Transportation
From autonomous EVs to electric planes, from hydrogen trains to biofuel transportation, check out the most recent developments on how we’re moving transportation towards a more sustainable future in the good news section below.
Solar Impulse team predicts solar electric passenger planes within 10 years
The co-pilots and founders of Solar Impulse – the remarkable solar powered plane that is making a ground-breaking flight around the world – have made a stunning prediction: There will be short-haul electric planes for up to 50 people operating within 10 years. “This is the Read More...
Ford invests in mapping startup for self-driving cars
Ford is among five investors putting $6.6 million into a California startup that generates three-dimensional maps to help guide self-driving cars. Civil Maps, which was founded in 2014, uses artificial intelligence to convert data obtained from a car’s sensors into map information for use in Read More...
Nissan cars are about to get some awesome self-driving features
Tesla isn't the only automaker bringing autonomous driving features to its cars. Nissan recently announced that it will release its ProPILOT semi-autonomous technology in its new Serena car in Japan starting in late August. But the tech is also slated to arrive in Europe in 2017, and eventually in Read More...
Nasa is investing $43 million in electric, environmentally friendly planes
While the rise of the electric car is well underway, electric, environmentally friendly planes seem still a distant future. However, NASA is seriously investing in making electric planes a reality. The space agency’s 10-year plan revolves around designing and building a line of Read More...
Could self-driving cars be one solution to police shootings during traffic stops?
The shooting death of Philando Castile in a St. Paul suburb last week started out as a police traffic stop for a broken taillight. [Fatal police shooting in Minnesota sparks protests across country] It’s a familiar refrain when it comes to officer-involved shootings that Read More...
Chinese automaker plans self-driving, electric car by 2020
An automotive venture backed by China tech giant Tencent aims to launch an electric self-driving car before 2020, entering a crowded field dominated by US-based Tesla Motors, the chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday. Future Mobility, backed by Tencent and Hon Hai Precision Industries, is one of Read More...
A Tesla co-founder is making electric garbage trucks powered by jet engines
Jet engines have revolutionized air travel since their invention in the 1930s. But now a Tesla co-founder sees them revolutionizing something else: garbage trucks. Such trucks are mostly associated with early morning wake-ups, diesel fumes, and the stench of rotting garbage. Garbage trucks are Read More...
Sweden opens world's first electric highway
Sweden opened a stretch of electric highway, becoming the first country to test electric power for heavy transport. A 22 kilometer (or roughly 13 miles) stretch of the E16 road—which connects Oslo, Norway, to Gävle, Sweden—is fitted with power lines overhead, developed by Siemens, Read More...
Germany's electric car discount scheme spurs new BMW i3 sales
BMW has recorded rising sales of the latest version of its electric car, the i3, following the Berlin government's push to subsidize electric cars, weekly German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) said. Citing company sources, FAS said that orders for the new i3 with a longer Read More...
Google's self-driving cars can recognize cyclist hand signals
Last month, Google focused on teaching its self-driving cars to honk appropriately. Now, it’s taking safety into its own hands and learning how to deal with all those cyclists on the road. According to Google’s latest self-driving car report, the autonomous cars can now detect a Read More...