Lifeboat Foundation

Still, the seed vault is supposed to function without humans having to get involved with maintenance. The Norwegian government is studying the situation and plans to fix the leak.

It was a story that was too good to pass up. The Svalbard ‘doomsday’ seed vault had flooded because of global warming-induced high temperatures melting the surrounding permafrost. But according to one of the vault’s creators, the reports are pretty overblown and everything’s fine. Well, the vault’s fine. The apocalypse is still ticking along nicely.

No seeds were lost but the ability of the rock vault to provide failsafe protection against all disasters is now threatened by climate change.

A planned coal fired mega power plant in India has been scrapped because the government wants to focus on green energy.

Gujarati state officials had planned a 4,000-Megawatt ultra-mega power project (UMPP).

It would have been the state of Gujarat’s second UMPP.

Continue reading “India cancelling huge coal power station because it wants to focus on renewable energy” »

• Second Livestock is a unique application of virtual reality (VR) that could change animal husbandry and livestock farming.
• Developed by design professor Austin Stewart, this VR free-range farm world is a safe haven for chickens.

Free-range livestock is going to the next level, thanks to a unique, if seemingly silly idea that has recently gone viral. Second Livestock is a free range world for chickens in virtual reality (VR). And yes, just like most of VR’s current applications, it actually works like a game — a massively-multiplayer one full of chickens and with no AI bots.

FlashBattery promises to make charging your car a quick and easy affair.

EVE and NOMI will change the way you drive.

NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair Jeff Dahn has claimed that the cells developed by his research team could double the life of Tesla’s batteries, a milestone not expected for another four years.

For the procrastinators of the world, simply hitting a deadline is often an achievement worthy of celebration. Clearly, battery researcher Jeff Dahn is not one of those people. Less than one year into a research partnership with Tesla, his team has created and lab-tested cells capable of doubling the lifetime of the company’s batteries — a milestone they weren’t expected to hit for another four years.

Continue reading “Tesla Just Doubled the Lifetime of Its Batteries Four Years Ahead of Schedule” »

See also: Elon Musk Says Robots Will Help Tesla Catch Up to Apple in Value

So why won’t other auto manufacturers follow suit and overtake Tesla? First, their products, as well as their factories, are bogged down by legacy. Tesla’s electric cars are significantly easier to manufacture than internal combustion (IC) vehicles. Tesla’s Model S has fewer than 20 moving parts, compared with almost 1,500 moving parts in an IC-engine car. This means that there are fewer steps in the assembly process, fewer suppliers to deal with, and lower inventory of components and parts. Further, Tesla doesn’t have to deal with a unionized workforce, a complex supply chain, or a legacy dealer network. Free from this legacy, Tesla can embrace disruptive innovation without worrying about the backlash from workers, suppliers, and dealers.

To become as big as Apple one day, Tesla will need more than the “Henry Ford” approach to manufacturing. It will also need the “Steve Jobs” approach to marketing by creating a vast global appetite for its products. The Apple iPhone is a global product that can be sold from New York to Mumbai to Beijing with very little incremental investment. However, Tesla’s cars require the creation of infrastructure for charging and a distribution network from scratch—a very expensive and time-consuming process. Tesla will need to build out its charging network and distribution reach, country by country. China is an important overseas market for Tesla, as is Scandinavia; it also has a rollout plan for India with its Model 3.

If he can deliver on the cheaper than a regular roof, and forever warranty, and have the warranty transfer to a new home owner in a sale, then these would really catch on.

Last night, Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s solar roofs would be on sale starting today. At the time, he also stated that more information on the panels was forthcoming. Now, he has unveiled key details about Tesla’s “infinity warranty.”

Last night, Elon Musk announced via Twitter that orders would begin today (May 10th, 2017) for his revolutionary solar roof hardware. In another tweet, he promised that ordering would be available in most countries throughout the world. He also clarified that people could expect to see delivery begin in the United States in late 2017, and that deliveries would roll out sometime next year for overseas locations.

Continue reading “Elon Musk: Tesla’s Solar Roofs Will Be Cheaper Than Regular Roofs & Have ‘Infinity Warranty’” »