EDITOR'S PICK

Street Smart: Using Data to Remake Thriving, Walkable Cities

16 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"Dozens of major research labs dot the streets of Kendall Square...[and for] Andres Sevtsuk's City Form Lab, the streets of Kendall Square themselves...are subjects for research...[but] fewer people have studied how urban planning affects walking and cycling

"...Sevtsuk and some research assistants began studying foot traffic in several cities...Sevtsuk and his colleagues also released a novel open-source tool, called TILE2NET...

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2026 Dust Hightail First Look: Electric Dirt Bike from Oregon

16 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"Built in America by Detroit-based Bloom, the 2026 Dust Hightail is a slightly downsized dirt bike for trail use..The battery on the 2026 Dust Hightail is relatively small at 4.4 kilowatt-hours...trail riders can get two hours of seat time out of the battery, while hard chargers will be limited to about 35 miles of range...The motor puts out 42 horsepower...sound output of the 2026 Dust Hightail is 55 dB...brought to market until late 2025 [for] $10,950 MSRP."

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CATL's New Sodium-Ion EV Battery Works In -40 Degree Cold

16 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"CATL's second-generation sodium-ion cells can reportedly discharge normally even at -40 degrees Celsius (-40F as temperature scales converge)...That means EVs with such batteries won't lose range under frigid temperatures,which could help address some of the lingering concerns regarding the extreme weather performance of batteries... In extreme cold, chemical processes within a cell slow down..."

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Climate Protection: How Will We Switch To Electric Cars And Trucks?

16 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"The downside of leaded gas was that it added lead to car exhaust...That lead lowered their average I.Q. by about 3 points and increased their chances of ADHD, depression, anxiety and neuroticism.

"When you buy a new gas car, you are committing people to burning about 8,000 gallons of gasoline....In contrast, you could buy or lease an electric car or truck. That prompts manufacturers to make another electric vehicle, avoiding those 8,000 gallons.

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EV Drivers Are Not Going Back To Gas Cars, Global Survey Says

14 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"...survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only of 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid...reports of declining EV popularity are greatly exaggerated...Global EV sales, including hybrids and PHEVs, are expected to reach 16.26 million in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023...

"The survey also revealed that the top motivation of EV buyers, beyond environmental concerns, is that EVs have lower operating costs."

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This 'Magical' Material Made Almost Entirely Of Air Can Stop EV Fires From Spreading

14 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"...researchers seem to have come up with a type of anti-fire aerogel that is made almost entirely of air and can keep the fire from spreading...new anti-fire aerogel isn't designed to stop the battery from catching on fire...stop the fire from spreading... causing the entire battery to explode.

Aspen aerogel "material is already being placed between the cells in EV batteries found inside certain vehicles made by Toyota, Honda, GM..."

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The Lifespan Of EV Batteries May Exceed Expectations By 40%

14 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"...study found a link between slower degradation and abrupt, brief EV accelerations. This went against the long-held beliefs of battery researchers...The batteries of electric vehicles subject to the normal use of real-world drivers - like heavy traffic, long highway trips, short city trips, and mostly being parked - could last about a third longer than researchers have generally forecast..."

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Rivian Powers Michigan's First Federally Funded NEVI EV Fast Charger

14 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"Located in the Meijer parking lot at 6200 South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing, MI, the station features six DC fast chargers, including one that's trailer-friendly...Michigan is using its NEVI funds to install 40 DC fast charging stations

"This is just the start. Michigan is set to receive $110 million in NEVI funds through 2026 to roll out over 100 fast chargers statewide. Seven additional stations are already in the design phase and should be up and running by early 2025."

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E-Scooter, E-Bike Injuries Triple, Alcohol, Substances Cited: Teen Males Most Impacted

12 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"...the odds of alcohol and substance use were much higher among 10-17 year old riders..from 2019 to 2022...micromobility devices prompted 4020 emergency department visits out of a total of 1,331,871, of which 3700 were due to e-scooters and 320 due to e-bikes.

"Men and boys were more than 2.5 times as likely to have used alcohol and more than twice as likely to have used substances as women and girls."

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New Jersey Hits Electric Vehicle Milepost, Exceeding 200,000 Registrations

12 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"Nearly 208,000 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or EVs, are now registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, more than double the number of EVs registered in the state just two years ago.

"In 2016, there were 10,911 EVs registered in the state. This grew to 91,515 by the end of 2022. As of the most recent reporting available, the number of EVs in September of this year was 207,268, a doubling since 2022."

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Electric Cars Could Last Much Longer Than You Think

12 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"...secondhand prices for EVs have been plummeting, evidence is building that their batteries could last longer than the eight-year warranties...secondhand prices for EVs have been plummeting, evidence is building that their batteries could last longer than the eight-year warranties...

"data from fleet telematics company Geotab has revealed that battery depletion is much lower than originally predicted over time..."

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New Study Debunks Common Misconception About Economic Growth In Coming Decades: 'This Is A Significant Breakthrough'

12 Dec 2024 | Synopsis

"A recent study published by researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany examined trends of air pollution and economic growth levels across 1,500 subnational regions...found that countries can continue experiencing economic growth while cutting back on harmful carbon pollution...Thirty percent of regions … have fully decoupled."

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