An airplane with no moving parts has flown a distance of 60 meters. Is that a big deal? It is if you consider that on a cold December day in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first airplane changed the world when it flew a distance of only 37 meters. What new ideas could a solid-state airplane with no jet or internal combustion engine lead to?

Steven Barrett is an aeronautics professor at MIT. He has been leading a team of researchers investigating “ionic wind” propulsion for more than 5 years. He tells The Guardian the inspiration for the research came straight from watching episodes of Star…Click here for full article.

“Following detailed analysis of peer-reviewed papers and speaking with battery experts, we believe switching out the current liquid electrolytes for solid materials could be the key to achieving mass market EV penetration,” BMO analyst Colin Hamilton said. “However, in our view we are at least 10 years away from perfecting the chemistry and there are also further developmental risks…Click here for full article.

Back in 2014, Harley-Davidson made a lot of noise about its silent electric Livewire motorcycle concept. But the company’s been mum ever since about whether it ever planned to build it—until now.

At the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday, the company finally announced official plans to build the Livewire, after years of competition from startup electric motorcycle makers such as Zero and Energica.

The new bike looks a lot like the concept bikes that Harley took on tour in 2014 but adds a minimal Street-style fairing to move away from the “naked”… Click here for full article.

A year after throwing down the gauntlet with an unprecedented outlay on next-generation mobility, Volkswagen AG has boosted its five-year plan by more than a quarter to 44 billion euros ($50 billion).

With the new record through 2023, the German carmaker is highlighting the huge stakes in moving from the combustion era into an electric future. Volkswagen said it now plans more than 50 fully-electric models on the road by 2025, more than any other manufacturer. The push, including next year’s Porsche Taycan, is part…Click here for full article

After declining by more than 20 percent from the October peak, oil prices are showing some signs that they have now bottomed out.

WTI hit a low point at $56 per barrel on Wednesday and Brent hit a low just below $65 per barrel. Both crude benchmarks regained some ground at the end of the week, despite the huge increase in U.S. crude oil inventories. In fact, rising prices in the face of the 10-million-barrel increase in crude stocks suggests that oil may have already hit a bottom. “[Y]esterday’s price reaction to the US inventory data shows that negative news is now largely priced in,” Commerzbank said in a note. “This is the only way to explain why an increase in US crude oil stocks of a good 10 million barrels failed to put further pressure on prices.” CLICK for complete article