Toyota (Still) Banks On Lithium-Air Energy Storage For Next-Gen EV Batteries
Dream on, Klingons: a low cost, 500-mile energy storage solution for electric vehicles might not happen by 2020 — but it probably will happen, eventually.
MIT
Optimus Ride Approved To Begin “Highly Automated” Self-Driving Vehicle Testing
The MIT self-driving vehicle tech spinoff Optimus Ride has been granted approval to begin testing “highly automated” vehicles in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The approval was granted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
People Losing Faith In Self-Driving Cars (MIT Surveys, Exclusive Interviews)
In 2016, the MIT AgeLab, in cooperation with the New England Motoring Press Association, conducted a study to determine public attitudes about autonomous car technology. It found that younger drivers were more accepting of the idea that cars could drive themselves without human input than were older drivers. The more mature people who took the survey liked the idea of active safety systems that help keep a car within its proper travel lane, issue side collision warnings, adapt to the speed of other cars on the highway, or brake automatically in an emergency.
Autonomous Car Testing Costs Could Be Cut 99% With New Method
Autonomous car technology is the Holy Grail for auto manufacturers today. Elon Musk claims self-driving cars will be as common as self-service elevators in the very near future. But first, the systems used to allow cars to drive themselves need to be validated. Currently, that means collecting data from billions of miles of real-world driving.
High School Girls Develop Solar-Powered Tent For The Homeless
A team of female high school engineering students at San Fernando High School have collaborated on the design of a solar powered tent to provide shelter for the homeless.
MIT: Emissions Trading For Transport = EU’s Cheapest Means Of Reducing Transport Emissions
Rather than adopting an approach similar to the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard in the United States, the European Union could achieve similar carbon dioxide emissions reductions simply by extending the existing emissions trading system to encompass transportation (in addition to the electricity generation and energy-intensive industries it currently covers), according to a new study from MIT and its research partners.
“MADCAT” Morphing Flapless Aircraft Wings To Be Built By Tiny Robots
The transportation sector has been scrambling to decarbonize air travel and the latest twist is, well, a twist. A NASA-backed team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has come up with a flexible aircraft wing that could cut fuel consumption by reducing weight and improving aerodynamics.
Energy Storage With “Sponge Bob” Carbon-Free Supercapacitor
MIT researchers win their energy storage bet: a material known for poor conductivity can be successfully deployed to replace carbon in supercapacitors.
MIT & AMS Partnering On Fleet Of Autonomous Boats For Amsterdam’s Canals
Amsterdam will soon be home to a fleet of autonomous canal boats, if a new collaboration between MIT and the Netherlands’ Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) goes well. The flagship project of the collaboration between the two organizations (ROBOAT as it’s been dubbed), the autonomous canal boat fleet project … [continued]
SolidEnergy Systems Promising To Double Battery Life Of Lithium-Ion Batteries With New Lithium-Metal Technology
The MIT spinoff company SolidEnergy Systems is claiming that it can double the battery life of regular lithium-ion batteries and reduce battery sizes though the use of its new lithium-metal technology. More specifically, the company is claiming that its battery technology allows for energy densities of 400 Wh/kg. The technology … [continued]
