Karma's stunning electric supercar, and more in the week that was
It's a beaut.
After years of anticipation, Karma Automotive has finally unveiled the Revero, a plug-in electric supercar powered by roof-mounted solar panels. In other transportation news, BMW launched an electrified version of its flagship sedan, and a new report shows that the UK will have more EV chargers than gas stations by the year 2020. Work continues on the Hyperloop: One company announced plans this week to build the world's first underwater supersonic transport tubes. And Republic Bike's kids cargo bike might just be the coolest ride for pint-sized commuters.
This month Tesla announced a historic merger with SolarCity, and Elon Musk is already working on his next big product: a roof made entirely out of solar panels. Meanwhile, New York approved plans to source 50 percent of its energy from renewables, and Scotland was powered entirely by wind energy for a full day. In the Middle East, Masdar has developed a new technology that uses sand to store solar heat, and a man in Gaza built a sun-powered desalination machine that can produce 2.6 gallons of fresh water every day.
A team of researchers has built the world's largest 3D printer, and it's capable of churning out entire houses made of mud at nearly zero cost. In other technology and design news, a futuristic indoor farm in Japan is able to produce 12,000 heads of lettuce a day using advanced LED lighting techniques. A vertical farm could bring 10 floors of urban produce to a site near New York City's High Line. And a 16-year-old South African girl invented a drought-busting wonder material using everyday orange peels.
