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Sony's Electric Car - Vision S

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  Sony's Electric & Autonomous Vision                                                Source:  Sony Vision S E-Car Loaded with Sony Technology  Sony has a clear vision for an electric and autonomous car.  It stunned the world when it unveiled its electric concept car, the Vision S.  The vehicle is a real, working concept/prototype e-car that Sony is road testing.  Sony, an unlikely car company, is very serious about developing the vehicle.  The Vision S contains the ultimate in Sony technology. Sony Innovations The e-car is a driving showcase for Sony's latest innovations.  For example, there are a series of displays that stretch across the dashboard, providing user interface and entertainment for passengers.  The middle display and one in front of the passenger seat provide access to the car's media controls.  Entertainment includes Sony movies and music.  Rear seat passengers have similar touchscreens. Autonomous Driving Vision S also contains Sony camera sensors, lida

Zero Emissions Electric Flying

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  Global Development of Commuter Electric Planes Source:  Eviation's Alice US, UK, Israel Global Epicenters of E-Plane R&D One of the hottest new areas under development for the future of travel is electric and hybrid electric aircraft.  Major centers of electric plane innovation include Israel, the US and the United Kingdom.  In the UK, a startup aviation company Faradair plans to deploy a fleet of 300 electric planes by 2030.  The planes can carry 18 passengers.  They are tri-planes driven by propellers that are powered by electricity.  Faradair just contracted with Seattle, Washington based MagniX to provide electric motors for the fleet. MagniX Washington based MagniX is an up and coming player in the electric aviation industry.  It has a deal with Sidney Seaplanes in Australia to retrofit a 9 passenger Cessna with battery powered electric motors and is also retrofitting a 40 passenger de Havilland Dash 8Q-300 with two electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells.  At thi

EPA, Airplanes & Emissions

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  US EPA Setting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Planes                        Source:  Stock Image of Airplane Emissions Planes Among Top Fastest Growing Emissions Sources The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing the world's 1st regulations on aircraft greenhouse gas emissions.  The new emissions standards are now being formalized and will apply to commercial aircraft and large business jets.  The EPA says this will align with international standards including that for the UN global aircraft emissions standards. Big aerospace companies like Airbus SE and Boeing support the standard.  Critics of the new regulations, now being formulated, think that they should be toughened by incoming President Joe Biden. More Details The compliance date on the new EPA regulations for airplanes is January 1, 2028.  If not in compliance by then, aircraft that are not modified will have to go out of service and newly manufactured aircraft have to comply.  A group of 11 states

E-Bikes: Big Urban Trend, Serial 1's New Bikes

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  New, Urban Electric Commuting                                       Source:  Serial 1 Cycle Company New Form of Travel Harley Davidson's spinoff company Serial 1 Cycle Company has just introduced four new e-bike models.  There are three new models of the Rush/Cty speed e-bike priced from $4,399 to $4,999 and one new model of the $3,399 Mosh/City e-bike.  These bikes are getting rave reviews for innovation, styling and smooth riding.  Serial 1 is an independent electric bike brand, but Harley Davidson holds a minority stake in the company. Many former Harley engineers work there.  Serial 1 is the beneficiary of Harley Davidson's decades of top-of-the-line motorcycle technology. Competitive Bike Lanes E-bikes are exploding in popularity as commuters look to avoid pubic transit and exposure to COVID by doing solo urban commutes.  The trend is so strong that Ford and Jeep have introduced their own e-bike brands.  The partnership with Harley gives Serial 1 some big advantages.  Se

FAA Ok's Small Drone Package Deliveries

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  FAA Approves Small Drones Flying Over People & At Night                                                      Source:  Amazon Opens the Way to Widespread Commercial Drone Deliveries The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just approved small drones flying over people and at night.  This regulatory clearance is viewed as enabling the start of widespread commercial drone package deliveries in the US.  For companies like Amazon, Walmart and UPS, this is a long-awaited decision and a big business opportunity.  Until now, drones have been restricted to very limited operations involving direct participants and required FAA clearance and waivers for more public exposure, such as testing drone package deliveries in specific neighborhoods. Security Issues The FAA is addressing security concerns by requiring remote identification technology on the drones so they can be identified from the ground.  The new regulations take effect in March.  Drone manufacturers have up to 18 months to p

Japan's Priceless Asteroid Space Rocks

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  Hayabusa 2 Mission Source:  JAXA Priceless Space Rocks Retrieved from Asteroid Ryugu Japan's second asteroid mission - Hyabusa 2 - has safely returned to Earth with a treasure trove of priceless space rocks collected from the asteroid Ryugu.  For the Japanese space agency JAXA, the Hyabusa 2 mission is a spectacular success.  And the priceless space rocks brought back to Earth open up a brand new avenue of scientific discovery about the origin and composition of asteroids and the search for signs of life in space. Asteroid Mission Started in 2014 The mission was launched in 2014,  Hyabusa 2 arrived at Ryugu in 2018 and landed on it in 2019.  It used several landers and blasted the asteroid's surface with a space gun to collect rocks, sediment and dirt.   World Awaits Space Rock Analysis Astronomers and space enthusiasts around the world are waiting for the analysis of the space rocks and sediment to be finalized.  Questions include what materials do they consist of, do they c

DARPA'S Hypersonic Interceptor

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  Interceptor to Neutralize Hypersonic Nuclear Warheads                                       Source:  DARPA Glide Breaker DARPA's Glide Breaker Project The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is developing a hypersonic interceptor vehicle, which experts are calling a potential gamechanger.  It's called Glide Breaker. The vehicle would travel at extremely high, hypersonic speeds while flying at such a low altitude that it evades early warning radar systems that track ballistic missiles.  The technology is extraordinary and straight out of science fiction. Twenty Times The Speed of Sound The technology is designed to take down a nuclear warhead travelling at 20 times the speed of sound.  It's the equivalent of hitting a bullet with a bullet.  And, the enemy "bullet" is capable of evasive maneuvers.  The interceptor, that DARPA wants to quickly develop and test, is targeted at hypersonic missiles.  An example is Russia's Avangard,