Analogue’s Pocket is the latest gadget delayed due to the ongoing global electronic components shortage - The Verge

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Analogue’s Pocket is the latest gadget to be negatively impacted by the global shortage of chips and electronic components. The sleek and modern device that allows you to play Game Boy cartridges will now launch in October, an additional five-month delay, the company announced today.

“The current global state of affairs continues to create supply chain challenges outside of our control,” Analogue said in a blog post today. “There have been sudden and severe electrical component shortages as well as logistical issues leading to a domino effect of challenges for nearly everyone in the industry.”

Super Nt will be restocked in April. Mega Sg and DAC shortly after.

— Analogue (@analogue) March 31, 2021

This is not the first time Analogue had to delay the Pocket. last July, the company announced it would not hit its 2020 release window and pushed back the release date to May 2021.

Analgoue is among many companies affected by the component shortages, which have slowed down the production of many electronics, ranging from smartphones to cars, while also making it near-impossible to buy next-gen gaming hardware, including desktop graphics cards, the PS5, and the Xbox Series X.

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Biden's Plan for Electric Vehicles: What You Need to Know - The New York Times

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The president is hoping to make electric vehicles more affordable to turn a niche product into one with mass appeal.

President Biden is a muscle-car guy — one of his most prized possessions is a 1967 Corvette that he got from his father. But he’s trying to make this an electric vehicle world.

The $2 trillion infrastructure plan that he unveiled on Wednesday is aimed at tackling climate change in part by spending up to $174 billion to encourage Americans to switch to cars and trucks that run on electricity, not gasoline or diesel. That is a large investment but it might not be enough to push most Americans toward E.V.s.

Despite rapid growth in recent years, electric vehicles remain a niche product, making up just 2 percent of the new car market and 1 percent of all cars, sport-utility vehicles, vans and pickup trucks on the road. They have been slow to take off in large part because they can cost up to $10,000 more than similar conventional cars and trucks. Charging E.V.s is also more difficult and slower than simply refilling the tank at far more prevalent gas stations.

Mr. Biden hopes to address many of those challenges through federal largess. He aims to lower the cost of electric vehicles by offering individuals, businesses and governments tax credits, rebates and other incentives. To address the chicken-and-egg problem of getting people to try a new technology before it is widely accepted, he hopes to build half a million chargers by 2030 so people will feel confident that they won’t be stranded when they run out of juice. And he is offering help to automakers to get them to build electric vehicles and batteries in the United States.

“We find ourselves at a unique moment here where most American businesses and many states are looking toward a decarbonized future, but recognize there’s a big lift on the infrastructure side,” said Bob Perciasepe, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, an environmental research group. “This investment alone obviously won’t solve the climate problem or fix all of the infrastructure in the United States but it will be a huge boost.”

Automakers see the writing on the wall and many, including General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford Motor, have made big E.V. promises. But even they acknowledge that they will need federal help.

A charging station at a housing complex in Utah.Lindsay D'Addato for The New York Times

“This transformation is greater than any one policy, branch or level of government, or industry sector,” a group representing manufacturers, suppliers and automotive workers said in a letter to Mr. Biden on Monday. “It will require a sustained holistic approach with a broad range of legislative and regulatory policies rooted in economic, social, environmental and cultural realities.”

The letter called for grants, loans, tax credits and tax deductions to promote research and manufacturing. The authors of the letter, which included industry groups and the United Auto Workers union, called for investment in job training programs and federal help in promoting development of minerals and other raw materials in the United States.

But production is only one piece of the puzzle. The transition away from gas-powered vehicles rests on convincing consumers of the benefits of electric vehicles. That hasn’t been easy because the cars have higher sticker prices even though researchers say that they cost less to own. Electricity is cheaper on a per mile basis than gasoline, and E.V.s require less routine maintenance — there is no oil to change — than combustion-engine cars.

The single biggest cost of an electric car comes from the battery, which can run about $15,000 for a midsize sedan. That cost has been dropping and is widely expected to keep falling thanks to manufacturing improvements and technical advancements. But some scholars believe that a major technological breakthrough will be required to make electric cars much, much cheaper.

“There’s a good sense that at least for the next maybe five years or so they’re going to keep declining, but then are they going to level off or are they going to keep declining?” Joshua Linn, a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow with Resources for the Future, an environmental nonprofit, said about battery costs. “That won’t be enough, so then that’s given rise to a lot of attention to infrastructure.”

The federal government and some states already offer tax credits and other incentives for the purchase of electric cars. But the main such federal incentive — a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of new electric cars — begins to phase out for cars once an automaker has sold 200,000 E.V.s. Buyers of Tesla and G.M. electric cars, for example, no longer qualify for that tax credit but buyers of Ford and Volkswagen electric cars do.

Mr. Biden described his incentives for electric car purchases as rebates available at the “point of sale,” presumably meaning at dealerships or while ordering cars online. But the administration has not released details about how big those rebates will be and which vehicles they would apply to.

Another big concern is charging. People with dedicated parking spots typically charge their E.V.s overnight at home, but many people who live in apartments or have to drive longer distances need to use public charging stations, which are still greatly outnumbered by gas stations.

“The top three reasons consumers give for not buying E.V.s are lack of charging stations, time to charge, and the cost of E.V.s,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Guidehouse Insights. “They seem to be really emphasizing all three. So, over all, it looks very promising.”

There are well over 100,000 gas stations in the United States, most with multiple pumps. Mr. Biden’s plan calls for a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers within the decade, up from about 41,000 charging stations with more than 100,000 outlets today, according to the Energy Department.

“One of the things that needs to be addressed is getting chargers into places where people only have on-street parking, like in cities and urban areas where you don’t have a driveway or garage,” Mr. Abuelsamid said. “If they can address that, it will make E.V.s available to a lot more people.”

The government in China, which leads the world in the use of electric cars, has done much more than the United States to speed up the installation of chargers.

“It is, famously, one of the ways that China has become the No. 1 country in E.V.s on most dimensions,” John Paul MacDuffie, a professor of management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, said in an email.

Even with incentives for manufacturers, a robust charging network and a willing public, the transition to electric cars may take a few decades. Carmakers have improved vehicle reliability in recent years, so many cars stay on the road a long time. The average age of cars and light trucks in the United States is approaching 12 years, up from 9.6 years in 2002, according to IHS Markit, an economic forecasting firm.

Neal E. Boudette contributed reporting.

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Governor Lamont Announces Funding To Integrate Remaining Electronic Health Records With Prescription Drug Monitoring Program - CT.gov

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03/31/2021

Governor Lamont Announces Funding To Integrate Remaining Electronic Health Records With Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Integration Will Streamline Services for Medical Providers and Further the State’s Efforts to Fight the Opioid Crisis

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull today announced that the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s Drug Control Division has received $1.3 million in funding through the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide free access to a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Gateway for prescribers and pharmacists. The PMP Gateway, provided by Appriss Health, allows providers to integrate their electronic health records or pharmacy management system with the PMP.

This integration allows providers to fulfill their requirement to check patient records in the PMP before prescribing opioids and other controlled substance in certain circumstance, and to do it with one login, rather than two. This ultimately ensures providers in Connecticut can spend less time on a computer and more time with their patients.

The funds will allow the Department of Consumer Protection to offer free Gateway services for two years to providers who already have this integration and to those who still need it. Roughly 75 percent of healthcare providers in the state currently have Gateway integration and performed more than 19.7 million searches through the integrated systems in 2020 alone, but as a direct cost to the healthcare providers.

The Gateway also includes access to NarxCare, which provides the ability to identify and manage patient prescription drug risk analysis in real-time, as another tool to ensure a practitioner is seeing the most complete picture of a patient’s health.

“This type of integration is critical to ensuring that our medical providers can spend more time with patients who need them most,” Governor Lamont said. “We’ve learned time and time again that technology can aid not just in moving processes online, but can support us in spending more time with those who need us in person – and that’s what this is about. The prescription monitoring program is one of the many tools that helps us fight the opioid crisis, and stop addiction before it starts, and this integration will allow our providers to do that even faster.”

“Streamlining the electronic health record and prescription monitoring systems is paramount to tackling and ending the opioid crisis facing our country,” the members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation – including Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Representatives John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes – said in a joint statement. “The funding provided by CMS today will further help Connecticut improve its ability to monitor prescribing of controlled substances. This is another critical step in the right direction.”

“The data collected in the PMP has proved to be a valuable resource for healthcare providers, pharmacists and Connecticut patients,” Commissioner Seagull said. “By offering increased PMP Gateway access, we are able to directly provide prescribers an even easier way to access and report data and develop care plans for their patients.”

“A direct connection to the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring Program will greatly enhance compliance to access this multi-state database,” Dr. Steven Wolf, chair of the emergency department at Saint Francis Hospital, said. “Presently, most providers have to go through several steps to find a patient in the system, which ends up being considerably time consuming. With a direct connection to electronic medical records, we will now be able to expedite the process of finding a patient’s information with just a click of a button. Thanks to this access, we will be able to provide comprehensive patient care in an even more timely manner.”

“Our healthcare providers want to focus on patients and not on administrative details,” Dr. Deidre Gifford, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services and acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said. “Tools like the PMP Gateway help make sure that practitioners have as much time as possible to spend with their patients; ensure they have what they need to support their patients in decision-making; and support compliance with state and federal regulations. I am grateful for the support from CMS, and hope that this will make a difference in our patients’ lives.”

“The best way to treat opioid misuse is to prevent it from starting,” Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon said. “By giving practitioners tools like this to streamline and expedite access to a patient’s complete medical picture, we have a chance to halt addiction before it starts and get support and help to patients who need it. This marks a hopeful step forward in our fight against this opioid crisis.”

“The value of access to a patient’s medication history at point of care cannot be overstated,” Connecticut Office of Health Strategy Executive Director Vicki Veltri said. “This is a good example of how the state can utilize federal funding to further interoperability to make it easier for providers to access medication information critical to ensuring better health outcomes for the people of Connecticut.”

“We are proud to support Connecticut and its prescribers and pharmacists in maximizing the state’s PMP effectiveness in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Rob Cohen, president of Appriss Health, said. “The addition of PMP Gateway enhances the state’s aggressive, multi-pronged approach to curbing the opioid crisis.”

“Today’s announcement is a great example of the kind of behind the scenes work between government and private sector that can save lives and help us combat the opioid epidemic,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said. “I want to thank Governor Lamont and his administration for their focus on investments like this, which will make a different at Saint Francis Hospital and other providers that serve Hartford residents.”

The PMP Gateway is also a multi-state query system that provides access to PMPs in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Veterans Administration System.

Under Connecticut law, the PMP collects prescription data for Schedule II through Schedule V drugs into a centralized database, the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System. The database is used by healthcare providers and pharmacists in the active treatment of their patients. Pharmacies and dispensing practitioners must submit data daily.

Providers who wish to learn more should visit the state’s PMP Integration website. Questions can be emailed to dcp.pmp@ct.gov.

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont

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8 best electric scooters for adults and kids in 2021 - TODAY - TODAY

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Electric scooters have become a popular trend with kids and adults looking for a fun way to get outside, travel around town or just beat the quarantine boredom at home. They're not only easy and safe to use when traveling short distances, but they're also easy to store and are an eco-friendly mode of transportation. The best part is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality scooter for your child or yourself. (Though if you do have a few extra bucks to dish out, then there’s a couple of great options for you on our list of scooters, as well.)

Shop TODAY rounded up eight of the best electric scooters for kids and adults. Ditch the old school push scooters and level up with one of our picks for electric scooters. P.S. Don't forget your helmet!

To shop this article by category, simply click on each link below:

Electric scooters for kids

Pulse Performance Scooter

The Pulse Performance Scooter is at the top of our list because of its affordable price and the classic design. It's also a great transition scooter to something electric if your kid has only ever ridden a traditional push scooter. With a thumb button for the throttle and a rear foot brake as an added safety measure, this scooter is designed for kids over 8 and 120 pounds or less.

Razor E100 Electric Scooter

Razor scooters were all the rage in the late '90s and early 2000s, but the brand now has electric scooters that come in a variety of fun colors like candy apple red and sweet pea pink. Designed for riders over the age of 8, this electric scooter has a high torque chain motor, a twist-grip throttle and brake controls and a rechargeable battery that'll keep them riding for up to 40 minutes.

Segway Ninebot eKickScooter

Segway's Ninebot eKickScooter is ideal for smaller kids who don’t want to go super fast and are just learning to ride an electric scooter. Reaching speeds up to 10 miles per hour, kids can travel over six miles before the battery needs a recharge. There are multiple safety features on this scooter, including an easy-to-use handbrake system and a rear fender brake. One unique thing about this scooter is that it has a cruise mode, which allows the rider to start things up with a kick and the scooter will continue moving without having to press the throttle.

Hover-1 Switch 2-in-1 Skateboard/Scooter Combo

One of the most unique electric scooters on the market for kids is the Hover-1 Switch 2-in-1 Skateboard/Scooter Combo. The scooter base is actually a detachable skateboard that can be ridden without the remote controlled handlebars. With a maximum speed of nine miles per hour (or seven miles per hour if you're using it as a standalone skateboard), this device also has colorful light-up wheels and an adjustable height for growing children.

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Electric scooters for adults

Swagtron - Swagger 2 Classic

Adults can enjoy "living life on the go" with this Swagtron electric scooter. Reaching speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, this model includes a triple braking system and LED display where you can go into cruise control mode. For those who don't want the ride to end after sunset, it also includes a bright headlight to guide you after dark.

Hover-1 - Gambit Electric Folding Scooter

Another option for adults is the Hover-1 Gambit eScooter. The scooter can reach speeds of 15 miles per hour and has a range of nine miles. Riders up to 264 pounds can be safely supported and still get a smooth ride on bumpy roads and sidewalks. It also has electric brakes and throttle that allow for easy stop and gos. Note: Charging time can take up to three hours, so be sure to have the scooter fully charged before you set out on your next adventure around town.

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Electric scooters worth the splurge

Proton Dual Wheel Scooter by Jetson

The Proton Dual Wheel Scooter looks like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie. The unicycle style has become increasingly popular with adults because it doesn’t take up much room in an office or home. In fact, the scooter’s foot pads fold into its body to make the entire device more compact and the top of the scooter has a leather strap for easy carrying. It also comes with LED lights on each side for easier visibility when night falls and a limited one-year warranty.

The Levy Plus

The Levy Plus is for serious scooter riders who would use the device in place of a car to get to work in an urban setting. The scooter is more expensive, but the extra money gets you a better range (16 to 20 miles), higher speeds (18 miles per hour) and an extended battery life. Another unique thing about this electric scooter is that the power source is actually located in the handle bar shaft and can be easily swapped out with a new battery as needed.

For more stories like this, check out:

To discover more deals, shopping tips and budget-friendly product recommendations, download the new TODAY app and subscribe to our Stuff We Love newsletter!

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Biden Infrastructure Plan Targets Electric Cars, Clean Power - Bloomberg

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President Joe Biden is calling for sweeping investment in electric vehicles, renewable power and the electric grid as part of a broad blueprint to bolster the U.S. economy while combating climate change.

The president’s plans, part of a $2.25 trillion infrastructure and stimulus blueprint he is set to unveil in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, are meant to catalyze investments in a clean energy economy and encourage low-emission technology necessary to constrain global warming. They also could buttress a carbon-cutting pledge the administration is preparing to unveil in April, as part of the U.S. return to the Paris climate agreement.

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Biden’s initiative would give a 10-year extension to tax credits that have been a boon to wind, solar and other renewable energy projects. His plan, which requires congressional approval, would also make those clean energy tax credits refundable -- a so-called direct-pay option that developers have sought as tax equity financing has dried up.

WATCH: NEC Director Brian Deese says Biden’s infrastructure plan will create millions of jobs.

Source: Bloomberg

Backers of the extension argue the historically unpredictable nature of the tax credits have rendered them less effective and insisted that consistency is necessary to propel renewable power projects.

“It’s that type of long-term reliability that we need as industry,” Suzanne Leta, head of policy and strategy at SunPower Corp., said in an interview Tuesday. “The stops and starts of the past should not be the way forward for this administration or Congress.”

Read More: Renewable-Energy Backers Want 10-Year Tax Credits in Biden Plan

Biden’s announcement could boost stocks in the EV and clean-energy sectors, both of which have slumped in recent weeks amid the investors’ shift from growth to value names. This market rotation, prompted by optimism about accelerating vaccination rates and a reopening economy, is heightening demand for beaten-down sectors like airlines and restaurants and hurting stocks that surged last year and are seen to be overvalued.

Tesla Inc., the bellwether for the space, is down about 10% this year after soaring over 700% in 2020, but climbed as much as 3.9% on Wednesday.

Sunrun Inc., the biggest residential-solar company in the U.S., rose as much as 7.5% on Wednesday. Sunnova Energy International Inc. surged as much as 11.2%.

Biden is also asking Congress to dedicate spending to electric vehicle rebates, charging ports and electric school buses in a quest to drive motorists away from conventional, gasoline-powered automobiles. Some $174 billion in government funding would go to the electric vehicle initiatives, according to a White House fact sheet summarizing the Biden plan.

Under Biden’s blueprint, Congress is also being asked to sustain tax incentives that encourage more motorists to buy electric vehicles. Those tax credits are currently valued at as much as $7,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle. But Tesla Inc. and General Motors Co. have already passed an existing 200,000-per-manufacturer ceiling at which the value of those credits phases down.

Biden is asking Congress to “give consumers point-of-sale rebates and tax incentives to buy American-made EVs, while ensuring that these vehicles are affordable for all families and manufactured by workers with good jobs,” the White House said.

Senator Debbie Stabenow and Representative Dan Kildee, both Michigan Democrats, are working with the White House and Democratic leadership on a plan to do away with the 200,000-vehicle ceiling. Another possible change includes better targeting the credit to middle- and lower-income motorists -- a shift that was part of the Biden campaign’s tax plans, according to the Tax Policy Center, which analyzed them last year.

Read More: Biden Envisions Thousands of Wind Turbines Spinning at Sea

The president is also doubling down on his commitment to create a Civilian Climate Corps putting Americans to work conserving public lands and waters. Other opportunities telegraphed by Biden include work capping orphan oil wells and abandoned mines nationwide.

Biden is also seeking an expansion of a tax credit that supports the underground storage of carbon dioxide, which is popular with both environmentalists and oil companies. According to the White House summary, Biden’s plan would revamp the carbon-capture tax credit so it benefits retrofits of existing power plants, technology directly capturing greenhouse gas emissions from the air and hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors, such as steel and cement making.

Electric grid improvements are also on Biden’s agenda, which envisions the creation of an investment tax credit focused on electric transmission, as well as permitting changes to promote the siting of new power lines along roads and railways. The tax credit would help encourage the buildout of some 20 gigawatts of high-voltage capacity power lines, according to the White House.

— With assistance by Brian Eckhouse, and Kristine Owram

(Updates with market information, starting in sixth paragraph.)

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Biden infrastructure plan includes billions for electric vehicles, building retrofitting | TheHill - The Hill

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President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill's Morning Report - Biden seeks expanded government, tax hikes Five things to watch on Biden infrastructure plan GOP seeks new line of attack on Biden economic plans MORE's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal unveiled Wednesday includes a suite of measures to fight climate change, including billions to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), retrofit buildings, replace lead pipes and modernize the nation’s electrical grid.

The infrastructure package includes numerous proposals that were rolled out as part of Biden’s climate plan during his 2020 campaign, including $174 billion to “win the [electric vehicle] market,” and billions to boost cities’ defenses to extreme weather caused by climate change.

The White House framed the package as a way to “unify and mobilize the country to meet the great challenges of our time: the climate crisis and the ambitions of an autocratic China,” a push back against a nation that has made headway in the green market.

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The bill provides funding to boost the country's production of electric vehicles and transition to this form of transportation. Biden has already called for the federal government to boost its procurement of electric vehicles, but the package pushes efforts that would help make EV ownership more viable for the average consumer.

The infrastructure package includes incentives with a goal of 500,000 EV chargers by this decade's end and electrifying no fewer than 20 percent of the nation’s school bus fleet. The plan also sets a goal of replacing 50,000 diesel transit vehicles with electric.

“These investments will set us on a path to 100 percent clean buses, while ensuring that the American workforce is trained to operate and maintain this 21st century infrastructure,” the report states.

Those investments are paired with funds for high-speed rail and public transit. Public transit in particular has seen funding plummet amid the coronavirus pandemic as a result of remote work and social distancing measures.

Biden’s plan also calls for significant investments to reduce pollution from buildings, calling for retrofitting 2 million homes and commercial buildings.

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The retrofitting policy was one of the cornerstones of the Green New Deal, which called for a more ambitious 10-year mobilization to upgrade all homes and would require weatherizing 8 million homes a year.

The legislation would include $180 billion to “establish the United States as a leader” in green technology and other research and development efforts — something Biden has argued will create jobs down the line.

It also includes $100 billion to improve electric grid resilience, including an investment tax credit aimed at creating incentive for building out at least 20 gigawatts of high-voltage lines.

The package would also create a Grid Deployment Authority within the Department of Energy that “allows for better leverage of existing rights-of-way – along roads and railways – and supports creative financing tools to spur additional high priority, high-voltage transmission lines,” according to a White House fact sheet.

The bill would also establish an Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard, with a goal of reducing both the cost of and pollution from electricity, according to the White House.

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“All of this will be done while ensuring those facilities meet robust and rigorous standards for worker, public, and environmental safety as well as environmental justice – and all while moving toward 100 percent carbon-pollution free power by 2035,” the White House said.

The package also includes funds to “eliminate all lead pipes,” including an estimated 6 million lead service lines that run water into people’s homes.

A fact sheet from the White House does not spell out a time frame for replacement. The current plan finalized under the Trump administration is expected to phase out lead pipe replacement over 30 years. 

Another provision of the package would address so-called orphan oil and gas wells, which the Biden administration described as a major source of safety and environmental hazards, particularly to underserved, rural communities. The plan would put $16 billion toward plugging those wells and the cleanup of abandoned coal and uranium mines.

The package has won praise from environmental and sustainability advocacy groups following the release of the White House summary.

“The President's infrastructure plan would not only rebuild our highways, bridges and water systems to be more sustainable and resilient, it would foster new innovation in clean energy technologies, expand clean transportation options, and power a recovery that lifts up those who are most affected by climate change,” Anne Kelly, vice president for government affairs at the sustainability nonprofit Ceres, said in a statement Wednesday.

Other organizations, however, called the plan insufficient on climate and energy issues.

“President Biden’s industry-friendly infrastructure plan squanders one of our last, best chances to stop the climate emergency,” Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

“Instead of a Marshall Plan approach that moves our economy to renewable energy, it includes gimmicky subsidies for carbon capture, fantastically wishes the free market will save us, and fails to take crucial and ambitious steps toward phasing out fossil fuels. Biden has pledged to cut carbon emissions 50% and decarbonize our electricity sector, but this proposal won’t even come close.”

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Election Board selects electronic poll book system – Corydon Democrat - Corydon Democrat

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Kaitlyn Clay, Staff Writer, [email protected]

As the Harrison County Election Board continues on in its quest to switch to an electronic poll book system, more companies have begun to reach out with hopes that their product might be the solution.

Steve Shamo, general manager of MicroVote and Knowink, presented a new poll book technology to the election board at its meeting in early March. Many polling locations in Indiana currently use this program.

On Friday, a salesman from VR Systems, Rob Resuali, presented similar technology to the board.

The EViD Edge is VR’s completely electronic poll book system. It is comparable to the system presented by Shamo, in that it scans a person’s identification, verifies it is them and then presents a receipt and ticket for each specific person, all while constantly updating and storing the information.

However, the EViD Edge also features a dashboard designed for use from any internet connected device. The dashboard provides all of the information staff would need to know before the polls open, during the election day and after the votes are processed. It can also update the public on wait times at each polling location.

The election board, according to Sherry Brown, who serves on the board by virtue of her office as Harrison County Circuit Court Clerk, ultimately decided it prefers the Microvote and Knowink system better and plans to move forward with it.

This system will be fully funded by the State of Indiana and will cover a system for each polling location, along with a system at the courthouse for early voting.

The equipment should be ready for the next election cycle in Harrison County, Brown said.

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Henry County set to feature new Feit Electric Facility - ValdostaToday.com

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Henry County set to feature new Feit Electric Facility  ValdostaToday.com

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Electronic Deterrents Could Help Reduce Shark Bites - Technology Networks

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New technology suggests that using electronic deterrents could be a valid approach to reducing the incidence of shark bites. 

With shark bites increasing in countries like Australia - scientists say the use of personal electronic deterrents is an effective way to prevent future deaths and injuries which could save the lives of up to 1063 Australians along the coastline over the next 50 years.

The research, published in scientific journal Royal Society Open Science, shows that while shark bites are rare events, strategies to reduce shark-bite risk are also valuable because they can severely affect victims and their support groups - with one third of victims experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

The researchers analysed per-capita shark bites around Australia from 1900 to 2020 and developed models to estimate the preventative impact of electronic deterrents if they were worn by water users, to predict how many shark bites could be avoided.

With the incidence of bites increasing worldwide, researchers used the Australian Shark Attack File curated by Taronga Conservation Society Australia to develop the models of incidents, and then projected these shark bites to 2066 when the population is expected to rise to 49 million.

There were 985 incidents reported in the Australian Shark Attack File from 1900 to 2020 from 20 different species.

Lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University says efforts to reduce the risk of shark bites, even if they are extremely rare, are valuable with electronic deterrents capable of reducing the likelihood of a bite by about 60%, potentially saving hundreds of lives over the next 50 years.

"Avoiding death, injury, and trauma from shark bites over the next half-century would be a realistic outcome if people use these personal electronic deterrents whenever they're in the water, and as long as the technology is operating at capacity."

"Given that governments are applying multiple approaches to mitigate shark bites such as drones, SMART drumlines, and acoustic monitoring, our simulations suggest electronic deterrents could make a valuable contribution to overall mitigation, and so help allay community fears."

"This is especially so when you consider the additional costs associated with the loss of recreational, commercial, and tourism revenue in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars following clusters of shark-bite events. "

"For example, the New South Wales Government recently invested AU$16 million to mitigate shark bites in part due to lost revenue from businesses benefitting from water users and tourism."

Despite the low probability of being bitten by a shark, the rising number of people spending time in waters frequented by sharks increase shark-bite risk to an extent.

The researchers point out this approach relies on many assumptions, the biggest factors being stability in the abundance of sharks, shark behaviour, shark distribution (potentially influenced by climate), and human use of the ocean.

Shark scientist and co-author Associate Professor Charlie Huveneers, who leads the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders University, says the electronic deterrent devices can be beneficial, as long as people understand their effectiveness and how much they actually reduce the risk of attacks.

"Although several studies have demonstrated that electronic deterrents can reduce the probability of shark bites, device efficacy varies among manufacturers and even between products of the same manufacturer."

"When testing these products scientifically, we need a large number of interactions to (i.e., using robust statistics) assess efficacy confidently. As a result, we often need to use bait or berley to attract sharks, which likely motivate sharks to bite more than in situations when sharks encounter a swimmer or surfer."

"Therefore, the ability of electric deterrents to reduce shark bite risk might be greater than the 60% decrease we observed in our studies, further increasing the number of lives saved."

Reference:

Bradshaw CJA, Meagher P, Thiele MJ, Harcourt RG, Huveneers C. Predicting potential future reduction in shark bites on people. Royal Society Open Science. 8(3):201197. doi:10.1098/rsos.201197

This article has been republished from materials provided by Flinders University. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Texas House gives green light to package of electric grid reform bills - ConchoValleyHomepage.com

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Sonoma County startup Solectrac builds electric tractors for vineyard managers, hobbyists - North Bay Business Journal

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Steve Heckeroth is a natural for running a novel electric tractor business — which is believed to have environmentally created a line in the “soil” to get generations of farmers to know the dirt on noisy, unhealthy diesel engines.

The 72-year-old businessman, who moved his Solectrac operation from Mendocino County to Santa Rosa near the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport a few weeks ago, has dedicated his life to finding alternatives to burning fossil fuels.

Through the years, he has dug deep into his imagination and will to reduce humankind’s carbon footprint by coming up with farm equipment that’s designed to heal the Earth and help the land’s stewards — known in industry circles as the ultimate environmentalists — operate more efficiently and with their own health in mind.

A Southern California native with the heart of a Northern Californian, Heckeroth grew up on a farm near Rio Hondo along its namesake river. He later ended up in another rural area of Mendocino Coast where he started the tractor operation’s design and production in a 2,000-square-foot facility.

“We were off the grid,” he said fondly of the Albion homestead.

Through the years, the engineer with a degree in architecture has pioneered renewable energy products such as solar panels as early as the first Earth Day in 1970. Fast forward by a half century, Heckeroth talks about clean energy like every day is Earth Day, an eco-conscious acknowledgement for the planet that hits every April.

Marketed as having no blaring noise, suffocating fumes and mechanical challenges, Heckeroth’s Solectrac electric tractors have started to energize farmers and ranchers trying to reduce their carbon footprint and refrain from spending many hours tinkering on their engines. Many farmers are known to keep their motors running for long periods of time in order to ensure they won’t break down. After all, electric tractors come with essentially one moving part versus hundreds.

“Electric tractors eliminate that sickening exhaust and the noise that can ruin your hearing,” Heckeroth said. “The safety and health features are huge with them.”

According to a 2018 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report, the agriculture sector accounts for 9.9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

“Think about what agriculture could be without diesel engines. Electric tractors could become carbon sequesters,” he said.

Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies diesel engine exhaust as “carcinogenic to humans.” The arm of the World Health Organization notes it has found evidence linking the exhaust to lung cancer.

Touting their efficiency and health benefits, Steve and his wife, Christiane, have sold 36 Solectrac electric tractors, with a few dozen, valued altogether at about $1 million, going on backorder this past year, when parts were delayed as freight shipments coming from India. Dockworkers in Oakland also went on strike, creating more distribution headaches.

But that didn’t stop the Heckeroths, their dozen employees and six contractors from chugging along.

“This is business during COVID,” Heckeroth said, attempting to shrug off being behind by seven months in production at the new 10,000-square foot assembly plant.

Heckeroth has positioned himself as being in the industry for the long haul. From about $900,000 in seed money due to an eight-month “Crowdfunding” online campaign that started last May among other investments, Solectrac has gained about that in sales since Solectrac incorporated in May 2019.

Springing off the growing popularity of electric cars, the time has apparently come for zero emissions business equipment for farmers and ranchers. After all, Heckeroth delved into zero emissions engines early on in the 1990s before electric vehicles became fashionable. He once used Porsche Spyder replica kits to build electric sports cars that could cover a range of 100 miles.

Heckeroth has come a long way with Solectrac expected to make a huge dent in the American farming market. Between his ingenuity and inventive spirit along with his creations, Solectrac’s accolades could cover a wall-size mantel.

In June 2020, Solectrac was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Bay Area Quality Management District. In the following month, the World Alliance Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions placed its coveted label on Solectrac electric tractors.

Today, Heckeroth has created designs for five models of electric tractors, ranging in horsepower from 25 to 70. Solectrac is assembling and selling two models. One is the “CET,” which stands for compact electric tractor, and at 2,300 pounds is designed for the hobbyist farmer or municipal landscaper.

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Meet 'Voltswagen': VW Rebrands In U.S. To Signal Electric Ambitions - NPR

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A new Volkswagen ID.4 SUV electric vehicle is seen at a customer centre in Wolfsburg, Germany, on March 26. Volkswagen said on Tuesday it is changing its name in the United States to Voltswagen to reflect its electric vehicle ambitions. Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images

Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images

Volkswagen of America says it's rebranding itself as Voltswagen of America, to reflect the company's ambition to transition entirely to electric vehicles.

The new name will be reflected in advertising and online immediately, with new signs rolling out to dealerships soon, the company said, while the electric vehicles sold by VW will be given an exterior Voltswagen brand as well.

The news was accidentally posted on a VW press site on Monday before disappearing, fueling speculation that it might be an April Fools' Day joke, but the company formally announced the move on Tuesday — March 30. VW is adamant the change is real.

"Over the course of the next few months, you will see the brand transition at all consumer touch points," Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, Voltswagen of America brand marketing, said in a statement. "This is an exciting moment for us, and we have been working through every avenue to make the transition clear, consistent, seamless and fun for all."

We know, 66 is an unusual age to change your name, but we’ve always been young at heart. Introducing Voltswagen. Similar to Volkswagen, but with a renewed focus on electric driving. Starting with our all-new, all-electric SUV the ID.4 - available today. #Voltswagen #ID4 pic.twitter.com/pKQKlZDCQ7

— Voltswagen (@VW) March 30, 2021

There's no indication that the global Volkswagen group, based in Germany, will be changing its name.

But this American name change comes just two weeks after the global company announced substantial commitments to invest in battery factories and expand charging networks, as part of its ongoing effort to pivot toward electric vehicles, away from gas- and diesel-powered ones.

CEO Herbert Diess said the transformation "will be bigger than anything the industry has seen in the past century." And VW is not the only company planning a massive transition: General Motors and Volvo have announced they will sell exclusively electric vehicles by 2035 and 2030, respectively.

Volkswagen suffered a devastating blow to its public image after it was caught designing diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests. But Volkswagen's electric ambitions aren't only about restoring a tarnished reputation.

As concerns mount over climate change and investors look toward clean technology, the entire auto industry is coalescing behind a vision of the future where new passenger vehicles are powered entirely by batteries or other zero-emissions technology.

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Kia’s EV6 is a small electric car with big dreams - The Verge

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After spending the last month teasing its new electric vehicle, Kia just laid out a lot of what there is to know about the EV6 — at least for the most expensive models. But it all lines up with what the teaser images, well, teased, which is that the EV6 will be a fun and fast electric car with a refreshingly modest footprint.

Due out in “select global markets” in the second half of this year, including North America, the EV6 is the first Kia car that is built to be electric from the ground up. The modestly successful Niro EV SUV? That was, at a high level, a gas car that was retrofit to run on batteries. The EV6, however, is built on what Kia will use to power six future EVs. That same platform, called E-GMP, is being used by parent company Hyundai to power the Ioniq 5 EV and other future electric vehicles, too. (It’s also allegedly what Apple was interested in before talks broke down.)

Which is all to say that the EV6 is quite an important car for Kia. As such, the company made sure it’s full of attractive features and leading technologies. But it still isn’t going to blow buyers away with its range.

The EV6 will be available in rear-wheel and in all-wheel drive configurations, and Kia will outfit it with standard range (58kWh) or long range (77.4kWh) battery packs. Kia says the rear-wheel drive EV6 with the long-range pack can go 510 kilometers, or roughly 316 miles, based on the European WLTP testing standard. That means an EPA range is likely going to be a little bit less, perhaps under 300 miles. Kia did not provide range estimates for the other configurations.

Depending on the real world results, that’s fairly good efficiency out of a battery pack of that size. But Kia’s promoting just that one range figure, meaning that all other versions of the EV6 will likely get less. Still plenty for daily driving, but some versions of the electric car will not be well suited for long road trips.

One way Kia is compensating for this is very fast charging, at least relative to the current state of electric vehicles. The E-GMP platform uses 800-volt battery packs, like what’s found in the Porsche Taycan, which makes it possible to charge an EV6 from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 18 minutes.

Another is performance, at least for the AWD variants. The all-wheel drive GT version of the EV6 is the top spec, and only comes with the long range battery. It uses two motors to produce a combined 430kW, or roughly 576 horsepower, and can go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in just 3.5 seconds.

What may be more exciting than performance or tech specs, though, is that the EV6 supports two-way charging just like Hyundai’s Ioniq 5. The EV6 can put out up to 3.6kW of power — enough to power a 55-inch TV and an air conditioner for more than 24 hours, Kia says. It’s not as powerful as, say, the 7.2kW version of the new hybrid Ford F-150’s optional onboard charger, but then again the EV6 doesn’t use gas to generate this power, and it will be a heck of a lot cheaper. Kia says the EV6 can also tow up to 1,600 kilograms (roughly 3,500 pounds) as long as the battery is more than 35 percent full, too.

What will set the EV6 apart more than anything is its exterior styling. Kia calls it a crossover, which isn’t wrong. But it also has big hatchback vibes. From some rear angles, it bears some resemblance to the Polestar 2. From the side, it’s a longer, meaner Ioniq 5. It’s certainly not bubbly or unassuming, like many of the SUVs that currently make up Kia’s lineup. Rather, it’s aggressive without being ostentatious; eye-catching, if not eye-watering. In a world that’s increasingly full of big, bloated vehicles, the EV6 is a breath of fresh air — even if the E-GMP platform it uses will most certainly wind up powering larger vehicles for Kia and Hyundai.

The EV6’s interior is more familiar. There are two 12-inch curved displays that sit inside a structure that rises up from the dashboard, one in front of the driver and one for infotainment purposes. There’s also an augmented reality heads-up display that projects information into the driver’s field of view. Kia promises this will all be updatable over-the-air, and there are advanced driver assistance features to boot. Otherwise, the inside of the EV6 just looks like the inside of a Kia.

The Kia EV6, in some respects, looks to be a bold remaking of the company’s otherwise solid initial foray into the world of electric vehicles. But what Kia shared about the EV6 is almost as important as what it omitted. There is no word on pricing of the various configurations, and Kia also conveniently left out specs for what will certainly be the more affordable models. For such an important car, there remains a fair amount of mystery.

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