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The United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has announced the launch of an international engagement plan to boost nuclear fusion.
The presidential candidate has claimed that the emissions-free technology could become a vital tool in the fight against climate change.
This announcement comes as Kerry defends the United States’ position as a climate-change leader at COP28 after the country had a surge in gas production rates and US oil production is reportedly at an all time high.
“The increased production is a reflection of Ukraine, the effort to come back from Covid and the reflection of what happened with Russia cutting off all the gas to Europe . . . We’re on a pathway to keep 1.5 alive,” said Kerry in an interview with the Financial Times, referring to the goal to limit global warming.
Private fusion energy company TAE Technologies is expressing its support for the plans. As a leading research company in hydrogen-boron fusion, TAE’s non-radioactive approach represents a fast, practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant carbon-free energy to the grid.
TAE Technologies CEO Michl Binderbauer said:
“…hydrogen-boron, on the order of just 1% of today’s current boron production could power enough fusion energy to meet the world’s electricity needs. Deployed at scale, this would allow everyone access to affordable, reliable power without damaging the environment or contributing to geopolitical conflict.”
Originally written and published by Harry Baldock on Total Telecom
SoftBank is diversifying once again, this time betting big on connected vehicles through the purchase of a 51% stake in Cubic Telecom for €473 million.
Cubic specialises in IoT software for connected vehicles, a market that the partners expect to grow rapidly in the coming years. The company’s software is currently incorporated into roughly 17 million vehicles worldwide, with Cubic already having deals with over 90 multinational enterprises.
“The focus on software rather than hardware means manufacturers can increase the value of a vehicle or device by adding new functionality, over-the-air, which will improve safety, comfort and performance,” said Cubic CEO Barry Napier. “This, alongside the opportunity AI presents, will open up new collaborations and business models. The opportunities ahead of us are endless.”
Alongside the ability to rapidly deliver upgrades to customers, connected vehicles will also offer manufacturers new potential revenue streams through subscription services; for example, by offering enhancing mapping or fuel-efficiency features.
Experts at McKinsey & Co estimate that 95% of new vehicles sold by 2030 will be connected, making the scale of this opportunity truly enormous.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that SoftBank has had its eyes on the software-defined vehicle market for many years now. Back in 2019, for example, the company’s Vision Fund notably investing $2.25 billion in Cruise, the self-driving arm of General Motors, back in 2019. Since then, Cruise itself has grown rapidly in the US, though the company has recently been forced to pause its self-driving testing on public roads after a pedestrian was hit by an autonomous vehicle in October.
“In line with our ‘Beyond Japan’ strategic growth initiative, we are extremely pleased to be teaming up with Cubic Telecom to make a full-fledged entry into the fast-growing market for … connectivity,” said SoftBank’s CEO Junichi Miyakawa in a statement. “With its global leadership position, we are convinced Cubic Telecom is the best partner for this opportunity, and we look forward to building connectivity platforms for next-generation social infrastructure.”
For Cubic, meanwhile, the deal greatly increases the Irish company’s access to the numerous Asian markets in which SoftBank is well established.
“Having that relationship with SoftBank gives us a segue into all those Asian manufacturers, which is a struggle for an Irish company to do on its own,” explained Napier.
As vehicles continue to become more and more akin to smartphones-on-wheels, control of the software within will become increasingly important. For a company like SoftBank, which has already invested so strongly in connectivity technology and AI, a tie up like this one makes a lot of sense.
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Emily Yates Chief Innovation Officer at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) spoke to MOVEMNT at the MOVE America conference about women’s safety on public transportation.
Yates works specifically on the cross-overs between data, analytics, and policy at SEPTA and also oversees sustainability, therefore having a huge number of issues to be concerned with in public transport.
Yates mentions the significant concern over women’s safety on public transportation as she states that two-thirds of the people who use the SEPTA services are women. Therefore, women’s safety is a big focus for innovation. Yates discusses the development of live bus location and times via an app which the Authority hope will give more confidence to those using SEPTA’s services.
Watch the full interview to hear more on this plus an exclusive insight into what Yates discussed on her panel at the event, entitled “How to integrate new mobility services with minimal disruption”.
VEV, the e-fleet solutions provider backed by Vitol, says the change from traditional fuel cards to data-powered fleet dashboards is as significant for the fleet sector as the shift from cash to contactless was for the payments industry.
The company is highlighting that having real time fleet and energy data management technology is the critical component to run a successful EV fleet. VEV is encouraging fleets to embrace this operational shift to reap the rewards of fleet decarbonisation.
Moving from the tried and trusted fuel card to an integrated software solution encompassing energy, vehicles, chargers and operations, and potentially micro-grid solutions, is significant. It’s a radical change in the role of a fleet manager who will still be managing vehicles, drivers and journeys, but now doing so within the parameters of energy supply and charging schedules.
VEV’s CEO, Mike Nakrani, said:
“Fleet emissions make up 10% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, so electrifying your fleet is non-negotiable […] Done right, electrification can reduce costs while bolstering sustainability credentials and providing access to low-carbon contracts. Fleet owners need to start planning now, upskilling teams, and approaching this as a major business transformation.”
To help fleet managers planning to electrify, VEV has outlined its top five factors to plan a smooth transition.
Adopt a new data-driven mindset – Real-time energy monitoring, charging schedules, and new efficiency metrics require a new data-centred approach. Data insights are needed at the very start of the planning stage to assess current telematics and energy consumption and design the EV fleet. Every EV fleet is bespoke in its configuration and there isn’t a one-size fits all solution.
Outsource expertise – By working with an e-fleet expert, fleets will access a team that has managed this process multiple times before. This means anticipating challenges and avoiding mistakes, which will reap the benefits of the energy transition faster and more cost-effectively. VEV has put together a free eBook with advice for fleet managers looking to electrify their fleets here.
It’s a transition, not a quick fix – It’s important to look at the transition to electrification as exactly that – a transition – it’s not an on or off switch. It’s crucial to analyse your data to assess your electrification readiness at the outset and then design the implementation plan around the right mix of vehicles and chargers for each fleet operation.
Manage your energy supply – Determining the likely impact on your grid connection upgrade is arguably the critical success factor in every transition. Upfront energy analysis and developing alternative energy sources such as solar and battery, can help avoid or reduce grid upgrades which is one of the most expensive and time-consuming parts of the electrification transition.
Navigate multiple stakeholders – Due to the complexity of transition, many more stakeholders need to become part of the process, from finance through to facilities and the drivers themselves. The transition is seen as the fleet manager’s obligation when it is not solely their responsibility, but it is usually their problem.
Berlin tech brand OnoMotion is teaming up with London-based company E-cargobikes to launch a brand new cargo e-bike model specifically for a more sustainable method of last-mile delivery.
The collaboration will make the cargo e-bikes available to buy for the first time in the UK. The next-gen ONO e-cargo bike will be debuted by the two companies at the London EV Show and will be available for test rides at the event as well.
“London and numerous other cities across the UK and Europe have implemented low-emission zones, meaning efficient and emission-free alternatives for package delivery are a must. We’re looking forward to bringing the ONO to the UK market and supporting the development of net zero delivery networks that improve both business and life quality in our cities.”
James FitzGerald, CEO of e-cargobikes.com, commented:
“We’re pleased to integrate the ONO into our London-based last-mile logistics services as well as our vehicle solutions for businesses across the UK. With swap-body technology and weather protection for riders, these vehicles significantly reduce turnaround time at warehouses, enabling more deliveries at a fraction of the energy use. This partnership is an exciting step towards enabling zero-carbon logistics for retailers and service providers countrywide.”
Sean Ackley Head of Charging & Energy at VinFast spoke with MOVEMNT at the MOVE America conference about how the electric charging system has the potential to become a seamless and integrated experience.
Ackley proposes that electric vehicle (EV) charging shouldn’t be complex or difficult to understand, and it shouldn’t feel hard to find either.
He discusses how VinFast are working to remove the complexities of charging across the mobility ecosystem, meeting the people who are capable of making this possible at MOVE.
To do this, the company are integrating all of these different partners into a single app and have successfully integrated over 112,000 charge points to make charging infrastructure easier to find.
Photo: Michael Debets/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
Thierry Bolloré has joined as the board director of a UK-based battery technology start-up since stepping down as CEO of JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) at the end of last year.
Bolloré was appointed as the Director of About:Energy in an announcement this morning and will be responsible for leading the start-up’s automotive and partnership strategy.
Thierry Bolloré commented on his recent appointment to the start-up. He said:
“Our industry is entering a crucial phase of its transition to electrification with battery modelling and development playing an increasingly important role in every OEM’s future product development strategy. I believe that as demand for batteries continues to grow, About:Energy is in a prime position to supercharge industry.”
Only last week Bolloré also joined the board of UK electric vehicle (EV) supplier Bedeo as strategic advisor.
Thierry has extensive expertise in the automotive industry, most recently as CEO of Jaguar Land Rover and previously as CEO Group Renault as well as Vice President of automotive supplier Faurecia.
About:Energy uses high-quality data to accelerate its customers’ decision-making across the supply chain from cell selection to end of life analysis.
The Imperial College London and University of Birmingham-born start-up uses a software platform ‘The Voltt’ to allow customers to supercharge their in-house battery development programmes by reducing development costs whilst also integrating with existing modelling software.
Commenting on the appointment, About:Energy co-founder and CEO, Gavin White, said:
“Batteries are critical for industries such as automotive, manufacturing, and aerospace, but are often considered a barrier due to the time and cost to develop. By leveraging state-of-the-art measurement technologies, our platform can substantially reduce development costs and decrease time to market with integrated advanced virtual designs. We’re incredibly excited to welcome Thierry to our Board – his experience, credibility, and industry knowledge will prove invaluable as we continue to scale and support a growing number of customers.”
Aviation start-up ZeroAvia have announced that it has completed its Series C funding round at a total of $116m, including a $40 million backing from the UK Infrastructure Bank.
The fundraising round also received investments from co-leads Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and Saudi Arabia’s NEOM Investment Fund with the round set to accelerate the company’s journey to clean propulsion technology, hydrogen-electric engine production and zero-emission flights.
The company hopes that the funding will help to support the UK’s status as a market leader in research and development in both aviation and hydrogen as well as ZeroAvia’s growth plans within the UK.
Val Miftakhov, Founder & CEO, ZeroAvia said:
“This backing by such a pre-eminent investor as the UK Infrastructure Bank will help us deliver the first commercial zero-emission flights, and help the UK realise substantial export potential.”
Aviation contributes the equivalent of more than 38 million tonnes of CO2 from international and domestic journeys starting and ending in the UK. Around a quarter of UK carbon emissions are predicted to come from aviation in 2050. This funding in an emission-free and clean energy aircraft could provide support to the Government’s target of decarbonising aviation by 2050.
The company believes that a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem will be crucial for net zero and is an area in which the UK Infrastructure Bank is keen to act as a market leader.
Ian Brown, Head of Banking & Investments at the UK Infrastructure Bank, said:
“Aviation and hydrogen are sectors that need significant private investment to get to net zero. By providing confidence to investors, our equity has helped to crowd in the private investment needed for the continued development of this cutting-edge technology and should help stimulate the development and deployment of hydrogen technology across other hard to decarbonise sectors.”
Nissan is making strides towards a zero emissions future with confirmation that all three models made at its UK plant will go 100% electric.
This means the EV36Zero hub in Sunderland will consist of three electric vehicles, three gigafactories and up to £3bn investment.
The project includes future all-electric versions of Nissan’s flagship Qashqai and JUKE crossovers, as well as plans for a third vehicle to begin in UK production, the Nissan LEAF.
Nissan President and CEO, Makoto Uchida, said:
“Electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality. With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers. The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision.”
Both vehicle and battery manufacturing will be powered by the EV36Zero Microgrid, which will incorporate the wind and solar farms at Nissan and will have the capability to deliver 100% renewable electricity to Nissan and its neighbouring suppliers.
UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:
“Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes a massive £71 billion a year to our economy. This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.
“Making the UK the best place to do business is at the heart of our economic plan. We will continue to back businesses like Nissan to expand and grow their roots in the UK every step of the way as we make the right long term decisions for a brighter future.”
Ganesh Iyer the CEO of NIO USA spoke at the MOVE America conference about how NIO are innovating and transforming their company in order to challenge one of the biggest issues in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) – range anxiety.
Iyer himself described NIO as a “pioneer in the smart EV industry” that was founded originally in 2014, boasting a design centre in Munich and in the Silicon Valley which Iyer leads himself as the company’s key innovation centre.
He also emphasised that “we are not a car company, we are a lifestyle brand” that holds user enterprise as its key interest. In this interview, Iyer also comments on his panel that he joined at the conference: “Circular batteries: how recycling programs are driving a sustainable battery ecosystem”. Iyer explains how the panel discussion turned to the obstacle of battery degradation and how this can be combatted.
He also mentioned NIO’s attempts at hurdling this obstacle via their power replenishment system, which allows users to charge, swap, or upgrade their depleted EV battery, giving a channelled focus on the innovation of the swapping system.
As the world anticipates the upcoming UN climate summit – COP28 – in Dubai, Nigeria has been making significant strides towards embracing electric mobility with a keen interest in commitment to a more sustainable and cleaner transport system.
Vice President of Nigeria Kashim Shettima emphasised this commitment as he inspected the solar-powered charging stations for e-mobility domiciled in the State House. He also highlighted Nigeria’s plans for an e-Mobility Strategy, designed to position the country as a front-runner in sustainable transportation on the African continent.
He said:
“e-Mobility deployment aligns with the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan (ETP), addressing emissions, air pollution, and energy security concerns while ensuring a greener future for Nigerians.”
Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP) has reported that the transport sector is contributing 28.4% of emissions; with the ETP advocating for transitioning to low-emission transport technologies.
Nigeria’s federal government has actively announced support for this transition, which includes boosting local assembly capacity for electric vehicles, establishing charging infrastructure, and enabling private sector participation.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union members at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have voted in favour of recently proposed contracts from the Big Three, locking in record gains.
“The members have spoken. After years of cutbacks, months of our Stand Up campaign, and weeks on the picket line, we have turned the tide for the American autoworker,” said UAW President Shawn Fain.
Deals that were secured in the agreements by the autoworkers are similar across all of the Big Three. The summary of deals scored across the three automakers include members seeing a raise of at least 33% on wages and a faster rate of progression for workers to the top pay rate, falling from eight years to three years. See full details of the contracted agreements here.
The agreement is expected to create inroads for other non-union autoworkers as the UAW President is confident that the strike has inspired other autoworkers to campaign for better employment deals.
Fain added:
“The Stand Up Strike was just the beginning. The UAW is back to setting the standard. Now, we take our strike muscle and our fighting spirit to the rest of the industries we represent, and to millions of non-union workers ready to Stand Up and fight for a better way of life,”
The agreements have expectedly generated a number of similar responses from non-union plants in the US as significant wage increases surge across the auto industry. Toyota, Hyundai and Honda have all hiked their worker’s wages only days after the record deals were ratified by the majority vote.
All across the auto industry, non-union autoworkers are getting the UAW Bump. That stands for U. Are. Welcome. You are welcome to join our union, and you are welcome to join our movement for a better life. pic.twitter.com/yRGqCDz5jK
Fain claimed that “thousands” of workers have already contacted the UAW and signed union cards.
He said:
“We are going to organise like we’ve never organised before, because our strike has shown the Nissan worker in Alabama, and the Volkswagen worker in Tennessee, and the Toyota worker in Kentucky, and the Tesla worker in California that when union members win, the entire working-class wins.”
Hyundai has officially opened the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) with the hopes of accelerating the delivery of the company’s human-centric future mobility vision and to potentially start developing robotaxis.
The facility introduces a new ‘smart urban mobility hub’ concept, which includes an automated flexible production system and provides ways for electric vehicle (EV) buyers to interact with their vehicles and the Hyundai brand.
The Group has claimed that they opened the facility as part of their strides towards creating sustainable mobility solutions. HMGICS hopes to provide as a sturdy pillar the company’s position in the electrification era over the next 50 years.
Hyundai has chosen Singapore as the home for the first smart urban mobility hub. With a human-centric manufacturing approach, HMGICS will enable a collaboration between people, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in order to achieve new levels of synchronisation.
Integrated into the Jurong Innovation District urban landscape and the broader Singapore smart city ecosystem, the seven-story facility has the capacity to manufacture up to 30,000 EVs per year.
HMGICS has already produced IONIQ 5 and the fully autonomous IONIQ 5 robotaxi and will add IONIQ 6 to its portfolio of models built on-site next year. The facility will serve as a testbed for developing future mobility solutions — including Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs).
Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair, said:
“HMGICS is an open and connected urban innovation hub that encourages and embraces creativity and collaboration. It seeks to completely redefine the very concept of manufacturing.”
A South-American city in Brazil has been awarded as Smart City of 2023 at the World Smart City Awards gala held at Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), by Fira de Barcelona.
The award intends to acknowledge the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the innovation and urban transformation industry.
The Brazilian city of Curitiba was reportedly chosen by the Jury for its approach to smart urban planning, socioeconomic growth and environmental sustainability through a human-centric approach.
The jury was made up of representatives from the Barcelona City Council, UN-Habitat, the World Bank, the EC Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, the World Economic Forum, and the Secretariat of State for Tourism in Spain.
This year’s edition also included a special Leadership award in recognition to the continuing efforts to drive urban innovation internationally.
The Mobility award went to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality for its project to restore old streetcars in the city of Meram in Turkey to make them available exclusively to cyclists, with the aim of increasing bicycle awareness and developing a new transportation.
Kyle Vogt has announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he has decided to step down as the Chief Executive Officer of Cruise following backlash and halted operations over a recent hit-and-run accident involving a Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV).
San Francisco became the first US city this year to allow driverless taxis to transport passengers without the supervision of humans behind the wheel, as known as Level 4 AVs.
Vogt wrote on X that the “last 10 years have been amazing […] Cruise is still just getting started, and I believe it has a great future ahead,” adding that he is planning to spend time with his family and “explore some new ideas”.
There has been no officially named successor of the Chief Executive position, but Cruise have announced that its executive VP of engineering, Mo Elshenawy, would immediately assume the role as president and chief technology officer alongside Craig Glidden, who will serve as co-president as well as continuing in the role of chief administrative officer for the foreseeable future.
John Kuehn manager of transit partnerships at Uber discusses Uber’s mission for easier and more efficient transit across the US – even in transit deserts!
Kuehn discussed Uber’s endeavour to partner with cities and transit agencies to support and offer them additional services they might not have the powers to provide independently in transit.
He explains that Uber want to fill the gaps in the transit space where agencies might not be able to fulfil all of the rides they would like to.
Kuehn also mentions the return of Uber’s X Share service which would allow users to share rides with other users, which was banned during the pandemic.
Watch the full interview to hear more about Uber’s experience at MOVE America 2023 and what they had to say on their panel about “How equitable MaaS programs can become ladders of opportunity”.
Michele Mueller the senior project manager of connected and automated vehicles at Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) discusses how the state are employing innovative technology in their safety systems to ensure people get home safely every day.
Mueller also talks about how the department are working with new start-ups to help expand and develop Michigan’s transportation system as well as the opportunity to meet these exact types of start-ups at the MOVE America conference.
MDOT are developing their systems by looking at the challenges within the transport infrastructure and working with industry partners to find solutions to these challenges.
Mueller explains that the department’s goal to make their systems smarter, more efficient, and most importantly, to help people get home to their families as safely as possible.
