Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 165
May 14, 2017
Tesla Just Doubled the Lifetime of Its Batteries Four Years Ahead of Schedule
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: sustainability
NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair Jeff Dahn has claimed that the cells developed by his research team could double the life of Tesla’s batteries, a milestone not expected for another four years.
For the procrastinators of the world, simply hitting a deadline is often an achievement worthy of celebration. Clearly, battery researcher Jeff Dahn is not one of those people. Less than one year into a research partnership with Tesla, his team has created and lab-tested cells capable of doubling the lifetime of the company’s batteries — a milestone they weren’t expected to hit for another four years.
Continue reading “Tesla Just Doubled the Lifetime of Its Batteries Four Years Ahead of Schedule” »
May 13, 2017
Why Tesla Could Become the Next Apple
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: Elon Musk, mobile phones, robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation
See also: Elon Musk Says Robots Will Help Tesla Catch Up to Apple in Value
So why won’t other auto manufacturers follow suit and overtake Tesla? First, their products, as well as their factories, are bogged down by legacy. Tesla’s electric cars are significantly easier to manufacture than internal combustion (IC) vehicles. Tesla’s Model S has fewer than 20 moving parts, compared with almost 1,500 moving parts in an IC-engine car. This means that there are fewer steps in the assembly process, fewer suppliers to deal with, and lower inventory of components and parts. Further, Tesla doesn’t have to deal with a unionized workforce, a complex supply chain, or a legacy dealer network. Free from this legacy, Tesla can embrace disruptive innovation without worrying about the backlash from workers, suppliers, and dealers.
To become as big as Apple one day, Tesla will need more than the “Henry Ford” approach to manufacturing. It will also need the “Steve Jobs” approach to marketing by creating a vast global appetite for its products. The Apple iPhone is a global product that can be sold from New York to Mumbai to Beijing with very little incremental investment. However, Tesla’s cars require the creation of infrastructure for charging and a distribution network from scratch—a very expensive and time-consuming process. Tesla will need to build out its charging network and distribution reach, country by country. China is an important overseas market for Tesla, as is Scandinavia; it also has a rollout plan for India with its Model 3.
May 10, 2017
Elon Musk: Tesla’s Solar Roofs Will Be Cheaper Than Regular Roofs & Have “Infinity Warranty”
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: Elon Musk, habitats, sustainability, transportation
If he can deliver on the cheaper than a regular roof, and forever warranty, and have the warranty transfer to a new home owner in a sale, then these would really catch on.
Last night, Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s solar roofs would be on sale starting today. At the time, he also stated that more information on the panels was forthcoming. Now, he has unveiled key details about Tesla’s “infinity warranty.”
Last night, Elon Musk announced via Twitter that orders would begin today (May 10th, 2017) for his revolutionary solar roof hardware. In another tweet, he promised that ordering would be available in most countries throughout the world. He also clarified that people could expect to see delivery begin in the United States in late 2017, and that deliveries would roll out sometime next year for overseas locations.
May 10, 2017
Tesla just opened up orders for its Solar Roof — here’s how much it will cost you
Posted by Lily Graca in category: sustainability
• Tesla opened up orders for its Solar Roof product on Wednesday.
• The company says the roof will cost about $21.85 per square foot.
• Installations in the US will begin this year on a first-ordered, first-installed basis.
May 10, 2017
Germany breaks renewables record with coal and nuclear power responsible for only 15% of country’s total energy
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: government, nuclear energy, sustainability
Germany has broken a new record for renewable energy, with low-carbon sources nearly obliterating coal and nuclear power last weekend.
At one point on the sunny and breezy Sunday, sustainable energy from wind, solar, biomass and hydro power provided a record 85 per cent of the country’s total energy.
Germany has been investing heavily in renewables, as part of the government’s Energiewende initiative to transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply by 2050.
May 9, 2017
SpaceTech-We are not quite there yet?
Posted by Brett Gallie II in categories: climatology, neuroscience, space, sustainability
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spacetech-we-quite-yet-brett-gallie on @LinkedIn
I was recently at NASA’s annual SpaceApps Hackathon and the focus this year was climate change and our team brainstormed solutions to track the causes of devastating Twisters and we noted that technology had not progressed far enough to build our tracking probes but was close to being developed.
Massive technological advances need to be made if we are going to Mars and beyond.
May 8, 2017
New artificial photosynthesis process converts CO2 in air to fuel
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: energy, food, sustainability
A win win, assuming it can be manufactured en mass and at a reasonable price.
Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo and his team of students created a way to use LED light and a porous synthetic metal-organic frameworks (MOF) material to break down carbon dioxide into fuel. (credit: Bernard Wilchusky/UCF)
A University of Central Florida (UCF) chemistry professor has invented a revolutionary way to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from air by triggering artificial photosynthesis in a synthetic material — breaking down carbon dioxide while also producing fuel for energy.
Continue reading “New artificial photosynthesis process converts CO2 in air to fuel” »
May 8, 2017
Generating power from polluted air
Posted by Julius Garcia in categories: energy, nanotechnology, sustainability
Researchers from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have developed a process that purifies air, and at the same time, generates power. The device must only be exposed to light in order to function.
“We used a small device with two rooms separated by a membrane,” explained professor Sammy Verbruggen (UAntwerp/KU Leuven). “Air is purified on one side, while on the other side, hydrogen gas is produced from a part of the degradation products. This hydrogen gas can be stored and used later as fuel, as is already being done in some hydrogen buses, for example.”
In this way, the researchers respond to two major social needs: clean air and alternative energy production. The heart of the solution lies at the membrane level, where the researchers use specific nanomaterials. “These catalysts are capable of producing hydrogen gas and breaking down air pollution,” explains professor Verbruggen. “In the past, these cells were mostly used to extract hydrogen from water. We have now discovered that this is also possible, and even more efficient, with polluted air.”
