Cyclists gear up for Huge Bike Revival

David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Andrew Mitchell apart, you hardly ever see a politician on a bike.

Which is funny, because political parties love cycling. It plays to important agendas such as well being and the atmosphere and it’s an straightforward win as far as boosting green credentials is concerned.

The outgoing coalition government place its funds where its mouth was with £1 million of backing for a campaign to aid individuals cycle a lot more safely by providing them the abilities to repair and sustain their bikes.

On yer bike

The Huge Bike Revival, masterminded by cycling charity CTC, aims to encourage much more folks to dig out their old bike and rediscover the joys of cycling.

The campaign starts in earnest in May, when would-be cyclists will be capable to take their bike to a participating re-cycle centre.

They can then learn how to fix and sustain the bike, or trade it in for a diverse model.

Men and women will also be able to find out about cycle instruction and other activities in the area. You will even be in a position to donate any unwanted bicycles.

Pollution resolution

Announcing the government backing, Robert Goodwill, the coalition’s transport minister, stated: “We are serious about receiving men and women on their bike – cycling is wonderful for our well being and signifies much less-congested cities and much less pollution.

“Now spring has arrived, there is no greater time to bring out that bike gathering dust in the shed.

“The Big Bike Revival will help you sort out the punctures and minor mechanical issues that we have all utilised as an excuse not to get out on 2 wheels.”

Saddle sore

In 2013, 42% of adults in Britain had access to a bicycle, but 63% had not ridden in the earlier year. But 37% say they could very easily swap the automobile for the bike for short journeys of much less than 2 miles.

A CTC pilot project in October 2014 proved a big accomplishment, attracting more than 1,300 people to 10 centres across West Yorkshire, Higher Manchester and Liverpool.

A final list of participating re-cycle centres will be available in Might – watch this space.

Ride and park

The outgoing government also announced a additional £15 million on improvements to cycle facilities at practically 300 railway stations across the country.

The funds will spend for an added 7,500 cycle parking spaces at 279 stations, tripling the number of cycle parking spaces at stations because 2010.

Major stations set to benefit from a grant incorporate Derby, Lincoln, Dorking, Preston and Rugby.

There will also be a new cycle route and 300 cycle parking spaces in Cheltenham Spa.

Cyclists gear up for Huge Bike Revival

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Next Huge Disruption Is not a New Car, It’s a New Battery

Elon Musk isn’t waiting for someone else to figure out how to build a better battery. While lithium-ion technology remains expensive and somewhat fraught with technical issues, the headstrong Tesla CEO has a plan that should at least make batteries cheaper. Many also think it’s his bid to establish the battery as the dominant alt-fuel technology.

Musk wants to cut the price of a Tesla battery pack by more than 30 percent by building a 10-million-square-foot Nevada factory that condenses the company’s current ocean-spanning supply chain onto a single property. His proposed “Gigafactory” would make batteries from start to finish, beginning with raw ma­teri­als and ending with battery-pack assembly.

Unlike Henry Ford’s revolutionary vertical integration in the 1900s, Musk won’t own the entire Gigafactory operation. Part of his plan is convincing established industrial giants to carry some of the $ 5 billion financial burden. Panasonic, which already supplies battery cells for the Model S, will make an initial investment of $ 200 million to $ 300 million to be the sole cell manufacturer on site. The Japanese electronics giant could chip in as much as $ 1 billion by the time the project is complete, while Tesla says it will put up $ 2 billion to $ 3 billion.

A rendering of Tesla’s proposed Gigafactory as seen from the vantage of a SpaceX rocket.

Barring a breakthrough in battery technology, the largest cost savings for Tesla will come from optimizing every aspect of the supply chain. Musk wants to go as far as importing steel and aluminum to stamp out cases for the battery packs. “It’s a lot faster, a lot less linkage, a lot less packaging, and inventory would be reduced,” says Bob Rauh, director of business development for automotive and infrastructure at Panasonic.

Today’s Model S batteries are manufactured in Japan before taking the long boat ride to California. Moving those processes stateside eliminates logistics expenses and Tesla’s exposure to Japan’s electricity rates, which are roughly twice those of the United States. Musk plans to drive his energy expenses even lower with an expansive solar array and wind turbines on-site. (Conveniently, Musk is also chairman of the SolarCity energy-systems enterprise.)

Even if there isn’t a wholesale shift in the technology, Tesla will do everything it can to squeeze pennies out of the battery cells, which account for 70 to 80 percent of the cost of the pack. Model S cells use Panasonic’s cylindrical 18650 format, basically an oversized AA battery and the most common lithium-ion battery type in the world. That decision allowed tiny Tesla to benefit from the economies of scale created by the largest consumer of lithium-ion batteries, the consumer-electronics industry.

Tesla Model S

Musk’s ambition—he claims the Gigafactory will supply battery packs for 500,000 cars per year by 2020—means Panasonic could be manufacturing billions of battery cells annually for Tesla. That kind of volume would allow Tesla to create its own economies of scale for a new battery shape rather than depend on the 18650. “The sheer size of the Gigafactory allows us to drive what is the most cost-effective size of the battery,” Rauh says.

Panasonic is studying new cylindrical-cell geometries that would optimize both the cost and the energy density for Tesla’s needs. Today’s Model S lithium-ion battery already uses a nickel-intensive cathode that is cheaper than the usual cobalt chemistry, but Tesla acknowledges that it is working with new cathode and anode materials for its next-generation battery, hoping to improve cost, density, and longevity.

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As with other news about Tesla, the Gigafactory has created hype well ahead of the product. Analysts at Credit Suisse recently released a report suggesting Tesla could drop the cost of a powertrain from $ 16,500 to $ 7500, putting electric technology on par with the cost of a high-end internal-combustion engine. The fact that Credit Suisse’s predicted 55-percent improvement far exceeds Tesla’s own 30-percent claim didn’t stop media outlets from trumpeting this speculation as fact.

Many complex factors must align for the Gigafactory to come together and deliver the predicted cost savings. That said, Musk has shown real talent in talking others into giving his small company the things it needs to move forward, from the government’s first $ 465 million loan to Toyota’s bargain-priced Fremont, California, factory. The Gigafactory is slated to turn out its first battery packs in 2017—but don’t hold your breath. Every hero has his Kryptonite, and Musk’s has been sticking to a schedule.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Next Huge Disruption Is not a New Car, It’s a New Battery

Warmest day hope just before huge storm

16/07/14

By Helen Smyth

A powerful summer time storm is threatening to bring flooding to parts of the UK this weekend.

The Met Workplace has issued serious climate alerts for rain covering most of England and Wales on Saturday.

Torrential downpours, lightning and strong gusts could sweep in a day following temperatures are forecast to attain the 30C mark, with Friday tipped to be the hottest day of the year so far.

Yellow alerts for rain have been put in location for north England, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands, East of England, south-west England, London and the South East and components of Wales.

The Met Office mentioned: “Places of heavy, thundery showers might develop more than England and Wales from early on Saturday prior to moving northwards during the day.

“The development of these is uncertain but where they do form some torrential downpours are feasible with frequent lightning, hail and locally powerful gusts.

“Important flooding is feasible where these do occur from surface water as effectively as small, quickly responding watercourses.

“The frequent lightning, hail and robust gusts could also be an further hazard. The public should be aware of the risk of disruption from any of these elements.”

The stormy situations will dampen the mood in the course of what is likely to be the warmest spell of the year so far.

Temperatures will peak on Friday when the 30C barrier could be reached for the 1st time this year, with the most likely place to the north-west of London.

Forecasts suggest Britain will be slightly warmer than European holiday destinations such as Barcelona, Ibiza and Good.

The hottest day so far this year was July 4, when 28.7C (83.7F) was detected in Norfolk and Essex.

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Warmest day hope just before huge storm