154 years ago today, a tremendous change occurred in this country.
“Change” is a word we know all too well, but here I will use it in a very specific way.
Our country was made different. Made radically different. Transformed in such a way that it will never be the same.
Brave young men and women gave their lives, lest their children survive, and their future families thrive. Change was achieved, but to this day it is still conceived. Conceived as a future notion, ceaselessly set in motion.
This change is meant to set the scene, so that, to all, it can be seen, as years of Jubilee…forever known as…
Juneteenth
Happy Juneteenth to all!
(As a believer of accountability and prose, all graphics and content have been properly sourced in the above passage.)
“If you want to make something dirt cheap, make it out of dirt.”
A quote by Professor Donald Sadoway discussing promising solutions to intermittent energy storage.
At this point I have said it several times, so allow me to restate that reaching a sustainable future for energy is indeed a multifaceted problem.
I always enjoy seeing the many parts of this problem being hacked away by individuals and corporations who dare venture into the world of — you guessed it — innovation.
Now that I have introduced a long repeated main idea, let’s define a few terms.
We all know that wonderful device that keeps our iPhone or galaxy powered on for a full day right? We all know it as the…
Battery, a vessel of energy that powers phones, cars, even buildings.
Here is a more formal definition by Oxford. “A container consisting of one or more cells, in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of power.”
What does the battery store?
Energy, of course. Also formally defined by Oxford as “Power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines.”
Energy is a phenomenon that has powered our lives for years, but how can sustainable energy be achieved and maintained? My answer…
Innovation. Oxford derives the word innovate from the verb “innovare”, meaning in – ‘into’ + novare – ‘make new’ (from novus ‘new’). Given this context, innovate quite literally means “to step into the new.” To transition into a new era, taking all of your current knowledge with you out on a vast horizon, into the next frontier, and forward into a new future.
Too abstract? Let’s bring it back down to earth.
Energy is now a huge buzz word. How we store it, how we distribute it and how we transfer it are three very intricate questions that require a new level of thinking. Noble scientists like Sadoway believe that batteries play an integral part in answering these questions. What might the strategic plan for answering these questions and gathering new solutions be? I’m glad you asked, Sadoway comically starts his Ted Talk by saying we must make something dirt cheap, out of very dirt we stand on.
More sophisticatedly put, Sadoway suggests us exploring the world of metallurgy, particularly:
Electrometallurgy, which I found to have quite an interesting and multifaceted definition.
3. “It All Ties Together (at 13:36-14:57)” Sadoway points out a few heterodoxies, comparing conventional designs to his new design. Ties it all together with his theme: ‘Full Spectrum”
I encourage you to watch the entire video HERE for more context, especially from 8:02 – 9:49 where he gets into the detailed chemistry, but dear readers….this is brilliant. I have watched this video at least 9 times and am appeased every time. A real solution has been devised to solve a real problem. A solution that is initially designed to be cost-effective, energy efficient and scalable, instead of chased down by the OEM to reduce costs and emissions. So I am tempted to ask “why in the world do we not think this way all the time?” The best part about being engineers and scientists is that we make the impossible, possible. We side-step the cynical comments against climate change and recognize that efficiency is one of the many pillars of science. Whether we are building micro-controller or saving the entire planet from certain eminent disaster, efficiency is key!…. Another discussion entirely, but let’s stay focused.
All I can say is that I believe there is a need for more minds like Sadoway. It is minds like his, that actively pursue real solutions to real problems. Acts such as this inspire me every day to get out there and change the world, one circuit at a time.
What is your take on this? Do you agree that we are at the cusp of an energy innovation era? Is Sadoway speaking fact or fiction? What improvements can be made to this energy solution? Is there a notion that we can soon enough “innovate” our way into a new technology era — to step into the new?
Maybe consider another question: How might the Liquid Metal Battery measure up to another contender, the Dry Electrode Battery? Watch the video and offer your opinions!
Thanks for Reading — BKT
(As a believer of accountability and prose, all graphics and content have been properly sourced in the above passage.)
Eaton, the company that specializes in “Powering business worldwide” has hopped on board! What board? The circuit board! What does this circuit board power? The intricate world of sustainable transportation and its journey to technology innovation.
Dear readers, In 2008, Elon Musk, the co-founder and CEO of Tesla ventured into a frontier with his Tesla Roadster. A frontier that few others dared to go before. That frontier was the electrification of automobiles. The automobile industry has endured a successful 100 year-long reign on the same platform, Internal Combustion Engines. Despite this tenured institution, along with political protocol and economic roadblocks, Tesla Motors survived through it all and has matriculated tremendously, leading the EV market and sparking a new movement of vehicles that run on battery power, are quieter than a mouse and can be summoned to your exact location at the touch of a button. This, my friends, is the dawn of the sustainable transportation movement and is literally spreading across America. The beauty of this is that transportation is such a vital part of how society operates. We pride ourselves in harnessing the power of a combustion engine that propels us effortlessly across large distances at 80+ miles per hour (let’s be honest, not everyone goes the speed limit). We distinguish ourselves by driving luxury line vehicles that empower us and our passengers. Soon enough there will be a new age of the automobile experience that will completely change how we get from point A to point B. Just wait and see, how bright the future can be.
Sincerely, BKT
Enough with my love-letter-of-an aside, let’s get back to Eaton. A good friend of mine who works there sent me this link to the Eaton E-Mobility website. Eaton seems like the perfect candidate to adopt an EV subsidiary. With their tenure in power electronics and digital processing, I have no doubt that their Electric Vehicle (EV) will be amazing. The video below is a correlation to the breakdown of Eaton’s processes and what other companies have already implemented. Two YouTubers give us an inside view of the “vehicle packaging” capabilities of Tesla, GM and BMW’s electric vehicles. Have a look.
So back to my aside, to my engineering friends, it is indeed important to note where these companies are going. Yes, some may just be using “renewable” and “electrification” as buzz words for more publicity and to broaden their moral compass, but others truly mean it. There are corporations out there that are not only in tune with sustainable transportation, but they are also in tune with innovation. Innovation is a beautiful world that inspires continual technological superiority. It is the birthplace of engineering excellence, scientific breakthrough, the achievement of the impossible, all of the above.
As I have mentioned before and will mention yet again, reaching a sustainable future for energy is a multifaceted problem. Companies like Eaton are exploring EV platforms and how to integrate them with any current business models. They are continuing the trend of energy efficiency and sustainable transportation, bringing society to the cusp of a haven for safer, cleaner, smoother and more efficient vehicles that will transform the automobile experience forever. If you really don’t believe my rather philosophical statement, just watch this short video below and, ask yourself “What does innovation really look like?”
So Harley Davidson is making electric Bikes! I could not help but think of Elastigirl from Incredibles II, leaping from building to building trying to catch that runaway train.
I also could not help but think of how big the Electric Vehicle (EV) market has grown since 2008. The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) boasts a record of 1 million electric vehicles on the US roads as of October 2018. Who knows how large that number has grown as of today. Now, even two-wheeler motorists can join the movement with Harley Davidson’s Livewire Electric Motorcycle model. Harley currently has little to no competition, meaning they can really set this off. Only time will tell.
Harley CEO, Matt Levatich made a very smart move by not only showcasing his concept designs a few years back, but collected feedback from a wide spectrum of motorcyclists across the United States. (This a smart move that not many companies take the time to do.)
Levatitch claims on this CNBC interview that EV technology creates new riders, saying “There is something incrementally valuable here in this technology.” and I agree. With an intense change in maneuverability, it seems there is actually an increase in ease and comfort for an E-motorcyclist. Crouching on top of a roaring 1500cc engine and having gears to change through is replaced with a uniform drive train and much added torque. This creates a more seamless ride for any paying customer.
I am excited to see the future for EV’s of all shapes, sizes and applications and will boldly state that Harley is merely one of many more to come.
Image Sourced from gfycat.com (see description)
To my expert motorcyclists, what are your thoughts? Can you see yourself just like Helen Par, the Elasitgirl stunt bike superhero? Is there an achievable and promising economic future for electric motorcycles?
Feel free to watch the animation above as you provide your thoughts.
Thanks for Reading
— BKT
(As a believer of accountability and prose, all graphics and content have been properly sourced in the above passage.)
Yes, that is correct ladies and gentlemen, we are back! Tech Tuesdays shall continue throughout the summer and hopefully this time, throughout the year. Also, yes I understand it is Wednesday, the post queue on my site decided to set itself a day ahead this week. Nonetheless, we are back and we start with one of my favorite words (as you know I LOVE the word “ecstatic”). Today that word is energy, specifically clean energy, renewable energy, green energy, all of the above!
Royal Dutch Shell, the gas station we commonly know as Shell, has started a youtube series with a few vloggers, hosted by Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco. The series covers a competition “to cross the USA using the lowest CO2 emissions possible in the ultimate efficiency challenge. This is not a race about traveling faster, it is about traveling cleaner #MakeTheFuture.” — Shell.
In episode one, these two teams, Team Alpha and Team Omega, begin their 3000-mile journey, from Los Angeles, CA to New York City. With each checkpoint, they are faced with decisions that prompt them to choose vehicles that yield the lowest carbon emission possible. It seems this series can raise awareness on how to utilize transportation more efficiently and to see how it can be implemented long-term and on a large-scale. Also, a very clever way to showcase the direction that Shell might be taking its future business strategies. I, for one, like the series so far, as I am always eager to learn what new ways to get from point A to Point B. However, as I continue to watch I reaffirm that it is much bigger than that.
The conclusion I draw from this series and the message I am hoping to interpret is that the journey to a brighter future of sustainable transportation is not just some feat of “engineering science magic” that will miraculously come to fruition. It is not a crazy idea for an affordable business model for both suppliers and customers. It involves the most integral part: us, the end-users, the human beings that inhabit the world. Sustainable Energy is a multi-faceted problem, with cleaner and safer transportation being one of the major goals to achieve (there are others that will be explained in a later post). Shell’s Travel Hack highlights how fulfilling it can be to explore new horizons, experience new methods and think outside of the box.
So dear reader, whether you are a proud grease monkey, a future politician, a business owner, an EV enthusiast, environmentalist, or an ordinary consumer, how do you feel about the Great Travel Hack? Do you believe we can truly make monumental steps toward sustainable energy? Is it possible to get to a point in life where we can still power our homes, cars, and companies while maintaining environmental integrity? Will we still be “cool” if we conserve a little more and use a little less?
As you answer any or all of those questions consider this. As an aspiring engineer, I am taught that technology is created to make our lives easier. However, “easy” can often be hidden under a thick layer of cut corners that are masked by the warm and comforting proverbial blanket of convenience. Technology is truly meant to improve our lives. This means that drastic changes might occur in the process, which may disturb our desired equilibrium. I implore you to consider what is necessary if we are to make real progress and I encourage you with Kayley Cuoco’s words, “We can move forward while thinking forward.”
Tune to the series right now!
Thanks for Reading.
— BKT
(As a believer of accountability and prose, all graphics and content have been properly sourced in the above passage.)
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