Hydrogen Hutzpah
Hydrogen-powered vehicles may become a contender for the most effective green energy vehicle compared to EVs.
Although they still carry an electric battery, hydrogen cars are refueled, with the hydrogen gas passing over a fuel stack and mixing with oxygen to power the battery, with the refueling process only taking a couple of minutes. The current range average is about 1,000 kilometres per tank, in fact, Hydrogen Mobility Europe’s cars traveled a total of five million kilometres last year.
As for infrastructure, there is a severe lack of refueling stations currently to support a mainstream appeal for the vehicles, with companies asking for federal funding to begin construction.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles are predicted to make their public debut by 2025.
Technologist Troubles
An engineer instrumental in Google’s AV development has been indicted after being charged with the theft of trade secrets.
Anthony Levandowski has been accused of stealing around 14,000 files containing information concerning the engineering and manufacturing from Google’s former AV branch.
Levandowski could be looking at a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge.
Waymo Wants Rewrite
AV developer Waymo is asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to rethink conventional vehicle safety standards when it comes to self-driving vehicles.
When looking at how future autonomous vehicles will be judged on safety — lacking any manual input including steering wheels and pedals, Waymo labeled the administration’s current regulations as “barriers to the safe introduction of automated driving systems.”
Automakers predict it will take the administration to at least 2025 to rewrite safety standards.