Optimus Ride, a startup founded by MIT alumni, will start a self-driving car shuttle service at an industrial park in New York City, reports the Associated Press. “The free service is expected to transport some 500 passengers daily on the yard’s internal roads,” the AP explains.
MIT startup Optimus Ride is launching a self-driving shuttle service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, reports Andrew J. Hawkins for The Verge.
The Economist highlights how MIT startup Indigo is developing an engine system that could be incorporated within an electric vehicle’s wheels. The Economist notes that Indigo believes their system, “a module that incorporates brakes, steering and an active suspension, as well as a motor, overcomes both the electrical problem and the unsprung-weight problem, thus paving the way for in-wheel drives to become mainstream.”
A new MIT study suggests that “strings of plastic balls dangled in the ocean could harvest enough cobalt for hundreds of thousands of electric car batteries,” reports David Adam for New Scientist. The researchers think the system could “catch enough dissolved cobalt from seawater each year to make a battery for every Tesla Model 3 that has rolled off the production line so far,” says Adam.
Forbes reporter Chuck Tannert spotlights alumnus R.J. Scaringe, founder and CEO of the electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive. Scaringe explains his motivation to build electric vehicles: “It was frustrating knowing the things I loved were simultaneously the things that were making the air dirtier and causing all sorts of issues, everything from geopolitical conflict to the smog to climate change.”
Writing for Axios, research scientist Apurba Sakti examines Norway’s transition to electric vehicles. “EVs become the preferred choice of most consumers once they try them; range anxiety can be addressed; the electricity grid was able to absorb the additional demand for electricity in the short run; and perhaps most important, temporary subsidies and incentives can kickstart the adoption of new green technology,” Sakti writes.
Washington Post reporter Peter Holley highlights MIT startup Superpedestrian, which is developing an electric scooter that is “capable of operating on a single charge for several days, self-diagnosing mechanical problems and removing itself from circulation using ‘vehicle intelligence.’”
Prof. John Sterman speaks with Marco Werman of PRI’s The World about the future of the American car market. According to Sterman, “the U.S. still has the opportunity, if the federal policies were aligned with our long-term interests, to have a major role in the new car and transportation and mobility industry that’s taking shape.”
MIT startup Rivian has announced they are planning to bring two new electric vehicles to the market in 2020: an SUV and pickup truck with four motors, reports Russ Mitchell for the Los Angeles Times.
AP reporter Tom Krisher writes that MIT startup Rivian has debuted an all-electric pickup truck and SUV. Kishner writes that Rivian's goal is to have “the top version of its R1T pickup will have more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of battery range per charge when it goes on sale in late 2020.”
Axios reporter Joann Muller spotlights Rivian, an electric-vehicle startup founded by MIT graduate RJ Scaringe. “If Rivian succeeds, the sharing of its technology could be one of the biggest reasons,” writes Muller. “Imagine companies like Amazon, Starbucks or Apple launching their own mobility fleets on top of a generic platform.”
Sara Clemence writes for Bloomberg that MIT is working with Lamborghini on developing a new electric supercar. Working with two labs at MIT, Lamorghini plans to essentially turn the car into a battery by making “supercapacitors out of carbon fiber panels that can be used to form the body of the car,” explains Clemence.
MIT researchers have teamed up with Lamborghini to create an electric sports car, reports Jordan Graham for the Boston Herald. Graham explains that the research, could be used to, “make the cars lighter and make batteries out of carbon nanotubes. The batteries can be made in any shape, and could be designed to fit inside the car’s side panels.”
Researchers from MIT and Lamborghini have unveiled a new concept supercar incorporating futuristic design elements and new technologies, writes Nicole Wakelin for Boston.com. Led by Profs. Mircea Dinca and Anastasios John Hart, the teams are “focused on the development of energy storage systems and the use of innovative materials,” writes Wakelin.
CNN reporter Peter Valdes-Dapena writes that MIT researchers are working with Lamborghini to develop a battery-free, electric supercar. Valdes-Dapena explains that instead of running on batteries, the body of the car, which would be made from exotic carbon nanotubes, would be used as a supercapacitor.