Many of the concerns and challenges around EVs come down to the battery: how expensive it is to make them, the environmental impacts of mining critical raw materials for them, how well they hold a charge––and crucially, how much they degrade over time.

That last consideration is the subject of a new paper published in Nature this month by researchers at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

The report, titled “Dynamic cycling enhances battery lifetime,” reaches a conclusion that was surprising to its authors: Contrary to popular belief, the ways that batteries discharge power in real-world driving conditions can actually improve the lifetime of lithium-ion EV batteries by as much as 38%.

“We cycled batteries in ways that are representative of real EV driving, and tried to compare that to how batteries are regularly cycled—meaning, charged and discharged—traditionally in the lab,” Alexis Geslin, a lead co-author of the paper and a PhD candidate at Stanford, told Tech Brew. “Usually in the lab, they are charged and discharged with a constant current, just because it’s easy to implement. But in real life, you don’t drive your vehicle at a constant pace.”

Keep reading here.—JG

Looking for a place to power up?

December brought news of several new EV charging station projects across the country as the sector works to fill in gaps and assure drivers they won’t be left with a dead battery.

First up: Rivian announced that it’s opening a new charging “outpost” in Joshua Tree, following its first location in Yosemite earlier this year.

The Joshua Tree location features a slew of amenities, including coffee, snacks, and a play area for kids, as well as educational opportunities about EV charging.

Also of note: For the first time, Rivian is opening up its fast-charging network to non-Rivian vehicles. By the end of this year, the EV maker plans to have other charging outposts up and running in Texas, Illinois, Montana, New York, Michigan, Colorado, and Pennsylvania.

The stations will have CCS connectors but can accommodate NACS-equipped EVs with an adapter. Rivian said that a forthcoming update would enable support for native NACS connectors, the charging standard (pioneered by Tesla) that is becoming the industry norm.

Keep reading here.—JG

While the incoming presidential administration seems rather unconcerned about the climate crisis, investors are paying close attention to weather forecasting software to insulate physical assets from weather-related damage, two recent reports showed.

JPMorgan’s Sector Spotlight on Climate Technology report noted that extreme weather events have become “an increasing concern for some business leaders and investors.” As a result, the report says that companies may use software—and hardware—to “measure, track, and adapt to the changing environment.”

Kelly Belcher, JPMorgan Commercial Banking’s head of climate tech, told Tech Brew that investor concern is directing funds into weather monitoring technology, “including specialized detection softwares and AI-enabled weather forecasting.”

“Investors are taking notice of how these innovations can help organizations assess risk, prepare for disruptions in operations, and protect our communities,” Belcher said.

Meanwhile, a recent report from Citi Wealth, part of Citigroup, took a more direct approach, noting that if investors aren’t worried about climate-related disasters, they should be.

Keep reading here.—TC

Two years in, ChatGPT’s 'black box' vs. 'white box' decision-making remains a mystery. Discover why transparency and clear explanations of these AI systems matter for building trust and ensuring reliable business applications.