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Hard sail test hits the high seas, aiming to reduce cargo ship emissions by 30 percent
A cargo ship equipped with rigid sails, each the height of a 10-story building, has departed on its inaugural journey. The Pyxis Ocean vessel will test WindWings sails, designed to harness old-school air power to help reduce fuel usage — and the shipping industry’s CO2 emissions. The sail’s creators estimate the technology could decarbonize cargo ships by about 30 percent as the maritime sector tries to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The estimated reduction could be higher if paired with alternative fuels.
Razor made a two-seater cargo scooter
Razor is expanding into cargo scootering with its new EcoSmart Cargo.
FedEx will test autonomous cargo flights next year
The Chaparral C1 drone will carry up to 500 pounds of packages between depots at a time.
Virgin Hyperloop lays off 111 staffers as it abandons plans for passenger transport
Virgin Hyperloop is abandoning plans to build a passenger-capable version of its vacuum tube system.
This robotic backpack follows its leader wherever you may wander
Boston's Piaggio Fast Forward is set to release in October a smaller, more nimble iteration of its pedestrian-tracking cargo hauler robot, dubbed the Gitamni.
Autonomous tugboat will make a trailblazing 1,150 mile voyage
A company called Sea Machines has announced that it will send an autonomous, remotely commanded tugboat a 1,000 nautical mile voyage around Denmark.
Polestar made a working version of its electric cargo sled
Polestar has revealed a working prototype of its Re:Move electric cargo sled, hinting at a future where these EVs replace delivery vans.
Tesla now offers a tow hitch for the Model Y
The crossover EV can pull 3,500 pounds, but it'll cost you a grand to get the hitch.
Uber wants to sell you Echos, AirPods and Oculus headsets
Uber is taking its retail offerings up a notch. Last year, the company teamed up with Cargo to let drivers hawk goods ranging from snacks to phone chargers. Now, Uber and Cargo are hoping riders will buy more expensive products, like Amazon Echos, Apple AirPods, Oculus devices and Glossier make-up.
SpaceX delivered 5,500 lbs of cargo to the International Space Station today
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft successfully made its way to the International Space Station (ISS), with approximately 5,500 lbs of NASA cargo and science experiments. It launched Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and it arrived today, joining five other spacecraft currently docked at the station.
Mercedes self-driving van concept swaps bodies to match its cargo
Self-driving vehicles are useful for hauling both people and cargo, but you can usually only prioritize one of those tasks unless you can afford to buy separate vehicles. Mercedes-Benz might have a solution to the problem: build a machine that can change its role on demand. Its Vision Urbanetic concept van uses a modular body system to switch between people-carrying and cargo duties, with an electric-powered platform underneath.
The best website builder for small businesses
By Kevin Purdy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full website builder guide here. After researching 17 of the top website-building services and hosts, building 20 websites with seven of the most promising ones, and changing hundreds of little things on each page, we believe Wix is the best way for a small business to put up a professional-looking website. Its templates, setup interview, and editing tools create modern, clean-looking sites that you can easily customize, and adding crucial tools like contact forms or restaurant menus is easier than with other website-building tools. Wix's customer support is reliable, its free trial is generous, and its pricing is clear and fair for small businesses. Beyond the basics of site editing, Wix offers a wealth of plug-ins for adding Google Maps, OpenTable, appointment booking, and other tools to your website. Its search engine optimization tools are easy to understand and use, and thanks to Wix's size and scale, your site should remain reliable and available even under heavy traffic. Weebly lacks the variety of templates that Wix provides, and it can't automatically build you a site by asking you about your business. But Weebly's editing interface is simpler and provides less room for error with its drag-and-drop boxes. Weebly also (paradoxically) offers deeper access to the code behind your site, but has fewer useful plug-ins and forms from the start. You should try Weebly if you can't find a template or generated site you like on Wix, if you want to make some specific changes to your site using code (or a code-savvy helper), or if price is the most important factor for you, as the Starter package for Weebly costs one-third less than Wix's comparable Combo package. Every designer we spoke with specifically recommended Shopify for any business that's looking to sell goods online. Although our top picks have built-in ecommerce tools, it makes more sense for most businesses to use Shopify, or at least its Lite version, and embed Shopify's tools into their websites—Shopify works with both of our top picks, and you won't be locked in if you decide to change your site later.
Uber drivers can sell you goods during your ride
Don't be surprised if you get a sales pitch the next time you step into an Uber car. The ridesharing service has formed a partnership with Cargo to give drivers free boxes full of goods they can sell to passengers through a mobile app, ranging from snacks to phone chargers -- if you didn't get a bite to eat before leaving for the airport, you won't have to wait to get your fix. Drivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco can pick up the boxes today at Uber's support centers (known as Greenlight Hubs), and there are plans to expand to other cities that already have Cargo service (including New York City, Atlanta and Dallas).
Einride's self-driving cargo trucks hit the highway this fall
Einride's autonomous T-Pod may look like a giant freezer on wheels, but it's likely to be on the road fairly soon. According to TechCrunch, the company announced today that the first customer deliveries of the self-driving transport vehicle will begin this fall.
PepsiCo pre-orders 100 Tesla electric semi trucks
Tesla's recently-revealed electric semi truck has taken the shipping world by storm, it seems, with orders for the vehicles coming from Walmart, DHL, Anheuser-Busch, and Canadian grocery chain Loblaws (no relation to Bob). Now PepsiCo tops the list with what CNBC calls the largest pre-order yet: a fleet of 100 electric trucks reserved before production starts in 2019.
One of Tesla's first Semi truck buyers is a Canadian grocery chain
Tesla only just unveiled its Semi electric truck, but it's already lining up honest-to-goodness customers -- and we don't just mean for testing, either. Canadian grocery chain Loblaws has pre-ordered 25 of the giant EVs to haul food to its stores across the country. That's a larger purchase than Walmart (which ordered 15 for its test), and no small commitment when Tesla hasn't even revealed the (likely high) price. It may seem odd for Tesla to score one of its most important orders beyond the US, but it makes more sense knowing Loblaws' strategy.
Elon Musk's Mars dream hinges on a giant new rocket
Last night, Elon Musk dumped more futuristic space tech ideas at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) than we've had possibly over the past decade. That includes a new spaceship, Mars and Moon missions, and even using rockets for high-speed trips here on Earth. "The future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we're a space-faring civilization and multiplanetary species than if we're not," the SpaceX boss led off by saying. "You want to wake up in the morning and think, 'The future's gonna be great.'"
Self-navigating cargo ships will use AI to plot their course
Japanese shipping companies want to build self-navigating cargo ships. Working alongside shipbuilders, their goal is to develop new technology that can predict malfunctions, reduce maritime accidents and improve efficiency.
Gigantic drones may be the key to low-cost air shipping
Wonder why some companies still ship products on boats instead of speedy aircraft? It's because air freight is much more expensive -- the costs of the crew and fuel quickly add up. Natilus, however, thinks drones might offer a solution. The startup is prepping enormous, 200ft-long drones (roughly the size of a Boeing 777) that would haul up to 200,000lbs of cargo over the ocean. They'd theoretically reduce the cost of air freight in half by eliminating the crew and improving fuel efficiency. And while the drone likely wouldn't be cleared to fly over populated areas, that wouldn't matter -- it's designed to land on water and unload its goods at a seaport.
Vespa's creators just unveiled a personal cargo robot
The Vespa brand's owner, the Piaggio Group, doesn't have a reputation for cutting edge tech (it only just started making an electric scooter). However, it's making up for that in style. It's establishing a robot-focused company, Piaggio Fast Forward, and has unveiled that company's first product: meet Gita, a personal cargo robot. The machine can haul up to 40 pounds of supplies either autonomously (if there are maps) or by following a human operator. It's fast enough to keep up with you on a bike (22MPH), and its zero turning radius promises the "human agility" needed to navigate sidewalks. If you don't like the idea of driving a car or pushing a dolly just to get your groceries home, this might be just what you were looking for.
