Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: sustainability – Page 370

Tesla Model 3 Is A Competent Police Car, UK Trial Reveals

Police departments all over the world are warming up to electric vehicles and their findings after using EVs on a daily basis are encouraging.

Earlier this year, the Westport Police Department in Connecticut shared some interesting conclusions after buying a Tesla Model 3 in December 2019. They found the EV to be not only cheaper to buy than the Ford Explorer SUV they typically use but also more affordable to modify, maintain, and run, leading to savings of about $6,000 a year.

Now, new data is coming in from the UK, where several Tesla Model 3s custom built by Tesla UK as patrol cars have completed nine months of initial trials with the police. Max Toozs-Hobson, account manager and emergency services lead at Tesla, shared the findings on LinkedIn and said the Model 3 police cars have been “getting some great results.”

Airobotics, Solar Drone to develop new drone for solar panels cleaning

Israeli drone manufacturer Airobotics has collaborated with Israeli solar farm services company Solar Drone to develop and supply to Solar Drone a unique solar panel cleaning drone system. The fully automated system will include a drone docking station for automatic battery replacement and cleaning fluid replenishment, enabling the system to operate continuously.

While solar power and solar panels are essentially maintenance-free systems, but solar panels do require cleaning from time to time to enable proper function. Dirt, dust, mud, and bird dropping greatly reduce solar panel efficiency, impacting power output. Frequent cleaning is expensive and time-consuming, especially when panels are remote, difficult to access, or difficult to clean.

A new “drone-in-a-box”-type system is now being developed to do this job. A quadrocopter is housed inside a weatherproof dock located near the solar panels. At regular intervals, the station doors on top will open, releasing the drone. The drone will then take off and fly up to the panels, using LiDAR sensors and mapping cameras for more accurate positioning. Each panel will be sprayed with a cleaning fluid, and after completing the task, the drone will return to the docking station. If necessary, the robotic system will replace the discharged battery with the charged one and replace its cleaning fluid container with a full one.

Neoen reveals plans for another 300MW big battery in South Australia

Neoen reveals plans for another big battery in South Australia which could be even bigger than the Victorian Big Battery opened on Wednesday.

French renewable energy and battery storage developer Neoen, fresh from the formal opening of the Victorian Big Battery – the biggest in Australia to date – has revealed plans for a potentially even bigger battery in South Australia.

Neoen is due to hold a community open day on Thursday for the Blyth battery, which will be sized up to 300MW and 800MWh, trumping the 300MW/450MWh capacity of the newly opened VBB near Geelong.

The Blyth battery will be located west of the town of Blyth, north of Adelaide, and alongside the existing Blyth West sub station, which have now become prime sites for aspiring battery storage developers.

The First Tesla Cybertruck Will Have a Quad-Motor Powertrain, Elon Musk Says

The tweet represents the first official mention of a quad-motor Cybertruck. Since the EV was unveiled in the fall of 2019, Musk and Tesla have said the tri-motor variant would be the most powerful variant. Although no horsepower or torque figures have ever been revealed, the automaker has promised its top-tier pickup would be able to zoom from zero to 60 in less than three seconds, tow up to 14,000 pounds and travel 500 miles on a single charge. One can only assume that a Cybertruck with an extra motor would be faster and more powerful, though its range might take a hit.

We know that the four-motor variant will arrive first and sit atop the Cybertruck lineup, but we don’t know if it will replace one of the previously announced models. It’s possible that the newly announced version could take the place of either the single-or tri-motor model.

We do know that having a motor situated on each wheel will give the EV at least two new features. In a follow-up tweet, Musk wrote that the quad-motor pickup will also have front and rear wheel steering, which would likely allow it to perform tank turns. It will also be able to drive diagonally “like a crab,” according to Musk. Notably, the GMC Hummer EV, a direct competitor to the Cybertruck, also has a driving mode called “Crab Walk.”

Alinta proposes 1,000MW offshore wind farm to help power Portland smelter

Alinta unveils plans to build 1,000MW offshore wind farm near Portland to help deliver 100 per cent renewable energy supply to local aluminium smelter.

Alinta Energy is proposing a 1,000MW wind farm off the coast of Portland in Victoria that could help power the Portland aluminium smelter with up to 100 per cent renewables, and inject green energy into the country’s main grid.

The $4 billion Spinifex offshore wind project, first flagged by Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery in an interview on RenewEconomy’s weekly Energy Insiders podcast in October, would be sited about 10km off the coast of Portland.

Spinifex would connect to the grid via the smelter’s switchyard – which accounts for more than 10 per cent of the state’s electricity demand – and make the site among Australia’s first smelters to be powered by up to 100 per cent renewables.

Orbital Railguns Will Probably Never Happen

Get 20% off your first Mack Weldon order and try out the Daily Wear System when you go to http://www.mackweldon.com/joescott and enter promo code “JOESCOTT” at checkout.
From the potential of orbital railguns, to space elevators on the moon and Mars, to the threat of AI taking over your job, to the latest on Neuralink, today’s lightning round video features questions from Patreon supporters. Thanks for the great questions guys!

Want to support the channel? Here’s how:

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/answerswithjoe.
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2YHgc363EdcusLIBbgxzg/join.
T-Shirts & Merch: http://www.answerswithjoe.com/store.

Check out my 2nd channel, Joe Scott TMI:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqi721JsXlf0wq3Z_cNA_Ew.

Interested in getting a Tesla or going solar? Use my referral link and get discounts and perks:
https://ts.la/joe74700

Follow me at all my places!

Continue reading “Orbital Railguns Will Probably Never Happen” | >

WMC unveils new electric hybrid scooter designed for first responders

British engineering company White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC) has unveiled its revolutionary new electric hybrid scooter – the WMC300FR. The new hybrid three-wheeled scooter is designed especially for use as a fully operational first response vehicle that will help bring emergency services into line with new national objectives to combat the effects of climate change and cost reduction.

The electric scooter uses the same patented technology central to its all-electric WMC250EV high-speed demonstrator, with which it intends to break the world electric land speed record over the next 12 months. In the case of First Responder, however, the key objectives are not so much to achieve ultimate speed as to significantly increase range and viability while reducing CO2 footprint and running costs for emergency service fleets. It can reduce carbon emissions by up to 50% of that of comparable conventional motorcycles and scooters.

The WMC300FR scooter features WMC’s patented Venturi Duct, which reduces drag by pushing air through the vehicle rather than around it. This system is aided by aerodynamic front fenders, which funnel the air towards the venturi, reducing overall frontal resistance and meaning less energy is required to propel the vehicle forward.