Orange County unveils streetcar for area's ‘first modern' system
The debut of the blue and orange colored vehicle, which will be the county's 'first modern, electric streetcar,' was held at its base in Santa Ana on Wednesday, the Orange County Transportation Authority stated.
'The arrival of the first OC Streetcar vehicle is an exciting moment for Orange County and a clear sign of the strong progress we're making toward getting the system running,' said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee.
The Siemens S700 streetcar is 90 feet long and designed to carry up to 211 passengers, including 62 seated and 149 standing.
'The OC Streetcar will run on electricity from an overhead catenary system, producing zero emissions as it runs along the track,' according to the OCTA.
The cars will run a 4-mile route between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, serving some of the most densely populated neighborhoods and connecting with Metrolink rail service.
Testing on the new system is expected to begin this summer, with service slated to begin in spring 2026.
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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
For real off-roading or navigating potholed Canadian streets, this SUV brings it. It really can go anywhere
GATEWAY, COLO.—The ultrafine dust — it's so fine, it's caked our vehicle and made for a dangerous particulate in the cabin, forcing me to switch to recirculated air — swirls off the vehicle ahead, and, mercifully, just to the right, thanks to some favourable winds. As a result, we aren't completely blinded; just partially. The clay-red dirt below forms a stark and beautiful contrast with the blue sky above and while cloudless, the horizon is punctuated by fortress-like buttes as far as the eye can see. In my hands is the gorgeous two-tone leather-wrapped wheel of the all-new Defender OCTA performance SUV. It's a no-holds-barred take on the latest incarnation of the famous Land Rover Defender off-road vehicle. Defender tested the OCTA in conditions just like this over hundreds of thousands of miles during its development and all that sweat equity has brought us here — to beautiful desolation. We'd put it through its paces on sub-five-mph rock crawls, a fast off-road circuit and a water crossing or two. There would also be some 'normal' highway driving, but when you consider the spec, it becomes tough to focus on how well it tracks through a gentle right-hander on a divided highway at 100 kilometres-per-hour. While the OCTA is clearly a Defender 110 variant, there's so much more going on underneath it all. For starters: just look at those wheels and tires! Defender turned to Goodyear to develop an extra-durable tire for the OCTA, and they answered the bell by embedding Kevlar, a material used in everything from boat sails to bulletproof vests, into the tires' sidewalls. That makes it very hard for sharp rocks to punch through, which is a big deal when off-roading or navigating potholed Canadian streets. Under the hood things get more interesting still. The OCTA is the first Defender model to get a new 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine. It's good for 626 horsepower and 553 pounds-feet (motive force) of torque, both healthy increases over the 5.0-litre, supercharged V8 the Defender currently uses. It's an incredible engine that revs quickly and gives you its full slug of torque at just 1,400 rpm. That's the kind of quick power delivery you want when off-roading, as it helps pull you through steep, rough terrain. To prove its worth, we went for a 4,000-foot climb on unforgiving mountain trails littered with rocks (average size equals a softball), loose gravel and jagged outcroppings poised to tear many a tire's sidewall and gash many a fender. Even the desert bushes are foreboding, their lives hard lived in harsh, dry, hot conditions, forcing them to develop branches with arthritic tendrils that sound like nails on a chalkboard as they 'brush' — if you can call it that — against the fenders, doors and roofs of our OCTA. With a selection of drive modes (we chose Rock Crawl for this jaunt) and an all-new '6D Dynamic' suspension system that provides massive wheel articulation, the OCTA clambered over everything with no complaint. To help further instil confidence, the central display inside can be set to show a camera that looks over each front wheel. That's handy when you have a panel-shearing rock wall on one side, and about a foot between said wheel and a 100-foot drop on the other. Even through a three-foot-deep river crossing in 'Wade' mode, the OCTA plowed on, the powerful engine having no problem neutralizing the water resistance. Defender says the OCTA can wade in up to a metre of water and I have no reason to think otherwise. The fast off-road course did have me holding on that much tighter only because I wanted to see what the OCTA could do, how far I could push it. One of the drive modes is called 'OCTA,' and it allows for just a little more slip, and a little more ability to control the rear end with the throttle. Back on the road — surprisingly quiet and comfortable, even with knobby off-road tires — I had the chance to enjoy the interior environs of this most hardcore of showroom-spec Defenders. The OCTA has heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats (cooled if you spec the captain's chairs), Meridian audio, digital rear-view mirror, automatic climate control, 11.4-inch infotainment display and the very unique Body and Soul Seats (BASS). More than just being heated, cooled and providing a massage feature, BASS seats, developed in conjunction with Subpac, a Toronto-based company, are tuned to vibrate with your music. Or, they can use the seat's built-in actuators and heating controls to help provide a relaxing environment if you need a break. Through all of this I never noticed my knuckles whitening or my brow sweating (even with ambient temperatures rising to 40C) because the OCTA is so darn good at what it does. With the hardware on-hand, the computers that aid with traction and the cameras, you just don't need to think as hard to progress. I am no off-roading expert, but that just didn't matter so much here. Indeed, few people buying an OCTA will ever make full use of all that. But if you're dealing with harsh Canadian winters or pockmarked gravel roads to the cabin, it's nice to know that you can. Type: Five-door, four-wheel-drive, mid-size SUV Engine: Twin-turbocharged, 4.4-litre V8; 626 horsepower, 553 pounds-feet of torque (motive force) Fuel: TBA Transmission: Eight-speed automatic Cargo: 786 litres, or 27.75 cubic feet; 1,875l, or 66 cu. ft. with rear seats folded Towing: 3,719 kilograms, or 8,200 pounds Price: $200,884, as tested
Hypebeast
02-07-2025
- Hypebeast
Land Rover Defender OCTA Is the World Conquerer We've Been Waiting For
There's been a trend as of late, where sports car makers create an off-road version that's lifted, beefed up, widened and built to conquer Earth's challenges. But what if the automaker is known for off-roading already; where do you go from there? That's exactly what theLand Rover Defender OCTAis. We were given an exclusive invite to Colorado toTest Drivethe all newLand RoverDefender OCTA very early in its arrival. Built upon the Defender 110 V8 edition, the OCTA is the Defender to end all Defenders. Wider body, biggest engine possible, with exclusive lifted suspension and strengthened chassis reinforcement; Land Rover is marketing the OCTA to buyers who need the upper echelon of driving needs. But from what we encountered, it might be overkill for its main objective, at a price point ($152,000 USD) that's quite hard to swallow. Then what would be the reasons you buy the Defender OCTA? Are you shopping it for the looks, or ultimate challenges, or for high speed expeditions? We tackle each approach and came to the conclusion that, for us, it's defined by two out of three scenarios, while one of which didn't quite make the cut. From first glance and with no other Defenders present, you'd easily mistake the OCTA for a standard 110, minus a few aesthetic differences. This is key – we don't want a super loud, extra-built-out 'look at me' design change since we're pretty big fans of the Defender to begin with. So what the OCTA does well is restrain itself from being the top-of-the-line trim. That being said, when you're familiar with Defenders and perhaps with a neighboring one, the OCTA stands out quite apparently. The first thing you'd notice is the wide flared arches – while it measures 'only' 2.7 inches in total, it's noticeably wider than the standard 110 from all angles, thanks to its defined fender panels and a different fender edging. The car also sits 1.1' higher than the standard, however this wasn't as apparent in real life. Other standout features include the obvious OCTA badge on the rear quarter panel, as well as a much more aggressive front and rear bumper arrangement, utilizing a new honeycomb design for the former and quad exhaust exits for the latter. We love the OCTA wheels too which are not only much more aggressive in style, but shroud the valve stem for added off-road protection. Lastly, Edition One OCTA are offered with a slathering of forged carbon fiber across the exterior panels – subjectively, we'd opt away from these as they tend to pull away from the overall aesthetic of an off roader. Being truthful, if you're considering an OCTA purely for the looks, we wouldn't recommend it. It's designed right and we would 1000% side with a subtle upgrade in design over a complete overhaul and makeover, but it's simply not enough to justify the new price tag. But it's a start. During our trip to Grand Junction, Colorado and on our journey to Moab, Utah, we encountered a plethora of terrain challenges, the majority of which included off-road trails. One major expedition involved rock crawling, switchbacks, and eventually conquering The Beehive State's mountainous red rocks and even some river crossing. This gave the Land Rover Defender OCTA a real opportunity to shine, however it might have backfired a bit for us. On our adventure, we were of course accompanied by multiple Defender OCTA as well as standard 110s. The rough surfaces, sharp rocks and fairly-huge boulders in our way posed no threat to the OCTA's lifted, protected and air ride suspension-fitted vehicle, but to our realization they weren't much of a problem for the 110s either. The OCTA is that much beefier than its standard brethren: fully independent, multi-valved '6D Dynamics' hydraulic suspension corners were a key aspect of the OCTA's unique setup, which metaphorically laughed off the loose gravel and stones on our Moab trails. For the larger boulders, we were given a piece of mind that the underbody was protected with skid plates which shielded us from any possible damage. In fact, there was one instance where we were sure the skid plate was hit, but upon inspection we found no apparent damage which not only meant it did its job, but it did its job exceptionally well. Software-wise, OCTA's Auto Terrain mode once again was pure confidence inspiring – it defined 'set it and forget it' as we found ourselves not even bothering with the mode selector the entire trip. And thanks to the redesigned exterior at the fore and aft, no entry or exit was ever steep enough to scrape or scuff. The conundrum however was literally in front of our eyes though, as we followed a standard 110 almost the entire time. Where ever we went, the 110 was already there just a few feet ahead of us. While we didn't have any crew present in the standard Defenders, we imagined they didn't break a sweat either which reinforced the thinking of 'why spring for an OCTA if the 110 is good enough?' It's like the athletic older brother, with all the equipment and training, being outpaced by their younger sibling the entire 400m. Therefore if you're dishing out the cash for the OCTA, the price – which is more than $40,000 USD above the 110 V8 – is more for the confidence and piece of mind that it can conquer all trails, instead of the trails themselves. Ironically, we found the on-road performance for the OCTA a bit more fitting of the price than the off-road. With the new OCTA mode and the numbers game with the engine, the flagship trim is seriously fun in this department. The Defender OCTA utilizes a BMW-sourced 4.4L twin-turbo V8, executed as a mild hybrid with a performance-assisting electric motor. Land Rover claims the power equates to 626 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque at most, depending on the mode selected. While in Dynamic mode even, the OCTA gives full power to the driver, but maintains driver aids to keep that power down. OCTA mode, however, is one step above and thus separates it from a run-of-a-mill 110. Our first task in Colorado was to explore the best scenario for OCTA Mode and Land Rover didn't beat around the bush to showcase exactly what this would be: a baja-style, off-road circuit that mixed fast corners and hairpins with slaloms, banks and even a few jumps. Our Land Rover pro driver gave us a passenger ride-along for a sighting lap before handing over the wheel and right away we knew – or felt – that the OCTA could master this one-mile course with ease. All 626 hp – somehow – found its way onto the loose dirt and gravel in the best way possible while allowing for a fine balance of slip and grip. The engine worked in unison with the lifted suspension and 22' off-road wheel and tire package and gave us confidence to really gun it on the rough surface. During our turn, and with our inexperience, we mustered the courage to go 55 mph, but perhaps it wasn't enough – our trained pro driver took the wheel back and really, really exerted what the OCTA can do. And for a hot second, we saw he hit 78 mph. So if you're the proud owner of the Defender OCTA, what environment would benefit you the most? In our opinion, it's built for the fairly affluent semi-urban landscape – think an hour or two outside of Chicago or Indianapolis – who has access to both highways, twisties, canyons and trails. We'd configure our Defender OCTA less on the rugged side to highlight the aggressive widebody and bulging curves, and maybe skip the matte PPF offered from factory, or the 20' wheels with extra chunky tires. Why? Because if we had to rank our use for it, we'd bring our OCTA to road trips that might include a bit of faster off-road courses, more so than truly off-road mountains and deserts. Out of the three aspects listed here, design and on-road capability take the cake for us, but that doesn't mean we'd not appreciate the off-road capability – we just felt the OCTA was overkill for even the advanced trails we were on. We've seen this formula before with other automakers like Porsche and Lamborghini, but we're actually proud that Land Rover prioritized the off-road angle more so for their example. Whether or not you utilize your OCTA for everything to its potential is one thing, but we're confident it could tackle anything and everything you throw at it, and that means the $152,000 USD is justified.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Silver Price Outlook
Silver price (XAGUSD) reached a 13-year-high of $37.30 per ounce (oz) on 18 June. Although the price has pulled back slightly since then, it has remained well-supported above the critical 35.00 mark amid recent market volatility driven by geopolitical escalation in the Middle East. Kar Yong Ang, Octa's financial market analyst, shares his expert outlook on the recent silver rally, its reasons, and potential scenarios for traders to mind. On 2 June, XAGUSD recorded its best daily performance in more than six months, rallying by more than 5% in a single day as a weakening dollar and a combination of geopolitical risks and economic uncertainty fuelled investor demand for safe-haven assets. The rally did not stop there and silver prices continued to increase, hitting a 13-year high in two weeks as the tensions between Israel and Iran escalated further. Previously, this year, the market anticipated that the $40 per oz milestone is a real possibility, and the recent growth makes it even more real. Silver can be considered one of the best-performing commodities recently, outpacing many base and ferrous metals. The YoY (year-over-year) price increase is more than 20%. One of the key reasons for the 2025 rally is the so-called 'safe-haven rush', as investors, spooked by the escalating geopolitical instability across various regions, flock to traditionally secure assets. While gold has historically been the primary destination for investors looking to protect their capital, silver is increasingly gaining traction as well because gold has become a bit too expensive. Indeed, the gold/silver ratio, which shows how many ounces of silver are needed to buy one ounce of gold, has consistently stayed above 90 for most of 2025. When compared to the long-term historical average of 50-60 ounces, the current high ratio suggests that silver is significantly undervalued relative to gold, making it an attractive alternative for investors. Another contributing factor to silver's recent appeal is the weakening U.S. dollar. Its depreciation is largely attributed to uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy, particularly the impact of new 'Trump tariffs', and the anticipated interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed). In fact, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has been trending down for most of 2025, pushing other currencies higher and thus marking dollar-priced silver more affordable for holders of other currencies. Besides investors' demand, silver price growth is fueled by its wide industrial application. The metal is actively applied in solar energy, electronics, and auto manufacturing. For example, recent technological advancements in higher-efficiency N-type solar cells that have seen mass production require more silver loadings[1]. The automotive sector increases the use of electronic components and invests in battery charging infrastructure. Consumer electronics feature AI applications, which also rely on silver[2]. These and other factors drive increasing industrial silver demand, which has steadily grown since 2020, according to WisdomTree data[3]. The industrial demand is expected to be a key force of the silver supply/demand deficit, which takes place for a fifth consecutive year[4]. Overall, the market sentiment on future silver growth in 2025 remains positive. In the short term, assuming macroeconomic conditions do not deteriorate sharply and industrial demand remains strong, silver will likely remain in an uptrend, potentially breaking above the $37.40 level and heading towards a long-anticipated target of $40 per oz. The rally can extend into the long term, particularly if the current five-year supply/demand deficit persists. Robust industrial applications of silver—especially in solar and electronics—coupled with investors' safe-haven demand, are outpacing silver mine supply, which should provide a strong fundamental underpinning for higher prices. Despite the positive silver price outlook, traders and investors should remain cautious. Silver is mostly an industrial commodity and not a monetary asset like gold, which is highly demanded by central banks around the world. An industrial demand shock, especially across China or the Eurozone, can offset safe haven buying and pressure prices. At the same time, the strengthening dollar, rising real yields, or suddenly normalised geopolitical situations like the unexpected Trump statement on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran can provoke the correction and delay further price growth. ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ This article was originally posted on FX Empire Silver Price Outlook Visa Shares Up 2,655% Since Big Money Bought In Big Money Inflows Electrify Talen Energy Core & Main Flashes Bullish Outlier Signals Ulta Beauty Sales Growth Attracts Inflows Earnings and Inflows Push Heico Shares Up 34%
