news.
Keegan Schroeder covers the latest.
Car Companies Pledge Full Transition to Electric Vehicles Experts in technology economics are predicting that electric cars will follow a similar boom to that seen by the internet. Technological innovations are known to follow an S-shaped (sigmoid) curve in their growth. It starts off slowly as the technology develops, followed by a period of extremely rapid growth as prices fall, and finally ending in market saturation. It looks like electric cars are moving in a similar way, with several announcements from a variety of car manufacturers pledging a complete transition to electric vehicles. Jaguar plans to sell only electric cars from 2025, Volvo from 2030, and recently the British sportscar company Lotus said it would follow from 2028. A big driving factor (if you’ll pardon the pun) in this move is the increased cost-effectiveness of batteries. A decade ago, it cost $1,000 per kilowatt hour of battery power. Now it is closer to $100.
Prof Hawking's Papers and Possessions Saved for the UK Public A 10,000-page archive of Stephen Hawking’s possessions, including childhood letters and his groundbreaking research papers concerning black holes, will be kept at the Cambridge University library. Additionally, his office will be reconstructed and displayed in the Science Museum, just down the road from Imperial College London, next year. The museum exhibit will include his custom-built wheelchairs, communications equipment, and office furniture. One of the archive letters that I found particularly touching is one from when Prof. Hawking was just six years old, detailing a story about a pirate adventure and signed off with hugs and kisses. Prof. Hawking was also known for appearances on several television shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek, and The Simpsons. The scripts from these episodes are also included within the archive. Make sure to look out for the exhibit next year!
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