LeviCar / PROACCTIVE / Lulue Newsletter # 175  (Thu. 2021/02/18 21:54 EST)
Welcome to issue # 175 of the LeviCar / PROACCTIVE / Lulue Newsletter.

If you are primarily interested in the "IN THE NEWS" part, click hereCree launches new silicon carbide power module portfolio I hope to increase the frequency of these newsletters to three times per week.

This issue covers updates and changes for three of my websites, since February 15 (02/16 onward).

Website for the General Public, with a lot about my LeviCar project:  http://www.LeviCar.com.

Website for Innovative Transportation Professionals:  http://www.PROACCTIVE.info.

Website as a substitute for the former blog on EVWorld:  http://www.LeviCar.com/LULUE.php.  It has the same content as the previous blog, except for some explanatory notes.  The “catch phrases” are in small type, and highlighted in yellow.

All three websites, above, are “gluten-free” (no cookies) and “caffeine-free” (no java[script], or any other script).  All of LULUE’s events are either in LeviCar.com or PROACCTIVE.info, or both.  LULUE has only upcoming events and a list of various organizations’ event calendars.

Many of the links to EV World are still on LeviCar.com, and I was able to recover them from “The Wayback Machine”.


Research Paper:  Click here to download or view my 25‑page Research Paper, The Future of MagLev: How the Magnetic‑Levitation SuperTurnpike will Revolutionize Ground Transportation (.doc format).


Contest notice: I had entered the “Create the Future” Contest for this year, and actually made Two entries, but did not win.  Details are at: http://www.LeviCar.com/#CreateFuture.
The first one is “High-Throughput End-Loaded MagLev Passenger Vehicles” (http://contest.techbriefs.com/2020/entries/automotive-transportation/10635).  The second one is “Soft-Sided Transportation Tubes (SSTTs) – an Alternative to Hyperloop” (http://contest.techbriefs.com/2020/entries/automotive-transportation/10730).
Other Contest:

NASA Langley Launches $20,000 UAV ‘Safeguard’ Competition (postponed due to COVID-19).



Newly-Added Item: (other than events)
None


Newly-Revised Item: (other than events)

Dept. of Defense Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) — Changed due Dates
http://www.PROACCTIVE.info/#DoD-SBIR



New Events on the websites:
None


Revised Event on the websites:

IEEE VTS Motor Vehicles Challenge 2021   M, March 15 — Mouseover for “Submission”
http://www.LeviCar.com/#MVC
http://www.PROACCTIVE.info/#MVC
http://www.LeviCar.com/LULUE.php#MVC




Events with due dates within the next ten days (until Sun., February 28):
IEEE VTS Motor Vehicles Challenge 2021   Submission due Mon, Feb. 22
The IEEE Vehicular Power and Propulsion 2021 (VPPC 2021)   Call for Special Sessions:  Proposals (3-5 pages) due Mon, Feb. 22
The 34th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition   Call for Papers:  Abstracts due Sun, Feb. 28



IN THE NEWS  (Notice that the criteria for this are much broader than for PROACCTIVE.info):

Batteries:
What Batteries will Power the Future?
Capitalize on the value of EV modules with a scalable grading solution   (Sponsored content at ChargedEVs.com.)
CATL Battery Production Expansion   (China.)
Zenlabs says its silicon anode cells are ready for commercialization after 1,000-cycle testing
Lead-based anode for lithium batteries doubles energy storage capacity
CES 2021: Panasonic races to keep pace with EV battery demand

Supercapacitors:
Aura Aerospace pitches Powercell ultracapacitor powertrains for eVTOL   [Includes two videos:  Electrical Performance (3:30) and Aircraft Demo (2:38).]

EV Charging:
FEV supports automakers with charging compatibility analysis   (FEV is a German company located in Aachen, near the Dutch and Belgain borders.)
Cree launches new silicon carbide power module portfolio
Phoenix Contact’s new high-power charging inlets
EVgo plans many more Tesla chargers to supplement Supercharger network
UK Department for Transport invests £20 million in charge points
IPT Group acquires Primove wireless charging technology   [Includes video (3:16).  Also pertains to “Business”.]
Trial demonstrates the need for smart charging in EV adoption

Photovoltaics:
Manchester duo give perovskite cells double boost

Electric Cars:
2022 Bolt EUV model that Chevy calls an SUV joins an updated Bolt EV priced from $31,995   [Includes longer Disney video (14:25).  See also Chevy drops the price on updated 2022 Bolt EV and oversized EUV from Newsletter # 174, that includes shorter Disney video (1:30).]
Jaguar Says All its Cars Will be Electric in Just Four Years
JLR maps out bumpy road to net zero
Jaguar promises to become a purely electric automaker by 2030
First look inside Lucid Motors’ new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona   [Includes video (3:42).]
Hyundai teases “breakthrough” interior design in EV to rival Model Y and Mach-E   [Includes brief video (0:05).]
Report:  Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV isn’t coming to the US at all
2022 Chevy Bolt EV: s $5,500 price cut is an affordability play, EV tax credit or not
Alpha JAX is the all-electric rally car of your safari fantasies   [Includes video (1:40).]
Ford Europe will sell only all-electric passenger cars from 2030
2022 Hyundai Kona Electric: Cleaner look and upgrades, with range and efficiency intact
3.2 Million Electric Car Sold in 2020
Volkswagen Electric Cars – ID3, ID4, ID5, seven passenger ID6 and ID7 Van
Nissan’s 2021 Rogue is a COVID beater
Shape-shifting Lotus electric racer guns for Le Mans 2030

Electric Trucks:
Lordstown announces battery supplier for Endurance pickup, plans to produce electric van in 2022   (Also pertains to “Batteries”.)

Electric Vehicles in General:
Unique flat EV chassis maker REE to open large facility in the UK
Nidec to acquire Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool to support EV drive manufacturing

Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell Vehicles:
Toyota claims the 2021 Mirai fuel-cell car cleans the air, calls it “minus emissions”   [Includes video (2:34).]
Riversimple Rasa lightweight hydrogen car nudged toward production with Siemens partnership

Test Facilities:
Auburn debuts sophisticated new autonomous vehicle research facility

Electric Motors and their controllers:
Gearing EVs for greater efficiency

Self-Driving Cars, Trucks, and Delivery Robots:
Forget Self-Driving Cars — the Pentagon Wants Autonomous Ships, Choppers and Jets
Lyft sees its future, and it is autonomous and B2B focused   (Also pertains to “Business”.)

Self-Driving Off-Road Machinery:
DARPA asks industry for simulation technology to enable machine autonomy of unmanned ground vehicles

Autonomous Boats:
Advanced Acoustic Concepts to develop enabling technologies for unmanned underwater vehicle machine autonomy

Sensors / AI Training / Microchips /Software for Self-Driving Vehicles:
ATSC 3.0 shows potential for car connectivity   (This is a broadcast‑TV standard.)
BlackBerry partners with Motional to deliver next-generation driverless vehicles

Electric Bicycles, Motorcycles, and Scooters:
WINGING IT:  Revel Expands with Monthly E-Bike Subscriptions   (Also pertains to “Business”.)
Tail-light-packin’ helmet is powered and activated by ambient light
Scooter-sharing startup rides out pandemic with a successful pivot to consumer sales   [Includes short video (0:28).]
How can we ensure micromoblility remains safe?
Voi launches long term scooter rental in West of England
HPS launches the lightest, sleekest ebike this side of the future

Electric Aircraft:
Ascendance proposes a long-range, low-emission hybrid VTOL air taxi

Autonomous Aircraft:
Japan developing unmanned jet fighter aircraft with machine learning to close its technology gap with China

OPINION:
Bill Gates interview:  The breakthrough technologies that will solve climate change, how to fund them, and what Biden can do to help.  Main page of BEV (Breakthrough Energy Ventures).  Here’s how the U.S. can lead the world on climate change innovation by Bill Gates.
PODCAST:  Bill Gates on his high-risk climate investments, and spurring innovation to save the planet   Video (37:22) that I did not review.
★ Game Over for ICE Vehicles Beginning in 2022 as EVs Will Start to Dominate, Led by Tesla
Global Doubling of Cars Versus Doubling of People

Governmental Affairs:
Co-ops and Condos Can Get Electric Car-Charging Stations for Free   (New York State)
SCDOT announces new directive to create safer roads for everyone
NJ Earmarks $100M for Electric Truck, Bus Fleets   (Also pertains to “Electric Buses and other mass‑transit”.)
Congress makes renewed push on self-driving cars bill   (The concern is about Safety and Security.)

MagLev:
Above and beyond: Virgin Hyperloop’s vision for passenger experience

Miscellaneous:
Airstream to offset carbon from manufacture, pursue electric travel trailers
What will 2021 look like for the transport industry?


Technical Articles and Papers:
Clearing the Skies with Research on Electric Vehicles



OLD NEWS:
New Frontier (Part One)
Old Red Wine


Special notes:

Anyone can ask to subscribe to this newsletter by e-mail.  The form, with further information, is at this link.  Rest assured that I am not giving or selling your e-mail addresses to anyone.

The websites are updated as needed.  New and recently-revised items are indicated by small ovals on the upper-left corners of the link-blocks.  See http://www.LeviCar.com/Guide.HTML#Oval.

Please rely more on the websites for the most current information.  This newsletter may contain more detail about why things were updated or changed, or removed.  You do not need to have the newsletter to get the full benefit of the websites.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you might think would be interested in it, and mention subscribing to this:  Click here to subscribe, (or unsubscribe, or request back issues).

Thank you for your attention.

    —  Josh Levin (Dr. Zev)

Click here to view the list of Available Newsletters