In the spirit of the “Recharge Wrap-up” we used to do, “Short Circuit” is a new weekly roundup of the green news that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks. Whether it’s geeky, niche, a bit far afield or just good weekend reading, you’ll find it here.
Watch The Boring Company talk to Hawthorne City Council about a proposed two-mile hyperloop test track at SpaceX. In the video above (beginning at about 7:28), we get a sense of what a massive undertaking it will be to get the real thing built. Elon Musk has said he has “verbal government approval” to connect cities on the East Coast. That’s going to take some serious time though, as another video from Bloomberg points out. Read more at Inside EVs.
> Related: Before Elon Musk can innovate tunnels, he has to rent a digger
Tesla is taking a “tiny house” on tour in Australia to show off the potential of solar energy. Towed by a Tesla Model X, the 4,400-pound building is equipped with six solar panels with a generation capacity of 2 kW, with energy stored in a Powerwall battery on the side of the structure. Tesla will visit all the major Australian cities (and smaller ones, by request) as it gins up interest for its solar products, which aren’t commercially available there yet. Read more at TechCrunch, or from Tesla.
Formula E could incorporate an electric touring car support series into its race weekends.FIA President Jean Todt said that Formula E is considering adding a second electric series “in other categories of motorsport” to the weekend, but didn’t offer specifics. The support season could begin as early as Formula E’s fifth (2018/19) season, and an announcement could come in October. Read more at Motorsport.
> Related: Faraday Future could pull out of Formula E to save cash
Germany is testing overhead contact charging for electric trucks on the Autobahn. The German state of Hesse has contracted Siemens to build a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) stretch of overhead wires to power and charge electric trucks driving near the Frankfurt airport at speeds of up to 56 miles per hour. The contact charging system offers an efficiency of 80 percent. Read more at Electrek.
Lucid Motors is showing off a new look for its Air luxury EV in Monterey. No real news here, just new images:
Lucid Air x #MontereyCarWeekpic.twitter.com/Q6wKArx3HN
— Lucid Motors (@Lucid_Motors) August 17, 2017
> Related: Henrik Fisker has a “game-changer” charging method
Texts from former Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski to then-CEO Travis Kalanick bash Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Levandowski, who is accused of stealing trade secrets from Waymo, said “We’ve got to start calling Elon on his s—,” and suggested trying to get the term “faketesla” trending on social media in order to debunk “stupid s— Elon says.” In the texts, uncovered in the Uber/Waymo suit, Levandowski took umbrage at Musk’s remarks about lidar and believed Musk was lying about Tesla crashes. Read more at Business Insider.
A utility company in San Diego is offering $ 10,000 in incentives to customers who buy a Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 electric vehicle. That’s in addition to the federal and state incentives available in California. San Diego Gas & Electric asks the customer to bring a copy of their utility bill and discount flyer to a participating dealer. It’s possible that Nissan is helping to fund the discounts in order to clear out inventory ahead of the launch of the next-generation Leaf. Other utility companies are offering their own discounts. Read more at Green Car Reports.
> Related: Uber shareholders ask Benchmark to step down after suing former CEO
Toyota is launching a platform to allow dealers and distributors to create their own local carsharing programs. Toyota distributor Servco Pacific will launch a pilot program using Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform in Honolulu, Hawaii. The application supports driver identification, and authentication, as well as payment and fleet management tools. Users will be able to unlock their rentals with their smartphone using the platform’s “Smart Key Box.” Read more from Toyota.
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