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Solar car can be better.


The cost of electric vehicle battery packs has fallen to $132 per kWh – continuing decades of cost improvements. However, it might go up over the next year as increased material prices are catching up to incremental cost improvements.

Price per kWh is the metric used to track the price of batteries. It can be used to talk about the cost of battery packs or battery cells.

For example, if Tesla were achieving a cost per kWh of $150 for its Model S battery pack, it would mean that the battery pack costs $15,000 since it has a capacity of 100 kWh.

And it’s down for tests this year.

Last month, Pantuo Aviation revealed the PANTALA Concept H, a sleek-looking flying taxi concept that has strong similarities to Lilium’s ducted fan eVTOL aircraft at the same time as featuring some key design differences.

As little was announced in the way of specifications or development progress at the time, we reached out to Pantuo, who sent us information on their new concept via a company spokesperson.

According to Pantuo Aviation’s representative, the all-electric PANTALA Concept H has a range of 155 miles (250 km) and will be able to travel at speeds of over 186 mph (300 km/h). The aircraft uses lithium-ion batteries and features 22 large-diameter electric ducted fans rather than open rotors. Much in the same fashion as Lilium’s seven-seater aircraft, which the German company aims to bring into service by 2024, the PANTALA’s fans provide added redundancy, meaning an enhanced level of safety for passengers. One factor that sets the PANTALA Concept H apart from the Lilium flying taxi, however, is the fact that its entire wing tilts to change from vertical to normal flight mode.

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The extra juice comes from a secret ingredient…corn starch.


Could a simple materials change make electric car batteries able to four times more energy? Scientists in South Korea think so. In a new paper in the American Chemical Society’s Nano Letters, a research team details using silicon and repurposed corn starch to make better anodes for lithium ion batteries.

This team is based primarily in the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), where they’ve experimented with microemulsifying silicon, carbon, and corn starch into a new microstructured composite material for use as a battery anode. This is done by mixing silicon nanoparticles and corn starch with propylene gas and heating it all to combine.

Using biowaste corn starch is already pretty popular, with products like biodegradeable “corn plastic” cutlery, packaging, and the infamous nontoxic packing peanut. The same qualities that make corn starch attractive in these applications apply to the silicon anode project. Existing lithium-ion batteries use carbon anodes, and scientists know silicon would work better in many ways but have struggled to stabilize the silicon enough for this use to be practical. “To enhance the stability of silicon, Dr. Jung and his team focused on using materials that are common in our everyday lives, such as water, oil, and starch,” KIST wrote in a statement about the paper.

2021 has been an incredible year in terms of advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence Technologies. AI has managed to gain new abilities and managed to achieve the futuristic feat of taking over several jobs which previously only humans could perform. Whether it’s self-supervised learning, custom AI accelerators or neuromorphic chips, the future of AI is looking really bright and in this video, I’ll show you the biggest technological advancements of 2021 and what future technologies may come about very soon.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 The beginning of AI Supremacy?
01:34 Custom AI Hardware.
04:01 Media generated completely by AI’s.
05:49 Self-Supervised Learning.
07:20 Self-driving cars.
08:49 Actually intelligent AI Assistants.
10:42 Last Words.

#ai #technology #2021

According to the public papers given by Stanislaus County, PepsiCo. Gets approval to install a Tesla Semi Megacharger at its Modesto, California, factory.

According to the documents, the Stanislaus County Planning Commission issued a permit for the Megacharger installation on November 22nd. PepsiCo has been attempting to obtain installation privileges since the first submission of the application on April 21st. In the months between the application’s submission, permit issuance, and the Planning Commission conducted frequent inspections. Including a fire inspection. @MarcoRPTesla was the first to tweet about the permit approval.

Later this year, PepsiCo will be the first company to receive Tesla Semis. On CNBC earlier this month, CEO Ramon Laguarta stated the company would get the first Tesla Semi units in Q4. Implying that Tesla had around five weeks to deliver the trucks to PepsiCo.

MS say that Malaysian semiconductor fabrication plants are back to 100%. auto chip shortage is now in the rear-view mirror I hope they are correct. I’d like to hear it from auto producers too though. Toyota, at least, is upbeat though:

Humor can be quite useful.

Let’s see how.

Suppose you are having a bad day (I realize this seems a bit dour and gloomy, but the venerated gallantry of well-placed humor will turn this around, wait and see).

While on the way home from work, you opt to use a ridesharing or ride-hailing service. After settling into the car and getting ready to have a quiet and solemnly introspective ride home, the driver suddenly speaks up and tells you an entertaining joke that causes you to laugh out loud. The merriment of the humorous anecdote sparks you to get out of your dismally sour mood. It was one of the best jokes you have ever heard, a knee-slapping and side-splitting piece of humor.

Things are looking up, and when you arrive home, your perspective and attitude about the world have shifted into one of peacefulness and content.

All due to letting some humor enter into your day.

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