BeyondKONA: Technology
New cleantech and other disrupting technologies that incorporate advances in the electrification of transportation, economically capturing the sun’s power, empowering power consumers to be clean power producers and partners through hardware, software, and communications advances that are now available to address Hawaii’s most pressing economic and environmental challenges.
Technology is also advancing at an exponential rate, presenting new opportunities to address inefficiencies and cost challenges to sustainable economic growth.
- Dual Use: Cleantech Items That Are Good For Fun & For Emergenciesby Jennifer Sensiba on November 7, 2024 at 4:55 am
As the holidays approach, we’re all looking for gift ideas or ways to have fun this winter and next year. After an ugly election that has left many people […]
- A Lame Duck Can Be A Mean Duck, & That’s What We Need Right Nowby Jennifer Sensiba on November 7, 2024 at 4:50 am
The term “lame duck” describes weakness. A lame duck can’t keep up with the rest of its flock, and thus can more easily fall to predators. A politician […]
- CARB Rules Are Making Motorhomes Harder To Get in January, But The Industry Can Go Electricby Jennifer Sensiba on November 7, 2024 at 4:50 am
At a recent meeting of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), motorhome manufacturers got some bad news: they would not be getting an exemption from the […]
- GM’s Software Fix For Bolts and EUVs Might Have A Problemby Jennifer Sensiba on November 7, 2024 at 4:30 am
Recently, 107 owners of Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV vehicles got some bad news: yet another battery-related recall. While the numbers of vehicles are small, it […]
- How Do Cooler Heads Prevail?by Scott Cooney on November 7, 2024 at 2:42 am
I am old enough to remember a day when talking politics with people who didn’t agree with you did not mean the end of a friendship quite as often as it does […]
- Is Elon Musk Going to Get Federal Policy & Approval of Robotaxis Implemented?by Zachary Shahan on November 7, 2024 at 2:26 am
And what would that mean? On the most recent Tesla quarterly conference call, Elon Musk brought up the possibility of creating US policy on self-driving cars. […]
- How Many Things Can A Bus Transit Study Get Wrong?by Michael Barnard on November 7, 2024 at 1:00 am
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Michael Raynor, formerly a managing director of sustainability and thought leadership for Deloitte and author […]
- What Now?by Scott Cooney on November 6, 2024 at 11:30 pm
What’s done is done, and we can’t change the past, so we’ll just move on to the question of the day. What now? Perhaps a story first. In 2004, Adam […]
- Thanks, Biden — For $1 Trillion In Private-Sector Investment In US EV & Tech Economyby Zachary Shahan on November 6, 2024 at 10:46 pm
I recall when the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was passed. Immediately, that day, we started getting announcements of EV battery factories and […]
- World Moving On Without USA As It Declinesby Michael Barnard on November 6, 2024 at 7:26 pm
For the past eight years, the United States has been missing in action in climate leadership globally. Biden’s climate policy experiments, aimed as much at […]
- The Great AI/Data Center Scamby Steve Hanley on November 6, 2024 at 6:24 pm
The AI craze is threatening to overwhelm utility companies who don't have enough electricity to power new data centers. The post The Great AI/Data Center Scam […]
- Royal Enfield Takes A Bold Leap Into The Future With The Launch Of Electric “Flying Flea” Brandby Kyle Field on November 6, 2024 at 5:42 pm
Royal Enfield has a rich history in motorcycles, tracing its roots back to 1901 when the company’s first motorcycle rolled out of the factory. Over the last […]
- $81 Million For Gigantic Energy Storage Showcase In Kentuckyby Tina Casey on November 6, 2024 at 1:58 pm
Pumped hydropower is the basis for 96% of utility-scale energy storage capacity in the US, and it is ripe with potential for expansion. The post $81 Million […]
- EVs Take 95.6% Share In Norway – Skoda Enyaq Tops Chartby Dr. Maximilian Holland on November 6, 2024 at 12:50 pm
The October auto market saw plugin EVs take 95.6% share in Norway, up from 91.3% year on year. BEVs took 94.0% share, with PHEVs adding another 1.5% to […]
- Beyond The Runway: Decarbonizing The Fashion Industryby Carolyn Fortuna on November 6, 2024 at 12:30 pm
Like much of our disposable society, the fashion industry has succumbed to quickly-produced trends sold at low price points. Add to that excessive production […]
- Why Clean Technology Will Still Winby Jennifer Sensiba on November 6, 2024 at 4:59 am
As of this writing, things don’t look for the Kamala Harris campaign. The swing states are slowly being called for Trump, and the remaining ones are all […]
- What Happens To US EV Sales Now (Under Trump)?by Zachary Shahan on November 6, 2024 at 4:58 am
The election hasn’t officially been called, but it’s close enough. Donald Trump — despite all of this and much, much more — will be president of the […]
- Kia Shows Its Adventurous Side At SEMAby Jennifer Sensiba on November 6, 2024 at 4:57 am
Every year, vehicle manufacturers come to Las Vegas for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. SEMA isn’t just about drumming up sales; […]
- What Happens to All of Those “Investing in America” Projects if Trump is Elected?by Zachary Shahan on November 6, 2024 at 4:56 am
The 2024 US presidential election race is still too close to call, but it’s not looking great for Kamala Harris and the Democrats. I just wrote about the […]
- $988 Billion In Private Investments Connected to “Investing in America” Agendaby Zachary Shahan on November 6, 2024 at 4:55 am
A reader pointed me to this webpage and the map there showing where manufacturing and infrastructure investments associated with the American Rescue Plan, […]
- Shared Micromobility Trips in North America Offset Approximately 81 Million Pounds of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Last Yearby Cynthia Shahan on November 6, 2024 at 4:13 am
Shared Micromobility Trips in North America Averaged 1.5 Miles and 15 Minutes in 2023 The typical shared micromobility trip in North America in 2023 was 1.5 […]
- Finding Tess, And How Secure Is A Tesla?by David Waterworth on November 6, 2024 at 3:31 am
Disclaimer: I am not encouraging anyone to steal any vehicle — not even a Red Rocket tricycle. How do you find your Tesla? This is a question we get asked […]
- Will Musk’s AI Supercomputer Compromise A Local Community’s Grid?by Carolyn Fortuna on November 6, 2024 at 12:20 am
Elon Musk has announced that he is building the world’s largest supercomputer. The problem is that it will require the same amount of electricity as would […]
- HomeBoost Turns Your Smartphone Into A Home Energy Audit Deviceby Steve Hanley on November 5, 2024 at 8:46 pm
Our homes can be big time wasters of energy. As utility and heating bills continue to rise, figuring out how to make a home more efficient can pay big […]
- Lilium Still Aims to Get to Commercial Flight — Updatesby Zachary Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 7:15 pm
As I wrote a week ago, unfortunately, following some surprise obstacles getting financial support in Germany, Lilium had to file for insolvency. The electric […]
- Pittsburgh Gets $96 Million for Cleantech Manufacturing Facility, Will Create 900+ Jobsby Zachary Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 6:51 pm
Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing & Recycling Grants Program, the California company Mainspring Energy has […]
- Cash For Clunkers: Modern Electric Vehicle Variant An Obvious Climate Policyby Michael Barnard on November 5, 2024 at 6:16 pm
In the 1990s, numerous countries both within and outside Europe launched vehicle scrappage schemes with multiple goals. Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Spain, […]
- Electric Vehicles Have Many Benefits Gas Vehicles Do Notby Jake Richardson on November 5, 2024 at 5:10 pm
There is a surplus of online electric vehicle misinformation and disinformation, enough that EV truths may not be as evident as they could or should be. […]
- Bidirectional Charging (V2G) Could Save Europeans $23 Billion A Yearby Steve Hanley on November 5, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Transport & Environment recently asked Germany’s highly respected Frauhhofer Institute to investigate the economic benefits of widespread V2G (vehicle to […]
- Democrats Get Stuff Done — Vote Wisely!by Zachary Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 4:53 am
… And They’re USA’s Only Hope For Competing With China There’s no doubt about it — China is absolutely demolishing the US on the clean technology […]
- The Best Way To Bring EV Charging To The Mass Marketby Zachary Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 4:20 am
I recently spoke with Phillip Kobernick, Associate Director of Energy Programs at Peninsula Clean Energy, about a handful of EV matters. In particular, […]
- New Report: Offshore Wind Can Create Over 60,000 Jobs in Norway by 2050by Cynthia Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 1:02 am
Last August, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate released a resource analysis outlining three potential scenarios for future petroleum production on the […]
- In Bangkok, Toshiba & Naturenix Begin Testing Battery Subscription Service for Electric Motorcycle Taxisby Cynthia Shahan on November 5, 2024 at 12:54 am
Bangkok electric motorcycle taxis help travelers manage traffic congestion. Yet, previously, the batteries from the EV taxis suffered from high temperatures. […]
- BYD Added A Tesla-Worth Of Production Capacity Over The Past 3 Months … With More To Comeby Letters to the Editor on November 4, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Editor’s note: BYD is clearly on a huge roll, after more than a decade of growth and rapid innovation. Its sales are booming fast, and it is establishing […]
- Con Ed And First Student Bring Solar Microgrid To New Yorkby Steve Hanley on November 4, 2024 at 9:36 pm
Con Edison and First Student are constructing a microgrid in Brooklyn to manage the charging requirements of electric school buses. The post Con Ed And First […]
- 3-D Printed Concrete Enlisted For Futuristic Subsea Energy Storage Demonstrationby Tina Casey on November 4, 2024 at 7:17 pm
A new US energy storage project will adapt the power of pumped storage hydro to subsea locations near offshore wind farms and energy-hungry coastal cities, […]
- Swedish Labor Unions Are Undaunted By Tesla Intrasigenceby Steve Hanley on November 4, 2024 at 6:22 pm
The strike against Tesla in Sweden is important to the union movement in most of Europe, where collective bargaining is the norm. The post Swedish Labor Unions […]
- If Your Sweater Feels Better, Thank An Agrivoltaic Projectby Tina Casey on November 4, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Solar researchers have uncovered some tantalizing clues about the impact of agrivoltaic projects on the health and grazing habits of sheep, leading to a […]
- What If Trump Pulls Off A Win? He’ll Have To Eat Clean Technologyby Jennifer Sensiba on November 4, 2024 at 2:27 pm
With the election coming up tomorrow, I’m seeing a lot of fear out there. Some of it is very much justified. For example, businesses in Washington, DC, are […]
- The Real Game-Changer For Autonomous Vehicles Isn’t What You Think It Isby Jennifer Sensiba on November 4, 2024 at 2:26 pm
I recently came across an interesting social media post about a possible use of autonomous vehicles: Are we nearing the end of checked bags and rental cars for […]
- EVs Take 62.2% Share In Sweden — Tesla Model Y Still Dominatesby Dr. Maximilian Holland on November 4, 2024 at 1:11 pm
October saw plugin EVs take 62.2% share in Sweden, up slightly YoY from 60.6%. BEV volume fell YoY, though PHEV volume increased. Overall auto volume was […]
- Why The Pentagon Struggles With The Dark Side of Electric Aviationby Jennifer Sensiba on November 4, 2024 at 12:26 pm
It’s easy to think that electric aviation is something that’s happening tomorrow. Air taxis, eVTOL craft, rescue pods, aerial ambulances, and such are […]
- Killing A Rescued Squirrel Sets Environmental Efforts Backby Jennifer Sensiba on November 4, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Social media is abuzz with people telling the story of Peanut the Squirrel, and his death at the hands of New York state officials. While the story has […]
- To Be Electrocuted, Or Eaten By A Shark? That Is The Question.by David Waterworth on November 4, 2024 at 5:26 am
Standing in front of the solid awesomeness of the BYD Shark brought back to memory the surreal comments of a certain presidential candidate. He opined that he […]
- Fido Friendliness Could Enhance The Next Tesla Model Y Refreshby Carolyn Fortuna on November 4, 2024 at 12:18 am
“No Model Y ‘refresh’ is coming out this year,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated earlier this year before adding a caveat. “I should note that Tesla […]