Lifeboat Foundation

Futuristic advancements in AI and healthcare stole the limelight at the tech extravaganza Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024. However, battery technology is the game-changer at the heart of these innovations, enabling greater power efficiency. Importantly, electric vehicles are where this technology is being applied most intensely. Today’s EVs can travel around 700km on a single charge, while researchers are aiming for a 1,000km battery range.

Researchers are fervently exploring the use of silicon, known for its high storage capacity, as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries for EVs. However, despite its potential, bringing silicon into practical use remains a puzzle that researchers are still working hard to piece together.

Enter Professor Soojin Park, PhD candidate Minjun Je, and Dr. Hye Bin Son from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). They have cracked the code, developing a pocket-friendly and rock-solid next-generation high-energy-density Li-ion battery system using micro silicon particles and gel polymer electrolytes.

SpaceX launched an environmental research satellite for NASA early Thursday, a nearly $1 billion spacecraft that survived multiple cancellation threats and is now poised to shed new light on climate change and the complex interplay of heat-trapping carbon, aerosols and sea life on global scales.

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission — PACE — “will dramatically advance our understanding of the relationship between aerosols and clouds, and the global energy balance,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth sciences division. “This is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in our ability to model the climate.”

Continue reading “SpaceX launches billion-dollar environmental research satellite for NASA” »

EV charging network Electrify America will soon offer the public an EV charging experience safe from the elements, where drivers can pull in, plug in, and chill out while their vehicle replenishes. This flagship indoor charging station kicks off a potential future in which you don’t have to wait in your car or outside while you charge… It also has complimentary Wi-Fi.

Electrify America is one of the largest open DC fast charging networks in the US that is investing billions into expanding EV infrastructure to support the growing number of zero-emissions vehicles hitting roads.

Outside of the Tesla Supercharger network, Electrify America is easily the most prominent and recognizable name in its respective space, expanding cleaner energy alternatives like solar farms to support its growing number of EV charging stations.

Toyota announced today that it will invest $1.3 billion in the development of future electric vehicles at its flagship Kentucky facility.

The Japanese automaker said it would bring an all-new, three-row battery electric SUV to the U.S. market thanks to the investment. Toyota has now committed nearly $10 billion in investments to the Kentucky plant, aiming to build high-quality vehicles and offer job stability to its employees at the factory.

The investment is also set to support the addition of a battery pack assembly line to the Kentucky plant. The batteries used in the packs assembled in Kentucky will come from Toyota’s Battery Manufacturing Plant in North Carolina.

In just four years, the Tesla Model Y became the uncontested best-selling car in the world!

In a twist that’s got the auto world going nuts, the Tesla Model Y has raced past the finish line to become the world’s best-selling car of 2023. This means that for the first time ever, an electric vehicle (EV) has snagged the title of the planet’s favorite ride, leaving traditional gas guzzlers and even hybrid contenders in the dust.

The Model Y, Tesla’s entry-level crossover, didn’t just nudge past the competition; it zoomed ahead with over 1.2 million units finding new homes across the globe last year. This electric crossover outpaced the stalwarts of the industry, the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota Corolla, which managed to sell 1.07 million and 1.01 million units, respectively. The fact that the Model Y did this just four years after it started rolling off the production lines is indeed remarkable.

California sales of battery-electric vehicles made up over a third of BEV sales across the U.S. last year, with Tesla leading the charge.

Discover how scientists are revolutionizing metal production by transforming aluminium waste into green steel, slashing CO₂ emissions.

With a 400-mile range and solar capabilities, Aptera’s solar EVs are setting the stage for sustainability and accessibility.

Discover how Aptera Motors achieved $33 million through its community-led Accelerator Program to fuel production for its solar electric vehicle.

Dr. Janice Brahney: “Only recently have we started to see troubling outbreaks of toxic algal blooms in mountain environments. So, these changes are happening fast and are really concerning. It’s important we get to the bottom of this.”

What impact does atmospheric dust have on algae? This is what a recent study published in Global Change Biology hopes to address as a team of researchers from Utah State University (USU) investigated how increased dust concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere could lead to larger algae blooms, impacting life on both land and in the oceans. This study holds the potential to help scientists better understand the acceptable amounts of dust and algae on the Earth and their impact on aquatic life, specifically in mountain ranges across the globe. The reason mountain headwater regions were the focus of the study was because they provide approximately 50% of the world’s population with fresh water.

“Only recently have we started to see troubling outbreaks of toxic algal blooms in mountain environments,” said Dr. Janice Brahney, who is an associate professor in the Watershed Sciences Department at USU and a co-author on the study. “So, these changes are happening fast and are really concerning. It’s important we get to the bottom of this. Toxic blooms in mountain lakes like the ones we’ve seen recently in remote mountain lakes are unprecedented.”

Continue reading “Algae Growth Linked to Atmospheric Dust: Insights from Pioneering Research” »