Car owners can save hundreds of dollars by letting utilities decide when to charge their car.
Category: sustainability – Page 405
Tesla is now selling a $1,900 electric Cyberquad ATV for kids
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Tesla hasnât yet shipped the Cybertruck, or the full-size Cyberquad that made a splashy debut at the introduction of its Blade Runner-esque pickup truck, but you can get a mini Cyberquad designed for the kiddos starting in 2â4 weeks if you order one right now from its website.
The Tesla âCyberquad for Kidsâ is available to purchase on Teslaâs site for $1,900 â a steep price relative to your average Power Wheels, but the lowest-priced vehicle in Teslaâs existing lineup by far. And the Cyberquadâs materials are a cut above your average battery electric kid car, with a âfull steel frame,â along with cushioned seating and fully adjustable suspension.
It may be the cheapest Tesla you can buy, but itâs also the most limited when it comes to range: Youâll get up to around 15 miles on a full charge, which takes five hours, according to the company. Itâs also not going to break any land speed records, with a speedometer that tops out at 10 mph (which you can limit to a max of 5 mph for safety, if desired). Thatâs still plenty fast for a kidâs ride-on vehicle, which is probably why Tesla labels this one as designed for kids at least 8 and up, with a max weight of 150 lbs.
This New One-Person Electric Aircraft Will Cost About The Same as a Luxury SUV
And you wonât need an FAA pilotâs license to fly it either, since Openerâs Blackfly is certified as an ultralight aircraft.
A Gun Company Is Now Selling a Handheld Semi-Automatic Railgun
With Gauss Rifles [military squads] could pitch a solar panel, charge their gunsâ batteries, and fire nuts and bolts off the ground as ammunition.
âYou can hold far more energy in batteries than you can with gunpowder,â Wirth told Futurism. And a battery eliminates the need for âexplosive chemical propellants.â
But itâs an entirely new type of armament that could have some potentially dangerous consequences, opening the doors to turn anything from metal rods to nuts and bolts into deadly projectiles. And its creators are already imagining military applications.
âImagine a scenario where a military squad is pinned down behind enemy lines and theyâre out of ammunition,â Wirth told us. âWith Gauss Rifles they could pitch a solar panel, charge their gunsâ batteries, and fire nuts and bolts off the ground as ammunition.â
Teslaâs New Solar Power Tiles Can Generate 22% More Clean Energy
In yet another bid to push forward its solar business, electric vehicle maker Tesla has launched a new solar roof tile that has a higher power output while retaining the dimensions of the old one.
Tesla entered the clean energy business when it acquired SolarCity for $2.6 billion in 2016. It makes switching to solar energy sleeker by replacing regular roof tiles with energy-generating solar roof tiles, instead of having to install bulky solar panels. Tesla offers a 25-year warranty on the tiles and takes end-to-end responsibility for installing the new solar roof.
However, the company has so far struggled to make its product mainstream due to fluctuations in pricing, Electrek reported. With variations across house designs, Tesla has found it difficult to create a streamlined product and even introduced a roof-complexity factor, earlier this year to determine cost estimates.
Electrify America has now deployed Tesla Powerpacks at over 140 charging stations
Electrify America announced that it has now deployed over 30 MW of battery capacity using Tesla Powerpacks at over 140 charging stations.
In 2019, Tesla and Electrify America, VWâs electric vehicle charging network, announced that they reached a deal for the former to deploy Powerpacks at more than 100 charging stations operated by the latter.
We have been tracking their progress in deploying those battery systems since it appears to be the largest deployment of energy storage at electric vehicle charging stations.
Energy Dome to deploy low-cost, long-duration CO2 battery in Italy
An Italian energy storage company, Energy Dome, has announced the close of its $11M Series A fundraise, with the goal of deploying the first commercially viable CO2 battery in a demonstration project in its native Sardinia, Italy. The proposed 100 megawatt-hours (MWh) CO2 Battery could support the increased use of renewable power in the generation mix and address the growing need for energy storage on electrical grids.
The CO2 Batteryâs optimal charge/discharge cycle ranges from 4 to 24 hours, positioning it perfectly for daily and intra-day cycling. The company points out that this is a fast-growing market segment, not well served by existing battery technologies. Significantly, the CO2 Battery can be charged during the daytime when there is a surplus solar generation and dispatched during the subsequent evening and next-morning peaks, when solar generation falls short of demand. The modular, scalable energy storage solution will allow for solar and wind generation to be dispatchable 24 hours per day.
Using low-cost, off-the-shelf components, the company claims that its CO2 battery achieves a 75â80% round-trip efficiency. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which degrade significantly in performance after roughly a decade of use, the battery maintains its performance during its expected 25-year operational life. This means the cost of the storage will be about half of the cost of storing with similar-sized lithium-ion batteries.
NASA is Building a Nuclear Reactor to Power Lunar and Martian Exploration!
NASA and the U.S. Dept. of Energy have come together to solicit design proposals for a nuclear reactor that will power Lunar and Martian exploration!
Over the next fifteen years, multiple space agencies and their commercial partners intend to mount crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. In addition to placing âfootprints and flagsâ on these celestial bodies, there are plans to establish the infrastructure to allow for a long-term human presence. To meet these mission requirements and ensure astronaut safety, several technologies are currently being researched and developed.
At their core, these technologies are all about achieving self-sufficiency in terms of resources, materials, and energy. To ensure that these missions have all the energy they need to conduct operations, NASA is developing a Fission Surface Power (FSP) system that will provide a safe, efficient, and reliable electricity supply. In conjunction with solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells, this technology will allow for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars in the near future.
For NASA, having fission reactors for lunar surface operations is a vital part of the Artemis Program, which aims to create a program of âsustained lunar exploration.â This means infrastructure is required, like the Lunar Gateway (where spacecraft will dock and resupply) and the Artemis Base Camp on the surface, where astronauts will eat, exercise, and sleep when not conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) â i.e., surface operations.
Can The Sun Power The Earth? Will Solar Energy Cope Or Will The Lights Go Out?
So can solar energy cut it?
Can we really move to a society not harnessed to the unsustainable practices of the old way.
I look at exactly how much land might be required & whether the lights will be able to stay on in the future as they have in the past.
Iâm sure most know the answer, but this gives real facts and figures that can be used to defend against the fossil fuel apologists, and shared with friends, family and colleagues who are still learning.
Have an amazing day wherever you areâŠ
Electric vehicle battery cost falls to $132 per kWh, but it might go up from there
Solar car can be better.
The cost of electric vehicle battery packs has fallen to $132 per kWh â continuing decades of cost improvements. However, it might go up over the next year as increased material prices are catching up to incremental cost improvements.
Price per kWh is the metric used to track the price of batteries. It can be used to talk about the cost of battery packs or battery cells.
For example, if Tesla were achieving a cost per kWh of $150 for its Model S battery pack, it would mean that the battery pack costs $15,000 since it has a capacity of 100 kWh.