Important Innovations Collection

Lucid's 2023 Air Pure and Air Touring                                                       Source:  Lucid EV's With 400 Miles + Range on a Charge California-based luxury EV maker Lucid has put into production two, notable, long-range cars that deliver up to 425 miles of range on a single charge.  Called Air Pure and Air Touring, they are new editions of Lucid's flagship luxury sedan Air. Both EVs have dual electric motors and all-wheel drive.  They are specifically designed to be more affordable versions of Air.  And they are fast.  Touring can go from 0 to 60 mph in a sizzling 3.4 seconds.  Air can do the same in 3.8 seconds. Very Long Driving Range These vehicles are being produced as limited editions.  Air Pure is completely sold-out.  It is priced at $87,400.  Air Tourin...

Lightyear One Solar Powered Car                                          Source:  Lightyear One From the Netherlands, A Powerful, Long Range, Efficient Solar Car Dutch startup Lightyear is building solar powered vehicles that are more efficient than electric vehicles.  The Lightyear One solar car gets a much longer range and uses significantly less energy than an average EV.  Cofounder and Chief Design Officer of Lightyear Koen van Ham believes that solar powered vehicles will help "democratize mobility".  The Lightyear One solar car has lightweight panels built into the roof and hood.  The car soaks in energy from the Sun automatically whether driving or parked. It is far less dependent on charging stations than a standard EV. Production on it starts in 2022. Design & Technology Breakthroughs The design and technologies in the Lightyear On...

Harnessing Ocean Energy As A Power Source Source:  DARPA Sustainable Energy The concept of underwater energy harvesting by drones is being developed by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Agency DARPA.  This could not only revolutionize naval propulsion, particularly for drone submarines, by providing them a sustainable energy source.  But also, if the drones transport the harvested ocean energy to ships at sea, there would be far less need to return to port to refuel.  The time and energy efficiencies would be breakthrough. Manta Ray Project DARPA calls the program the Manta Ray Project.  It's goal is to develop unmanned underwater vehicles - drones - that can operate underwater for very long, extended periods of time, all the while harvesting the energy of the ocean as a power source.  Four companies have just been selected for the job.  Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Navtek LLC are working on the drones.  And Metron ...