EDITOR'S CHOICE

Car Tyres Shed A Quarter Of All Microplastics In The Environment - Urgent Action Is Needed

28 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"Researchers in South China recently found tyre-derived chemicals in most human urine samples...They account for 28% of microplastics entering the environment globally...Tyre particles tend to be made from a complex mix of synthetic and natural rubbers, along with hundreds of chemical additives...zinc oxide accounts for around 0.7% of a tyre’s weight. Though it is essential for making tyres more durable, zinc oxide is highly toxic for fish and other aquatic life and disrupts ecosystems even in trace amounts"

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Tashkent's Urban Revolution: How Green Transport Is Reshaping Mobility in Uzbekistan's Capitol

28 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

5-minute video produced for Euro News highlights the important changes to the capitol's transportation system with goal of inducing more citizens to leave their cars at home and use a growing fleet of more sustainable transportation options from expanded metro system to electric buses to micromobility shared e-bikes and kick-scooters, supported by a growing network of bike lanes.

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Long-duration Hydrogen-Bromine (HBr) Battery Startup Lands $5M On Journey To One Day Power Data Centers And Metro Areas

28 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"Skip Technology raised $5 million to help the grid-scale battery startup begin deploying prototypes for field testing...[the hydrogen-bromine redox stationary battery] devices hold power for a longer time, are much less flammable, and require components that are easy to source domestically...a collection of about 10 shipping container-sized batteries could provide enough juice for a large data center.

"The new investment round is being led by Puyallup Tribal Enterprises..."

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Has Electric Car Range Anxiety In Britain Finally Bitten The Dust?

27 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"The latest statistics show that just 1.85 per cent of all callouts in 2024 for the AA were related to flat batteries for electric cars"

"While 2 in 5 drivers worry about the risk of breaking down with no charge, it affects a very small amount of motorists...Most breakdowns are for faults common to both petrol and electric cars...

The AA's latest figures show that less than 2 per cent of EV breakdowns are for 'out of charge' ..."

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Electric Vehicle Industry At Crossroads, Not A Dead End

27 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"Momentum is with the emerging electric vehicle industry even with many question marks surrounding energy policy as the [O.L.] administration takes office...Certain policies could potentially "slow down" growth domestically...that doesn't change the cost advantages nor the long-term trends...

"We are working really hard to make sure it's clear that transportation electrification is not a red or a blue issue, but it's really about what's better for the country, especially when you look at it through the lens of global competition."

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Parents Say Electric School Buses Make Children Happier, Survey Finds

27 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"...two thirds (65%) of U.S. parents would prefer their child ride on an electric school bus than a diesel-powered one...

"The survey data showed support for electric school buses is largely tied to parents' concerns about their children's health...two thirds (68%) of parents surveyed said they believe their child's overall physical health would improve as a result of riding an electric bus to school.

"Currently only 2.5% of the estimated 500,000 school buses in the U.S. are "committed" electric school buses."

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Explained: Getting Electric Airplanes Off the Ground

27 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

When building an electric airplane, the primary challenge is energy density. This is the amount of energy the battery contains per kilogram...AV Gas are exceptionally energy-dense at around 43MJ/kg or 12kWh/kg. By comparison, the best battery technologies today are around 0.3kWh/kg, meaning they are 40 time heavier...One business case that meets these tight constraints is flight schools.

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Federal EV Tax Credit At Risk - How Much Does It Really Drive Sales?

23 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"Some of the best-selling EVs on the market today - like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 - are ineligible for the federal tax credit...

"Across all of the electric vehicles sold in the United States, credit-eligible models sold at about 1.4 times the rate of ineligible vehicles...The difference between the two groups is likely even larger than the 1.4 times figure we found...ven before the discount from the federal EV credit, credit-eligible cars are nearly $9,000 less than their ineligible counterparts..."

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US Army Taps Raytheon To Replace Fuel Lines With Beamed Power

23 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"The average US soldier today carries up to 140 lb (64 kg) of gear on their back – and a lot of this is in the form of batteries to run their equipment...

"Raytheon's Advanced Technology team...[aims to beam] high-energy coherent microwaves that are transmitted from a secure generator to forward positions where it's converted back into electricity...series of demonstrations, with one in 1975 transmitting 475 W of microwave power across distance of a mile (1.6 km) and then converted to DC electricity with an efficiency of 54%."

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NIST Trains AI To Hear The 'Oh Crap' Moment Before Batteries Explode

23 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"The nature of lithium-ion battery fires is that by the time smoke triggers a traditional smoke alarm, the fire might be well under way...One hint that things might be about to go awry is when the safety valve breaks in a hard battery case to release the pressure caused by a chemical reaction within the unit...Overheating batteries were subsequently detected 94 percent of the time...the safety valve gave two minutes' notice in testing..."

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Northvolt CEO Resigns As Europe's Big Hope For A Battery Champion Files For Bankruptcy

23 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"Northvolt said it would continue functioning as normal during the restructuring process, which is expected to finalize in the first quarter of next year...the reorganization of the company would help it access approximately $245 million in new financing, totaling around $145 million in cash and $100 million debtor-in-possession financing...Northvolt Ett, the company’s flagship battery gigafactory...in north Sweden...will remain operational."

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This Street In LA Will Be The First In California To Wirelessly Charge EVs

20 Nov 2024 | Synopsis

"The project at UCLA will the first in California...the school is also shifting its whole fleet of buses to electric.

"...as the fleet keeps growing, adding more charging infrastructure in one place is challenging because of the power demand, Bench says. Being able to charge throughout the day, in different places, will help. It also means that buses can keep running longer each day, so riders have better service."

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