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Submission + - New charger could double the service-life of Li-Ion batteries 1

Submitted by NewtonsLaw
NewtonsLaw writes: Lithium-Ion (LI) batteries are the backbone of much of our modern technology. They're in our phones, our laptops, our smartwatches and even the EVs that are increasingly appearing on our roads. One of the problems with LI technolgy however, is the very finite life of those batteries.

In the case of an EV, the battery pack represents a very significant portion of the total price you pay when buying one. Right now, the life of EV batteries is generally considered to be at least eight years, under normal use. But what if that could be doubled — simply by changing the way those batteries are charged?

This announcement by researchers in Europe indicates that the service life (ie: the number of charg/discharge cycles) of LI batteries could be as much as doubled, through the use of a pulsed current charging technology.

The standard charge method for LI cells is to deliver a constant direct current (DC) until the voltage of the cell rises to around 4.2 volts, at which time the voltage is maintained at a constant level and the charge current allowed to fall off. Once the charge current reaches a predefined minimum level, the cell is considered charged.

The new pulsed current method does not use DC but instead opts to recharge by way of intermittent pulses of current. This is not a new charging technology although it's not the norm for LI cells. Pulsed current chargers have been used on older chemistries such as nickel-cadmium in order to reduce/eliminate the formation of dendrites that would otherwise create short-circuits or significantly increase the self-discharge rate. Applying this tech to recharging LI cells seems to be a significant game-changer, if the lab results are duplicated in "the real world (TM)"

Doubling the life of your EV's battery or even your smartphone's battery is no small thing.

Submission + - Oregon shutting down small farms to protect the environment

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Small Farms in Oregon Suffer as New CAFO Definitions Threaten Livelihoods
In Oregon, the landscape of small-scale farming is undergoing a seismic shift due to recent regulatory changes affecting water rights and farm operations. These changes are casting a shadow over the future of family farms and local agriculture, invoking a series of legal challenges and widespread concern among the farming community.

At the core of the upheaval are two contentious issues: the expanded definition of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and stringent water usage restrictions. These regulations have placed an undue burden on small farmers, many of whom are now facing the threat of closure due to what they view as overreaching government intervention.

Comment Re:Blu (Score 1) 110

by antdude (#64373866) Attached to: Cinephiles Rallying To Physical Media

Ditto. I had a hard time getting VLC, with all these addons, to, play my decade old Avatar 1 Blu-Ray movie in my PC's new BD drive. I gave up so I tried bloated PowerDVD trial, but it wouldn't play through my VGA cable because of lack of DRM. Frak it all.

Submission + - FCC Lets SpaceX Expand Testing of Cellular Starlink for Phones (pcmag.com)

Submitted by SonicSpike
SonicSpike writes: The FCC has given SpaceX regulatory clearance to start expanding tests of its cellular Starlink system in the US.

The FCC today issued an experimental license to SpaceX to test cellular Starlink in 10 more US locations; that comes after it granted licenses for two dozen other locations in December.

Originally, the FCC only granted SpaceX permission to test the cellular Starlink system in select cities, such as Mountain View, California; Dallas, Texas; and Pie Town, New Mexico. But now the commission is letting the company test the technology “state-wide” in California, Washington, Texas, and Hawaii.

In addition, SpaceX can conduct testing in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Whitmore Lake, Michigan; and Rock Creek, Colorado, among other locations.

The company is indicating the tests will see how the cellular Starlink system fares across various kinds of terrains. In a filing to the FCC earlier this month, SpaceX said: “Including these additional locations will enable SpaceX to more fully test its direct-to-cellular system, including beam-placement and topology software, in a variety of different geographic circumstances.”

In the meantime, the company’s initial tests have shown that the cellular Starlink satellites can successfully beam internet data to unmodified smartphones on the ground. This includes powering download speeds up to 17Mbps and even sending the internet data while the phone is under tree cover or even indoors. The technology’s goal is to serve cellular dead zones, making it possible for consumers to receive satellite connectivity in remote and rural areas.

Submission + - Trudeau Pushes 3D-Printed Homes To Solve Canada Housing Crisis (dailyhive.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: It is now the third consecutive day a major housing funding announcement has been made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Friday’s announcement entails over $600 million in investments targeted to help lower the construction cost of homes and speed up building timelines, with a new focus on creating new building innovation technologies. This includes a new $50 million Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund, which the federal government aims to leverage an additional $150 million from the private sector and other levels of government. Another $50 million will be invested in ideas and technology such as prefabricated housing factories, mass timber production, panelization, 3D printing, and pre-approved home design catalogues — specifically projects already funded.

As well, $11.6 million will go towards the federal government’s previously announced Housing Design Catalogue to create a standardized home structure design for simplicity as well as construction and cost efficiencies. The vast majority of today’s announced funding will go into the federal Apartment Construction Loan Program, which provides low-cost financing to support new rental housing projects using innovative construction techniques from prefabricated and modular housing manufacturers as well as other homebuilders.

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