Scientists say they’ve successfully transmitted solar energy gathered in orbit down to the Earth’s surface.
Category: sustainability – Page 169
Volkswagen has finally unveiled the version of the ID.Buzz electric van that’s destined for North America, and there’s more to it than you might think. The three-row design with two extra seats is clearly the main draw for roadtrippers and growing families, but this isn’t just a stretched version of the modern Microbus. It boasts a larger 91kWh battery (versus 82kWh for the two-row), a more powerful 282HP motor for the rear-wheel drive trim (versus 201HP) and a higher 99MPH top speed (versus 90MPH). While there are no range estimates yet, there will also be an optional all-wheel drive configuration with a 330HP dual-motor system.
The interior tech hasn’t changed much from the two-row model, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll still face a 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.9-inch infotainment display. The larger ID.Buzz now has the easier-to-use interface from the ID.7, though, and you’ll find a total of eight USB-C ports — helpful when friends in the back want to charge their phones. The three-row EV also comes standard with Level 2 driver assistance (including lane centering), and the customizable cabin lighting doubles as a status indicator for everything from charging levels to navigation directions.
The North American van also touts the largest panoramic roof of any car in the VW group at 67.4 inches long, and uses electrochromic glass to turn opaque when it’s not needed. You’ll also find a 110V outlet under the passenger seat area, and a 12V port in the cargo space can charge more of your gear. A nine-speaker audio system is standard, but you can upgrade to a 14-speaker Harman Kardon unit.
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These high-performance magnets, used in wind turbines and electric vehicles, are vital for building a zero-carbon economy. Currently, the best permanent magnets available require rare earth elements.
Making homes for more than a decade, Joseph Mathew accumulated a host of ideas but most important of all, he wanted his house to be sustainable. Here are some pictures of his dream house.
The flexible silicon solar cell could find use in places where more expensive solar cells might have been favoured.
A new technique for producing silicon solar cells that are more than 24% efficient and yet can be rolled up like a sheet of paper has been demonstrated. The work could allow solar cells to be used in applications that currently use more expensive thin-film alternatives.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) — Tesla Inc has doubled discounts on some already made new Model 3 electric cars and offered discounts on the Model Y and others in its U.S. inventory to entice buyers amid economic uncertainty, rising competition and the upcoming redesign of its mainstay model.
In California, a Model 3 variant in inventory was priced at $42,060, a discount of $2,680 to the price of newly ordered cars, according to its website. That is double the $1,300 discount on Model 3 cars offered less than two weeks ago.
New advancements in automation, AI, connectivity, sustainability, and more propel research forward.
The moment is badly chosen, but with Elon Musk the unexpected is the rule.
The serial entrepreneur arrived in China on May 30, according to Reuters, whose journalists spotted his private jet at Beijing airport. This surprise visit by the CEO of electric vehicle producer Tesla, founder of SpaceX and owner of Twitter, comes at a time of renewed tensions between China and the U.S., which raise fears of a potential confrontation between the two leading world powers.
Musk and his empire symbolize, according to experts, the intricacy of the two largest world economies, which are interdependent. The U.S. and China are Tesla’s two biggest markets and the regions where the world leader in electric vehicles manufactures the vast majority of its cars.
A pair of food tech startups have teamed up to create what they say are the world’s first lab-grown fish filets — and they used a 3D printer to serve them.
The challenge: Demand for seafood is expected to nearly double by 2050 due to a growing population and increasing incomes, but overfishing, climate change, ocean pollution, and other factors pressure the seafood industry’s ability to satisfy the world’s hunger for fish.
Even if industry can source all the seafood we need from the ocean and fish farms, current fishing practices can harm the environment, via greenhouse gasses and marine ecosystem destruction, problems only likely to increase as the industry grows.
