Lifeboat Foundation

Tesla appears to be gearing up to launch a new Performance mode for the Model 3 and Model Y, as spotted in code from recent firmware updates.

On Sunday, Tesla code sleuth green the only posted about a “soft performance limit” option for the Model 3 and Y discovered in recent firmware, which the account says are listed as 110kW and 160kW, respectively. The discovery seems to suggest that Tesla is looking to launch a paid upgrade for the software-locked mode, allowing owners to upgrade to access full battery range.

Hm, interesting, recent firmwares bring “soft performance limit” option to Model3 and ModelY, listed as 110kW and 160kW respectively.

Dr. Hyeon-woo Son and his research team from the Department of Aluminum in the Advanced Metals Division at KIMS have successfully developed an aluminum alloy for electric vehicles that dramatically improves thermal stability. The paper is published in the Journal of Materials Research and Technology.

“Batteries are the crux of many of the most important emerging technologies in both the civilian world and, important to our profession, on the battlefield,” said United States Military Academy Cadet Michael Williams. “More energy dense batteries allow, for instance, greater range on electric vehicles, longer battery lives for radios, and longer flight times for drones. Our work helps make manufacturing these batteries easier.”

Cadets Michael Williams, Avery Patel, and Nancy Astable have been working on a long-term project with their faculty mentors Dr. Enoch Nagelli, Dr. Simuck Yuk, and Army Col. John Burpo to develop new ways to maximize energy storage and generation for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Armaments Center. In collaboration with Cornell University, the team at USMA’s Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences is pursuing innovative approaches to increasing the quality and use of batteries and fuel cells.

The value of conducting scientific research to solve real-world problems is clear to the cadets.

Cape Town, which beat a water crisis in 2018, holds lessons for cities grappling with an El Niño-fueled drought.

While wearable technologies with embedded sensors, such as smartwatches, are widely available, these devices can be uncomfortable, obtrusive and can inhibit the skin’s intrinsic sensations.

“If you want to accurately sense anything on a biological surface like skin or a leaf, the interface between the device and the surface is vital,” said Professor Yan Yan Shery Huang from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research. “We also want bioelectronics that are completely imperceptible to the user, so they don’t in any way interfere with how the user interacts with the world, and we want them to be sustainable and low waste.”

Continue reading “Imperceptible sensors made from ‘electronic spider silk’ can be printed directly on human skin” »

Scientists looking to convert carbon dioxide into clean fuels and useful chemicals often make hydrogen gas and carbonates as unwanted byproducts. A new paper from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering has found a cleaner path.

Tesla has officially broken ground on its new Megafactory project to build Megapacks for energy storage in China.

The Megafactory in Lathrop, California, was Tesla’s first dedicated factory to produce Megapacks, which were previously produced at Gigafactory Nevada.

It is still ramping up to its full capacity of 40 GWh worth of Megapacks, a battery pack for utility-scale energy storage projects, but it has already helped Tesla break new records of energy storage deployment almost every quarter.

The first FLO Ultra DC fast chargers are rolling off the assembly line at the company’s Auburn Hills, Michigan, factory – and they’re pretty powerful.

The 320 kW FLO Ultra DC fast chargers feature a dual-port power configuration. The EV charging company designed them to comply with the federal government’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI) standards and the Buy America Act, including 98% uptime. They can charge most EVs to 80% in just 15 minutes.

The FLO Ultra DC fast chargers feature the new FLO motorized cable management system. The EZLift system is designed to keep cables off the ground and provide extended reach, allowing the cable to reach EVs no matter where the port is located. The motorized system makes the cables feel lighter and easier to maneuver.

After a strong start to 2024, Hyundai expects the momentum to continue with some of the most affordable and efficient EVs on the US market. In an exclusive interview with Electrek, Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker said the company is “humble and hungry” as it remains committed to EVs in the US.

Despite rivals pulling back, Hyundai is doubling down on its EV commitment as it looks to separate itself from the competition.

Its early dedication is already paying off. Hyundai is outpacing the US electric vehicle market with a wide-ranging lineup of award-winning EVs, including the IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and Kona Electric.