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Category: transportation – Page 416

Google Maps to display virus-related transit alerts

A new version of Google’s mapping service being rolled out will display pandemic-related transit alerts and let people know when buses or trains might be crowded.

Updated versions of the free app for smartphones powered by Apple or Google-backed Android software will also let drivers know about COVID-19 checkpoints or restrictions on their routes.

“We’re introducing features to help you easily find important information if you need to venture out, whether it’s by car or public transportation,” Google Maps product management director Ramesh Nagarajan said in a blog post.

Nio might have figured out battery swap for electric cars as it completes 500,000 swaps

Over the years I have been covering electric vehicles, I’ve seen several companies attempt to add value to EVs by using swappable battery packs.

The idea is that if charging takes longer than refueling a tank of gas, we could just swap a battery pack for a fully charged one.

A startup called Better Place built its entire business model around it and went bankrupt.

This Interactive Map Tells You Which Countries Are Open for Travel

As we head into summer, it’s hard not to think about traveling. Not only it is the traditional season for vacations, but we’ve also been cooped up inside for months and most of us are probably itching to explore something new. Of course, given that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic where travel—especially by plane—isn’t a great idea, planning a trip may be more fantasy than reality these days. Either way, you may be curious about which countries have opened up to tourists. If so, an interactive map put out by the International Airline Transportation Association is a great tool.

Fiat Introduces All-Electric E-Ducato Van

FCA’s commercial vehicle arm Fiat Professional presents the production version of its all-electric Ducato van, the Fiat E-Ducato, a year after the first prototype was shown in mid-2019. It will be the first electric Ducato in the 39-year history of the model.

It’s expected to enter the European market within the next few months, starting from selected countries, and will be available in all body variants, offering a payload of up to 1,950 kg and load volume from 10 to 17 m3.

Tesla Filed Patent ‘Machine learning models operating at different frequencies for autonomous vehicles’

#Tesla #AI

Featured image: Tesla

Tesla has managed to attract the best artificial intelligence specialists to its Autopilot team who are committed to developing software that makes full self-driving possible. The company recently published two patents that relate to improvements in this area.

Tesla Filed Patent ‘Enhanced object detection for autonomous vehicles based on field view’ https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/patent-enhanc…um=twitter pic.twitter.com/IU6tdaOlH7 — Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) June 5, 2020

For The First Time Ever, Scientists Have Created Hexagonal Salt

While it probably won’t make it to your dining table, a new scientific achievement might be able to help in everything from radar equipment to electric cars: scientists have been able to form salt, aka sodium chloride (NaCl), in a hexagonal shape.

This is work done at the smallest of scales, with researchers able to get a thin film of hexagonal salt to form on top of a layer of diamond, due to the chemical interaction of both film and diamond substrate – something the team actually predicted would happen in advance through simulations.

It’s the latest in a series of discoveries where scientists have been able to synthesise 2D materials with unusual crystal structures, and it’s partly this self-imposed restriction to two dimensions that is enabling new and exotic structures to be formed.

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