College Students Have Built the First Carbon Neutral Vehicle

The key to the compromise is ZEM, or Zero Emission Mobility, a prototype vehicle that neutralizes its own carbon emissions as it drives. Created by a team of 35 students at the Eindhoven University of Technology, ZEM offers a potential alternative to the personal vehicles we typically see on the road today. Combustion engine vehicles emit about 4.6 metric tons of carbon each every year. While electric vehicles don’t produce emissions as they drive, the lithium battery manufacturing process produces its own carbon footprint to the tune of up to 2.5 metric tons per vehicle. ZEM, meanwhile, aims to bring that number down to zero.

A pair of carbon filters behind ZEM’s front grill collect about 4.5 pounds of carbon per 20,000 miles driven. Once full, these filters can be emptied and reused, while the carbon itself can be used to produce fuel. Solar panels on the roof and hood provide up to 15 percent of ZEM’s power, supplementing the energy required to supply ZEM via traditional plug-in charging. Bi-directional charging capabilities allow the vehicle to be used as a power supply when a home is in need of solar energy.

ZEM’s manufacturing process aims to be carbon neutral, too. The vehicle’s monocoque and body are 3D printed using recycled plastics, which the students say results in almost no carbon emissions or waste material. These same materials can be recycled again later at the end of the vehicle’s life.

ZEM isn’t the students’ first rodeo. Tu Ecomotive—the students’ sustainable mobility startup—has produced seven vehicles total, including Luca, a coupe made mostly from plastic bottles found in the ocean, and Isa, an extremely lightweight car that can travel approximately 1,000 miles on a single gallon of fuel. None of these prototypes (ZEM included) have ever been introduced to the commercial market, but Tu hopes its inventions serve as a proof-of-concept for the auto industry as drivers increasingly seek out environmentally-friendly transportation.

Continue reading

Samsung, Stanford Built a 10,000 PPI Display That Could Revolutionize VR, AR

Ask anyone who has spent more than a few minutes inside a VR headset, and they'll mention the screen door effect. This could eliminate it for good.

How to Build a Face Mask Detector With a Jetson Nano 2GB and AlwaysAI

Nvidia continues to make AI at the edge more affordable and easier to deploy. So instead of simply running through the benchmarks to review the new Jetson Nano 2GB, I decided to tackle the DIY project of building my own face mask detector.

This Is a Bad Time to Build a High-End Gaming PC

We're not going to say it's the worst time to build a high-end gaming PC, but if you'll need to get lucky with some orders if you want to pull it off this year.

Apple Is Building Its Own 5G Modem

What was rumored is now official — Apple is building its own 5G modem.