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The promising salt battery is officially in mass production. The battery is made with salt instead of lithium, making it cheaper and much easier to scale than current batteries.
The salt batteries are particularly promising as a kind of buffer tank for wind and solar farms, or as a backup for data centers. The batteries are made by the American Natron Energy and the factory is even in Holland. Holland, Michigan, where from now on 600 megawatts of storage capacity must be created every year. The major advantage of salt batteries is the raw material: salt is cheap and widely available. Furthermore, aluminum and iron are needed, which are also widely available in the US. This means that the batteries can be developed without hassle about international raw material prices. According to Natron, this can also be done very quickly and it would be cheaper than traditional lithium-ion batteries. More benefits: more sustainable and faster The salt batteries also last much longer than lithium-ion. Natron claims that its batteries last 50,000 deep charge cycles, while lithium only lasts 3,500 times. The salt batteries do not need to cool down between charges to prevent damage or wear. Moreover, little can go wrong, because salt is not easily flammable. Moreover, they can be loaded very heavily, and are therefore full in 5 to 15 minutes, while large lithium batteries can take several hours, especially without special cooling measures. As for cooling: the salt batteries would also be usable from -20 to 50 degrees Celsius, while lithium is a bit more finicky. Particularly suitable as a 'buffer vessel' There are also disadvantages: the energy density is even lower than with lithium-ion. In other words, you need more battery to store the same amount of energy. That's not attractive for portable devices and cars, but it doesn't matter if you just want to use the battery for a lot of energy storage. The attractive characteristics of the battery make it particularly suitable for situations where lithium is currently in short supply. So for energy storage: next to a large solar park or wind farm, the salt batteries can quickly store a lot of energy, so that it can be supplied back to the grid just as quickly later. That is ideal, because then you smooth out the peaks and valleys of green energy. The battery is full when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and supplies energy when it is dark and we need power. The startup Aquabattery is also working on a salt battery in the Netherlands. That company is still in the testing phase. But this first factory is also a kind of test for Natron, which should form the blueprint for many more factories that will make many more of these types of batteries. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Airports across the United Kingdom were struck with delays on Tuesday evening after a nationwide “technical issue“ made the UK Border Force electronic systems glitch for more than four hours.
The slowed service led to delays and long queues among arrivals in airports around the country. Footage circulating online showed the extensive queues that built up as services slowed to a crawl. Some customers complained that the unexpectedly long queues were straining infrastructure, reportedly leaving some customers without adequate water and toilet access. Others also showed blank screens at the eGates. Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh airports confirmed problems with the Border Force system, which resulted in the long delays with arriving travelers on Tuesday, the BBC wrote. The system network issue was detected at 7:44 on Tuesday evening, the Home Office said in a statement on Wednesday. “E-gates at UK airports came back online shortly after midnight,” they announced, adding that “at no point was border security compromised and there is no indication of malicious cyber activity.” But it still stays open what really happened. There are 3 options:
In the course of the day it will clear which of the 3 really happened. The effected airports didn't give any update so far. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Hamad International Airport (DOH) has again secured its position as the "World’s Best Airport" by the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.
The airport also clinched the title of ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’ for the second time in a row and "Best Airport in the Middle East" for the tenth consecutive year. Hamad International Airport's recognition is based on meticulous assessments conducted by air travellers. They evaluated the airport's performance across key performance indicators and selected it as the best in the world amongst a group of over 500 global airport contenders. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Eng Badr Mohammed Al Meer, who spearheaded the development and growth of Hamad International Airport over the past decade, said: “This is a remarkable achievement for Hamad International Airport, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary of operational excellence, connecting passengers seamlessly from all around the world. It is a testament to the dedication of our team and partners, who have contributed to providing passengers with the finest travel experience. Our continuous investment in our facilities and pioneering initiatives in retail and hospitality within a single expansive terminal has made this achievement possible.” He emphasised the importance of understanding passengers' needs and evolving travel trends: “At the heart of our growth strategy lies the passengers’ journey, their evolving needs, and our commitment to meeting and exceeding their expectations. We have introduced a diverse range of experiences at the airport, including ‘Souq Al Matar’, which brings Qatari hospitality and culture closer to travellers, “Orchard”, the ideal place for relaxation and rejuvenation between flights and an array of high-end lounges. We remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the industry to maintain our position as the world’s premier airport.” Hamad International Airport achieved a significant milestone in 2023, witnessing an exceptional surge in passenger traffic. Serving over 45 million passengers, the airport experienced a remarkable 31 percentincrease compared to the previous year, surpassing the momentum established during the historic FIFA World Cup. The airport also welcomed new esteemed airline partners, including Vistara, Iberia, Xiamen Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, and Japan Airlines, and serves over 250 destinations, including passenger, cargo, and chartered flights. As Hamad International Airport approaches its milestone 10th year of operations, it anticipates a bustling 2024. Plans include welcoming new airline partners, enhancing connectivity, and supporting Qatar's endeavours to host various global events. Committed to the Qatar National Vision 2030, Hamad International Airport aims to enhance sustainability efforts through investments in new technologies and pioneering industry-first initiatives, further solidifying its position as a leader in the aviation industry. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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The Panama Canal goes Dry4/18/2024 As droughts continue to deplete the Panama Canal’s water levels, the maritime trading hub’s operators are planning a workaround.
The Panama officials announced a new Multimodal Dry Canal project that will begin transporting international cargo across a “special customs jurisdiction” near the 110-year-old waterway. The Panama Canal, which connects Atlantic and Pacific trading routes, has been in dire straits for some time. To function, ocean vessels pass through a series of above-sea-level “locks” filled with freshwater provided by nearby Lake Gatún and Lake Alajuela. Older Panamax locks require about 50 million gallons of freshwater per ship, while a small number of “Neo-Panamax locks” built in 2016 only require around 30 million gallons. But the canal’s upgrades can’t keep up with climate change’s cascading effects. Lake Gatún and Lake Alajuela are replenished with rainwater, and a lingering drought compounded by El Niño has resulted in the second-driest year in the Panama Canal’s existence. To compensate, the daily average number of ships allowed to pass through the lock system has been reduced from 38 to 27, while each vessel is also now required to carry less cargo. Operators hope to soon raise that average to pre-drought levels, but likely at a cost to local marine ecosystem health and local drinking water supplies. Meanwhile, as the AFP reports, marine traffic jams routinely see over 100 ships waiting to pass through the 50-mile passage. The new Multimodal Dry Canal project announced this week will attempt to further alleviate a global trade problem that particularly affects the Panama Canal’s most frequent users—the US, China, Japan, and South Korea. Ship crews shouldn’t need to wait for a yearslong engineering process before seeing some relief to the passage’s congestion. During a presentation of project plans this week, Panamanian representatives said no additional investment or construction is needed. Instead, the dry thoroughfare will function as a complement to the canal by employing “existing roads, railways, port facilities, airports and duty-free zones,” according to the AFP on Wednesday. Speaking with the BBC earlier this month (before the dry canal’s reveal), a shipping company general manager said such land based detour routes could be costly—expenses that are “usually passed onto the consumer.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Tesla will lay off more than 10% of its salaried workforce, according to an internal company-wide email sent to employees by CEO Elon Musk and seen by media outlets.
Reuters on Monday cited an email sent to at least three US employees notifying them that their dismissal was effective immediately. According to EV blog Electrek, which was the first to report on the layoffs, it is not clear which teams at Tesla will be impacted. With the company’s headcount sitting at around 140,000 workers globally, the reduction is likely to affect at least 14,000 employees. “As we prepare the company for our next phase of growth, it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity,” Musk reportedly said in the memo sent to all staff. “As part of this effort, we have done a thorough review of the organization and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10% globally. There is nothing I hate more, but it must be done,” the memo said. Commenting on the layoff reports, Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter): “About every five years, we need to reorganize and streamline the company for the next phase of growth.” The last time Musk announced major job cuts was in 2022, after telling executives he had a “super bad feeling” about the US economy. He indicated at the time that he believed that the company was overstaffed. The latest reports on jobs cuts come as the US carmaker has been grappling with falling sales and fierce competition from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers. According to a Reuters report earlier this month, which was later denied by Musk, Tesla has scrapped a long-planned project for a low-cost vehicle and will instead focus on a new robotaxi. This month, the company reported its first annual decline in vehicle deliveries since 2020. On Tuesday, Tesla is scheduled to report first-quarter financial results and may provide more details about the layoffs, according to media reports. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken in favor of opening the European market to Chinese automakers as long as they compete “fairly” with other manufacturers. Scholz arrived in China on Sunday for his second visit to the country as chancellor. He is being accompanied by several German chief executives, including the bosses of carmakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW and the chemical giant BASF. The chancellor visited the major industrial hub of Chongqing on Sunday, and is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang before leaving late on Wednesday. Speaking to students at Tongji University in Shanghai on Monday, Scholz cited the initial fears associated with the entry of Japanese and South Korean cars into Europe, but said they had not ended up dominating the market or skewing its balance. “There are Japanese cars now in Germany and German cars in Japan,” Scholz stated, adding that “at some point there will also be Chinese cars in Germany and Europe. According to the chancellor, “the only thing that must always be clear is that competition must be fair… [that] there is no dumping, that there is no overproduction, that copyrights are not infringed.” Scholz also stressed the importance of a “level playing field,” clarifying that German companies should be allowed to establish production facilities in China and vice versa with as little red tape as possible. Beijing remained Berlin’s top trading partner for the eighth straight year in 2023. Chinese automakers have actively penetrated foreign markets in recent years and are steadily closing the gap with Western rivals, particularly in terms of electric cars. In Russia, Chinese vehicles have quickly filled the vacuum left by a number of major European car manufacturers after they exited the market due to the Ukraine conflict. BUT According to Financial Times, China exports more cars to Europe than it can currently sell. This is not such a problem with conventional car brands, because the cars are then waiting for an owner at the dealers, but many of these Chinese car brands deliver directly to buyers, according to FT. So until the cars are sold, they are waiting in the open air. Financial Times writes that car brands use the ports as storage for their cars and that the ports turn into huge parking lots. The port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, for example, is said to be a place where things are currently stuck, but there are also problems in Italy and Greece. It even seems that some cars have been standing next to the moorings for a year and a half. That doesn't make an EV any better. Besides that, it only gets more funny. Reuters reports that a record number of new ships have been ordered to transport cars. The Chinese fleet currently consists of 33 car transport ships, but this should increase to 80. And they don't buy those ships for decoration; the influx of Chinese cars will therefore only increase. For example, car brand BYD has had its own roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) transport ship since the beginning of this year. You can see that in the photo above the message. Most car brands rent ships from other shipping companies. It says something about the ambitions of the car brand. The port you see there is not Zeebrugge, but somewhere in China. This 199.9 meter ship can accommodate 7,000 vehicles.
Not enough trucks to remove the cars Another cause of the problem would be the lack of trucks. There are literally ships full of EVs coming into the country, but there are not enough trucks to take the cars to dealers and customers. If you ever receive a new EV from China, check whether you can decipher when it was built based on the chassis number. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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The Rimac Nevera is a marvel of automotive engineering that pushes the boundaries of electric performance vehicles.
Having had the privilege to experience its power and precision firsthand, I can confidently say that the Nevera represents a quantum leap in electric hypercars. Let's start with the performance. The Nevera's four electric motors deliver an astounding 1,914 horsepower and 1,741 lb-ft of torque, propelling it from 0 to 60 mph in a mind-boggling 1.85 seconds. This acceleration is not just impressive; it's a jaw-dropping experience that redefines what's possible with electric propulsion. The instantaneous torque delivery makes every acceleration feel like a rocket launch, pushing you back into your seat with relentless force. But the Nevera isn't just about straight-line speed; it's a corner-carving beast as well. With advanced torque vectoring and all-wheel drive, it grips the road with tenacity, providing unparalleled stability and agility through every twist and turn. Whether you're attacking a mountain pass or navigating tight city streets, the Nevera's handling inspires confidence and exhilaration. Beyond its performance, the Nevera boasts cutting-edge technology and impeccable craftsmanship. The interior is a blend of futuristic design and luxurious comfort, with premium materials and state-of-the-art infotainment systems. The cockpit envelops you in a cocoon of sophistication, with every control and interface meticulously crafted for both aesthetics and functionality. Of course, such performance and luxury come at a price, and the Rimac Nevera commands a hefty sum. But for those who can afford it, the Nevera represents more than just a car; it's a statement of automotive excellence and a glimpse into the future of high-performance electric vehicles. In summary, the Rimac Nevera is a game-changer in the world of hypercars. Its blistering acceleration, precise handling, and luxurious interior set a new standard for electric performance vehicles. If you have the means to experience it, the Nevera will undoubtedly leave you breathless and craving for more. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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