the monster machines would you drive?
16:06The first guy crazy enough to try flying in anything electric was a French dude, like 140 years ago.
16:14The main problem back then, batteries weren't exactly long-lasting or powerful.
16:19Apple, Tesla, Samsung, modern batteries last ages.
16:23Well, not really.
16:25Even the biggest electric car battery couldn't keep a plane in the air.
16:29Not for long, anyway.
16:30Right now, one pound of airplane fuel has almost 60 times more energy than a regular battery.
16:36They would need to make the fuel tank 60 times bigger and fill it with batteries.
16:41But batteries are heavy.
16:43So, you'd need to make the electric airplane more powerful to handle the weight.
16:47So then, you'd need even more batteries, which would mean more weight.
16:52So, you'd need to make an even stronger...
16:54Ugh, you get the picture.
16:56But engineers are trying to find a balance.
17:00In 1973, two of them put an electric engine on a glider, and it flew for 14 minutes.
17:06Not really long enough to fly anywhere, but it was still the first manned electric aircraft flight ever.
17:13A few years later, one stayed in the air for 35 minutes.
17:18Its electric engine had only 3.5 horsepower, and its battery was borrowed from a Hughes 500 helicopter.
17:25The roof of the airplane had solar panels on it.
17:28But how much charge are you going to get in 35 minutes?
17:31Things are a lot easier when you're talking about pilotless planes.
17:36Mostly, they're just way lighter.
17:38No human, no chair, no doors or extra windows.
17:41Zippo.
17:43NASA's Pathfinder set a world record for an altitude of 71,000 feet.
17:48No jet engines, no fuel, just a pretty strong battery.
17:52In 1990, the Sunseeker 1 crossed the entire United States with an electric engine.
17:59It took 21 flights and 121 hours in the air.
18:03Most normal commercial planes do it in one go, and it only takes about 5 hours.
18:09After that, tech started getting way better.
18:12Time for the Solar Impulse.
18:14What a great name for a band.
18:15The wingspan of this giant was about the same as the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.
18:23But its total weight was basically the same as an SUV.
18:27They put massive wings on it and loaded them up with solar panels.
18:32This time, they really did recharge the plane as it flew around.
18:36It could stay in the air for an incredibly long time and travel huge distances.
18:41As part of its round-the-world trip, it spent almost 5 days in the air
18:46and traveled over 4,000 miles between Japan and Hawaii.
18:50Aloha!
18:51Why did it take 5 days?
18:53Because that thing only goes 45 miles per hour.
18:57That's like your grandma driving on the highway.
18:59My grandma has a lead foot.
19:02And you can't just build a plane.
19:04First, you need to pass through a tough certification process.
19:07Every screw, nut, bolt, every inch of your new plane needs to be tested for safety.
19:13That takes years.
19:15So, many dreamers have gone another way.
19:17They take an existing aircraft, throw away the old gas-burning engine,
19:22and switch it out for an electric one.
19:24Electric engines are much lighter and they take up less space.
19:28But those heavy batteries more than make up for it.
19:31These upgraded planes can take off, but can only fly short distances.
19:35Which is amazing.
19:38Jet planes emit about 1 billion tons of CO2 a year.
19:42They're a major player in the pollution game.
19:44But half of all flights in the world are less than 500 miles long.
19:49It's one thing to get a giant plane in the air to travel from New York to Paris.
19:54But it's totally different if you only need to fly New York to DC,
19:59or Seattle to Vancouver.
20:01They're only a few hundred miles, but they use some of the same planes.
20:06It's crazy.
20:07They literally take off, gain the right altitude, and immediately begin their descent.
20:12That's like driving to your own mailbox in a tank.
20:15Each hour in the air costs the airlines thousands and pumps a bunch of CO2 into the atmosphere.
20:21So, let's do it.
20:23Step 1.
20:24Replace the fuel-munching planes with electric ones.
20:27It'll be cheaper for everyone, quieter and cleaner.
20:31Done.
20:32Just one problem.
20:33Electric planes can only take one to two passengers at a time.
20:37That's the pilot and co-pilot.
20:39The way forward?
20:40Build an electric plane from scratch.
20:44Aviation Alice.
20:45It might just be the first fully electric commercial aircraft, carrying nine passengers and two crew members.
20:52It looks kind of like an overturned boat and has three propellers, two on the wings and one behind its
20:59V-shaped tail.
21:00As long as a school bus, as wide as a limo.
21:04It's secret?
21:04It's almost twice as light as a school bus.
21:07That helps the engines work less and means longer flights.
21:11It's made of composite materials, which is science talk for stuff that's not metal.
21:16Basically what some boats are made of.
21:19And its batteries take up 60% of its weight.
21:22They're everywhere.
21:23In the wings, tail, beak, eyes, feathers.
21:26Just kidding.
21:28Alice has a max range of 650 miles.
21:31That's like L.A. to Vegas and back.
21:34And then back to Vegas one more time.
21:36It's cruising speed is only 275 miles per hour, much slower than fuel-powered planes.
21:42But the main advantage of Alice is money.
21:46One hour in the air costs the airline 200 bucks.
21:50That's way cheaper than even those tiny planes that millionaires use to fly to Cabo for the weekend.
21:56So what's aviation waiting for?
21:59Mostly, it needs infrastructure.
22:01But that might not be such a big problem.
22:04There are almost 20,000 airports in the USA.
22:08Most of them are unused because they're just too expensive to run or because no airline wanted to bother flying
22:14there anymore.
22:15But Alice is much cheaper to maintain, and it makes a lot less noise.
22:20Imagine the airport of the future.
22:23Small, stylish, quiet, and clean.
22:26Engineers want to charge Alice with mobile chargers, like an electric version of those gas trucks you see at the
22:33airport.
22:33For a one-hour flight, Alice needs to juice up for 30 minutes.
22:38That's actually not that bad.
22:40But imagine if you were going to take a 14-hour flight on that thing.
22:44You'd be waiting at the gate for 7 hours.
22:47Alice costs $800 less per hour than other planes.
22:51But the plane itself is pretty expensive.
22:55Try $4 million.
22:57Still, that's only a bit more than one of those private jets.
23:01Alice is getting ready for a 2022 fully certified flight.
23:05That means it's only a few years before regional flights go electric.
23:09At least some of them.
23:10But if electric planes want to play in the big leagues, they need to solve that same old problem.
23:16They're batteries.
23:18Modern lithium-ion batteries have serious issues.
23:21They're flammable.
23:22They lose their charge faster and faster.
23:24The more you recharge them, and the cold makes them not work as well.
23:29The next generation of batteries is lithium-sulfur batteries.
23:32They hold more power and are cleaner for the environment.
23:35But their main disadvantage is that they wear out quickly.
23:38So scientists are looking for other tech to step up.
23:43Hybrid planes might be the way of the future.
23:45That's what cars are doing more and more now.
23:48Part fuel, part battery.
23:50Airplanes will probably be the same.
23:52There are already lightweight two-seater planes that use a hybrid engine.
23:56The aircraft takes off quietly with the energy stored in its batteries.
24:01Once it's up in the air, it changes to fuel.
24:04Some engines actually charge the battery while it's working.
24:07Sort of like your car battery.
24:09Electric planes aren't the only way forward.
24:12Some companies are working on biofuel planes, which run on hydro-something-something veggie oil.
24:18But those planes are also pretty small.
24:21Probably, the next big thing to hit the airline industry will be driverless planes.
24:26Computers already do a ton of the heavy lifting.
24:29And if you fly long distance, most of it's on autopilot already.
24:33Even though it's so freaky to think that there's no one up there flying your plane,
24:38most problems are caused by human error.
24:41So, no human, no errors?
24:43Most customers say they don't like the idea.
24:46But that'll probably change soon enough.
24:48Ooh, I wonder if they're going to make AI robot cabin crew.
24:53Or what if tiny drones flew around the cabin serving drinks?
24:57pipes and