"Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the funding round for San Francisco-based Watershed, which claims a valuation of $1 billion. Clients include Sweetgreen, Twitter, Airbnb and DoorDash."
Renewable energy heat batteries for industrial applications gain funding
"The system is designed to pull energy from solar, wind, and the energy grid, charging the battery intermittently, but delivering continuous heat. Rondo said the battery bricks are made of safe, widely available materials."
Valvoline Launches EV Maintenance Program
"Valvoline has announced a new pilot program to roll out electric vehicle service and maintenance offerings in a number of its retail stores. The company is calling this move 'the next step in advancing Valvoline’s strategy to extend its world-class preventive auto maintenance service model to EV owners, OEMs and fleets.'"
Can AI Save Humanity From Climate Change? That’s the Wrong Question
“'AI is a powerful tool, but climate action will require all the tools. The moral of the story for me is that it is important for people to think about how they can use the tools they have to make a difference on problems that they care about.'”
Burning Metal to Make Clean Energy
"So, what happens with all the rust then? Because iron is not just the fuel that is consumed, the energy stored can be easily recharged. And to recharge it, all that oxygen from FeO can be stripped out, and turned back into Fe, ready to be burned again. It might not be easy to do this, but much of the energy and work consists of prying that oxygen away from all the iron, which gets returned to when burning the iron, the next time. The idea is to use the same iron repeatedly, discharging it, and recharging it every time – just like a battery."
GM-Backed Cruise Launches Driverless Ride Service In San Francisco
"Starting next year Cruise will add purpose-built, electric Origin vans supplied by GM to its fleet and thinks having them do double duty throughout the day, acting as robotaxis during rush hour peaks and shifting to grocery and food deliveries when ride demand drops, will maximize revenue, Vogt says."
With a plan to decarbonize home heating with hydrogen, Modern Electron raises $30M
"If Modern Electron’s tech becomes mainstream, and the trend away from oil and coal continues, it could make natural gas a much cleaner and more viable complement (and one already with a heavy global presence) to renewables like solar and wind."
A roadway will charge your EV while you’re driving
"Wireless EV charging systems use magnetic frequency to transfer power from coils buried underground to a receiver pad attached to the car's underbelly."
Verdox Captures $80M to Develop Novel Electric Carbon Removal Technology
"Verdox, an electric carbon capture and removal company, launched today and announced $80M in committed capital from a syndicate including Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), Prelude Ventures, and Lowercarbon Capital. The investment will be leveraged to develop and deploy the company’s novel electrochemical carbon capture technology."
These EVs are cheaper to own than their gas-powered counterparts
"The real cost advantage happens over time, since charging the truck costs less than buying gas, and maintenance will also be less expensive because EVs have fewer moving parts. The same is true for other EVs."