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Archive for the ‘transportation’ category: Page 72

Nov 21, 2023

Ford to scale back plans for $3.5 billion Michigan battery plant as EV demand disappoints, labor costs rise

Posted by in categories: employment, sustainability, transportation

Ford said Tuesday it is cutting production capacity by roughly 43% to 20 gigawatt hours per year and reducing expected employment from 2,500 jobs to 1,700 jobs. The company declined to disclose how much less it would invest in the plant. Based on the reduced capacity, it would still be about a $2 billion investment.

The decision adds to a recent retreat from EVs by automakers globally. Demand for the vehicles is lower than expected due to higher costs and challenges with supply chains and battery technologies, among other issues.

Reductions at the Marshall, Michigan, plant are part of Ford’s plans announced last month to cut or delay about $12 billion in previously announced EV investments. The company will also postpone construction of another electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky.

Nov 21, 2023

Tesla Cybertruck hits the beach and runs through ocean water

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

The Tesla Cybertruck was spotted on the beach, driving through ocean water in the Gulf of Mexico just a week from deliveries.

Tesla claimed a while ago that the Cybertruck would be able to float. Although the truck did not completely enter the water in this instance, we have no idea if the automaker has prepared the pickup to travel through bodies of water.

Beach driving is popular, and all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicles are suitable for this kind of travel. Drivers also need to air down their tires in order to prevent their car or truck from digging into the sand, but a vehicle cannot be too heavy, either, as it will sink into the beach. The highest gross vehicle weight on most drive-on beaches is 10,000 pounds.

Nov 21, 2023

Flights cancelled, residents to evacuate as Papua New Guinea volcano erupts

Posted by in category: transportation

SYDNEY, Nov 21 (Reuters) — Some residents of a remote Papua New Guinea island were preparing on Tuesday to evacuate from the vicinity of an erupting volcano that shot a cloud of ash into the sky forcing the cancellation of some flights.

Teams had been sent to the Mount Ulawun area on New Britain island to coordinate an evacuation after it began erupting on Monday, state broadcaster NBC PNG reported senior disaster management official Clement Bailey as saying.

Flights from the island’s Hoskins airport had been cancelled, the broadcaster said, adding that the volcano was still erupting.

Nov 20, 2023

Some Uber and Lyft drivers have learned they can make more money if they’re pickier about who they serve

Posted by in categories: economics, transportation

Ken, a 36-year-old Uber and Lyft driver in Houston, drives about four to five hours per day — in addition to his full-time analyst job — to supplement his income. Last year, he earned a combined $25,000 driving for Uber and Lyft from about 2,000 trips, according to screenshots of earnings documents viewed by Business Insider.

While he accepts most rides, he said he prioritizes trips that pay at least $0.80 to $1.00 per mile, excluding vehicle expenses — a ride’s base pay and distance are displayed on the app. He also tries to avoid trips that take him too far out of Houston because he worries he won’t be able to find trips for the ride back. He calls these “empty miles.”

“I have seen a 50-mile trip that only $20 was offered,” Ken previously told Business Insider. “I wouldn’t be doing that.” He asked that his last name not be included for fear of professional repercussions.

Nov 19, 2023

Audi Will Only Build Electric Cars by the End of the Decade, the Company Says

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

The company has already pledged to phase out all internal-combustion models by 2033.

Nov 19, 2023

US Defense unveils new vertical take-off, landing aircraft competitors

Posted by in category: transportation

Bell.

Announced on the DARPA website on the 1st of November 2023, the chosen few will design and build a prototype vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) “to demonstrate the key technologies and integrated concepts that enable a transformational combination of aircraft speed and runway independence.”

Nov 19, 2023

The Next Leap in Battery Tech: Lithium-Ion Batteries Are No Longer the Gold Standard

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

Lithium metal, chosen for battery anodes due to its superior energy density compared to other materials, is a smart choice. Yet, challenges arise at the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte, presenting opportunities for enhancement to achieve safer and more efficient performance in future applications.

Researchers from Tsinghua University are keen on replacing the graphite anode with a lithium metal anode to construct a battery system with higher energy density. However, the Li metal anode is unstable and readily reacts with electrolytes to form a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). Unfortunately, the natural SEI is brittle and fragile, resulting in poor lifespan and performance.

Here, the researchers have looked into a substitute for natural SEI, which could effectively mitigate the side reactions within the battery system. The answer is ASEI: artificial solid electrolyte interphase. ASEI corrects some of the issues plaguing the bare lithium metal anode to make a safer, more reliable, and even more powerful source of power that can be used with more confidence in electric vehicles and other similar applications.

Nov 18, 2023

These electric ferries may set a new standard around clean public transportation

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Many cities around the world see clean and efficient public transport as a crucial way to lower their carbon emissions. For cities with waterways, a high-tech ferry in Sweden could soon set a new standard.

Speeding through Stockholm’s archipelago, electric boat maker Candela’s new P-12 vessel barely makes a sound as it glides over a meter (3 feet) above the water. Its developers hope the ferry, which was unveiled this week, will yield a new era of waterborne public transport.

“This is a real leap forward,” said Erik Eklund, who is in charge of the commercial vessel division at Candela. “The energy savings we get by going airborne on the foils give us the speed and range we need to make this work on batteries.”

Nov 18, 2023

Cybertruck Spotted With Christmas Tree Sticking Way Out of Its Tiny Bed

Posted by in category: transportation

A recent video that went viral on social media showed off the entirety of the truck’s interior for the first time, suggesting the cabin of the Cybertruck will be more cramped than one might expect from a full-sized pickup.

Oddly, it’s now starting to sound like the same could go for the truck’s bed. One image circulating online shows that not even a single mountain bike can fully fit inside the bed.

And a separate image uploaded to the Cybertruck subreddit shows most of a Christmas tree awkwardly protruding from the back of the truck, suggesting it’s not exactly going to compete with other pickup trucks when it comes to utility alone.

Nov 18, 2023

Sculptural steel arches support Jiangxi River Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects

Posted by in category: transportation

Two symmetrical steel arches define this bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, which stretches 295 metres across a tributary of the Tuojiang River in Chengdu, China.

Named Jiangxi River Bridge, the structure is used by cars, cyclists and pedestrians and is intended to become a landmark for the city in Sichuan province.

Zaha Hadid Architects designed the bridge to tie in with the city’s existing road system and Airport New Town, a new development surrounding Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.

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