Tesla’s robotaxi in 2024?

Plus: Yes, solar panels can thrive in extreme cold Apr 21, 2022 [View in browser]( I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for robotaxis. From being ripped off by unscrupulous cab drivers to holding on for dear life as the vehicle tries out for Formula 1, hailing a taxi can be the absolute worst. That’s why I’m excited about today’s news of Elon Musk sharing his vision for a fully autonomous robotaxi. It'll cost less per mile than a bus ticket, and Tesla aspires to mass-produce them by 2024. I'm definitely looking forward to that. Before we take a ride on Tesla’s robotaxi, check out today’s video, and enlarge your view of energy storage, as the world’s largest battery stores its energy somewhere big, blue, and unexpected. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dig in. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [The world’s largest battery stores its energy somewhere big, blue, and unexpected]( Using water instead of lithium. [The world’s largest battery stores its energy somewhere big, blue, and unexpected]( TRANSPORTATION [Tesla will produce robotaxis without steering wheel or pedals in 2024, Musk says]( [Elon Musk.]( Elon Musk [shared his vision for a fully autonomous robotaxi]( at Tesla's Q1 earnings call and even suggested a dedicated event could be held next year before the vehicle goes into production in 2024. - This is not the first time Musk has brought attention to the robotaxi. Earlier this month, Musk mentioned this "futuristic" car at Tesla's Texas Gigafactory Rodeo. Musk offered a few details this time around: the car would have no steering wheel or pedals since it would be "highly optimized for autonomy”. Musk also looks at this new vehicle as a driver of Tesla's next round of growth since it will be optimized to deliver the lowest cost per mile. Time frame. The other point is obviously about the 2024 timeline that Musk mentioned during the earnings call. Known for overpromising on delivery timelines, Musk recently revealed that Tesla's Cybertruck [is finally going into production]( four years after it was unveiled. So it’s better to not get too excited. [Read More]( SCIENCE [NASA's new material is 1000 times stronger than its previous alloys]( [A turbine engine combustor (fuel-air mixer) 3D printed using GRX-810 alloy at NASA]( NASA's newly developed metal alloy is up to 1,000 times stronger than the state-of-the-art alloys it has made in the past. - The novel material [is called GRX-810](. It can withstand temperatures of more than 2,000 °F (1,093 °C). Naturally, it will be used in aviation and space exploration. A breakthrough. For its recent discovery, NASA turned to material modeling to determine which metal combinations would deliver the optimum results. Before this, discovering new materials was a trial-and-error process, often taking years of work to arrive at a suitable material. - Combining that with 3D printing, the space agency was able to determine the required composition of the alloy it desired. The modeling method used by the agency allowed it to arrive at the ideal composition of the alloy [after only 30 simulations](. The flexibilities offered by the new material will deliver vast performance improvements, allowing designers to factor in trade-offs that they could not consider before. [Read More]( INNOVATION [We have stronger proof that solar panels can thrive in extreme cold]( [Snow on solar panels.]( Those who don't support renewable energy continue to claim that reliability is a significant issue for solar power, stating that solar panels can't function in snowy or extremely cold weather. While power storage is still an issue, the latter seems to be only a myth, as a small but mighty solar-plus-storage microgrid project in Alaska proves. - A company, Blue Planet Energy, [has successfully deployed]( a first-of-its-kind project to provide support to Shungnak; a remote community above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. The microgrid was designed to address the challenges of operating in extreme conditions and end the community’s dependence on a polluting and cumbersome diesel generator power plant. - The microgrid consists of a 225-kW solar array. Meanwhile, 12 cabinets of 32-kWh battery systems each store excess energy for use when needed most. This new system doesn't just reduce the village’s carbon footprint; it also [dramatically decreases the fuel]( and maintenance costs of running diesel generators in remote Alaska. In total, it’s expected to save 25,000 gallons of fuel per year, and an estimated $200,000 per year on fuel costs. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Renewable energy sources can provide energy without the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels. Which renewable energy is the most promising? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Water. It just makes more sense.]( [Wind, obviously.]( [Solar. The sun is right there.]( [It’s time to stop ignoring nuclear power.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked whether the U.S. ending anti-satellite missile testing is a wise decision or not. The majority of you found it idealistic. Idealistic. War will follow humanity everywhere. 35% Yes, it’s a good start. 30% No, it’s an optics of weakness. 26% I don’t know what to think. 9% INNOVATION [A startup plans to fight climate change with genetically engineered super-trees]( [Genetically engineered super-trees.]( In a special feature for PLANET SOLVERS, IE’s Earth Day 2022 edition, senior writer Grant Currin interviews Yumin Tao, who is [changing the genetic makeup of trees]( to increase their ability to capture carbon dioxide. - “Is old-fashioned photosynthesis up to the task of managing the enormous amount of carbon (roughly 36 billion tons per year) that we're pumping into the atmosphere?” asks Currin. “A biotechnology startup in California doesn't think so. That's why researchers at Living Carbon have been hard at work manipulating arboreal DNA to make a new type of tree that more effectively captures atmospheric carbon and holds onto it for a very, very long time.” [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps. ” Carl Sagan in “Pale Blue Dot” (1995) AND ANOTHER THING... - The human race [needs 350 more years]( to become a Type-I civilization. Yeah, right. - Math can be deeply personal. [Here’s how one professor changed]( the culture of mathematics for his students. (The Atlantic) - Here’s how the James Webb Space Telescope's ['early release observations']( will go down. - A tranche of documents released to Motherboard through FOIA shows the research priorities of the secretive Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program: [wormholes, anti-gravity, and invisibility cloaks](. (Vice) - In a bid to help people follow low-sodium diets, researchers [have invented electric chopsticks]( that make food taste saltier. - The world’s biggest streaming service [Netflix upends strategy]( after its decade-long run of subscriber growth grinds to a halt. (Financial Times $) - "Copycats" of familiar products pose a risk to children. [Here’s how better packaging]( can make cannabis edibles more fun and a lot safer. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe [here.]( © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]