Batteries are the clean tech of all trades: They can help the electrical grid function, provide emergency power, and store renewable energy. But they have a flammability problem—and, depending on the scale, battery fires can be fatal.

Now, some manufacturers are creating batteries that can’t catch on fire because they’re surrounded by fluid.

One such battery comes from EticaAG, which manufactures lithium iron phosphate and nickel manganese cobalt batteries submerged in dielectric fluid, an electric-resistant liquid. The fluid prevents cells from catching on fire, so the “thermal spike” in the battery is contained, EticaAG President Matthew Ward told Tech Brew.

“If a cell has a thermal event, [it] doesn’t go to flame, and that thermal spike is just kept right there at the cell,” Ward said. “That one cell now has gone bad. But instead of cascading and the heat causing another cell to go off—and another and another—that doesn’t happen.”

Keep reading here.—TC

California isn’t letting President Trump’s moratorium on offshore wind stop them from becoming a “powerhouse” for the renewable energy source.

At the Pacific Offshore Wind Summit last month, state elected officials and industry leaders expressed their continued support for offshore wind production in California, despite the Trump administration pausing all future offshore wind leases in the outer continental shelf of the US, which includes parts of the Pacific Ocean. The state currently has two offshore wind energy areas under development—Humboldt, in northern California, and Morro Bay, in central California. The goal is to produce as much as 5 GW of energy via offshore wind by 2030 and up to 25 GW by 2045.

“California has the opportunity to become a powerhouse for offshore wind,” State Assemblymember Rick Zbur said at the conference, per a press release. “We need to continue focusing on our port infrastructure for offshore wind, right now.”

Keep reading here.—TC

May brought a milestone to the world of autonomous trucking: Aurora Innovation started delivering loads to customers via fully driverless trucks on highways in Texas.

The Pittsburgh-based company said in a news release that it was the first to operate a commercial service of this kind on public roads, and previewed plans to expand its service to El Paso and Phoenix later this year. It’s now running driverless delivery routes for customers, including Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, between Dallas and Houston.

“We founded Aurora to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly,” CEO and co-founder Chris Urmson said in a statement. “Our commitment to building a transformative technology, earning trust, and assembling a strong ecosystem of customers and partners have made this pivotal milestone possible.”

In the years leading up to its commercial launch, Aurora ran pilot programs that involved driving over 3 million miles and delivering more than 10,000 customer loads, per the release.

Keep reading here.—JG

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Discover how autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is rapidly reshaping transportation, covering both the latest advances and real-world deployments. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, an investor, or an urban planner, this thorough analysis of the self-driving future will keep you ahead of the curve. Read now to see where mobility is headed next.