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-powered hot air balloon sets 32 world records
In 2019, Leticia Noemi Marqués of Argentina flew the Aerocene Pacha, a hot air ballon that ran entirely without fuel. It is now considered the most sustainable flight in human history, and one of the most important experiments in the history of aviation. Rather than being powered by batteries or Read More...
Paris lowers the speed limit on most city streets
Pedestrians and cyclists in Paris are welcoming a new policy that will restrict the speed limit on nearly all streets in the French capital to just 30 kph, down from 50 kph. The law is the latest move by the municipality to advance the city closer to its climate targets and transform people’s Read More...
This laminate changes color to warn about dangerous structural damage
As an increasing number of lightweight, load-bearing composite materials make their way into industries like automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding, and aircraft construction, there’s a growing need to develop new methods for early detection of damage to — or even potential failure of — these Read More...
This MINI concept takes sustainable car manufacturing to a whole new level
As circularity slowly expands across industries, car companies are beginning to explore sustainable design as the new standard. Emblematic of that is the MINI Strip — a one-off car that resulted from a collaboration between two British brands, fashion designer Paul Smith and automotive marque Read More...
Students conceptualize pedestrian-friendly addition to local bridge
Like other transportation infrastructure in the country, American bridges have been designed with a car-centric mentality, meaning that many of these structures lack designated paths for cyclists or pedestrians. This is the case for a long bridge in Rhode Island that connects the towns of Jamestown Read More...
Automated aircraft towing tech aims to save fuel and cut emissions
Airlines consume billions of gallons of jet fuel every year to transport passengers around the world. About five percent of that fuel is used on the ground, as airliners have to run their jet engines to taxi along the runway, generating a lot of carbon emissions in the process. A novel in-ground Read More...
This smart wheelchair enables users to climb stairs and adjust height
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are big proponents of technologies that move the world forward in an inclusive and thoughtful way. That’s why we’re happy to share with you BRO, a futuristic, stairs-climbing wheelchair developed by Scewo, which aims to offer people of restricted mobility the Read More...
Volvo will soon use fossil-free steel to make its electric trucks
Earlier this year, Volvo pledged to go all-electric by 2030, while making its entire business operations (including its supply chain) climate-neutral by 2050 — all in a bid to do its part in the fight against the climate crisis. To that end, the carmaker has recently made a deal with Swedish Read More...
The Optimist View: Building Circularity into Electric Vehicles
To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist. - William McDonough BY Kristy Jansen and Sam Suh Earlier this year, I became the proud owner of an all-electric car一a used Read More...
The world’s first all-electric tugboat to put to sea in 2023
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), maritime transport emits around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually and is responsible for about 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As engineers are working to green up cargo ships with the help of low-carbon fuels, Read More...