Important Innovations

Alerts of Potential Collisions With Cars for Pedestrian Wearers Source:  Columbia University Columbia University Invention Designed to Prevent Accidents A breakthrough set of intelligent headphones is able to detect and analyze ambient sounds around the wearer and warn of an approaching vehicle that could pose a danger. The smart headphones send the wearer a sound alert to be aware and avoid what's coming at them. This is an invention from a team at Columbia University that could save many lives. Twalking Alerts Millions of pedestrians are using headphones and "twalking".  We see them every day with their faces glued to their phones, oblivious to their surroundings as they walk and talk along the streets.  It's very dangerous behavior.  The number of fatalities and injuries caused by "twalking" have tripled in the US in the past 7 years.  Last year, pedestrian deaths hit their highest level since 1990. New Audio-Alert System for Pe

From Maryanne Kane, to all my friends on social media, a Very Happy New Year!!! May 2020 be the best for you!!! Image:  Boston Fireworks Celebration on Charles River Stock Image

Global Record Turnaround for New $2Billion Tesla Plant in Shanghai Source:  Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai World's First China-Made Model 3 Electric Sedans Tesla today, as promised, started delivering its Model 3 electric sedans made in its brand new $2 billion Shanghai Gigafactory.  The turnaround time is amazing.  Tesla started construction on the plant less than a year ago.  Delivering finished cars so quickly is a world record for global automakers in China.  It's another great achievement for the American electric vehicle maker Tesla and for its founder/CEO Elon Musk. World's Biggest EV Market Tesla says it will start ramping up deliveries in January 2020.  The Chinese-made version of the Model 3 is priced at $50,000.  China is the world's biggest car market and the world's biggest electric vehicle market.  Tesla is clearly capitalizing on and investing in the market opportunity.  Tesla's Shanghai plant is China's first wholly foreign-ow

No Heavy Metals, Plus Rapid Charging, Cheaper, More Efficient, Good For Environment Source:  IBM IBM and Mercedes Partner to  Commercialize IBM has created a revolutionary battery that replaces the heavy metals in the cathode with 3 elements extracted from seawater.  They are also utilizing a  new type of liquid electrolyte.  It's a safer, more "ethically sourced" and highly efficient new type of battery.  The standard heavy metals used like nickel and cobalt are very harmful to the environment and pose humanitarian risks in mining.  IBM says this new seawater battery outperforms lithium-ion batteries in major respects. Already Going Commercial This battery invention has the potential to be a blockbuster and is worthy of being tracked by investors.  IBM says the battery can be optimized to surpass the capability of lithium-ion batteries in terms of lower costs, faster charging time, higher power and energy density, stronger energy efficiency and lo

Las Vegas Tunnel to Open in 2020 Source:  The Boring Company Musk's Boring Company that's Not so Boring The first commercial version of Elon Musk's people mover tunnel will open in Las Vegas in 2020.  Its's designed as a "traffic busting" alternative to congested streets in crowded cities.  The tunnel is one mile long.  Musk just announced that he expects the tunnel to open during 2020. Las Vegas on the Move The tunnel is being built by Musk's not-so-boring Boring Company.  It connects the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Vegas Strip.  The sprawling Convention Center is being enlarged and the tunnel is expected to facilitate traffic at the Center to the Strip where many of the city's major hotels and casinos are located. Twin Tunnels The Boring Company was commissioned by Las Vegas officials last spring to design, build and manage the twin tunnel system.  Passengers will be transported in small autonomous vehicles carryi

VW's Mobile Charging Robot for EVs Source:  VW Revolution for EVs in Parking Lots This new mobile, EV battery recharging robotic device is innovation from VW. VW calls it revolutionary and it's clearly important and possibly gamechanging for the use of electric vehicles.  VW has developed a mobile, robot charging station that brings the electric battery recharging unit directly to parked cars.  This innovative system directly addresses the problem of the few charging stations available to make for the easy re-charge use of electric cars.  It's going to be deployed first in underground parking garages to essentially make every parking space a charging space.  And the entire charging process is fully autonomous with no human assistance needed. VW Innovation Two unique pieces of technology are involved in this new EV charging system.  There's an autonomous driving robot and a EV battery wagon.  The VW recharge system can be summoned by an app or V2X communicatio

VW Accelerating EV Production to Meet Growing Demand Source:  VW ID Crozz  Source:  Tesla Ahead of Electric Targets Volkswagen just announced it's way ahead of schedule in the production of electric vehicles.  In fact, it's two years ahead of its targeted numbers.  By the end of 2023, it will have produced 1 million electric vehicles.  It expects to have produced 1.5 million EVs by 2025.  These are important milestones for VW because the future of driving in the 2020's is accelerating toward EVs, These are vehicles that are all-electric with no emissions, green, clean and great for the global environment. Tesla and China Synergies Meanwhile, Tesla is reaching a landmark.  The first delivery of its China-made Model 3 EV will hit on December 30, 2019.  The turnaround time on these EVs is incredibly fast. In fact, it's a record for a global automaker in China. Construction started on Tesla's first plant outside of the US, in Shanghai, China in January