Jul 26
Jul 26
Seven major automakers have banded together to create a new charging network in North America, with an eventual target of 30,000 high-powered charge points near urban and highway locations. The companies involved with the venture include BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and Stellantis. The venture issued a statement on the move, saying they are trying to “accelerate the transition to electric vehicles” and “make zero-emission driving even more attractive.”
The goal of this venture is 30,000 new charging points, and the companies say they will “leverage public and private funds” to get there. After all, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that the country will need around 182,000 fast chargers to accommodate the massive influx of EVs hitting the roads by 2030. This venture represents a good portion of these needs.
These stations will use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard and the North American Charging Standard (NACS). It’s worth mentioning that Tesla’s superchargers use the NACS charging type and the company recently opened up the technology to other EV manufacturers.
This new joint program will formally begin operations sometime this year, assuming it clears regulatory approval conditions, and it plans on opening up its first stations next summer. Each site will boast multiple chargers and plenty of amenities, like canopies, restaurants, restrooms and integrated brick-and-mortar retail stores.
EV sales are expected to contribute to more than 50 percent of total automobile sales by 2030, so the more charging stations available, the better. To that end, some of the companies involved in this venture are also striking out on their own to build more charging stations. GM, for instance, promises to build 40,000 charging stations at car dealerships throughout the US and Canada.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/major-automakers-team-up-to-create-new-north-american-ev-charging-network-171532385.html?src=rss
Jul 26
Soon You’ll Have To Apply In Advance To Visit 30 European Countries. Here’s What To Know.
Posted in: Today's ChiliAre you planning your next European vacation? U.S. citizens will soon need to apply in advance to visit 30 EU countries.
Jul 26
With vibes that are part District Nine, part Arrival, and part Annihilation, Apple TV+’s Invasion takes a very restrained view of what a first contact might look like. While the first season of the show established the stakes and provided a global backdrop to what was happening as various countries and cultures came…
Jul 26
A new generation of the heroes in a half-shell is nearly upon us as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem gets ready to hit theaters in a few weeks. But that generation is going to continue—not just on the big screen, but on smaller ones too.
Jul 26
SpaceX is set to make history with tonight’s scheduled launch of the heaviest geostationary satellite ever, EchoStar 24, also known as Jupiter 3. You can catch the action live right here.
Jul 26
Excess Deaths Among Republicans Skyrocketed After Covid Vaccine Became Available, Study Finds
Posted in: Today's Chili
As covid vaccines started to roll out in February 2021, misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the shot were on the rise—as were the deaths of Republican voters.
Jul 26
Amazon, Microsoft-led group shares data for open alternative to Google Maps
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe Overture Maps Foundation, a group founded by Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and TomTom, has released an initial open dataset that will help developers build mapping apps and other location-based tools. The “alpha” set includes worldwide info for over 59 million places, 780 million unique buildings, road data from OpenStreetMap and borders.
The map layers are packaged in a recently-launched Overture map format that’s meant to be standardized and interoperable between platforms. The group is mainly sharing the data at this stage to get public feedback, rather than to support complete products.
The foundation was formed in December last year by a range of companies that include geospatial and mapping firms in addition to tech giants. While open map data isn’t a new concept, Overture believes the collective effort is necessary to deliver accurate, up-to-date info that’s no longer practical for any one organization to provide. Ideally, a newcomer won’t have to worry about supplying outdated or incomplete directions.
Overture is quick to warn that there’s still a lot of work left before its material is truly ready. Upcoming releases will include more open data, greater interoperability and the use of a stable ID system that will help map builders consistently add content. You might not see apps relying much (if at all) on the alpha dataset, but it serves as a starting point that gives app creators an idea of what’s possible.
Google has historically dominated the mobile navigation app market, with Google Maps and Waze together claiming a clear majority of use in recent years. Apple Maps, meanwhile, tends to get nearly all the remaining share. There’s not much room for challengers, and they normally need massive resources just to be competitive. Overture’s open data could make it much easier to produce viable alternatives, even if they’re unlikely to unseat Apple or Google any time soon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-microsoft-led-group-shares-data-for-open-alternative-to-google-maps-160001416.html?src=rss
Jul 26
Documents reveal some of the tactics deployed specifically against immigrants during union campaigns.
Jul 26
Samsung has only just unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but there are already deals to be had if you lock in a pre-order on Amazon. Those who pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will get a $200 Amazon gift card as well as a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB. That should somewhat make up for the foldable’s high base price of $1,800.
We’ve had some hands-on time with the Z Fold 5. There’s a new hinge that all but eliminates the gap between the two halves of the screen and it reduces the device’s overall thickness to 13.5mm. The Flex Hinge still has IPX8 water resistance, according to Samsung.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform chipset and it has 12GB of RAM. The 6.2-inch OLED cover screen and main 7.6-inch display both have 120Hz refresh rates. The camera array includes a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
So far, we feel that the Z Fold 5 has improved multitasking, but rivals such as Google and Oppo are catching up to Samsung on the foldables front. The high price doesn’t help, but at least the Amazon pre-order deal takes the sting out of that a bit. The Z Fold 5 will ship on August 11th.
Meanwhile, you’ll get a $150 Amazon gift card when you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. A free storage upgrade to 512GB can be all yours too. The Z Flip 5 starts at $1,000 and it will also be broadly available on August 11th.
Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable has a 3.4-inch external screen, which is nearly four times the size of the one on the previous model. It also boasts a Flex Hinge to minimize the crease between the two halves of the 6.7-inch, 120Hz AMOLED main screen.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-5-pre-orders-on-amazon-include-a-200-gift-card-142351976.html?src=rss
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.