Amazon is piloting a new four-wheel, pedal-assist electric delivery vehicle built by Also, a spin-off from electric-truck maker Rivian, in a bid to make city logistics cleaner and more efficient. The vehicle—called the TM-Q—combines the stability and cargo capacity of a small van with the compact footprint of an e-bike. Amazon plans to deploy the… Continue reading Amazon Pilots New Pedal-Assist Electric Delivery Vehicle
Author: IEEE_Spectrum
The First Ticket Pre-Purchasing System Was Created 65 Years Ago
For Japan’s train commuters in the years following World War II, buying a ticket could be a stressful experience. Today it’s not difficult to go online and reserve a seat, but 65 years ago, travelers faced long queues at the ticket window and limited ways to find out if seats were available. Reservations were handwritten… Continue reading The First Ticket Pre-Purchasing System Was Created 65 Years Ago
Co-Captain Allows Ships to Share Important Navigational Data
A new onboard system allows ocean-going vessels to share real-time sea condition data, giving crews early warnings and helping them navigate more safely. The system will analyze data related to navigation, vessel behavior, and the environment to give ship crews guidance at sea. While casualties from ship collisions and groundings have declined, the overall number… Continue reading Co-Captain Allows Ships to Share Important Navigational Data
Menifee’s EV-Powered Homes: A New Era in Energy Independence
In Menifee, Calif., six newly built homes are testing a first for North America: electric vehicles that can power houses through the Combined Charging System (CCS) high-power DC charging standard. Each home uses a host Kia EV9 electric vehicle connected to a Wallbox Quasar 2 bidirectional charger, allowing the car’s 100-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery to run… Continue reading Menifee’s EV-Powered Homes: A New Era in Energy Independence
The World’s Biggest Electric Ship Charges Up
The world’s largest battery-electric ship is now testing the limits of what megawatt-scale charging and battery storage can do. Unveiled in May by Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania, Hull 096 started receiving electrical charge for the first time last month. The ship’s battery system is 85 percent installed, with two of its four battery rooms charged… Continue reading The World’s Biggest Electric Ship Charges Up
In 1953, the Ford X-100 Concept Car Had It All
In 1954, in a moment of absolute frankness, the president of Gifford Motors described his company’s latest luxury automobile: “Designed to appeal to the snob in everyone. Designed to convert your bank account into our dividends.” Perhaps you’re wondering why you never heard of such an honest car executive. That’s because he existed only in… Continue reading In 1953, the Ford X-100 Concept Car Had It All
Electrifying Everything Will Require Multiphysics Modeling
A prototyping problem is emerging in today’s efforts to electrify everything. What works as a lab-bench mockup breaks in reality. Harnessing and safely storing energy at grid scale and in cars, trucks, and planes is a very hard problem that simplified models sometimes can’t touch. “In electrification, at its core, you have this combination of… Continue reading Electrifying Everything Will Require Multiphysics Modeling
Former SpaceX Engineer Brings Aerospace Ideas to EV Charging
As a young SpaceX engineer, Quincy Lee led a rollout of hundreds of terrestrial antennas for Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service. The project covered three continents, took just 24 months—and turned out to be great preparation for Lee’s next chapter. Lee, now the founder and CEO of Electric Era, wants to make EV charging faster,… Continue reading Former SpaceX Engineer Brings Aerospace Ideas to EV Charging
Faster, Smaller AI Model Found for Image Geolocation
Imagine playing a new, slightly altered version of the game GeoGuessr. You’re faced with a photo of an average U.S. house, maybe two floors with a front lawn in a cul-de-sac and an American flag flying proudly out front. But there’s nothing particularly distinctive about this home, nothing to tell you the state it’s in… Continue reading Faster, Smaller AI Model Found for Image Geolocation
Solid-State Transformer Design Unlocks Faster EV Charging
This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore. The rapid buildout of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles is testing the limits of today’s power grid. With individual chargers drawing 350 to 500 kilowatts (or more), which makes charging times for EVs now functionally equivalent to the fill-up… Continue reading Solid-State Transformer Design Unlocks Faster EV Charging