Lifeboat Foundation

A small combined team of material scientists from Sun Yat-sen University and Dalian University of Technology, both in China, has found that it is possible to make a single drop of water hop in desired ways by putting a magnetic particle inside of it and turning an electromagnet on and off. The research published in the journal ACS Nano.

The research team was investigating on-demand droplet transportation as part of a larger effort. To learn more about the possibility of inciting drops of liquid, in this case water, to move in desired ways, they set up several structures.

The researchers carved small grooves on a flat surface. The surface was then covered with a varnish known to prevent water absorption, thereby allowing droplets to form when splashed onto the surface. Once the droplets formed, the team placed a tiny piece of metal into each drop, where it was held in place by the forces that held the bubble shape. The entire surface was then placed over a set of electromagnets.

Hydrogen (like many of us) acts weird under pressure. Theory predicts that when crushed by the weight of more than a million times our atmosphere, this light, abundant, normally gaseous element first becomes a metal, and even more strangely, a superconductor—a material that conducts electricity with no resistance.

Scientists have been eager to understand and eventually harness superconducting hydrogen-rich compounds, called hydrides, for practical applications—from levitating trains to particle detectors. But studying the behavior of these and other materials under enormous, sustained pressures is anything but practical, and accurately measuring those behaviors ranges somewhere between a nightmare and impossible.

Like the calculator did for arithmetic, and ChatGPT has done for writing five-paragraph essays, Harvard researchers think they have a foundational tool for the thorny problem of how to measure and image the behavior of hydride superconductors at high pressure.

Ford has big plans for its next-gen EVs. This may include an 800V fast charging architecture as it looks to keep pace with rivals like Hyundai, Porsche, and Kia.

Amid intensifying competition, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said a “seismic change” has shaken the EV market following the automaker’s Q4 earnings results.

Farley cited two reasons behind the shift. The first is major price cuts from EV makers like Tesla. The second is a “tremendous amount” of capital and new capacity surging into the two-row crossover segment—Ford’s best-selling EV market with the Mustang Mach-E.

Young urban air mobility (UAM) developer Doroni Aerospace is stepping out of the shadows and into the eVTOL startup with the official reveal of its flagship aircraft – the H1-X. The two-seat eVTOL was showcased during a livestream event today and is damn close to being market-ready, touting some impressive specs.

Doroni Aerospace was founded in 2016 by Doron Merdinger – a lifelong entrepreneur with 25 years of design, manufacturing, and firm management expertise.

To bring his dreams of sustainable aviation transportation to life, Merdinger assembled a team of engineers and technicians working together to democratize flight in a growing eVTOL segment.

Electric vehicles’ price and driving range are probably the two most important factors for most buyers. In today’s post, we will look at the mix of the two parameters—the price per mile of the EPA Combined range.

That may sound complex, but it’s merely a metric that indicates the best value proposition overall, and something that gives us an idea of the “cost” of range. By checking this metric, we can also see whether there is progress over time compared to earlier reports: see February 2022, February 2021 or April 2020. As it turns out, progress is happening on this front, and the cost of the driving range is going down.

Before we jump into details, let’s just explain the basics. There are more than 300 individual EV configurations on sale, including different battery sizes, ranges, powertrain setups, and wheels—all of which directly affect the price and range. We collected numbers for about 300 configurations, that are currently available for order or reservation, some upcoming models, and a few that have been discontinued but may still be found on dealer lots as reference points.

While I believe Tesla’s move to open its Supercharger network to other automakers is ultimately going to have a great impact on EV adoption, it is also a smart business move from Tesla.

Here’s the business behind Tesla opening its Supercharger network.

Tesla, to no fault of its own, has been using its Supercharger network as a moat in the North American EV market.

Solar EV startup Aptera Motors continued its welcomed level of public transparency today, posting another progress update video for February, offering some juicy details. Aptera co-founder Steve Fambro walks you through the first glimpse at the upcoming Aptera app, which promises several cool features; plus, we get a look at some Solar EV battery packs and some hints at how safe the production vehicle will be. You can learn more in the full video below.

There is a multitude of reasons why Aptera Motors is different from the other OEMs out there. The most obvious is that the California-based startup is really the only company left trying to bring Solar EVs to full-scale production, and it is closer than ever, following a successful $34 million crowdfunding program.

Additionally, Aptera constantly keeps its growing fanbase as well as EV enthusiasts in the know of its progress in developing its solar EVs, posting monthly updates to YouTube. There is also plenty of news coming out of Aptera HQ in between those monthly videos. For example, Aptera offered the public a look at its production-intent build process in mid-February.

Tesla has made significant strides in improving its supply chain sustainability and human rights practices, as per a new study by environmental group Lead the Charge. This was highlighted by the fact that the electric vehicle giant jumped from ninth to third place in the group’s annual Auto Supply Chain Leaderboard and Report.

Lead the Charge’s Auto Supply Chain Leaderboard and Report analyzes publicly available data from 18 of the industry’s leading automotive manufacturers. The study also provides rankings of automakers’ efforts to eliminate emissions, environmental harms, and human rights violations from their supply chains. In a press release, Lead the Charge noted that its study comes at a crucial time as industry experts are calling for automakers to foster a cleaner supply chain.

Tesla is among the automakers that stood out in Lead the Charge’s study. As per the environmental group, Tesla achieved the largest score increase among its peers in the study, with the company jumping from ninth to third place. Tesla was also the only company to make improvements across all eight of the study’s indicator categories.

Apple struggled to build its high tech car, burning billions of dollars while constantly changing its project’s direction.