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Diamond is known for its outstanding thermal conductivity. This makes the material ideal for cooling electronic components with high power densities, such as those used in processors, semiconductor lasers or electric vehicles. Researchers at Fraunhofer USA, an independent international affiliate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, have succeeded in developing wafer-thin nanomembranes from synthetic diamonds that can be integrated into electronic components, thereby reducing the local heat load by up to ten times. This helps to improve the road performance and service life of electric cars and significantly reduces battery charging time.

An increase in power density and the resulting higher heat dissipation in electronic components require new materials. Diamond is known for its high thermal conductivity, which is four to five times higher than that of copper. For this reason, it is a particularly interesting material when it comes to cooling power electronics in electric transportation, photovoltaics or storage systems.

Until now, heat sinks made of copper or aluminum plates have increased the heat-emitting surface of components that produce heat, thus preventing damage due to overheating.

Waymo received approval Friday afternoon from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula and on San Francisco freeways.

The approval removes the last barrier for the Alphabet company to charge for rides in these expanded areas. Importantly, it opens up new territory for Waymo in one of the country’s largest cities and unlocks a route to San Francisco International Airport, which is located south of the city.

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Li Auto, a Chinese EV automaker, has just unveiled the 7-seater Mega.

Li Auto, a Beijing-based automaker, has just unveiled what it has called the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV). Called the Mega, this is tailored towards large family consumers in China (the world’s most crowded car market).

Continue reading “China’s Li Auto just unveiled the world’s biggest EV” »

Laser attacks can fool autonomous vehicle LiDAR sensors, according to a new study by researchers at UCI and Keio University.

You must have heard or read about LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging.

Dubai, a city known for pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology, is set to redefine its transportation landscape with two groundbreaking projects. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has recently entered into partnerships with international experts to develop sustainable and futuristic transport solutions. The first memorandum focuses on the development of the Floc Duo Rail system, while the second aims to create a solar-powered rail bus system. These initiatives mark a significant leap forward in Dubai’s commitment to embracing advanced technologies, sustainability, and the future of urban mobility.

Designer: Urban-Mass Company and RAIL BUS Inc.

Nissan has been revealed as the potential savior of Fisker. The Japanese automaker is reportedly talking with Fisker to invest in the company and partner on electric pickup trucks.

Earlier today, we reported on Fisker’s disastrous fourth-quarter results showing that the electric vehicle startup lost $400 million in 2023 and it now has less than $400 million of cash on hands.

The automaker had to admit that it wouldn’t be able to continue operations past next year without a big cash injection.

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.