Important Innovations

UK Accelerates Ban on Combustion Engines Source:  City of London Committed to Cutting CO2 Emissions The United Kingdom is aggressively banning the sale of new gas, diesel and hybrid cars starting in 2035.  That's five years ahead of the previously announced schedule.  The ban is aggressive and even includes plug-in hybrids. Brexit The UK's automakers association, the SMMT, is sharply critical of the new measures. They are asking for more government support right now to make the changes sustainable and support jobs during the Brexit exit.  UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is committed to cutting their CO2 emission:  "As a country, as a society, as a planet, as a species, we must act now." Europe's Major Commitment to the Environment Demands for electric vehicles is surging in the UK, which is Europe's second largest car market. The government is funding $3.25 million to build 1,000 new charging stops for EVs

Leading Electric Driving Source:  Audi e-tron electric SUV World's Top EV Nation In Norway this January, the sale of electric vehicles hit a whopping 44% of all new car sales.  Norway already has the world's highest rate of electric car use.  There are forecasts that the % will climb to the 50 to 60% range during 2020.  For the full year of 2019, electric car sales represented 42.4% of the new car market.  The numbers testify to Norwegians commitment to a cleaner environment and reducing carbon emissions from car exhaust. Environmental Target for 2025 Norway wants to phase out the sale of combustion engine cars by 2025.  To achieve that, the Norwegian government has exempted battery powered vehicles from the taxes imposed on gas and diesel powered cars.  As a result, Norway is the world's #1 user of electric vehicles and a favorite among global automakers to serve as test grounds for their new EV models. Audi the Big January Winner Interestingly i

May be Tesla's Hottest Vehicle Source:  Tesla Model Y  CEO Elon Musk's Roll-Out of Model Y The Model Y is Tesla's first crossover SUV.  It's aimed at an incredibly popular segment in the US:  what's called the lower end of the EV market.  CEO Elon Musk is way ahead of schedule on production of the SUV.  First deliveries on the electric, all wheel drive crossover will start in March instead of the summer as previously announced.  Also, this SUV has additional distance.  It now can go 350 miles on a single charge, instead of 280 as Tesla had previously estimated. Big Expansion and Big Expectations Elon Musk anticipates a big market for this car.  He anticipates the Y will outsell every other vehicle that Tesla makes.  As a result, he's expanding production.  Currently, the Y is being produced at a Tesla facility in Freemont, CA.  But in 2021, he's going to expand production to Shanghai and later to Berlin.  The EV is priced at a range fro

Hummer EV Pickup Truck for Sale 2021 Source:  GM Front Bumper of Hummer EV Gas Guzzler No More At tonight's 2020 Super Bowl Game 54, GM is unveiling a comeback version of the Hummer that is all-electric.  It's a battery powered electric Hummer EV pickup truck that will be teased in a :30 ad featuring basketball star LeBron James.  The Hummer EV will be officially unveiled in May 2020 and go on sale in September 2021.  This is another big GM electric vehicle bet. CEO Mary Barra believes that the future of driving is electric. Technology Details The pickup's battery is huge.  It's capable of generating 1,000 horsepower and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds.  It also has a high towing capability.  GM hasn't disclosed the price or how far the EV can go on a single charge.  And, the only image that GM has provided so far is the front bumper area of the EV as shown in the picture above. Electrifying Competition The electric pic

A First in the 54 year old History of the Super Bowl Source:  KC's Norma Hunt with QB Patrick Mahomes and Safety Tyrann Mathieu Women and the Business of Football For the first time in the history of the NFL, the 2020 Super Bowl teams are each owned by a woman. Norma Hunt, known as the "First Lady of the NFL" is the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. And, billionaire businesswoman Denice York is the owner of the San Francisco 49'ers. This is a first in the 54 year history of the Super Bowl.  The global news agency Reuters is calling it "Sustainable Business".  Football is an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport but having women owners/leaders in the front office is putting some big cracks in the glass ceiling. First Female Super Bowl Coach There is yet another first with today's big game.  Katie Sowers will be the first female coach on the Super Bowl field as the Assistant Offensive Coach of the SF 49'ers. Chief's Norma Hunt Norma Hu

US Scientists Enable Jellyfish to Swim 3-times Faster Source:  Caltech New Invention with Big Potential to Monitor Health of Oceans Scientists at Stanford University and Caltech have created a pacemaker-like device that enables natural jellyfish to swim three times their normal speed.  The microelectronic, pulsing, tiny, prosthetic device generates electric jolts that make the fish triple their speed while using just twice as much energy.  The scientists and engineers involved in the project says the device causes no additional stress to the sea creatures.  They say the potential for this system is as vast as the ocean itself. Network of Live Ocean Monitors The scientific team says the combination of speed and energy efficiency from this device opens the possibility of using jellyfish to gather data from across the world's oceans. They envision equipping the jellyfish with sensors to track ocean temperatures, salinity and oxygen levels.  They say this could

Nike's Vaporfly Source:  Nike Vaporfly Springboard Empowered Running The $250.00 Nike Vaporfly running shoe has been cleared for use by elite runners in the upcoming Summer 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  The shoe appears to be the ultimate high tech innovation in running.  There's a carbon plate built into it that's designed to provide the runner with a spring in their step.  It's the world's first hi-tech springboard for runners that is getting tremendous results. Incredible Track Record Over the past year, runners wearing Vaporfly have recorded the five, fastest marathons ever.  And since the Vaporfly launch, the number of Adidas sponsored runners winning major marathons has been cut in half.  This is big business.  Running shoes are a $13 billion industry that's projected to grow 5% during each of the next 5 years. "Technological Doping" Critics have called the innovative technology shoe "technological doping".  But, the