Transport & Infrastructure News and Discussions

weatheriscool
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World's first ammonia-electric semi packs as much energy as the Tesla
By Loz Blain
January 17, 2023
https://newatlas.com/automotive/amogy-f ... MAIL_ID%5D
Claiming a system-level energy density 5X higher than batteries, Amogy has rolled out "the world's first ammonia-powered, zero-emission semi truck." It holds about 900 kWh of energy, like the Tesla Semi, but you can refuel it in about eight minutes.

Ammonia does a better job of storing hydrogen than hydrogen itself, in many ways, and it could help clean up some difficult industries that require high-density energy. Brooklyn company Amogy has now presented a world-first ammonia-powered semi truck.

Ammonia has two chief advantages over hydrogen as an energy carrier. One is the fact that it's a liquid at ambient temperature and pressure levels, making it a ton easier to store, transport and handle; hydrogen either needs to be heavily compressed to around 700 bar, or else kept cryogenically cooled as a liquid, to just 20.28 K (−252.87 °C; −423.17 °F) – both of these are energy-intensive processes. The second is how much energy it carries: by volume, nearly three times as much as hydrogen gas, and by weight, more than 20 times as much as today's lithium batteries.
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The world’s largest zero-emissions truck is more than two stories tall
Up until now, one of these trucks emits as much pollution in a year as 700 cars. A new retrofit replaces the diesel with a battery and hydrogen fuel cells.

In photos, a truck commonly used in mining looks a little like a children’s toy. In person, it’s almost unimaginably huge—between 2 and 3 stories high and more than 50 feet long, capable of hauling 300 metric tons of rocks. If you stand in front of it, your head might reach the center of one wheel.

The standard version of this truck also runs on a massive amount of diesel, with a single vehicle emitting as much climate pollution in a year as 700 cars. Around the world, thousands of these giant vehicles are in use. But a new retrofit can shrink a truck’s emissions to zero. First Mode, an engineering startup, has spent the last several months testing a prototype with the mining giant Anglo American, which now plans to roll out the technology in hundreds of other vehicles.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90837208/th ... -tall?h2fd
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New aircraft design from NASA and Boeing could benefit passengers in the 2030s

By Ashley Strickland, CNN
Updated 4:53 AM EST, Thu January 19, 2023

Greener commercial flight technology may be on the horizon.

NASA and Boeing will work together on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project to build, test and fly an emission-reducing single-aisle aircraft this decade, according to an announcement from the agency on Wednesday.

“Since the beginning, NASA has been with you when you fly. NASA has dared to go farther, faster, higher. And in doing so, NASA has made aviation more sustainable and dependable. It is in our DNA,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.

“It’s our goal that NASA’s partnership with Boeing to produce and test a full-scale demonstrator will help lead to future commercial airliners that are more fuel efficient, with benefits to the environment, the commercial aviation industry, and to passengers worldwide. If we are successful, we may see these technologies in planes that the public takes to the skies in the 2030s.”

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html


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Credit: Boeing
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Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivers last 747 jumbo jet
Source: AP

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday: It’s delivering its final 747 jumbo jet. Since its first flight in 1969, the giant yet graceful 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, a transport for NASA’s space shuttles, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft. It revolutionized travel, connecting international cities that had never before had direct routes and helping democratize passenger flight.

But over about the past 15 years, Boeing and its European rival Airbus have introduced more profitable and fuel efficient wide-body planes, with only two engines to maintain instead of the 747′s four. The final plane is the 1,574th built by Boeing in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

A big crowd of current and former Boeing workers is expected for the final send-off. The last one is being delivered to cargo carrier Atlas Air.

“If you love this business, you’ve been dreading this moment,” said longtime aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia. “Nobody wants a four-engine airliner anymore, but that doesn’t erase the tremendous contribution the aircraft made to the development of the industry or its remarkable legacy.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/boeing-deliv ... 9c47d81a9a
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LA Wins in California’s $2.5 Billion Award for Local Transit
by Hillel Aron
January 31, 2023

Introduction:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Courthouse News) — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the Golden State is awarding more than $2.5 billion to 16 different local transit projects throughout the state.

“The projects funded represent critical transportation and will provide alternatives to driving with access to a modernized, public transit system,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is unwavering in our commitment to our world-leading climate agenda, including record levels of investments in public transportation projects to electrify fleets, expand and improve service, and spark ridership growth.”

Much of the money will go to two projects in what have generally been considered less-fancied parts of the Los Angeles area: Inglewood and the East Valley. The East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, a 6.7 mile section of light rail in the northern part of Los Angeles, will receive $600 million, while the Inglewood Transit Connector, a 1.6-mile people mover — an automated, elevated rail line that will connect the K Line with SoFi Stadium and other entertainment venues — will receive $407 million, with an eye toward completing it by 2028 when LA will host the Summer Olympics.

Los Angeles and its surrounding cities are in the midst of an ambitious expansion of the area's rail network. The county's regional transit agency Metro hopes to have a number of projects completed by the time LA hosts the Games for the third time.

“These historic investments in transit and intercity rail projects will help get these transformative projects over the finish line and into operation so the people of California can enjoy more of the mobility, safety, environmental and equity benefits that come with riding transit,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin in a statement.
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/la-wins ... -transit/
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EU approves 2035 ban on new fossil fuel car sales
https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-eu- ... sales.html
by Dave CLARK
European officials hope the looming ban on sales of petrol cars will spur investment in the production of all-electric models.

The European Parliament on Tuesday gave its final approval to a ban on new sales of carbon-emitting petrol and diesel cars by 2035, with a view to getting them off the continent's roads by mid-century.

European Union member states have already approved the legislation and will now formally nod it into law at an upcoming ministerial meeting, despite opposition from conservative MEPs, the parliament's biggest group.

Supporters of the bill had argued to that it would give European carmakers a clear timeframe in which to switch production to zero-emission electric vehicles, and spur investment to counter competition from China and the United States.
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"although not profitable for china" is a gigantic caveat.
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First hands-free self-driving system approved for British motorways
Fri 14 Apr 2023 10.26 BST

Drivers will be legally allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel on Britain’s motorways for the first time as long as they watch the road, after the government approved another step on the path to self-driving cars.

The driving-assist feature in Ford’s latest Mustang Mach-E model, which allows the vehicle to steer and accelerate but also monitors the driver’s attention to ensure their eyes are on the road, will be permitted by the Department for Transport in a first for Europe.

The BlueCruise system, an £18-a-month subscription add-on to the £50,000 electric car, uses radars and cameras to track road markings and other vehicles, and an infrared camera in the car to ensure the driver’s eyes remain on the road ahead.

It will be usable on a geofenced area of 2,300 miles of motorway – over 95% of the network – in England, Scotland and Wales.

Ford said the technology, which is already in use in the US and similar to Tesla’s “self-driving” features, is the first time level 2 autonomy will be available for general use on UK roads outside trials. Level 2 is defined as partial automation – the next step towards level 5, or full self-driving vehicles, on the car industry’s internationally recognised autonomy scale.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/ ... 1681468798
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Natural Flood Prevention – Higher Trust Through Better Communication
April 17, 2023

Introduction:
(Eurekalert) There have been repeated flood disasters in Germany in recent decades. For example, in 2002 and 2013 along the Elbe and in 2021 in the Eifel region. As climate change progresses, severe floods are expected to occur more frequently. It is therefore important to quickly implement effective protection measures in vulnerable areas.

In the past, flood protection consisted mainly of technical solutions such as building dikes close to the river or constructing water retention basins. However, this is often no longer sufficient in order to be able to provide effective protection against flooding. Nature-based solutions such as dike relocation and floodplain renaturation are thus increasingly coming into focus in Germany and across Europe. “The aim of such projects is to give the river more space so that it can spread out during flooding and the renaturalised floodplains can fully develop their water-absorbing effect”, says Prof. Christian Kuhlicke, head of the UFZ Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology. “Natural flood prevention serves different purposes: It sustainably reduces the risk of flooding, restores the original state of the river landscape, increases biodiversity, and enhances the quality of life in the region”.

However, the local population is often sceptical or critical of natural flood protection measures. For example, there are fears that they might not be as effective as conventional technical flood protection. The interventions in the landscape appear drastic, and there is uncertainty as to whether the landscape will change for the better. The sudden proximity to the widening river can also seem threatening. “The relocated dike means that the water may get much closer to people’s home during high water levels. The fact that the river is now more visible can be frightening, especially for those who have often been affected by floods. However, these new measures can actually make things safer than before”, says Kuhlicke.

In their study, the UFZ team wanted to find out how people living near dike relocation areas perceive the natural flood protection measures and how well informed they feel.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/986308
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