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A DIY E-bike Conversion on the Cheap

Cars That Think

Online discussions convinced me, however, that this is the expected behavior when commanding a motor to maintain a fixed amperage in its windings (thus applying constant torque) while under little load. This article appears in the September 2021 print issue as "An Instant E-bike.". As I raced ahead, I chuckled to myself. "OK

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A DIY E-bike Conversion on the Cheap

Cars That Think

Online discussions convinced me, however, that this is the expected behavior when commanding a motor to maintain a fixed amperage in its windings (thus applying constant torque) while under little load. This article appears in the September 2021 print issue as "An Instant E-bike.". As I raced ahead, I chuckled to myself. "OK

DIY 98
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Miniscule Sensing Suite is a Big Step Towards Robotic Gnats

Cars That Think

In the late 1980s, Rod Brooks and Anita Flynn published a paper in The Journal of the British Interplanetary Society with the amazing title of Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: A Robotic Invasion of the Solar System.

Cheap 115
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Why is Hydroelectricity So Green, and Yet Unfashionable?

Cars That Think

There is no end of gushing about China’s cheap solar panels—but when was the last time you saw a paean to hydroelectricity? Instead, that pure status is now reserved above all for wind and solar. This article appears in the November 2022 print issue as “Hydropower, the Forgotten Renewable.”.

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Northvolt postpones planned 60GWh battery production

Teslarati

The company strategically places facilities in locations where cheap electricity is available. The Midwest offers copious amounts of wind power and some of the nation’s cheapest electricity, while areas like the South West and California offer a fantastic locations for solar. What do you think of the article?

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The Coming Construction Boom

Cars That Think

Imagine using cheap wind- and solar-generated electricity to pull carbon out of the atmosphere and turn it into feedstock for large-scale 3D printing of building components. This article appears in the March 2022 print issue as “Building Boom.”. Combine all these factors and a dazzling possibility emerges.

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Build a Passive Radar With Software-Defined Radio

Cars That Think

The biggest leap forward happened in 2012 when it was discovered that USB stick TV tuners using the RTL2832U demodulator chip could be tapped to make very cheap but effective SDR receivers. Building off the demand stimulated by this activity, a number of manufacturers have started making premium, but still relatively cheap, SDRs.