Used EV Sales Breaking Records While New EVs Plummet, Reveals Study
Cox Automotive reports that U.S. used electric‑vehicle sales rose 12% to 93,500 units in Q1 2026, while new EV registrations dropped 28% to 212,600. The decline follows the expiration of the federal $7,500 tax credit and accelerating depreciation of fresh EVs. Used EVs now trade within $1,300 of comparable gasoline models, attracting cost‑sensitive buyers. Lease returns are expected to swell the used pool, with electric cars projected to represent 20% of 240,000 annual returns.
'Sweater for Houses' Could Reduce Heating Bills by at Least 15%
Researchers at UMass Amherst have created a photothermal “skin” for buildings—a removable fabric panel coated with a PEDOT‑Cl polymer that converts sunlight into heat. Lab tests show the panels can raise indoor temperatures by about 4.8 °C and slash heating energy...
Why Are some Skies Bluer than Others?
Scientists explain why skies vary from vivid blue in pristine regions to hazy white in polluted areas. The blue hue results from Rayleigh scattering of short‑wavelength light by nitrogen and oxygen molecules, while larger particles cause Mie scattering that diffuses...
Missile Kit Lets Fighter Jets Down Drones on the Cheap
BAE Systems demonstrated that its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) kit can turn a 70‑mm unguided rocket into a laser‑guided missile for roughly US $25,000 per shot when launched from an RAF Typhoon. The test, conducted at Warton, showed the...
Coffee in Your Walls? Breakthrough Converts Grounds to Insulation
Researchers at Shenyang Agricultural University have created a biochar‑based insulation material from spent coffee grounds that achieves a thermal conductivity of 0.04 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹, comparable to expanded polystyrene. The method dries the grounds, pyrolyzes them at 700 °C to raise porosity to 71%,...
AI Drones Make Mine Clearing Faster and Safer
Britain’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, together with the British Army’s 33 Engineer Regiment, completed a multi‑week test of AI‑powered quadcopter drones in Essex to locate and classify land‑mines and unexploded ordnance. The drones combine optical, thermal, infrared and magnetometer...
World's Most Powerful Three-Wheeled Scooter Comes From an Unlikely Brand
Kymco, the Taiwanese scooter maker, unveiled the CV3 575i – the world’s most powerful three‑wheeled scooter – featuring a 574 cc water‑cooled inline‑two engine that produces 51 hp, 37.6 lb‑ft of torque and a top speed of 98 mph. The bike weighs 621 lb, offers 51 mpg...
Energy Storage Breakthrough Traps Sunlight in a Molecule
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have engineered an organic molecule, pyrimidone, that captures sunlight and stores the energy directly in its chemical bonds. The molecular solar thermal storage (MOST) system achieves an energy density of 1.6 MJ kg⁻¹ (≈ 444 Wh kg⁻¹), roughly double that...
Liter-Class Superbike Gets Car-Level Aids to Analyze the Tarmac for You
Guruma, the mobility‑tech arm of Chinese conglomerate Fengxun, unveiled its first liter‑class superbike, the 1000 RR, at the AWE Shanghai expo. The bike pairs a 1,051 cc, 150 hp inline‑four engine with car‑level rider‑assist hardware—including a six‑axis IMU, millimeter‑wave radar, AI‑driven cameras and...
Different People Attract Different Mosquito Species
Researchers tested three mosquito species against 119 people using a Uniport olfactometer, finding distinct preferences. Aedes aegypti showed an 89% attraction rate and uniquely favored male participants, while Aedes albopictus responded to specific skin ketones and Culex quinquefasciatus preferred a...
VW’s Three-Row Atlas II SUV Lands with a Whimper, Not a Bang
Volkswagen unveiled the 2027 Atlas II at the New York International Auto Show, but the model arrives with a modest 2.0‑liter turbo engine and no hybrid options. The redesign adds larger screens, ambient lighting and a powered tailgate, yet reviewers...
Radically Modular Inflatable Tent Grows Wheels and Redefines 'Towing'
Karsten, the Dutch inflatable‑tent pioneer, has launched a Tent on Wheels (ToW) that combines a lightweight trailer with a dome‑style inflatable tent, creating a super‑queen mattress platform and ample floor space. The 12.1‑ft long trailer weighs 660 lb, can carry up...
GLP-1 Drugs Shown to Fight Arthritis Independent of Weight Loss
A Chinese study found that semaglutide, a GLP‑1 drug best known for diabetes and weight‑loss treatment, can halt cartilage degradation and even thicken cartilage in osteoarthritis patients, independent of weight loss. In mice, only the semaglutide‑treated group showed reduced joint...
AI-Powered Binoculars Promise Smart Night-Time Discovery
Hong Kong startup ScoPix has launched a Kickstarter for its Starlight‑AI Night Vision Binoculars, which combine low‑light imaging with on‑device artificial intelligence that can recognize wildlife, objects and landmarks in real time. The device uses a Starlight‑grade CMOS sensor, 850‑nm...
Škoda's Analog Invention Keeps Cyclists From Crashing Into Pedestrians
Czech automaker Škoda, together with University of Salford audiologists, has created the DuoBell, a purely mechanical bicycle bell engineered to emit a low‑frequency tone between 750‑780 Hz that active‑noise‑cancelling (ANC) headphones cannot suppress. The bell also features a secondary high‑frequency resonator...
