Coffee ring stains are the result of the unique way coffee evaporates. During this process, changes in the surface tension of the liquid set up a flow of fluid that pushes particles of coffee towards the edges of the puddle. These particles then form a ring-like stain when the liquid evaporates completely.
However, other fluids leave different patterns. A couple of years ago, a group of unusually dedicated engineers at Princeton University in New Jersey began “experimenting” with Glenlivet Whisky, a single malt Scotch distilled legally in Scotland since 1824 (and before that, illegally in the secluded Livet Valley). The team found that unlike coffee, Glenlivet leaves an almost entirely uniform stain when it evaporates.
Now Jinsun Kim and colleagues at the University of South Carolina have built on this discovery to create electronic components in which one layer is deposited entirely by the evaporation of Glenlivet whisky. They say their approach has the potential to make electronics manufacture more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Liquid Sunshine
When the Princeton teampublished their discovery, they suggested Glenlivet’s unusual properties were the result of its concentrated mixture of ethanol and water and the unique composition of polymers and surfactants it contains. The complex interactions between these components as the fluid evaporates distributes the particles evenly, creating the uniform stain.
Kim and colleagues reasoned that this layer must be an insulator and so began experimenting to see if it could replace conventional insulating layers in an electronic component.
These insulating layers are often made of materials such as silicon dioxide and this has to be sputtered onto the surface using an electric field. “The replacement of traditional inorganic materials (such as silicon dioxide) with whiskey deposits has a clear benefit in simplifying the fabrication process,” they say.
The electronic device in this case is the memristor—a resistor with memory and one of the four fundamental electronic elements, along with resistors, inductors and capacitors. Memristors are still rarely used in devices, having only been hypothesized in the 1970s.
Memristors are simple in structure. In this case, they consist of a two conducting layers, one each of cobalt and silver, separated by an insulating layer, in this case of Glenlivet Whisky deposit.
When a voltage is applied across the device, very little current flows initially because of the high resistance of the non-conducting whisky layer. However, the electric field causes silver atoms to migrate into the whisky layer and these eventually form a conducting filament.
Silver Service
At this point, current begins to flow as the resistance of the device drops. Them, as the voltage is lowered, the resistance initially remains low until the electric field forces the silver atoms back towards their original places, destroying the silver filament. This causes the resistance to drop again.
Cycling the voltage causes the sequence to repeat. The result is a hysteresis curve that, in each cycle, preserves a memory of the preceding current.
The key advance in this work is to show that it is straightforward to create a uniform non-conducting layer by covering the device in Glenlivet whisky and allowing it to evaporate. “The fabricated cells have demonstrated a reliable switching behavior and non-volatile information storage capability,” say Kim and co.
Indeed, the team speculate that the hysteresis curve is characteristic of the type of alcohol used to create the insulating layer. “We speculate that along with mass spectrometry and other novel techniques, the memristive effect and related hysteretic responses can provide tell-tale electronic signatures of alcoholic beverages,” they say.
They have even tried diluting the Glenlivet before allowing it to evaporate and have observed “a correlation between the threshold voltage and level of dilution.”
The resultant memristors have various potential applications such as in random number generators and neural networks.
That’s an interesting proof-of-principle demonstration of an entirely new way to manufacture electronic components in a more sustainable way. “Our discovery of memristor activity hints at new functionalities of custom designed organic films, as well as industrial scale green fabrication of electronic devices,” say Kim and co.
Just what the makers of Glenlivet Whisky in Scotland make of this new use for their venerable product is yet to be recorded.
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How Glenlivet Whisky Became The Crucial Component in Greener Electronic Elements - Discover Magazine
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US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discusses the impact of the semiconductor chip shortage at UAW Region 1A office in Taylor, Michigan on November 29, 2021. Credit: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images
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Building support for a congressional bill to take on China, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said yesterday that automakers’ grand electric vehicle plans are imperiled by the ongoing shortage of computer semiconductors.
“The average electric vehicle has about 2,000 chips, roughly double the average number of chips in a non-electric car,” Raimondo said in prepared remarks to the Detroit Economic Club, a nonprofit business group located in Michigan’s automotive hub.
“As companies like Ford and GM compete to grab a foothold in the electric vehicle market, we know that innovation in the American battery market will be stifled if we aren’t also investing in domestic semiconductor innovation at the same time,” Raimondo said.
Prior to the speech, Raimondo also told reporters that Biden’s plans for half of new vehicles to be electric by 2030 depends on the U.S. investing in semiconductor production. “That’s necessary for our American economic competitiveness, it’s necessary if we’re going to meet our climate change goals, and it’s necessary to create jobs,” she told The Detroit News.
The secretary’s Michigan visit was intended to drum up support for a $52 billion legislative package to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry.
The “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act,” or “CHIPS for America Act” in short, was passed by the Senate in June as part of a bigger bill but hasn’t received a vote in the House of Representatives.
The globe’s semiconductors are mainly made in Asia, especially China and Taiwan. As pandemic lockdowns eased and the economy coughed back to life, automakers have been frustrated in their efforts to meet pent-up demand for cars. Semiconductor companies prioritized electronics companies, not automakers, for their limited supplies. As a result, nearly every automaker has experienced chip-related slowdowns and shutdowns.
The shortages have already tapped the brakes on several high-profile EVs.
In August, Ford Motor Co. told customers that a lack of chips would put off delivery of its flagship EV, the Mustang Mach-E, for several weeks, and General Motors Co. temporarily shut the Detroit factory where it makes the Bolt EV. Also this summer, Rivian Automotive Inc., the electric truck-maker, cited semiconductors as the reason for a delay, and its output remains very slow.
A spokesperson for the Commerce Department said that the figure Raimondo cited—that an EV has twice the chips a traditional car has—came from discussions with automakers. “We believe it’s a reasonable average,” the spokesperson said.
A recent study by IDTechEx, a consultancy based in the United Kingdom, estimated that an EV requires more than twice as many semiconductors as its internal-combustion-engine counterpart, mainly because the EV demands much more use of power electronics.
An analyst said that Raimondo is correct that EVs require more semiconductors but didn’t necessarily agree that it means electric vehicles are uniquely vulnerable to shortages of them.
“EVs, particularly those designed on EV-only platforms, generally have more electronic content, and thus require more chips,” said Alan Baum, an automotive forecaster based in Michigan who studies electric vehicles.
However, he added, “design of EVs matter and ... a clean sheet approach, like Tesla, or even new platforms from GM, Ford and VW allow for greater capability and more efficient use of chips.”
Tesla Inc., the electric automaker, has faced fewer chip-related production problems. Baum said that Tesla’s design requires less chips because it “has centralized computing in a single spot in the car, rather than computing spread through the various vehicle systems.”
Tesla’s rivals have taken action on chip shortages by incorporating themselves into the supply chain. Earlier this month, Ford struck an agreement with maker GlobalFoundries to make chips, and GM said it would work with Qualcomm Inc. and NXP Semiconductors NV in a similar arrangement.
Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2021. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
David Ferris reports on and coordinates coverage of the intersection of transportation and the electric grid.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) on Monday announced the launch of the state’s electric vehicle (EV) education and marketing program.
Drive Electric Alabama will serve to educate the general public about the financial and economic benefits of electric vehicles. The program will raise awareness and promote the use of the non-combustion engine automobiles.
Gov. Kay Ivey, who attended the announcement on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, praised the program’s launch and spoke to Alabama’s robust automotive industry.
“As automakers make significant investments in electric vehicles, we know more and more motorists will consider purchasing one,” said Ivey. “In addition, automobile manufacturing is one of Alabama’s key industries, and we want to make sure that this economic engine remains vibrant for Alabama’s workers.”
She added, “That’s why I’m pleased Alabama is launching this education and marketing program that will help all Alabamians learn more about EVs.”
According to ADECA, the program will partake in a television, billboard, radio and digital advertising campaign. Drive Electric Alabama will hold events to engage Alabamians regarding electric vehicle technology, affordability, charging and other related topics.
ADECA director Kenneth Boswell advised that the use of electric vehicles was poised to increase as leading automobile companies are rapidly incorporating the technology into their inventories.
“It’s clear electric vehicles represent the next generation of automobile manufacturing,” declared Boswell. “That’s precisely why this is the perfect time for Alabamians to learn about electric vehicles, as many auto manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz right here in our state, are beginning to add electric vehicles to their fleets.”
Cost savings and economic benefits associated with the use of electric vehicles are articulated in the inaugural “Electric Gets You There” marketing campaign.
The campaign notes that electric vehicles can help consumers save on their every day commutes by eliminating the cost of gas and oil changes. Additionally, the marketing effort cites that the purchase of such vehicles will allow Alabama to remain one of the world’s top automobile exporters.
Drive Electric Alabama holds a broad support coalition which includes Alabama Power, the Energy Institute of Alabama, the Alabama State Department of Commerce, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Alabama Transportation Institute, and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.
Alongside the marketing campaign, ADECA announced that it was crafting a statewide electric vehicle infrastructure plan, which the department anticipates will be finalized by the year’s end.
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition president Michael Stanley indicated that the campaign would serve to answer consumers’ questions relating to electric vehicles.
“Automobile manufacturers have announced billions of dollars in investments in EVs in the last year, but most Alabama motorists have questions about how far EVs can travel on a single charge, how often and where EVs are charged, and how much money is saved by switching from gasoline to electric,” said Staley. “These are questions Drive Electric Alabama and the ‘Electric Gets You There’ campaign can help answer and begin to normalize this transition from gas to electric for many Alabamians.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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State launches Drive Electric Alabama program promoting use of electric vehicles - Yellowhammer News
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Join the ACEDS Jacksonville Chapter for an E-Discovery Day event
About this event
The discovery of Electronic Medical Records, along with their associated audit logs, is one the most common tasks in a wide range of litigation matters, yet this discovery remains problematic and difficult. Numerous statutory and regulatory regimes overlay the process, including the HITECH Act, HHS regulations, and HIPAA. Once produced, meaningful use of the information is often dependent upon proprietary third party platforms. This session lays out a path of best practices for practitioners to successfully collect and use their client’s Electronic Medical Regulators
Speaker:
Chad S. Roberts founded eDiscovery CoCounsel, pllc in 2013 after a successful twenty-year career as merits counsel representing consumers in complex litigation. Continuously AV rated since 1996, he holds an Engineering Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with high honors from the Florida State University College of Law. He has been a litigation partner at both a large, multi-national law firm (Holland & Knight, LLP) as well as a small boutique trial firm (Spohrer & Dodd, LLP) and has won multi-million dollar verdicts as lead trial counsel.
At eDiscovery CoCounsel, pllc he focuses on discovery motion practice in Federal Courts, Information Governance, Analytics, and Information Retrieval technology. He holds the CEDS designation from ACEDS and is a Relativity Certified Administrator (RCA).
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November 30, 2021 at 10:42PM
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[Virtual Event] Electronic Medical Records: Pain Points & Practice - December 3rd, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST - JD Supra
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The public transit agency for Tompkins County, known as TCAT, wants to electrify its entire fleet of buses by 2035. There is funding from the federal infrastructure bill that will help the agency reach that goal.
The federal infrastructure package marks a historic investment in public transportation. It will invest $11 billion in New York transit agencies over the next five years, including nearly $18 million to help TCAT electrify its fleet.
Electrification efforts started to gain traction earlier this year, with the introduction of seven battery-electric buses at an Earth Day ceremony. TCAT officials are hopeful that the incoming federal support will provide some of the funding they need to introduce more electric buses and maintain momentum.
Securing adequate funding is key. With a price tag of nearly $1 million, electric models are about twice the cost of traditional diesel buses. It also costs a lot to build the charging stations.
TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool hopes to put some of the funding towards training for drivers and mechanics, as well.
“Electrification is not going to be possible without trained employees,” Vanderpool said. “And we’re going to need some extensive training. Our diesel mechanics are going to be less valuable in 10 years, unless we set up and provide an aggressive program for electric infrastructure training.”
According to Vanderpool, agencies across New York state are already facing a driver and mechanic shortage. He hopes incentives, including training programs and better wages, will attract and retain skilled workers.
The new buses will also improve the ride for users, with technology like WiFi and charging ports.
“When you put more technology in place, and you enhance the rider experience, that’s critical,” Vanderpool said. “Electric buses are going to do that.”
Meet Upway, a French startup that is building a marketplace for second-hand electric bikes. The startup just raised a $5.7 million (€5 million) seed round from Sequoia Capital and Global Founders Capital.
If you’re familiar with the world of online marketplaces for cars, Upway will sound familiar to you as well. The company buys electric bikes from both customers and companies. They check them and repair them in case something is broken. After that, Upway lists and sells the electric bikes on its website.
Right now, the startup has a warehouse in Gennevilliers near Paris. A team of five repairpersons check each bike that arrives with a list of 20 different tests. Upway can then ship the bike to customers in a cardboard package — the handlebar and pedals are detached from the frame.
On average, bikes are 20% to 50% cheaper than their original cost. You can find products from many familiar brands in the electric bike industry, such as Moustache, VanMoof, Cowboy and Canyon. All electric bikes come with a one year warranty.
Why electric bikes and not normal bikes? Co-founder and CEO Toussaint Wattinne told me that electric bikes are the fastest growing segment of the bike industry. Last year, 500,000 electric bikes were sold in France — that’s a 30% increase compared to the previous year. And yet, due to supply chain issue, it’s not always easy to find and buy a new electric bike right now.
Moreover, there’s more friction when you buy a second-hand electric bike as you don’t know if the motor still works fine and you’re not sure if you’ll have to replace the battery when you get it. And, of course, electric bikes are expensive goods so you want a no-fuss experience.
Upway buys bikes directly, which means that it technically owns the stock of electric bikes. It’s going to be a capital-intensive startup. But many companies have thrived in the used car marketplace space. Upway could follow the same path and grow alongside the electric bike industry.
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November 30, 2021 at 12:01PM
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Upway is building an online marketplace to buy and sell used electric bikes - TechCrunch
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BMW on Monday evening unveiled a new high-performance concept vehicle that previews an electrified crossover expected to begin production late next year in South Carolina.
The new production car, called the BMW XM, will be available exclusively as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle under the company's "M" performance division, the automaker said. The concept car unveiled Monday includes a V-8 engine combined with electric motors to offer 750 horsepower and 737 foot-pounds of torque.
A BMW spokesman declined to confirm whether the production vehicle will match those performance metrics, but a release called the forthcoming vehicle the "most powerful BMW M car ever to go into series production."
BMW Concept XM
BMW
BMW said the U.S. will be the most important sales market for the new high-performance vehicle.
In addition to previewing the new car, the German automaker said the Concept XM shows the new front-end design direction for BMW's future luxury models. The vehicle's front includes two large nostril grills illuminated by lights, sleek headlamps and a more aggressive front facia than the traditionally smoother lines found on BMW models.
The interior of the vehicle features vintage-look leather, copper and carbon fiber as well as a large digital information and command center.
BMW Concept XM
BMW
"The BMW Concept XM represents a complete re-imagining of the high-performance vehicle segment," BMW M CEO Franciscus van Meel said in a release. "It underlines the ability of BMW M GmbH to break with established conventions and push boundaries in order to offer fans of the brand the ultimate driving experience."
The vehicle being a plug-in hybrid model may surprise some, given the automotive industry's current attention on all-electric vehicles, which do not include a traditional engine. BMW also has said it plans for at least 50% of its global deliveries to be all-electric vehicles by 2030.
BMW Concept XM
BMW
Plug-in hybrid models are viewed by many as a steppingstone to fully electric vehicles. The BMW Concept XM includes up to 30 miles of all-electric driving, the automaker said Monday.
The unveiling of the concept vehicle comes three months after BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told CNBC that the company would be unveiling a new vehicle this year that would be built at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Spartanburg plant currently produces the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 as well as performance models of most of the vehicles.
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November 30, 2021 at 08:00AM
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BMW unveils high-performance XM hybrid electric concept vehicle ahead of U.S. production - CNBC
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Okay, we might be a little biased, but we think that Cyber Monday is the best time to buy anelectronic drum set.We’d argue that there’s never a bad time to buy an e-kit, but buying yours during Cyber weekend? Well, that’s a smart move.
The world of electronic drums can be pretty confusing, with so many brands with so many choices at so many price-points - so let us help you overcome your option paralysis as we round up the best Cyber Monday electronic drum set deals around.
When it comes to electronic drum sets, getting as close as you can to the ‘real feel’ of an acoustic kit is crucial. E-kits are most often used as practice tools for when you can’t get to your main acoustic squeeze, so replicating your playing habits as accurately as possible is key to progressing as a drummer.
If you’re a beginner drummer who's looking for their first ever drum set, then there are options for you here too.
If you're after more in the way of killer deals, then take a look over our Cyber Monday drum deals page.
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November 30, 2021 at 04:49AM
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Cyber Monday electronic drum set deals: the 5 best e-kits you'll find on sale this Cyber Weekend - MusicRadar
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Let’s face it: a pedalboard isn’t complete without a good looper pedal. Why? Well, with a looper strapped to your ‘board, the creative possibilities are endless. Not only are they the perfect practice companion, a few hours of random noodling with a looper will help you unlock aspects of your playing that you may never have thought possible.
That’s why we’re pleased – nay, delighted – to report that Sweetwater is slashing the price of TC Electronic’s Ditto+ Looper Pedal by a staggering 50%. That’s one helluva discount, and one that sees the listing price of the smart looper free-fall from $149 to $74.
And, though there are currently a boatload of looper deals out there – check out our looper round-up for more – this deal is, for our money, the best you’re going to find this Cyber Monday.
Where do we start? Despite its compact nature, this is one powerful beast. Offering up to 60-minutes of looping time, complete with unlimited overdubs, the Ditto+ is crammed with a load of player-friendly features, including loop import/export powers that can be used in up to 99 loop sessions.
There are no unnecessary frills or over-complicated controls, either. Just one footswitch, one knob and two session-changing buttons is all that's needed to provide one of the most comprehensive looping experiences on the market.
One of the best features of the Ditto+ is the dynamic loop length. For too long loopers have restricted us to the confines of our four- or eight-bar chord progressions, forcing us to make do with limited space. Well, not any more. With the Ditto+, you easily add longer dubs to shorter loops.
The eagle-eyed among you will notice that TC Electronic’s flagship Ditto Looper is also on offer at Sweetwater, though we’d take this opportunity to reiterate that we think this is the best looper deal you’ll find pound-for-pound. It does everything the Ditto does, and more. In fact, there's an even a Ditto Mode included, meaning it can be made to behave exactly like its predecessor with the flick of a switch.
It's also worth noting the exceptionally easy-to-navigate screen, uncompressed 24-bit audio for maximum sound quality and analog-dry-through design, which maintains signal integrity.
All this, for 50% off? We’re mighty tempted ourselves, to be honest.
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November 30, 2021 at 05:54AM
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Get 50% off the TC Electronic Ditto+ Looper pedal in this astonishing Cyber Monday deal - Guitar World
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) — The world’s largest electronic menorah is lighting-up the South Florida skyline during the eight-nights of the Jewish “Festival of Lights.”
In video provided by Paramount Miami Worldcenter, the 60-story skyscraper’s LED lit menorah, went on display Sunday night, the first night of the Jewish Festival of Lights.
It shows the six-pointed “Stars of David” and the words “Happy Hanukkah.”
“The world’s largest electronic menorah is a shining beacon of belief and celebration,” said Paramount Miami Worldcenter CEO, Daniel Kodsi. “The menorah is lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and is a symbol of truth and justice, which is what all Americans strive for.”
The tower lightings will take place every night through December 6 at sunset.
The state of Florida is home to more than 620,000 Jewish people, according to the America Jewish Federation. More than 520,000 Jewish people reside in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Nearly 19% of Miami-Dade County is Jewish, according to some statistics.
Hannukah commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt, in the second-century B.C.
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World’s Largest Electronic Menorah Lights Up South Florida Skyline - CBS Miami
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Adistortion pedaldeal here so cheap it's kind of a brainier for us. The TC Grand Magus is based on the iconic ProCo Rat, one of the small group of elite hall of fame distortion pedals all players need to at least try. But at this price inThomann's Cyber Monday guitar deals, you get in the ballpark for silly money!
The Grand Magus features controls for Gain, Filter and Volume and can deliver organic tube-like distortion with some tight bottom-end and 'natural tube sag'.
The Filter control is a hi-cut that can tame the treble and allow for smoother breakup. The result is a well-built and versatile distortion that would be a great addition to any signal chain. And at this price from Thomann it's a no-brainer for us. And you could combine your order with some of the other great Thomann Cyber Monday deals.
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November 29, 2021 at 07:54PM
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The TC Electronic Rat-style Grand Magus distortion pedal is now under €/£20! - MusicRadar
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But challenges await, including technical issues, regulatory barriers and many miles of highway.
This article is part of our series on the Future of Transportation, which is exploring innovations and challenges that affect how we move about the world.
Electric vehicles are getting a lot of buzz. Yet sales of electric vehicles, or EVs, are expected to amount to less than 4 percent of passenger vehicle sales in the United States in 2021.
One reason: the inability to easily recharge on long trips, known as range anxiety. And the concern is valid: Range, charging time and availability of charging stations all still have a long way to go.
EVs are getting a boost, though: They are prominently featured in a $7.5 billion initiative from the Biden Administration, signed by the president earlier this month, with the goal of building a nationwide network of a 500,000 high-speed electric vehicle charging stations by 2030. (Currently, there are about 43,000 charging stations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.)
But that would solve only part of the problem, in part because charging times are still lengthy. The real sweeping change in the next decade may address that: roadways that electrically power cars as they travel, using a technology known as inductive charging.
In July, the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University announced plans to develop the world’s first contactless wireless-charging concrete pavement highway segment.
“One of the major barriers to electrification is the range anxiety. This technology is intended to solve the problem,” said Nadia Gkritza, a professor at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and ASPIRE campus director at Purdue University. “In simple terms, the vision is to bring the charge to the vehicles, rather than having the vehicle stop at charging stations to recharge.”
The multiyear project will use a magnetizable concrete technology — developed by the German company Magment — enabling wireless charging of electric vehicles as they drive.
The technology works by adding small particles of recycled ferrite — a ceramic made by mixing iron oxide blended with slivers of metallic elements, such as nickel and zinc — to a concrete mixture which is magnetized by running an electrical current. This creates a magnetic field that transmits power wirelessly to the vehicle.
A plate or box made of the patented material, roughly 12-feet long by 4-feet wide, is buried inside the roadway at a depth of a few inches. The box contains coils of wire that connect to the power grid through specialized electronic equipment — that’s the transmitter, explained Dionysios Aliprantis, a professor at the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue.
Surrounding the transmitter is normal roadway material — concrete or asphalt. The transmitters would be embedded in the roadway one after the other, allowing for a continuous power transfer. The receiver is a similar, but smaller box with coils that is attached to the underside of a car.
(Another product from the company is MagPad, a wireless power transmitter pad which can be installed either on-ground or in-ground. The transmitters could be installed at public parking lots or private garages.)
The project will test the electrified pavement through analysis and research conducted at the Indiana Department of Transportation Accelerated Pavement Testing facility in West Lafayette. The first test will apply pressure on the roadway segment as if trucks are driving on it to see if the pavement will last, Mr. Aliprantis said.
The second test will assess the capability of the system to transfer high-levels of power wirelessly. While the idea is similar to cellphones that charge wirelessly, there is a significant difference: charging with a 10-to-15-inch gap between the transmitter and receiver.
“The cellphone touches the surface to charge, so it’s pretty strongly coupled,” he said. “Whereas now, if we increase the so-called air gap, the coupling weakens, and so does the power transfer.”
Within the next two years, once the technology is validated in the lab tests, the Indiana Department of Transportation will build a quarter mile-long test bed where engineers will examine the electrified roadway’s capacity to deliver high power to trucks.
“We want to take it slowly, to do those test beds and pilots,” Ms. Gkritza said. “Our goal is within four to five years to have a longer test on one of the interstates, most likely I-70.”
Cost estimates to electrify roads in both directions vary widely, from $1.1 million to $2.8 million per kilometer, according to projections made in the last three years.
Indiana isn’t the only state getting into the race. In September, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan announced a new initiative to develop the nation’s first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road and said the state is looking for partners to help develop and deploy the technology.
The Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The pilot will cover a one-mile stretch of road in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb county. Utah State University is also developing inroad wireless charging, with induction coils in the pavement transmitting energy to coils in outfitted EVs.
“Magnetized cement? Crazy, man,” said Chris Nelder, an energy analyst and consultant, and former manager of the EV grid integration group at the Rocky Mountain Institute. “I would love to see it work. But this would be very early-stage technology, needing cars to be redesigned to use it as well as the actual implementation of the charging capability. But the need to redesign the cars is non-trivial.”
A big challenge is clearly on the vehicle side, agreed Mauricio Esguerra, chief executive and co-founder of Magment. “The automotive industry is so busy with making batteries, making software, so that confronting them right now with inductive charging is a priority which is far away. The spirit of this project is to concentrate first on the technical challenges of demonstrating that it works.”
Other challenges may slow the electric road of the future. “To put this in context, inroad charging while driving is not likely to be a broad solution for all electric vehicles, but it could play an important role for some applications,” said Jeremy J. Michalek, professor of engineering and public policy and director of the vehicle electrification group at Carnegie Mellon University.
“For passenger cars, most drivers will leave home on most days with a full tank of electricity, and EV range is growing large enough that most drivers won’t need public charging except on rare long-distance travel days,” he said.
But there is a bigger problem that these kinds of roadways can solve. “For long-haul trucking, inroad charging aims to address a real problem with electrifying trucks,” Mr. Michalek said. Electric trailer trucks require large battery packs that reduce payload; inroad charging could help, though that amount of long-distance travel would require a huge investment in infrastructure.
Inroad charging will also need to “withstand all of the weight and weather abuse that tears up our roads today. There may be particular applications where inroad charging infrastructure could be targeted to select locations, such as bus stops or fleets with fixed routes and known stops,” he said.
The Purdue team is mindful of these challenges, but optimistic. “The technical obstacles that we need to overcome are not insurmountable,” Mr. Aliprantis said. “Those can be overcome with proper design.”
There are, however, regulatory barriers, he said. “For example, in Indiana if you’re not a utility, you cannot resell electricity. So, if you’re the roadway operator, you cannot charge the vehicles for the electricity they consume. Also, there are obstacles to using the interstate right of way right now to install this infrastructure. There are certain regulations that need to change before this becomes a reality, at least in this country.”
Moreover, electric grids will need to increase capacity to guarantee they can cover the demand that will be created. “Especially if we want to implement this technology at scale, because we’re not charging cellphones, we’re charging big vehicles moving at freeway speeds, which require a significant amount of power,” he said.
For the Purdue project, it’s the start of the road trip.
“We see this technology as a great opportunity to align with the vision from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration of alternative fuel corridors along major national roadways that support plug-in electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas refueling with existing or planned infrastructure,” Ms. Gkritza said. “We are not proposing that all roads will be 100 percent electrified.”
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November 29, 2021 at 05:00PM
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Could Roads Recharge Electric Cars? The Technology May Be Close. - The New York Times
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Nissan is investing 2 trillion yen, or nearly $18 billion, over the next five years and developing a cheaper, more powerful battery to boost its electric vehicle lineup
ByYURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer
November 29, 2021, 8:34 AM
• 3 min read
TOKYO -- Nissan said Monday it is investing 2 trillion yen ($17.6 billion) over the next five years and developing a cheaper, more powerful battery to boost its electric vehicle lineup.
The Japanese automaker's chief executive, Makoto Uchida, said 15 new electric vehicles will be available by fiscal 2030. Nissan Motor Co. is aiming for a 50% “electrification” of the company’s model lineup, under what Uchida called the “Nissan Ambition 2030” long-term plan. Electrified vehicles include hybrids and other kinds of environmentally friendly models other than just electric vehicles.
The effort is focused mainly on electric vehicles to cut emissions and meet various customers’ needs, said Uchida. Nissan also will reduce carbon emissions at its factories, he added.
The company has been struggling to put the scandal of its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn behind it. Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades, after he was sent to Japan by French alliance partner Renault, was arrested in Tokyo in 2018 on various financial misconduct charges.
Uchida made no mention of the scandal but referred to “past mistakes” he promised won’t be repeated at Nissan.
Nissan’s “electrification” rests on developing a new ASSB, or all solid state battery, that it categorized as “a breakthrough” for being cheaper and generating more power than batteries now in use.
That means electric powertrains can be more easily used in trucks, vans and other heavier vehicles because the batteries can be smaller. The ASSB will be in mass production by 2028, according to Nissan.
The costs of electric vehicles will also fall thanks to the battery innovation to levels comparable with regular gasoline cars, Uchida said.
“Nissan has emerged from a crisis and is ready to make a new start,” he said.
All top automakers, including Nissan’s Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp., are working on electric vehicles, amid growing concern over climate change and sustainability. Global consumers are also demanding more safety features.
Uchida said Nissan was hiring 3,000 engineers to strengthen its research, including digital technology for vehicles.
Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, has suffered recently from the computer chips shortage that’s slammed all automakers because of lockdowns and other measures at chip factories to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The maker of the Infiniti luxury models, Leaf electric vehicle and Z sportscar is projecting a return to profitability for the fiscal year through March 2022 after racking up two straight years of losses.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
The BART Board of Directors unanimously voted this month to approve tentative plans to expand access to electric vehicle charging ports at the transit agency's parking lots.
BART currently has electric vehicle charging stations at its Warm Springs/South Fremont and Lafayette stations. The parking lots at BART's Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose stations, which are owned by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, also have electric vehicle charging ports.
But with ownership of more vehicle parking lots than any other rail transit agency in the state, BART intends to place more charging ports throughout the system in anticipation of a market shift toward the increased use of electric vehicles.
"The assumption is that widespread EV adoption is one-to-five years out," BART sustainability project manager Monica Meagher told the board on Nov. 18. "When we see widespread adoption, there's an absolute need for more publicly accessible, easy charging; we heard that consistently from all external stakeholders."
BART received feedback on its electric vehicle charging expansion from more than a dozen outside groups, including transportation researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and UC Davis, environmental groups like the National Resources Defense Council and transportation and sustainability officials with the city of Oakland and Contra Costa County.
The city of Oakland's Department of Transportation signaled its support in a letter to the board, arguing that more electric vehicle charging stations are crucial in disadvantaged parts of the city such as the West Oakland, Fruitvale and Coliseum BART stations.
According to Oakland officials, the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure will also help the city reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 56% by 2030.
BART officials are expected to begin development of an implementation plan for expanding the installation of charging stations and, ultimately, return to the board for final approval.
"Although we're still in the early stages of EV adoption, BART as a clean-energy leader is setting the framework for the future with this policy," BART Board President Mark Foley said in a statement. "If people need to drive themselves to a BART station, let's find ways to encourage them to do so in a zero-emission vehicle."
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November 29, 2021 at 06:35AM
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BART to increase electric vehicle charging ports at station parking lots - Pleasanton Weekly
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November 29, 2021 at 05:42AM
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World’s largest electronic Hanukkah menorah lights up South Florida skyline - WFLA
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Electric trucks: What to know about the future of pickups - WJMN - UPMatters.com
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EVV is a computer-based system that electronically documents and verifies service delivery information, such as date, time, service type and location, for certain Medicaid service visits.
HHSC and managed care organizations, the payers, conduct EVV compliance reviews to ensure program providers, Financial Management Services Agencies and Consumer Directed Services employers are in compliance with EVV requirements and policies.
Program providers, FMSAs and CDS employers must select the most appropriate EVV Reason Code Number and Reason Code Description. When applicable, enter required free text.
Current HHSC EVV Reason Codes
Historical HHSC EVV Reason Codes
Contact Guides
The following guides contains useful contact information for EVV:
Getting Started with EVV
The following guides are for getting started with Electronic Visit Verification:
Best Practices
The following documents provide technical guidance to improve EVV claims matching results:
This is a reference guide to help program providers avoid recoupments related to Temporary EVV Policies for COVID-19 (and only applies to visits with dates of service March 21 – Dec. 31, 2020.)
Form 1718, Responsibilities and Additional Information (MCO)
Glossary of Terms
Benefits of Using the EVV Mobile Method
Historical EVV Alerts
Statutes and Rules
State
Federal
The EVV Services Table below provides current billing codes and details for EVV-relevant services in Long-Term Care, Acute Care and Managed Care programs.
Program providers must use the appropriate Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System and modifier combinations to prevent EVV visit transaction rejections and EVV claim match denials.
Personal Care Services
An EVV Visit Maintenance Unlock Request allows a program provider, FMSA and CDS employer the opportunity to correct data element(s) on an EVV visit transaction(s) after the visit maintenance time frame has expired.
Program providers, FMSAs and CDS employers must follow the instructions on the EVV Visit Maintenance Unlock Request spreadsheets. Request emails must include a contact name, email address and phone number. Requests that are not sent securely could result in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violation and the payer will deny the request.
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November 23, 2021 at 08:14AM
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Electronic Visit Verification | Texas Health and Human Services - Texas Health and Human Services |
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November 27, 2021 at 02:00PM
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Whatever type of music you play, whatever kind of guitar you dig, there’s one piece of gear that’s an absolute essential: a guitar tuner. And one of this year’s best Black Friday guitar deals is on one of the best clip-on guitar tuners on the market, TC Electronic’s superb UniTune Clip.
Over at Sweetwater, you’ll find $19 has disappeared from the UniTune Clip’s price tag, taking it down from $29 to just $9.99.
When you’re picking a clip-on tuner, there are two considerations that should be top of your agenda: accuracy and visibility – and the UniTune Clip delivers on both.
Based on TC Electronic’s class-leading tuning technology, the UniTune Clip boasts 105 – yep, 105 – high-powered LEDs that form an adaptive display, easily viewable in any lighting condition. From daytime festival slots to dingy bar stages, you’ll be able to see exactly how far you need to twist that tuning peg.
It’s packing some serious specs under the hood, too, with ±0.5-cent accuracy in the chromatic mode, and ±0.02-cent accuracy in strobe mode – that’s accurate enough to set your intonation to. What’s more, it works with any guitar, bass or ukulele – electric, acoustic or otherwise.
A stainless steel clip means you’ll have no problem clipping this bad boy onto whatever headstock you desire, and you’ll get 18 hours of battery life from one of those teeny round CR2032 batteries.
Basically, the UniTune Clip is an awesome clip-on tuner, and this is a knockout deal. Hit up Sweetwater to grab it, and pay a visit to our guide to the best Sweetwater Black Friday deals for more killer bargains.
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November 27, 2021 at 05:05AM
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Save $19 on a TC Electronic UniTune Clip with the cheapest and best clip-on tuner deal this Black Friday - Guitar World
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Energy costs for electric customers are going up by as much as 50% across Pennsylvania next week, the latest manifestation of across-the-board energy price increases impacting gasoline, heating oil, propane, and natural gas.
Eight Pennsylvania electric utilities are set to increase their energy prices on Dec. 1, reflecting the higher cost to produce electricity. Peco Energy, which serves Philadelphia and its suburbs, will boost its energy charge by 6.4% on Dec. 1, from 6.6 cents per kilowatt hour to about 7 cents per kWh. Energy charges account for about half of a residential bill.
PPL Electric Utilities, the Allentown company that serves a large swath of Pennsylvania including parts of Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester Counties, will impose a 26% increase on residential energy costs on Dec. 1, from about 7.5 cents per kWh to 9.5 cents per kWh. That’s an increase of $40 a month for an electric heating customer who uses 2,000 kWh a month.
Pike County Light & Power, which serves about 4,800 customers in Northeast Pennsylvania, will increase energy charges by 50%, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
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“All electric distribution companies face the same market forces as PPL Electric Utilities,” PPL said in a statement. Each Pennsylvania utility follows a different PUC-regulated plan for procuring energy from power generators, which explains why some customers are absorbing the hit sooner rather than later, it said.
There are ways customers can mitigate the impact. Utilities offer a host of programs and grants to support low-income customers, and they encourage anyone struggling to pay their bills to call the utility for help. Customers can also control their costs by conserving energy. It may be time to put on a sweater and weatherize the house.
Peco recently introduced time-of-use rates that include steep discounts for customers who can shift electric usage to late night hours — that’s you, electric vehicle owners.
There’s also a clever opportunity available for many Pennsylvania customers called the “standard offer” that might save you some real money, but you need to act before the new charges take effect on Dec. 1 to lock in the best rates.
Why are the price hikes happening?
But first, how did we get here?
Energy charges are rising for a simple reason: Fuel prices for power generators are increasing, and that’s driven mostly by natural gas. It’s pushing up electricity prices in wholesale power markets.
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“It’s all market forces right now,” said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, PUC spokesperson. Energy charges are strictly a pass-through cost for utilities. Utilities aren’t allowed to mark them up.
The cooling towers of the Limerick nuclear power plant in Montgomery County. Rising wholesale electricity prices are causing customer charges to increase for Pennsylvania utility customers on Dec. 1.. ... Read moreED HILLE / Staff Photographer
The increase in utility energy charges does not affect customers who buy their energy from competitive power suppliers. About 27% of Pennsylvania’s 5.9 million electric customers who shop for electricity from third-party suppliers either pay fixed rates, whose price remains stable, or are on a variable-rate plan tied to market prices. The variable-rate electric bills have probably already increased to reflect the higher cost of generating power.
Most New Jersey electric customers are shielded for now from rising energy costs. New Jersey sets annual energy prices for customers who don’t shop for power. Those rates go into effect on June 1 and stay in place for 12 months. The current energy market fluctuations will be reflected in new rates that take effect next summer, said Lauren Ugorji, a spokesperson for Public Service Electric & Gas Co., New Jersey’s largest utility.
For each utility, its own plan
Pennsylvania has a different system for setting utility energy charges, which are also known as the “default rate,” because that’s the price a customer gets by default if they don’t shop for power. The default rate is also the same thing as the “price to compare,” a term the PUC has adopted so consumers can make an apples-to-apples comparison between a utility’s energy charge and the price offered by a competitive supplier.
Each of the state’s 11 PUC-regulated electric utilities prepares its own “default service plan,” that governs the method by which they procure power on wholesale markets. Electric distribution companies like Peco are required to buy the lowest priced power. They typically buy power in blind auctions conducted by independent agents, so that there’s no favoritism for affiliated power generators
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Some utilities adjust charges quarterly, and others do it semi-annually. “This means that each [utility’s] resulting price to compare will vary as the market changes, some taking longer to reflect price changes, both up and down,” PPL said in a statement. PPL conducted its semi-annual auction in October, when energy prices were rising sharply.
Most utilities buy power from suppliers under contracts of varying durations, both long-term and short-term. The contracts are staggered so market price fluctuations are smoothed out. One utility, Pike County Power & Light, buys all its power on the spot market, which explains why its energy charge will surge by 50% on Dec. 1. Pike County’s energy charge will also be quicker to decline when wholesale prices subside, as they are expected to next year.
Peco adjusts its energy charge quarterly, but it conducts power auctions semi-annually. It buys about 40% of its power in one-year contracts, and 60% in two-year contracts, and does not buy any power on spot markets, said Richard G. Webster Jr., Peco’s vice president of regulatory policy and strategy.
“At any given time, we’re replacing about a third of our supplied portfolio,” he said.
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The utility’s energy charge affects only part of the monthly bill. For a Peco residential electric customer who uses 700 kWh per month, the Dec. 1 energy charge increase will boost monthly bills by $2.94 per month, or 2.9%. For an electric heating customer who uses about 2,000 kWh per month, the change will boost bills $8.40 a month, or about 3.5%, said Greg Smore, a Peco spokesperson.
(Energy charges, which pay for the cost of the power generation, are different from utility distribution charges, which pay for the upkeep of the distribution grid and are assessed on all customers, regardless of who supplies their power. Peco was recently granted an increase in its distribution charge, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, which will boost monthly bills about 6.6%. That’s in addition to the Dec. 1 increase in the energy charge.)
How can you cut your energy costs, aside from turning down the thermostat and using energy-efficient devices?
Many customers buy their power from third-party suppliers, whose robocalls and junk-mail offers frequently tout their discounts to the utility’s rate. There are fewer savings to be found these days on the PUC’s website, papowerswitch.com, because in rising energy markets it’s tough for a reputable supplier to compete with the utility’s price.
But there is kind of a backdoor entry into competitive energy markets called the “standard offer.” The PUC this week encouraged default-service customers to examine the often-overlooked deal, offered by most larger electric utilities. “If consumers are interested in that, we definitely recommend that they move quickly,” said Hagen-Frederiksen, the PUC spokesperson.
Here’s how the standard offer works: Customers who call their utility will get randomly assigned to a competitive supplier that has agreed to offer a 12-month fixed-rate plan at 7% below the utility’s current price. Under the PUC’s rules, customers can cancel a standard offer any time over the year with no early cancellation or termination fees.
That means customers can lock in now at 7% below Peco’s current default rate before the charge goes up on Dec. 1. PPL customers can lock in at 7% below the current default rate before the charge goes up 26% next week, a hefty $50 a month savings for a heating customer who uses 2,000 kWh a month. Customers who wait until Dec. 1 will only get 7% off the higher rates.
“We have found that the standard offer can be a ‘win-win’ for the electric shopper and supplier alike,” PUC Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille said in a statement.
Ignore that letter at your peril
The standard offer program is basically a customer acquisition program for competitive suppliers. For customers, the price is attractive and suppliers often lose money during the 12-month term. But they acquire a new customer who can become profitable to them in the long term.
“The only thing I’d remind customers is to be sure to pay attention at the end of the 12 months in terms of what you’re paying and what the price might change to,” said Peco’s Webster.
Though the PUC requires suppliers to send two notifications to customers when the contracts are about to expire, a surprising number of customers ignore the letters and take no action. They do so at their peril. They are usually switched to plans that cost more than the utility’s default rate, effectively wiping out any previous savings.
PPL last year told the PUC that most standard offer customers remained with their suppliers after the 12-month deal lapsed, and nearly all of them paid at or above the utility’s default rate after the initial contract expired. Over half the customers paid at least 25% over the utility’s default rate. Many paid 50% more than they would pay with the utility.
“If a customer is actively shopping, and concludes that their existing supplier should be retained, that is their choice,” Michelle Lawall-Schmidt, PPL’s director of customer service operations, told the PUC in written testimony. “However, there is a concern if customers are passively remaining with their supplier, and as a result, are paying more than default service rates.”
The utility said some standard offer customers whose contracts were rolled over to higher priced deals then fell behind on payments, filed complaints, and blamed PPL for the increase in energy price.
PPL asked the PUC to modify its standard offer plan so that customers who did not affirmatively elect to stay with their supplier would be automatically returned to the utility’s default rate. Elizabeth H. Barnes, a PUC administrative law judge who heard its case, recommended the PUC approve the utility’s request.
But energy suppliers pushed back. And the PUC in the end rejected PPL’s proposal, saying its standard offer plan would be inconsistent with the plans offered by other Pennsylvania utilities, as well as longstanding PUC rules that allow suppliers to roll over customers at the ends of their contracts, unless the customers choose otherwise.
“While I would probably not have supported the use of rollover contracts initially, they have become an ingrained feature of shopping,” David W. Sweet, then a member of the commission, said last December in the PPL case.
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November 26, 2021 at 05:16PM
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Pa. electricity prices will be rising by as much as 50% next week. Here’s how you can save. - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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