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Archive for the ‘transportation’ category: Page 270

Nov 19, 2019

Here Comes the Autonomous School Bus

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI, transportation

Imagine seeing a school bus on the road filled with kids, but no driver. 🚌 Fully #autonomous electric school buses are on the horizon, and Cache Valley Utah is ready for this new era of transportation. IEEE Continuing Education https://bit.ly/32p1SXq


New in Cache Valley, Utah, is an autonomous school bus equipped with additional safety features, including a camera system with a 360° view outside the bus.

Nov 19, 2019

Hydrogen Truck Maker Nikola Claims It Has Breakthrough Battery Tech—And Doesn’t Care If You’re Skeptical

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Nikola Motor, the Phoenix-based startup that wants to disrupt trucking with futuristic electric semis powered by hydrogen, says it has developed a new type of battery cell with double the energy density, only 40% of the weight and half the cost of current lithium-ion batteries used in Teslas and other consumer-market electric vehicles.

But it’s not providing many details for now, and public demonstrations won’t happen for about 10 months.

Continue reading “Hydrogen Truck Maker Nikola Claims It Has Breakthrough Battery Tech—And Doesn’t Care If You’re Skeptical” »

Nov 19, 2019

Nikola Corporation to Unveil Game-Changing Battery Cell Technology at Nikola World 2020

Posted by in category: transportation

Nikola Motor Company designs and manufactures electric components, drivetrains and vehicles including the Nikola One and Nikola Two electric semi-trucks.

Nov 17, 2019

Deep Learning and Self-Driving Cars from MIT: Lectures 01–05

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or new to machine learning or advanced researcher in the field of deep learning methods and their application, everybody can benefit from Lex Fridman’s course on Deep Learning for Self-Driving Cars.

Nov 16, 2019

Why Mercedes’s Self-Driving Trucks Are Set to Overtake Its Robotaxis

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Safety and cost concerns have led Mercedes-maker Daimler to predict revenues from autonomous trucks before self-driving cars become a thing.

Nov 15, 2019

How Tesla’s first Gigafactory is changing Reno, Nevada

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Tesla’s first Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada, has a well-documented place in the company’s history, both for how it helped Elon Musk ship his first mass-market electric car and because production problems there nearly doomed the automaker. But what’s been harder to come by is an account of the impact the factory has had on the town it was built for — until this week, that is. USA Today’s The City podcast spent an episode vividly retelling how Tesla’s first Gigafactory came to Reno with a deep dive into the way it’s changed the city.

Nov 14, 2019

‘World’s cheapest electric car’

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Chinese carmaker unveils the ‘world’s cheapest electric car,’ starting at less than $9,000.

Nov 13, 2019

NASA’s Helical Engine Design that Uses Closed-Cycle Propellant; A Proposed Stardrive that May Enable Interstellar Travel

Posted by in categories: energy, engineering, quantum physics, space, transportation

Twentieth Century technology has relied on the use of fuels and chemical propellants to propel our ships, planes, and cars. The propulsion technology of the future will not use chemical combustion to produce thrust, and the 21st century will see the emergence of propellant-less propulsion systems. Such technologies will provide the means to travel faster than ever before at a fraction of current costs and with no pollution by-products.

This becomes absolutely crucial for interplanetary and interstellar travel, as we have stated before in RSF commentary1 reporting on Resonance-based technology may provide inertial mass reduction—the future of space travel will not be performed with chemical propellants. As an example, to date the most viable proposal for an interstellar mission with current technological capabilities is the Breakthrough Starshot project which will use a fleet of light sail probes propelled to 20% percent the speed of light via laser pulses.

Considering the significant limitations of combustion-based propulsion (as well as the harmful environmental impacts), there is a strong drive to develop the next-generation propulsion systems that will move us into the next phase of technological advancement. Torus Tech, a research and development company founded by Nassim Haramein, the founder of the Resonance Science Foundation, is researching quantum vacuum engineering technologies that will enable gravitational control and zero-point energy production.

Nov 13, 2019

An Electric Motor That Works in Any Classic Car

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Anyone who’s owned a vintage car can tell you—and boy, will they tell you—how much time, money, and maintenance is required to keep their baby running. And don’t forget the gasoline, garage oil puddles, or tailpipe pollution involved.

A California startup may have the answer: A plug-and-play innovative motor to convert that finicky old gas-guzzler into an electric car. Eric Hutchison and Brock Winberg first gained attention by rescuing a moldering, V-8-powered 1978 Ferrari 308—you may know it as the model that “Magnum: P.I.” drove on TV—and transforming it into an electric marvel. Now, the co-founders of Electric GT have developed a DIY, electric “crate motor” that will let traditional gearheads or EV fans do the same.

“A lot of guys go out for a weekend in a classic car that’s 40 or 50 years old, but they get a ride home with AAA; it ends up being a one-way trip,” Hutchison says. “Here, you’re taking out 95 percent of the maintenance, which is the biggest problem with classic cars. So this is for enthusiasts who love their cars, but want a fun, reliable car that’s good for 100 or 125 miles on a weekend drive.”

Nov 11, 2019

How Long Before Sodium Batteries Are Worth Their Salt?

Posted by in categories: chemistry, computing, mobile phones, transportation

Circa 2017


Today, lithium is the active ingredient in batteries that power smart phones, laptops, and cars. But because of the price of lithium, researchers have been looking for another, more abundant element that could replace it. Several start-ups and established companies have tackled the idea of developing rechargeable batteries in which the active ingredient is sodium, lithium’s neighbor on the periodic table.

Besides its availability, sodium has several other important properties—not the least of which is its resistance to catching on fire. What’s more, “It was a good candidate because it could store a similar amount of energy as compared to lithium,” remembers Minah Lee, who does research on sodium batteries at Stanford University.

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