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Maven deploying its first all-electric shared-use fleet in Austin; 20 Chevy Bolts

Green Car Congress

Maven is now offering its first all-electric fleet of cars for use in the gig economy; 20 Chevrolet Bolt EVs are available for freelance drivers in Austin, Texas to earn money on their own schedules. Maven will provide charging for Maven Gig drivers for a limited time through the Austin Energy Plug-In EVerywhere and EVgo networks.

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A New Energy-Efficient Hydrogel Pulls Water From Air

Cars That Think

Using a new kind of hydrogel material, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have pulled water out of thin air at temperatures low enough to be achieved with sunlight. The UT Austin technique is aimed at the latter. The gel’s thermoreactive nature, meanwhile, is key for releasing the stored water.

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UT Austin team devises new strategy for safe, low-cost, all-solid-state rechargeable Na or Li batteries suited for EVs

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Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, including Prof. —Braga et al. Maria Helena Braga, Nicholas S. Grundish, Andrew J. Murchison and John B Goodenough (2016) “Alternative Strategy for a Safe Rechargeable Battery” Energy Environ.

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UPDATE: Tesla adds 500k square feet to Gigafactory Texas for ‘ecological paradise’

Teslarati

Tesla has revised its application for Giga Texas to reveal a potential 500,000 square foot expansion of the automaker’s electric vehicle production factory located outside of Austin. Teslarati discovered Tesla has officially filed a revised application with the City of Austin’s Housing and Planning Department on September 20.

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500 kW Solar PV system goes online at Fords Michigan Assembly; 2 MWh energy storage system

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The primary element of one of Michigan’s largest solar power generation systems at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant is now up and running. Ford collaborated with DTE Energy to install the 500 kW solar photovoltaic panel system at Michigan Assembly. Michigan Assembly will operate on a blend of renewable and conventional electricity.

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Opinion: Why Buffett Bet A Billion On Solar: Miles Per Acre Per Year

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The first eye-opener for large scale solar was the Austin Energy PPA last year that was priced at 5 cents. In the commercial sector, and in the case of community solar, there is more flexibility and tracking arrays may make sense, especially when mounted on the ground. The arithmetic is pretty simple. Click to enlarge.

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Gravity Batteries, Green Hydrogen, and a Thorium Reactor for China

Cars That Think

No battery is perfect, however, so engineers keep pushing for new and improved ways to store those electrons. The gravity batteries described in this story lift giant weights in the air or up mine shafts to store excess electricity, releasing the weights later on to recover the stored energy.

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