Editor Blogs

October 2018

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Toyota’s Tundra Pie Pro is a transparent marketing stunt, and ... I’m more than happy to promote it because it’s just that cool. When else will you see a zero-emission pickup with an automated pizza maker attached? The Tundra’s “great strengths are its extreme capability and eminent versatility, and what

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10/31/2018

The 2018 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.

GM Wants Trump to Back Nationwide Fuel Economy Standards

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

I can be a cynical creature, so when GM asked President Trump to do something wildly out-of-character for him, I cocked an eyebrow. General Motors wants the Chief Executive to back a nationwide program aimed at boosting sales of zero emission vehicles (ZEV). Paging Captain Obvious – Trump hasn’t been ove

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10/29/2018

Volvo Invests in Mobile EV Charging Company

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Volvo might not build its own charging infrastructure, but they did just invest in a company that provides mobile EV charging solutions. The Chinese-owned luxury automaker acquired a stake in FreeWire, a company building advanced battery systems to “electrify beyond the grid.” Freewire’s Mobi Charger is a dua

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10/25/2018

Uber Wants its London Vehicles to be All-Electric by 2025

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

By the middle of next decade, the Uber you catch in Britain could sound like a golf cart – the international ride-sharing service wants to make all vehicles in London electric by 2025. Uber made the announcement Tuesday, and to fund the change, the company plans to add a 15 pence-per-mile ($0.19) “clean air fee.” This wi

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10/23/2018

The Transdev EZ10 Generation II autonomous shuttle.

Feds To Company: Stop Testing Autonomous Bus With Children

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Turns out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a lot less fungible when it comes to children. The NHTSA sent a letter to Transdev demanding the mobility company cease using its EZ10 Generation II autonomous shuttle as a school bus. Apparently, the NHTSA gave Transdev the greenlight to use it

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10/22/2018

University at Buffalo

Wenyao Xu, lead author of the University at Buffalo study.

3D-Printed Guns Can be Traced by "In-Fill Patterns"

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

3D-printed guns are wildly controversial, in no small part because they’re virtually untraceable. A study from the University at Buffalo could change that. The 1968 Gun Control Act (GCA) required all firearms made or sold after October 22, 1968 to bear a serial number. This makes guns eminently traceable and helps identify the manufacturer and owner. 3D-prin

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10/19/2018

Google Maps Directs you to Nearest EV Charging Stations

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

As EV charging stations dot the landscape, they’ve become crucial landmarks – hence Google’s interest. Google Maps can now route you to the nearest EV charging stations. A new update for Google Maps Android and iOS apps draws upon the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Alternative Fueling Station Locator to pinpoint

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10/16/2018

Electric Pickup Truck is Beefy Like a Hummer

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

If you want some muscle from your EV, Bollinger Motors’ B2 electric pickup might fit the bill. Last year, Bollinger unveiled the B1 electric SUV, the world's first all-electric sport utility truck, and a mere 10 months later, they rolled out a longer pickup variant. The B2 sports all-electric, all-wheel dr

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10/14/2018

Britain to End Rebate for Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Britain is modifying its Plug-In Car Grant program, eliminating the rebate for plug-in hybrid vehicles and reducing it for all-electric vehicles. “The PICG has helped the plug-in hybrid market become more established, and the government will now focus its support on zero emission models like pure el

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10/12/2018

The Porsche Taycan EV, due in 2019.

Porsche to Abandon Diesel, Invest $7.1 Billion in Electric Mobility

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Porsche is moving ahead with its electric pit stop concept, and with their Taycan EV due next year, the German automaker announced they’d be dropping diesel. While ultra-low-sulfur (“clean”) diesel shows tremendous promise – California has mandated it over traditional diesel since 2006 – a combination of

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10/05/2018

Swansea University

A Printable Solar Cell as Big as a Standard Sheet of Paper

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

In a huge renewable energy breakthrough, researchers from Swansea University have printed a perovskite solar module the size of a standard sheet of paper. The module is the size of an A4 sheet of paper (8.3 x 11.7 in), 6x bigger than similar 10x10 cm2 modules of this type, all the more special because perovskit

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Date:

10/04/2018

California's last operational nuclear power plant, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, will close by 2025.

California's Last Nuclear Plant Makes Way for Zero-Carbon Options

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

California’s last operational nuclear power plant will close by 2025, and Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill ensuring the lost energy is replaced by zero-carbon alternatives. The first of two pressurized-water nuclear reactors began operation at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant on May 7, 1985. In 2016,

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Date:

10/03/2018

World's First Flying Car is an Actual Car

Terrafugia

The Terrafugia Transition.

World's First Flying Car is an Actual Car

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

We’ve spoken a lot about “flying cars,” but the Terrafugia Transition is an actual plane and a car. And it’s about to go on sale this month. A two-seat ‘roadable’ plane, the Transition is street-legal and certified as a light sport aircraft. And while it looks horribly out-of-place on the road – like a plane folded up like an ac

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Date:

10/01/2018