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Archive for the ‘transportation’ category: Page 262

Nov 11, 2021

Clean energy could supply 100% of U.S. electricity by 2035

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

A new report, published this week, highlights the explosive growth in solar, wind, electric vehicles, and other clean tech in the United States.

Nov 11, 2021

Electrochemical pulse method resolves materials joining in solid-state batteries

Posted by in categories: chemistry, mobile phones, sustainability, transportation

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a scalable, low-cost electrochemical pulse method to improve the contact between layers of materials in solid-state batteries, resolving one of the big challenges in the commercial development of safe, long-lived energy storage systems. The new technology could pave the way for electric vehicles and smartphones that work much longer with each charge.

One of the challenges in manufacturing solid-state batteries is the difficulty of getting materials to properly join and remain stable during repeated cycles of charging and discharging. This leads to instability in the joints and causes the formation of voids, something known as contact impedance. Applying high pressures is one way to solve this problem, but that process can lead to shorting and would need to be re-applied periodically to extend the battery’s life using an expensive aftermarket application.

ORNL scientists have found that they could eliminate these voids by applying a short, high-voltage electrochemical pulse when joining layers of lithium metal anode material with a solid electrolyte material. These pulses see a current surrounding the lithium metal-encased voids and cause them to dissipate, leading to increased contact at the interface of the materials while resulting in no detrimental effects.

Nov 11, 2021

Electric vehicle revolution puts pressure on energy grid

Posted by in categories: energy, government, sustainability, transportation

Solar car is better option.


The influx of electric vehicles into Australia could put an additional load of 20 gigawatts a day — or a doubling of peak electricity demand — on the electricity grid by 2030 if most owners charged up at the same time every night, a new report has found.

The $350 million research collaboration between industry, universities and government has identified a raft of challenges for the arrival of EVs which are expected to make up 80 per cent of new vehicles sales by the end of the decade, making up almost 25 per cent of Australia’s total car fleet.

Continue reading “Electric vehicle revolution puts pressure on energy grid” »

Nov 11, 2021

Mobile H2O generator pulls drinking water from air for off-grid nomads

Posted by in categories: business, sustainability, transportation

For over a decade, Israeli atmospheric water generator (AWG) company Watergen has been one of the players working to refine and grow air-to-water technology that can efficiently pull water vapor out of the air and collect it as fresh, filtered drinking water. Its previous work has focused heavily on large installations to supply communities, businesses and households, and its latest innovations shrink the water-harvesting tech into a form portable enough for overlanders, RVers, tiny home dwellers and other off-grid explorers.

The last time we ran into Watergen’s work was at CES 2,019 where it showed the Automotive AWG system. The center-console-integrated system was one of the wondrous highlights of the show, but it seemed an odd, limited use for a technology with such potential, a strange detour on a larger journey. Does the average passenger car driver really need a water tap over the cupholders?

Continue reading “Mobile H2O generator pulls drinking water from air for off-grid nomads” »

Nov 10, 2021

Wright proposes a 100-seat electric airliner powered by aluminum

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

US-based Wright Electric has announced a 100-seat electric short-hop aircraft slated to go into service by 2026. It’ll either be powered by hydrogen, or it’ll use recyclable metal in what the company calls an “aluminum fuel cell.”

Wright is working on a number of large electric aircraft projects, including an even bigger 186-seater it’s developing in conjunction with European airline EasyJet and BAE Systems. This would be a “low-emissions” electric, presumably using a fossil-fueled range extender to top up its batteries and extend its flight range to around 1,290 km (800 miles). The partnership is pitching it as a “path” towards clean aviation, a kind of Prius of the skies, that will prove the electric powertrain while waiting for energy storage to come up to scratch.

Wright’s latest project, however, will be totally zero-emissions, and will use high-density energy storage to tackle flights up to an hour in duration – that’s enough for the ~1,000-km (620-mile) hop between Sydney and Melbourne, or London-Geneva, or Tokyo-Osaka, or LA-San Francisco.

Nov 10, 2021

The first firefighting robot in America is here —- and it has already helped fight a major fire in Los Angeles

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Circa 2020


A newly recruited firefighter in Los Angeles put out a major fire even before being formally introduced at a news conference. That new recruit is a robot.

The Thermite RS3, the first robotic firefighting vehicle in the United States, was scheduled to arrive at the news conference the morning of October 13 but it was diverted to a major emergency structure fire in the fashion district in Downtown Los Angeles earlier that day.

Continue reading “The first firefighting robot in America is here —- and it has already helped fight a major fire in Los Angeles” »

Nov 10, 2021

Roboat III Autonomus Boat Transportation System

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Roboat is a research program on autonomous boats in Amsterdam. The program was scheduled to last from 2016–2021, is developing the world’s first fleet of autonomous vessels. It focuses on moving people and goods, portable infrastructure and data gathering.

source/image(PrtSc): MITCSAIL.

Nov 10, 2021

Elon Musk Sells $1.1 Billion in Tesla Stock

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Share disposal comes as the billionaire chief executive exercises a large number of stock options.

Nov 10, 2021

Apple Car Looks Totally Doable in Patent-Based Renderings

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Apple EV expected 2025.


It’s all but confirmed now: Apple is working on its very own electric vehicle, no matter what the company says, and the debut is expected to take place in 2025 at the earliest.

Nov 10, 2021

New $250 million government fund aims to spark greater use of electric vehicles

Posted by in categories: government, sustainability, transportation

In the lead up to the 2019 election, Scott Morrison said Labor’s target of 50 per cent of all new vehicles being electric by 2030 would “end the weekend”. Now he’s backing them with the new $250 million “future fuels” fund.