Editor Blogs

July 2021

Food for Thought

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

There’s a lot in this world we take for granted. I’m old enough now to remember in the 1970s when most fruit and vegetables were seasonal and the menu at home depended on what was available from local greengrocers at the time. Now, thanks to complex supply chains and large supermarkets, we can have almost any f

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Date:

07/28/2021

Mockup of a potential setup of Form Energy's new iron-air battery.

New Iron-Air Battery Could Store Energy for 100 Hours

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

We’ve covered metal-air batteries – and their promise of absurd energy densities – and while Form Energy’s new iron-air battery won’t extend the range of EVs, it could help with renewable energy storage. Form Energy is touting new iron-air technology to deal with the “biggest barrier to deep de

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Date:

07/25/2021

Right to repair or not?

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

There’s a lot of chatter in the technology world, and even in the mainstream press, at the moment over “right to repair”. Whether the subject is mobile phones, computers or even tractors, people seem to want to be able to repair and hack their own equipment (the debate whether they actually own the equipm

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Date:

07/21/2021

Do 41% of global consumers really want an EV for their next vehicle?

41% Prefer an Electric Vehicle (But How Reliable are the Numbers?)

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

We love to chat hot new EV technologies here at PSD, but I’m always curious whether the market is actually receptive. Are consumers buying in? Well, if a new poll by Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY), a UK special interest group, is anything to go by, the globe will be joining the electric club. Maybe.

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Date:

07/20/2021

The chip shortage and the automotive industry

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Since the Covid pandemic there’s been a lot of talk about the chip shortage and particularly its effect on the automotive market. It is often difficult to gauge how much of the shortage is real, and what is fear mongering by media trying to generate views. Until now it has been very difficult to get any real f

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Date:

07/13/2021

Austin Mayor Steve Adler is tentatively onboard with the first solar-powered neighborhood in his backyard, but he hopes Tesla builds enough housing â€" already in short supply in Austin â€" to accommodate the influx of employees.

Tesla to Build First Solar-Powered Neighborhood

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Tesla and a couple partners are moving forward with an ambitious project to demonstrate the widescale viability of residential solar. Tesla Energy, along with Brookfield Asset Management and development firm Dacra, plan to create the nation’s most sustainable residential neighborhood, dubbed "SunHouse at Easton

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Date:

07/12/2021

Nexperia buys largest UK fab

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

There’s not much doubt about the biggest industry news story in the UK this week as Nexperia bought out of the largest remaining fab in the country. The Dutch-based, Chinese-owned company took 100% ownership of the Newport Wafer Fab, which will be renamed Nexperia Newport. The purchase makes a lot of sense for N

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Date:

07/07/2021

New Lithium-Metal Battery Could Double the Range of EVs

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

The key variable for every electric vehicle is energy density – the higher the watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), the longer the electric range and the more EVs become functionally similar to internal combustion engines. And a team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has

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Date:

07/04/2021