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At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the spotlight was on groundbreaking developments in AI and healthcare. However, battery technology is the game-changer at the heart of these innovations, enabling greater power efficiency. Importantly, electric vehicles are where this technology is being applied most intensely.

Today’s EVs can travel around 700 km on a single charge, while researchers are aiming for a 1,000 km battery range. Researchers are fervently exploring the use of silicon, known for its high storage capacity, as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries for EVs. However, despite its potential, bringing silicon into practical use remains a puzzle that researchers are still working hard to piece together.

If realized using solar energy or other renewable energy, water splitting could be a promising way of sustainably producing hydrogen (H₂) on a large-scale. Most photoelectrochemical water splitting systems proposed so far, however, have been found to be either inefficient, unstable, or difficult to implement on a large-scale.

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) recently set out to develop a scalable and efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) system to produce green hydrogen. Their proposed system, outlined in Nature Energy, is based on an innovative formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃) perovskite-based photoanode, encapsulated by an Ni foil/NiFeOOH electrocatalyst.

“Our group has thoroughly studied the challenges associated with practical solar hydrogen production,” Jae Sung Lee, Professor of Energy & Chemical Engineering at UNIST and co-author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “As summarized in our most recent review paper, minimum 10% of solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency is required to develop viable practical PEC system, for which selecting an efficient material is the first criteria.”

Electric vehicles sales could account for 10 percent of the market in 2024, but getting there will take additional effort from dealers and manufacturers, including participation in auto shows.

Meet PairTree – a solar-powered canopy that charges EVs off-grid – that’s made by US-based solar charging infrastructure manufacturer Paired Power.

PairTree, which started to roll out commercially late last year, is quick and easy to set up – it takes only about four hours – and its ballasted steel foundation fits right into a regular parking space. What sets it apart is its use of bifacial solar panels. These 4.6 kW units increase energy yield by up to 15% compared to traditional panels. This means that in practice, a PairTree unit’s performance rivals that of a 5.3 kW solar array.

PairTree features a UL 9450-listed lithium iron phosphate battery energy storage system, offering a spectrum of daily ranges from 75 to 230 miles, depending on the capacity chosen. It can support either one or two Level 2 EV chargers.

The Tesla Cybertruck, together with its stablemates, will be displayed at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, one of the United States’ most prolific automotive events. Updates from the organizers of the 2024 Chicago Auto Show indicate that the Cybertruck has arrived at the event’s venue, and it is ready for some visitors.

The Chicago Auto Show is held every February at the McCormick Place convention center, and it is generally regarded as the largest auto show in North America. The 2024 Chicago Auto Show will be held from February 10 through February 19, though a press preview is scheduled to start February 8. A “First Look for Charity” Gala is also scheduled on February 9, 2024.

Considering the prolific nature of electric vehicles in the United States today, it is no surprise that the 2024 Chicago Auto Show would be featuring a number of EVs. These include electric cars from veteran automakers such as the 2025 BMW i5, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, and the Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear, to EVs from newcomers like the Lucid Air.

Futuristic advancements in AI and healthcare stole the limelight at the tech extravaganza Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024. However, battery technology is the game-changer at the heart of these innovations, enabling greater power efficiency. Importantly, electric vehicles are where this technology is being applied most intensely. Today’s EVs can travel around 700km on a single charge, while researchers are aiming for a 1,000km battery range.

Researchers are fervently exploring the use of silicon, known for its high storage capacity, as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries for EVs. However, despite its potential, bringing silicon into practical use remains a puzzle that researchers are still working hard to piece together.

Enter Professor Soojin Park, PhD candidate Minjun Je, and Dr. Hye Bin Son from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). They have cracked the code, developing a pocket-friendly and rock-solid next-generation high-energy-density Li-ion battery system using micro silicon particles and gel polymer electrolytes.

SpaceX launched an environmental research satellite for NASA early Thursday, a nearly $1 billion spacecraft that survived multiple cancellation threats and is now poised to shed new light on climate change and the complex interplay of heat-trapping carbon, aerosols and sea life on global scales.

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission — PACE — “will dramatically advance our understanding of the relationship between aerosols and clouds, and the global energy balance,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth sciences division. “This is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in our ability to model the climate.”

Continue reading “SpaceX launches billion-dollar environmental research satellite for NASA” »

EV charging network Electrify America will soon offer the public an EV charging experience safe from the elements, where drivers can pull in, plug in, and chill out while their vehicle replenishes. This flagship indoor charging station kicks off a potential future in which you don’t have to wait in your car or outside while you charge… It also has complimentary Wi-Fi.

Electrify America is one of the largest open DC fast charging networks in the US that is investing billions into expanding EV infrastructure to support the growing number of zero-emissions vehicles hitting roads.

Outside of the Tesla Supercharger network, Electrify America is easily the most prominent and recognizable name in its respective space, expanding cleaner energy alternatives like solar farms to support its growing number of EV charging stations.

Toyota announced today that it will invest $1.3 billion in the development of future electric vehicles at its flagship Kentucky facility.

The Japanese automaker said it would bring an all-new, three-row battery electric SUV to the U.S. market thanks to the investment. Toyota has now committed nearly $10 billion in investments to the Kentucky plant, aiming to build high-quality vehicles and offer job stability to its employees at the factory.

The investment is also set to support the addition of a battery pack assembly line to the Kentucky plant. The batteries used in the packs assembled in Kentucky will come from Toyota’s Battery Manufacturing Plant in North Carolina.