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Category: sustainability – Page 444

Australian researchers have identified two new mammals in the Land Down Under — both cousins of the doe-eyed flying marsupials known as greater gliders, according to a report.

A study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports journal found two new distinct and smaller species of gliders in northern and central Australia, outside of the marsupial’s known habitat in the country’s southern end, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“Australia’s biodiversity just got a lot richer,” Andrew Krockenberger, a professor at James Cook University and a co-author of the study, told the outlet. “It’s not every day that new mammals are confirmed, let alone two new mammals.”

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All-electric camper vans are still quite rare. Those that are available tend to be designed for camping and commuting locally, not road-tripping indefinitely. But VW fanatic Frank Eusterholz had different ideas. He threw a PlugVan camper module into the e-Crafter cargo van and hit the road … the long road. Eusterholz’s 7,500-km (4,660-mile) journey sent him highway-cruising, switchback-climbing and island-hopping across Europe, from VW van HQ Hannover, Germany to the northernmost tip of Continental Europe. His journey serves as an inspiring early look at the electric RVing possibilities that will only grow with time.

Electric camper vans have been available for years, but a practical version with enough range always seems just a few years off. Next-generation EV campers from the Rivian R1T overland truck to VW’s own ID. Buzz promise more practical ranges and capabilities, but for now e-campers remain limited to small, modest-range minis like the Sussex e-NV200 Camper Car.

In an announcement released last month, Volkswagen painted a different picture of electric camper van touring. It described the story of 54-year-old Frank Eusterholz, a longtime EV driver determined not to let the modest ranges of contemporary electric vans deter him from EV van life. A resident of Samsø, a Danish island that’s been committed to sustainable energy for decades, Eusterholz considered the e-Crafter a natural vehicle choice, and the perfect camper base.

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A new version of Tesla’s Model 3 has arrived in Hong Kong. Driving UpCar shared a first look at it on YouTube. DDcar also reported that Hong Kong Tesla has officially brought the new 2021 Model 3 into the K11 Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui for public display. This batch of Model 3 cars was made in the Fremont factory and is expected to have basically the same configuration around the world.

Some of the changes discussed in the video include a minor change in the headlights, new design on the wheels, all-black trim, and door handles, of which they say, “I believe it’s not that easy to leave a fingerprint on them now.”

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Rome wasn’t built in a day, but some of Earth’s finest gemstones were, according to new research from Rice University.

Aquamarine, emerald, garnet, zircon and topaz are but a few of the crystalline minerals found mostly in pegmatites, veinlike formations that commonly contain both large crystals and hard-to-find elements like tantalum and niobium. Another common find is lithium, a vital component of electric car batteries.

“This is one step towards understanding how Earth concentrates lithium in certain places and minerals,” said Rice graduate student Patrick Phelps, co-author of a study published online in Nature Communications. “If we can understand the basics of pegmatite growth rates, it’s one step in the direction of understanding the whole picture of how and where they form.”

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This is one of four blogs in a series examining current challenges and opportunities for recycling of clean energy technologies. Please see the introductory post, as well as other entries on solar panels and wind turbines.

us department of energy[ caption] courtesy union concerned scientists. by james gignac, lead midwest energy analyst this is one four blogs in a series examining current challenges and opportunities for recycling clean technologies. please see the introductory post, as well other entries on solar panels and wind turbines. special thanks to jessica garcia, ucs’s=

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Battery Council International (BCI), Chicago, and Essential Energy Everyday have released a study showing lead batteries have a recycling rate of 99.3 percent, making them the No. 1 recycled consumer product in the U.S.

The groups say the near-perfect rate of recycling is attributed to industry investment in a closed loop collection and recycling system that keeps 1.7 million tons of batteries out of landfills annually.

The National Recycling Rate Study, released in conjunction with America Recycles Day Nov. 15, 2017, demonstrates the sustainability of lead batteries and their role in environmentally friendly energy storage for automotive and industrial applications, say the organizations.

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Article from Vice.com. I guess owning a Tesla does have its own drawbacks. Tesla can disable features from your car if you didn’t pay enough money. And it seems it’s hard to repair if you get into an accident, due to Tesla’s tight ownership. Insurance companies may quickly declare these Teslas as total losses.

This is pushing some people to jailbreak their cars to return these features. Especially those that are already declared as total losses. (So voiding the warranty really doesn’t mean much to them)

Interesting. bigsmile

Tesla is getting more aggressive in revoking paid software features on used cars, raising the stakes in a battle over what used Teslas can do that has raged for years.

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