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Category: transportation – Page 35

Scientists Develop “Triple-Layer” Battery That Is Safer and Lasts Longer

DGIST’s triple-layer solid polymer electrolyte battery improves safety, efficiency, and durability, addressing dendrite issues while retaining 87.9% performance after 1,000 cycles. It holds promise for diverse applications, including electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

A research team from DGIST’s Division of Energy & Environmental Technology, led by Principal Researcher Kim Jae-hyun, has developed a lithium metal battery using a “triple-layer solid polymer electrolyte.” This innovation significantly improves fire safety while extending the battery’s lifespan, making it a promising solution for applications in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems.

Conventional solid polymer electrolyte batteries face challenges due to structural limitations that impede optimal contact between electrodes. These limitations fail to address the issue of “dendrites”—tree-like lithium formations that occur during repeated charging and discharging cycles. Dendrites pose a critical safety risk, as their irregular growth can damage battery connections and lead to fires or explosions.

Building better infrared sensors: Novel photodiode design boosts responsivity

Detecting infrared light is critical in an enormous range of technologies, from remote controls to autofocus systems to self-driving cars and virtual reality headsets. That means there would be major benefits from improving the efficiency of infrared sensors, such as photodiodes.

Researchers at Aalto University have developed a new type of infrared photodiode that is 35% more responsive at 1.55 µm, the key wavelength for telecommunications, compared to other germanium-based components. Importantly, this new device can be manufactured using current production techniques, making it highly practical for adoption.

“It took us eight years from the idea to proof-of-concept,” says Hele Savin, a professor at Aalto University.

Tesla Has Portable Supercharger Stations That Can Go Online Lightning Quick

Charging an electric vehicle can be daunting sometimes, but Tesla, the biggest player in the game, has long figured it out. Thanks to its extensive Supercharger network of DC fast chargers that are tightly integrated with the cars’ software, it’s extremely easy to plan a route in a Tesla EV.

The infotainment system shows the driver exactly how many charging stops are needed, how much juice will be in the battery when arriving at a charging stop and how much energy will be added during the charging stop. It’s all seamless, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why people buy Teslas to begin with.

However, during the holidays, even Tesla owners might have to wait a little longer during charging stops simply because all the stalls are already in use when arriving at a Supercharger. More people are traveling, so more EV owners are out there charging their cars. However, Tesla seems to have a solution for this, as well.

Waymo Robotaxis Intensify Competition for Ride-Hailing Drivers

Uber and Lyft drivers in Phoenix and Los Angeles are facing increasing challenges as driverless taxis, notably Waymo One, enter the market. These autonomous vehicles are making an already competitive ride-hailing industry even tougher for human drivers.

According to Jacob Zinkula’s report, driverless taxis are significantly impacting the ride-hailing landscape in key markets like Phoenix and Los Angeles. Jason D., a 50-year-old Uber driver based in Phoenix, attributes his decreasing earnings to the influx of Waymo One robotaxis. He notes that heightened competition and operational costs, along with reduced fares and tips, are exacerbating income challenges for both full-time and part-time drivers.

Waymo One, operating under Alphabet, has rolled out over 100,000 paid rides weekly across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. With planned expansions to Atlanta and Austin, these vehicles are set to be integrated into the Uber app. Despite potential regulatory hurdles and safety considerations, experts in the ride-hailing field anticipate a gradual decline in Uber and Lyft drivers’ earnings as autonomous vehicles become more commonplace.

The Segway Apex H2 Is A Hydrogen Sports Bike That’ll Cost Only £8k

Although this might look like a sci-fi film prop, the Segway Apex H2 is nothing of the sort. It’s a prototype version of the render-only H2 concept first shown earlier this year, and it’s now been given a remarkably affordable price tag — 69,999 Chinese Yuan, which is about £8,000. So, it’s a little less than the recently launched Yamaha R7.

The H2 isn’t powered by anything as ordinary as a parallel twin combustion engine, however. It has two power sources — a hydrogen fuel cell and a battery pack. Technical details are still thin on the ground, but we do at least know it produces 60kW (just under 80bhp) and will crack 62mph in around four seconds, topping out at 93mph. It’ll consume a gram of hydrogen for every kilometre it covers.

Segway has revealed the prototype version of its Apex H2, and it appears to have changed little from the concept.

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