IntellectBeat

The government is working on a scheme to provide electric cars on zero down payment for which people can pay out of their savings on expensive fossil fuels, with the aim of becoming 100 percent electric vehicle nation by 2030. "India can become the first country of its size which will run 100 per cent of electric vehicles. We are trying to make this programme self financing. We don't need one rupee support from the government. We don't need one rupee investment from the people of India," Power Minister Piyush Goyal said at an event organised by CII Young India. Elaborating further, he said, "We are working (on the scheme). Can we actually give electric car for free (zero down payment) and people can pay for that out of the savings on the petroleum products. Innovation is possible, it just needs an open mind. You need to think of scale and be honest." The minister informed that a small working group under the leadership of Road Minister Nitin Gadkari has ...

When Microsoft's $3000 HoloLens comes in the hands of every consumer, it might be able to truly dissolve the difference of space and time for people living anywhere in the world. In a latest video posted by the software giant, research manager Shahram Izadi demonstrates how the augmented reality device could 'holoport' in real-time. The video shot on HoloLens shows Izadi interacting with people from different zones which appear to be in the same room as Izadi. The technology uses 3D images captured by the cameras placed in respective rooms of the participants and are stitched together to be projected to the HoloLens wearer in real-time. To put it into perspective, Izadi talks to his daughter back home and while he could see his daughter in front of him, the daughter is only able to listen to his voice. With this technology, it is also possible to play back the entire interaction which basically feels like walking into a living memory. One could also reduce the size of the...

Chinese scientists have developed a light weight, low-cost battery which performs better than lithium ion batteries that currently power smartphones and other portable devices. The new aluminium-graphite dual-ion battery (AGDIB) developed by researcher of the Chinese Academy of Sciences offers significantly reduced weight, volume, and fabrication cost, as well as higher energy density, in comparison with conventional lithium ion batteries (LIB). AGDIB's electrode materials are composed of environment friendly low cost aluminium and graphite only, while its electrolyte is composed of conventional lithium salt and carbonate solvent. The discovery is particularly important given rising battery demand and existing LIB technology, which is reaching its limit in specific energy (by weight) and energy density (by volume). LIBs are widely used in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. Battery disposal creates major environmental problems, since mo...