Tech

Electric roads that can charge your car are the future of EVs

Detriot is living up to its title as the car capital of America, especially with this new advent. Last week, Detroit installed electric roads that will charge your car while you drive, becoming the first American city to do so.

This marks a big step towards the adoption of electric vehicles in the city, and depending how it goes, maybe America. If done properly, these roads could revolutionize how we drive electric vehicles.

• The roadways can charge EVs while driving, parking, or idling using wireless charging.

• When an EV with a receiver nears the roadway, copper inductive charging coils beneath the road transfer electricity to the car through a magnetic field, which fills up its battery.

• And don’t worry, even though an electrified road might sound a bit daunting, they are perfectly safe for drivers, animals, and pedestrians.

The new tech was created by Electreon, an Israeli company developing wireless-charging solutions for EVs. Michigan’s nearly $6 million experiment is the first of many: Electreon already has contracts for projects in Israel, Sweden, Germany, and Italy, opening the possibilities for further improvement.

Why is this revolutionary for EVs?

Partly because there are still quite a few obstacles standing in the way of mass adoption of electric vehicles, which obviously makes it difficult to get people on board. The electric roads would alleviate some of the biggest concerns regarding EVs… in theory. Here are a few of the major issues:

• America’s power grid is designed for gas powered cars and a society that runs on fossil fuels, and it’s projected that it will strain under an 18% increase in electricity demand by 2030.

• A lack of chargers around the country has drivers concerned about drivability and range in comparison with gas powered vehicles.

While the average range for EVs in the US has quadrupled since 2011 to around 300 miles, electrified roads would allow for unlimited range. Wireless charging would also allow public transit buses, long-haul trucks, delivery vehicles, and taxis to operate constantly without charging — which would be a huge win for the industry.

Depending on how Detroit’s experiment goes, we could see more of these electric roads start to pop up throughout the nation, and more electric vehicles along with them (like this next one).

The most talked about electric truck is finally here

Speaking of EVs, the Cybertruck was just released towards the end of last week. After a long delay, Tesla delivered 10 of its burly, angled Cybertrucks at a launch event in Austin, Texas, yesterday, kicking off the start of deliveries to those who have been patiently waiting for its release.

The EV is exceedingly complex to make, so it has been plagued by production challenges and delays. Elon Musk admitted to investors in October that the Cybertruck would be hard to make at high volumes due to its elaborate production and that it would take at least a year of sales to make any money off it.

As far as its achievements go:

• The Cybertruck can tow 11,000 pounds, which is 1,000 pounds more than the Ford F-150 Lightning.

• It can also out-pull an F-350 diesel and out-race a Porsche 911 (while towing a Porsche 911), according to the test videos Musk showed at the event.

• The truck starts at around $61,000 and gets 340 miles of range.

The first buyers won’t be your average joes, though. They’ll likely be tech savants and high-profile collectors. This is a relief to Ford and other companies that rely on pickup truck sales, as a good portion of their profits come from commercial customers (like government workers and small businesses).

This is fine by Tesla, as their marketing for the Cybertruck emphasizes its speed, comfort, and toughness. Not to mention the company’s radical attention grabbers, which include an entire tommy gun magazine being shot into the side of the truck, Joe Rogan firing a compound bow at the vehicle, and the (botched) throwing of a steel ball into the driver’s side window. At least it’s refreshing.

This tech startup is helping your dogs live longer

This new prescription can extend your dog’s life… as long as it gets through testing. Canine longevity startup, Loyal, got closer to its goal of helping our favorite furry friends stay a bit longer.

The Food and Drug Administration, which approves and regulates drugs for animals (plus humans), said that Loyal’s life-extending drug for canines could be expected to work based on early tests. The company announced this, and the New York Times confirmed, last week.

Following approval from the FDA, Loyal should have a clear pathway to clinical trials and, eventually, confirmation to start shipping the meds out nationwide.

How does it work?

The injectable prescription, called LOY-001, is meant for larger-breed dogs with quicker lifespans than their small dog counterparts. While it may not make the dogs immortal, it does:

• Lessen the production of a hormone called IGF-1 (big dogs have more of it). Blocking it in rodents and worms is already known to boost their life expectancy, according to Loyal.

• Tests suggest that the drug might slow dog aging, but the company has yet to prove that LOY-001 extends their longevity.

Though side effects don’t seem to be very prevalent, some large-dog breeders worry about the ethics of giving healthy dogs a new drug that isn’t proven to be effective. So, we’ll see how the debate plays out.

Politics

A Congressman was just expelled for the first time in 21 years

George Santos is the most recent Congressman to be expelled… in over two decades. Rep. George Santos (R, NY) was expelled from Congress yesterday after the House voted 311-114 to oust the 35-year-old lawmaker.

Santos is the sixth member of the House to be expelled (three of which were during the civil war) in US history and the first to be removed without being convicted of a crime.

Santos has also been at the center of a scandal since beginning his first term in office last year. Shortly after Santos was elected in November 2022, reports surfaced alleging he embellished his background, including his college degree and Wall Street career.

Federal investigators slapped Santos with 23 federal charges, including money laundering, wire fraud, identity theft, and lying to Congress. Santos, of course, has pleaded not guilty. The House Ethics Committee also uncovered similar allegations in a report released last month following its own probe into Santos.

People are fleeing from Congress

There’s a big rush to retire from Congress, but why? It turns out that many of our nation’s lawmakers are as exhausted by being a part of the chaos in Washington, DC, as we are of reading about it. I can’t imagine why.

As of Dec. 1st, 36 members of Congress have announced that they will not be seeking another term, the highest number in over a 10 years. The whole speaker of the house fiasco these past couple months has had members rapidly looking for an exit amid the chaos.

• Many retiring lawmakers cited dysfunction and lack of efficacy in governing as the reasons for leaving their roles.

• Of the 29 lawmakers leaving their House seats, nine Democrats and two Republicans are running for the Senate.

• Two, one Democrat and one Republican, are running for state attorney general.

• One Democrat is running for governor, with another running for President of the United States.

• 14, eight Democrats and six Republicans, are retiring from public office altogether.

The mass exodus could shift the balance of power in a few years… Most lawmakers taking their leave will probably be replaced by members of their own party, but a portion of the seats could exchange hands. Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s spot in the House seems poised to turn from blue to red, as does Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia’s seat.

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Grab Bag

Chocolate lovers look away

Shoppers are starting to spite their sweet tooth to save some cash as chocolate is in short supply. The world’s biggest cocoa producers are struggling due to catastrophic rains and crop disease. It’s so bad it’s sending chocolate prices higher than Victor Wembanyama when he holds the basketball over his head.

On the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which together grow over half of the cocoa on Earth, are both expecting their lowest yields in years. With the current seasonal harvest failing to meet demand for the third year in a row (and future seasons looking equally slim) the prized confectionary is trading at its steepest price since 1979.

But that isn’t all that’s plaguing the chocolate industry

A concurrent sugar shortage is making matters even worse; the rising cost of your chocolate fix (yes, you) is lapping food inflation and will continue to do so into next year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

• That’s on top of the 20% price hike companies already slapped on their chocolate in the US over the past couple years to combat general inflation, per Everstream Analytics.

It’s certainly starting to show. Chocolate companies Barry Callebaut, Lindt & Sprüngliare, Hershey, and Mondelēz are all in distress over stagnant or worsening sales as consumers in the US and Europe are prioritizing their wallet over their sweet tooth (I wish I could say the same for my girlfriend).

McDonalds is starting a new restaurant… and its out of this world

McDonalds has found itself a new competitor… and its itself, but more UFOish. Did that make any sense at all? The international restaurant chain is testing a new (more sci-fi) restaurant concept, called CosMc’s. The new eatery popped up out of nowhere in Bolingbrook, Illinois, with some interesting features.

Who’s CosMc? 

Glad you asked, because I have no idea either. After a little research we found that CosMc is an orange alien that arrived on a “trade” mission to McDonaldland (whatever that is), in an old commercial from the late 80’s.

• He also appeared in some commercials in the 90’s but soon faded out of existence, never to be seen again. Now, he will supposedly make his reappearance.

During an earnings call, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski explained CosMc’s as a “small format concept with all the DNA of McDonald’s but its own unique personality.”

• The Bolingbrook CosMc’s is next to an old McDonald’s and has four drive-thru lanes.

• An X user, Iman Jalali, posted pictures of the supposed menu items, and they look pretty interesting.

But why start a new chain?

Kempczinski said that McDonald’s no longer needs big dining rooms given the growth of new online ordering and delivery options. Plus, fast food chains have experienced more drive-thru traffic post-pandemic. A breakfast-focused, drive-thru (and delivery) centric spinoff could help it better compete with other chains with the same focuses.

Snippets

Media Masterpiece: Here are the best TV shows of 2023.

Secret Stash: A secret millionaire left behind $3.8M to small community in Connecticut. Wish I lived there.

Cantaloupe Catastrophe: The CDC warned against eating precut cantaloupe from unknown sources as it’s been linked to a deadly salmonella outbreak that is spreading throughout the US.

Primetime Parade? Deion Sanders was selected as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year… despite going 4–8 in his first season as head coach.

Obituary Outliver: Henry Kissinger, who died this week at 100, outlived his obituary writer’s obituary writer. Yes, you read that right.

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