EDITOR'S CHOICE

High-Speed, Super Agile Electric Super Sub Shows Up In The Flesh At Monaco

04 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

Built by Uboat Worx..."the three-person bubble-cabin Super Sub looks like an underwater supercar...Endurance from the 62-kWh onboard battery is around eight hours...life support, oxygen, CO2 scrubbing, interior lighting and communications with the surface will last at least 96 hours...

The Super Sub's speed of 10 knots is 3-4 knots faster than the top cruising speed of a bottlenose dolphin and 7 knots faster than the average submersible..."

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US Military Is Turning To Microgrids To Fight Global Threats - And Global Warming

03 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"...it's official Department of Defense policy: The Pentagon's stated goal is that all bases be "power resilient."

"That will keep key defense capabilities intact in the case of an attack on the U.S. power grid, or more likely an extreme weather event...Getting industry partners involved made funding and building the microgrid faster than the Pentagon's normally glacial procurement process...90% of key bases worldwide have at least a plan on becoming energy independent..."

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Mercedes Just Embarrassed Tesla

03 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Mercedes has beaten them all to the punch and will be the first to offer Level 3 autonomous driving to the US market...Level 3 is considered the first official step of automation. Levels 4, 5, and 6 all require even less driver involvement, with Level 6 systems not needing steering wheels at all.

"Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) is not an autonomous driving system but is instead classified as a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system."

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Honda's First EV in the U.S. is a Semi-Affordable Midsize SUV

03 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

The Prologue will officially kick off Honda's attempt at breaking into the stateside market as a 300-mile range EV with a "neo-rugged" design...Prologue's [85kWh] battery can be charged at rates of up to 155 kW and will get up to 65 miles of range in around 10 minute...While Honda hasn’t revealed exact pricing details yet, it says the Prologue will start in the upper $40,000 range."

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Trouble Insuring Electric Vehicles Threatens Green Shift, Experts Warn

03 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Uncertainty over the rising cost of repairing EVs, particularly damaged batteries, has caused some insurers to back out of providing policies for electric car makes over the last year.

"A July report from the automotive risk intelligence company Thatcham Research found EVs cost around a quarter more to repair when compared with petrol or diesel counterparts...EV drivers will be paying substantially more for their insurance in the future"

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Metal-Loving Microbes Offer A Green Way To Refine Rare Earth Elements

03 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Cornell scientists have characterized the genome of Shewanella oneidensis - a metal-loving bacteria with an affinity for rare earth elements - to replace the harsh chemical processing with a benign practice called biosorption.

"S. oneidensis prefers dining on the f-block elements residing in the sixth row of the periodic table, known as the lanthanides...The mutant genes found in the bacteria by the scientists can reduce the length of that rare earth element purification process by almost one-third...€5.2-million (US$5.44-million) starting price"

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Electrify America Opens 350-kw EV Fast Charger At Grand Canyon Entrance

02 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Located at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park in Tusayan, Arizona, the charging station includes six individual chargers with power rates up to 350 kw

"The South Rim is about 160 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona, the nearest large city...Electrify America announced earlier this year that it plans to add some North American Charging Standard (NACS) Tesla connectors, but none appear to be available at this location yet."

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New EV Aqueous Battery Charges In Just Three Minutes

02 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

What makes this particular aqueous battery special is that it maintains consistent high energy output, has better stability than previous models. It also avoids corrosion and the growth of harmful metallic dendrites on the negative electrode.

"Saltwater is a plentiful renewable resource, which contains naturally occurring metal ions including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium...these batteries will remain safe even if they are used

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America's "Lonelist Road" Finally Gets EV Chargers

02 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"The US has added more than 1,200 public fast-charging stations in the past 12 months, filling in electron deserts and expanding the reach of the Great American Electric Road Trip.

"With the right EV, a pioneering traveler can now cross America's loneliest road on public fast chargers alone...Route 50's westernmost point...bound for Maryland 3,000 miles away..." an EV driver won't hit any snags in the almond fields of central California or around Lake Tahoe."

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How to Avoid 'Range Anxiety' on an EV Road Trip

02 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Running out of power on a random road and waiting for a tow is not the way to have a fun trip, but thankfully it can be avoided...range anxiety shouldn't be ignored, but it shouldn't outweigh the huge benefits of driving an EV.

"There are a number of different websites and apps that make it simple to find charging stations, real-time availability and information on cost. Look for opportunities to sleep in a hotel or campsite where you can charge your vehicle overnight."

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