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UK brings forward its ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2035
The UK is bringing forward its ban on the sale of fossil fuel cars by five years. Originally, legislation stipulated that the sale of petrol and diesel would be banned by 2040. Now that date has been pulled forward to 2035, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the ban would come into effect even earlier, if possible.
EV chargers are coming to BP petrol stations this year
With the UK government pledging to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040, the major fuel giants will need to evolve or face losing a sizeable share of their income to the rising number of alternative energy companies. We've already seen Shell begin installing charging points inside petrol stations in order to satisfy the rising number of EV owners, but it'll soon be joined by rival BP after it announced that it has invested in electric vehicle charging company FreeWire to bring mobile charging units to a select number of forecorts.
Oxford plans to be a zero-emission city by 2035
All fuel-burning vehicles could be barred from entering Oxford city centre under new plans designed to turn it into the "world's first Zero Emission Zone." In a bid to drastically cut air pollution, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council submitted a joint proposal that would ban petrol and diesel cars from a small number of streets from 2020 and encompass the entire city centre in 2035.
Scotland plans to make petrol and diesel cars obsolete by 2032
It's become pretty clear that the petrol and diesel cars are enjoying their final days in the sun, what with both the English and French governments vowing to phase them out by 2040. Their future goal gives them more than two decades to support the major carmakers as they transition to greener fuel sources, while implementing the necessary infrastructure to support them. Not to be outdone, the Scottish government today announced that it plans to implement its own green project a lot, vowing to phase out all petrol and diesel car sales eight years before their neighbours.
Shell's UK petrol stations let you PayPal at the pump
Although Apple Pay is currently enjoying the limelight, companies all over Britain are working to get their own mobile payment strategies in order. Once such company is Shell, which after months of testing has begun rolling out its new PayPal-powered "Fill Up & Go" service across hundreds of its UK petrol stations. The idea is simple: download the Shell Motorist app, connect it to your PayPal account and scan a giant QR code at the pump -- no more queuing or worrying whether you've brought your wallet.
Shell petrol stations to let you pay with your phone using PayPal
Those of us in the know are patiently waiting for QR code technology to take off, as it inevitably will, but Shell and PayPal aren't willing to stand by and end up falling behind the curve. Pouncing on the flourishing standard, the two have shaken hands on a deal that'll soon let patrons at Shell petrol stations pay for fuel using only their phones, PayPal details, and some well-placed QR codes. Having successfully trialed the mobile payment method way back in 2013, it's ready to roll out to the "vast majority" of Shell garages in April, though will initially be reserved for members of Shell's Drivers' Club programme before randoms can get involved later this year. "Using a debit or credit card to pay at the pump simply isn't convenient enough," a fictional spokesperson commented, adding that booting up the Android/iOS Shell Motorist or Paypal apps, and pairing with a pump via a QR code so your PayPal credentials can be charged is the stuff futuristic nightmares dreams are made of. A receipt of the transaction will also be sent to your phone when you're done, confirming you've successfully completed the process and not screeched off with a full, free tank.
Here's a machine that turns water into synthetic gasoline
Even with the amount of electric vehicles we've seen lately, it's likely going to be a long time until they completely replace traditional combustion engines on the road. So how are we going to get away from pricey fossil fuels until then? Well, water could be a possibility. German company Sunfire GmbH thinks it has the solution for turning H20 and carbon dioxide into liquid hyrdrocarbons like synthetic diesel, kerosene and petrol, according to CNET. It does this in part by using a combination of the Fischer-Tropsch process (a chemical reaction that performs the aforementioned transformation) and solid electrolyzer cells (fuel cells that produce gas forms of hydrogen and oxygen).
New 'semi-solid' battery could recharge EVs as fast as pumping gas
Researchers at MIT reckon they've struck oil. In fact, you're looking at what they call "Cambridge crude" -- a substance that could halve the weight and cost of EV batteries and make them quicker to charge too. The black goo is packed with a high concentration of energy in the form of particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. When separated by a filter, these particles function as mobile electrodes that can be pumped into and around a system before the energy is released. So instead of waiting up to 20 hours to juice your Nissan Leaf, you could potentially just pump this pre-charged substance into it -- rather like dirty old gas. Until now, no such "semi-solid flow cell" has been able to hold useful quantities of energy, but this stuff literally oozes with it. Not only could it power EVs, it could even be used for large-scale electricity storage for utilities. The researchers insist this energy revolution is years off -- but when it comes, there will be blood.
Mercs 2 gas giveaway causes 'chaos' in London
While a similar publicity stunt in LA went off with relatively little drama, it appears the Mercenaries 2 petrol giveaway in London was "irresponsible and dangerous," according to local residents. The BBC reports that traffic was gridlocked as drivers waited to get their £40-worth ($70) of gratis gas. The promotion started at 6:30AM and ran until police apparently shut it down. Local residents were quite upset about the traffic and honking the stunt caused in their neighborhood. Lynne Featherstone, MP for the district, stated that while a lucky few got free gas, "hundreds of residents have faced misery." She's demanding an apology. We're sure that EA is real sorry about all the free publicity and we're positive those people with tanks full of free gas are even more sympathetic. [Thanks to all who sent this in.]
Scientists create mutant bugs that produce crude oil, unleash swarm of merciless killers
Like the beginning of every great science fiction movie, experts claim that they've discovered a cure for our fuel-dependency woes that only requires an army of genetically modified bacteria... that eat wheat straw and excrete crude oil. You read that right: scientists have created bugs which are able to snack on woodchips or sugar cane and produce waste in the form of easily malleable oil. Not only are the buggers capable of creating a byproduct which can quickly be refined into fuel for vehicles, but scientists say the process is carbon-negative -- it outputs less carbon than is required to produce it. Director of the project -- dubbed LS9 -- Greg Pal says that barrel prices could run as low as $50, and that the company plans to have a commercial facility producing the crude in 2011. And as for the potential threat of world-destroying attack from the mutant feeders? Says Pal, "We're putting these bacteria in a very isolated container: their entire universe is in that tank. When we're done with them, they're destroyed." Sure buddy -- but we're going to re-watch Them! just in case.
