Lawmakers and climate activists have targeted the airline industry and its carbon footprint. Many have pinned their hopes on SAFs, with some lawmakers pushing for regulation that would require the airline industry to move to SAFs.

There’s just one problem: According to the Institute for Policy Studies, SAFs are little more than a fantasy.

This fuel is typically made from crops or waste and can be substituted for current forms of jet fuel, or more likely mixed with it, ostensibly reducing emissions.

Unfortunately, we find that these fuels are largely — so far — a false solution.

There is currently no realistic or scalable alternative to kerosene-based fuels that would meet current aviation needs, let alone the industry’s projections of future growth. At present, SAF technologies would fail to meet U.S. climate goals by the target year of 2050.

As the Institute highlights, SAFs are especially being touted by the private jet industry, since its carbon footprint is 10 to 20 times worse per passenger than commercial airlines. As a result, lawmakers are particularly focused on the private jet industry, driving it to bank on SAFs as a solution.

The Institute acknowledges that true SAFs are possible, but the resources required to create them at scale would defeat the purpose and raise additional societal issues.

• Scaling up SAF production may thwart emissions reduction goals. Currently, in order to rapidly expand the production of sustainable aviation fuels, producers must use biogenic feedstocks — which could threaten global food security as well as nature-based carbon sequestration solutions such as the preservation of forests and wetlands. Plus, burning SAFs still emits CO2 — sometimes more than that of kerosene-based jet fuel. As such, SAF production may actively undermine Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets.
• Realistic increases in SAF production are decades off. In 2022, the U.S. produced just 15.8 million gallons of SAF. Meeting the Biden administration’s 2030 SAF production target of 3 billion gallons per year would require an 18,887 percent production increase over the next six years. To meet the 2050 target of 35 billion gallons, production would have to increase a whopping 227,400 percent over 2022 production levels.

The cost of scaling up SAF production remains prohibitive as well. For example, it is estimated that it would cost roughly $30 billion to create the necessary infrastructure to meet the 2030 goal of producing 3 billion gallons that the Biden administration has established.

The Institute acknowledges that more research is needed, along with improvements in technology. In the meantime, however, the recommendation is simply to fly less, especially when it comes to private jets.

Private jet expansion, even with alternative fuels, is the least defensible use of societal resources on a warming planet.

The full report can be found here.

Tesla’s entry into the trucking arena has been nothing short of audacious. With its superior breakthrough power, boasting 1500 horsepower – three times that of its competitors – Elon Musk, the visionary CEO of Tesla, has boldly declared his ambition to redefine the rules of the road transportation world. “We’re here to disrupt,” Musk proclaimed, signaling his intent to revolutionize an industry ripe for innovation.

But what strengths does the Tesla Semi possess to confidently challenge the Mac Anthem, a stalwart of the trucking world? At the heart of Tesla’s advantage lies its groundbreaking electric propulsion system. With three electric motors, the Tesla Semi offers unparalleled acceleration, boasting a 0 to 100 km/h speed of just 5 seconds when empty and 20 seconds when fully loaded, setting a new standard in performance.

Moreover, Tesla’s latest engineering breakthroughs have endowed the Semi with a range two to four times greater than competing electric trucks, making it a formidable contender for long-haul freight transportation. The rollout of mega pack bundles and supercharging stations and the establishment of new electric truck stops underscores Tesla’s commitment to addressing the infrastructure needs essential for widespread adoption.

In contrast, the Mac Anthem, with its wealth of industry experience, stands firm, fortified by a suite of enhanced engines and advanced aerodynamics aimed at maximizing fuel efficiency. While the Anthem may lack the rapid acceleration of the Tesla Semi, its robust performance under load and meticulous attention to safety and comfort have earned it a loyal following among trucking professionals.

Regarding safety features and technology integration, both vehicles offer cutting-edge innovations to enhance driver experience and reduce environmental impact. Tesla Semi’s enhanced autopilot feature and advanced traction control system give drivers peace of mind. Mac Anthem’s exclusive connectivity system and advanced positioning system optimize fuel consumption and route planning.

Yet, perhaps the most significant advantage of the Tesla Semi lies in its competitive pricing strategy. With starting prices ranging from $200,000 to $250,000, Tesla has positioned itself as a cost-effective alternative to traditional diesel trucks, particularly when factoring in tax credits and long-term fuel savings. This pricing strategy, coupled with stringent emission regulations and growing incentives for electric trucks, bodes well for Tesla’s prospects in the market.

As the battle between Tesla Semi and Mac Anthem intensifies, the future of trucking hangs in the balance. With each passing mile, the road to innovation is paved with challenges and opportunities as stakeholders navigate a landscape undergoing rapid transformation. Whether Tesla’s audacious vision will prevail over Mac’s time-tested reliability remains to be seen. Still, one thing is sure: the trucking industry’s race for supremacy has only just begun.

Boeing has been in the news repeatedly for catastrophic safety failures of its aircraft, including an incident in which a door blew off of a 737 operated by Alaska Airlines and one in which a tire fell off a Boeing 777-200, among others. Resulting investigations have uncovered numerous issues with Boeing aircraft. In the aftermath of the issue, CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down by the end of 2024, setting off a search for his replacement.

Unfortunately for the storied airplane maker, the problems don’t seem to be abating. According to ABC’s Sam Sweeney, a 737’s engine cover ripped off shortly after the plane left Denver, en route to Houston. The plane was forced to return to Denver with its engine cover in tatters.

Scary moments for passengers on a Southwest flight from Denver to Houston when the engine cover ripped off during flight , forcing the plane to return to Denver Sunday morning.

— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) | April 7, 2024

Regulators are already scrutinizing Boeing, putting the company under an increasingly uncomfortable microscope. It’s a safe bet this latest incident is only going to increase pressure even more.

Cruise suffered a major setback when California regulators deemed the company’s self-driving tech was not safe, even going so far as to accuse the company of misrepresenting its capabilities. A Cruise driverless vehicle was involved in an accident in which it ran over a pedestrian that had already been hit by another vehicle in a hit-and-run incident. While the Cruise vehicle was not responsible for the initial accident, it did not take the necessary action to recognize and avoid hitting the already-struck pedestrian.

In the wake of California’s decision, Cruise says it is pausing driverless operations across the country “to rebuild public trust.” The company announced the news on X:

(1/3) The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust. Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult.

(2/3) In that spirit, we have decided to proactively pause driverless operations across all of our fleets while we take time to examine our processes, systems, and tools and reflect on how we can better operate in a way that will earn public trust.

(3/3) This isn’t related to any new on-road incidents, and supervised AV operations will continue.

We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, & taking steps to rebuild public trust.

Cruise (@cruise) — October 26, 2023

Airships were a common sight nearly a century ago, before the Hindenburg disaster sounded the death knell for the industry. With climate change a growing threat, and advancements in electric vehicles, airships are poised for a comeback.

According to IEEE Spectrum, LTA Research has received FAA clearance to fly its Pathfinder 1 airship. The airship uses helium, rather than the explosive hydrogen gas that doomed the Hindenburg, and uses electric motors to achieve up to 120 kilometers per hour. LTA Research plans to use the airships for cargo and humanitarian missions.

“Pathfinder 1’s experimental flight test program is to demonstrate and establish the flight envelope for the airship…. LTA’s test plan is tailored to include substantial indoor and outdoor ground testing, using a build-up approach to gradually increase the flight envelope,” the company wrote in its application to the FAA.

If LTA Research is successful, the company could help usher in a new golden era of airships.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) has been the source of significant problems for the company, as customers have used the feature exactly as the name implies — trusting their Tesla to fully self-drive. The resulting accidents and incidents have predictably drawn scrutiny from regulators and lawsuits from customers.

According to Clean Energy Revolution, a Tesla engineer has testified in a lawsuit that FSD was never meant to imply autonomous driving:

While testifying last week, Tesla engineer Eloy Rubio Blanco repudiated the allegations that the name “Full Self-Driving” was chosen to deceive the public. Blanco stated that Tesla drivers did not believe that their vehicles were autonomous.

While Tesla may have some brilliant engineers, in the future, the company might do well to consult a dictionary when naming features.

Waymo is owned by Alphabet and is one of the leading self-driving companies. The company has been working to deploy its robotaxis, and currently operates in San Francisco, Metro Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

According to The Verge, Waymo has been testing its robotaxis in Austin since March, but will soon offer service in “a large portion of the city night and day,” including “the heart of downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin, Hyde Park and more.”

The EU is aggressively moving forward with legislation to promote EVs, but its latest law could solve one of the biggest challenges to EV adoption: range anxiety.

The bloc plans to deploy charging stations every 60 km on the main EU transport corridors, also knows as the ‘trans-European transport (TEN-T) network.’ The stations will provide 150kW. These stations must be installed by 2025. These stations will be for passenger vehicles and vans.

At the same time, chargers for heavy-duty vehicles will need to be installed every 60 km on the core TEN-T network by 2025, providing at least 350kW. Coverage on the broader TEN-T network will be provided every 100 km (62 miles) beginning in 2025, with complete TEN-T coverage by 2030.

“The new law is a milestone of our ‘Fit for 55’ policy providing for more public recharging capacity on the streets in cities and along the motorways across Europe,” said Raquel Sánchez Jiménez, Spanish Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. “We are optimistic that in the near future, citizens will be able to charge their electric cars as easily as they do today in traditional petrol stations.”

The TSA has been slowly rolling out facial recognition in airports across the US, using the technology to speed up password and identity verification. The process is supposed to be opt-out, with travelers having the right to say they would prefer to be processed traditionally and avoid facial recognition.

According to The Washington Post, when Senator Jeff Merkley asked to opt out of the facial recognition scanner, TSA agents told the senator that doing so would cause a significant delay, no doubt in an effort to pressure him to simply submit to the scan and move on.

As the outlet points out, when Senator Merkley stood his ground and insisted on the traditional verification method, providing his photo ID for a TSA agent to confirm, there was no delay, and the line proceeded without incident.

Nonetheless, a US senator being pressured to submit to facial recognition does not bode well for the average traveler and makes one wonder how long the tech will remain opt-out — at least without lawmakers like Merkley passing measures to ensure it does.

Range anxiety is one of the biggest challenges to EV adoption. Many drivers, especially on long trips, simply don’t want to wait 30 minutes to an hour to charge their vehicle before resuming their journey.

According to CNET, Ample’s solution is to create robotic stations that can change a vehicle’s batteries in five minutes, roughly the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas.

The outlet reports that Ample already has 12 of its first-gen stations in the San Francisco area, with plans to roll out its second-gen stations in the US, Japan, and Spain latter this year.

Companies are racing to crack open the flying car market and SkyDrive is trying establish itself as a leader in the market. To further its endeavors, the company has announced an agreement with Suzuki for the two companies to begin production of EVTOLs in the spring of 2024. The three-seat “SKYDRIVE” eVTOL will be built in Suzuki’s factory.

“We are excited to cooperate with SkyDrive as we ambitiously work towards creating valuable products that contribute to the realization of a world where people use the sky for their daily transportations,” said Toshihiro Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corporation President.

“At Suzuki, all manufacturing activities are based on a concept,” said Tomohiro Fukuzawa, SkyDrive Inc. CEO, “‘Smaller, Fewer, Lighter, Shorter, and Neater’ and SkyDrive is developing lightweight air mobilities. Suzuki and SkyDrive have been collaborating since March 2022 and we are very excited that SkyDrive will utilize the production facility of Suzuki to build our eVTOL ‘SKYDRIVE.’ In our pursuit to consistently manufacture safe and high-quality aircraft for the world, we are grateful for the valuable know-how we will learn from Suzuki, a global leader in automobile mass production. Suzuki and SkyDrive will work closely towards the shared goal.”

According to CBS News, the agency is expanding the program in some 25 airports around the country, using facial recognition to match travelers to their passports. The agency touts the improved accuracy and speed the process delivers.

“We view this as better for security, much more efficient, because the image capture is fast and you’ll save several seconds, if not a minute,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

“Facial recognition, first and foremost, is much, much more accurate,” Pekoske added. “And we’ve tested this extensively. So we know that it brings the accuracy level close to 100% from mid-80% with just a human looking at a facial match.”

Not everyone is convinced, however, with a group of senators sending a letter demanding the program be halted.

“You don’t have to compromise people’s biometric security in order to provide physical security at airports,” said Sen. Ed Markey.

At this time, participation is still voluntary, with travelers able to opt-out. Only time will tell if that remains the case.

On January 11, a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system outage impacted some 11,000 flights in the US. In the days after the incident, the FAA issued a statement explaining the cause:

A preliminary FAA review of last week’s outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database. The agency has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage.

The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient. The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.

According to Reuters, the FAA has implemented “a one-hour synchronization delay for one of the backup databases. This action will prevent data errors from immediately reaching that backup database.” The FAA also said it “now requires at least two individuals to be present during the maintenance of the (messaging) system, including one federal manager.”

According to TheStreet, beginning this month, customers will be able to use the Live Activities app to get real-time updates on boarding information, departure times, seat information, and more.

“We’re seeing soaring demand for travel this summer, and Live Activities puts all the flight information you need right at your fingertips, whether your iPhone is locked or you’re doing something else like checking email, listening to music or texting friends,” said Linda Jojo, chief customer officer for United in a statement. “This new feature is another way United is leveraging technology to improve our customers’ travel journey. It’s going to save passengers a lot of time, and we think they’re going to love it, especially during a busy travel season.”

Anything that takes the hassle out of flying is a win for travelers, even if it’s just more readily accessible information.

According to BBC News, the law bans any domestic flights covering travel that could be completed in under two-and-a-half hours by train. The new law is significantly less aggressive than the original proposal, which would have banned flights that could be replaced by a four-hour or less train ride.

Critics are saying the final legislation is more symbolic than anything, and doesn’t address the real issues.

“On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes,” said French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir. The group had called on lawmakers to uphold the original four-hour proposal.

The group also called for “safeguards that [French national railway] SNCF will not seize the opportunity to artificially inflate its prices or degrade the quality of rail service”.

As BBC News points out, the airline industry is still suffering the effects of the pandemic, with flights still down from pre-pandemic levels. The government was likely concerned about passing overly restrictive measures on an industry that is still trying to recover.

Facial recognition is a controversial topic, with critics saying it unfairly targets minorities and is a privacy nightmare. The TSA and airports have been rolling out facial recognition in various applications, although usually with the option to opt-out.

The TSA is now expanding facial recognition use as a way to speed up checkpoint screening by comparing a person to their passport or ID.

“This technology is valuable because it enhances detection capabilities for identifying fraudulent IDs such as driver’s licenses and passports at a checkpoint and it increases efficiency by automatically verifying a passenger’s identification,” said Christopher Murgia, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Maryland. “This helps ensure that we know who is boarding flights. The system also confirms the passenger’s flight status by verifying that the individual is ticketed to fly out of that airport on that day.”

The TSA says the technology is “self-service,” with passengers able to use it without interacting with a TSA agent.

As with previous facial recognition uses, the TSA told Business Insider that travelers can still opt out and proceed with a standard in-person ID check.

The airline industry, like many others, is exploring ways to be more environmentally friendly — not exactly an easy task for an industry that flies hunks of metal filled with passengers through the air at high speed. In fact, a fully loaded 737-900 can top 93 tons at takeoff.

Nonetheless, the industry is working on ways to be more climate-friendly. Major options include changing to sustainable aviation fuel, reducing the number of flights, and better organizing routes, according to Forbes.

The changes won’t come without a cost, however, with airline executives already saying that cost will have to be passed to the consumer.

In fact, Forbes reports that Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) told a Bloomberg conference panel the cost “will have to be borne by consumers, there’s just no way around it.”

On February 21, the European Union approved new laws that will halt the sale of combustion engine vehicles by 2035. The bloc is one of the largest regions that have joined the growing list of countries looking to halt the sale of fossil fuel cars in an ongoing effort to reach net-zero carbon emission goals. 

The new laws would impose financial penalties on all gas and diesel-operated vehicles, within the 27 member countries, which will steadily help phase out all fossil fuel vehicles in the coming 12 years. 

The bloc now joins countries including Canada, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others who all have set out deadlines to reach net-zero goals. 

The sale of new electric vehicles (EVs) nearly doubled between 2020 and 2021, seeing more than 6.6 million new EVs being registered worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, around 10% of new cars sold in 2021 were fully electric. 

Steady demand from consumers have meant that traditional household automotive names have now also entered the race to become industry leaders. Even with EV prices still elevated, higher than the average combustion engine car, demand has continued growing. 

In the U.S., EV representation increased by 65% in 2022, recording a two-third increase from the year before. EVs accounted for 5.8% of all new cars sold last year, an improvement from the 3.1% recorded in 2021.

While many countries embark on their ambitious net-zero goals, some believe target dates may be unrealistic, never mind considering the financial and economic impact it will have. 

Governments from Italy, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have already questioned the legitimacy of the new laws imposed by the European Parliament. While government officials understand the need for cleaner and more reliable mobility in the bloc, many feel the deadlines set out by the EU Parliament give them little time to properly plan for the transition. 

Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajan called for the legislation to be reviewed, calling for a reduction of 90% in carbon emissions, rather than 100 percent. 

The country is home to household automotive brands such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Ferrari, with the industry employing close to 270,000 citizens. 

Slovakia, in Eastern Europe, has been gradually planning its green transition under new European laws since 2013. The country’s automotive industry contributes roughly 13% of its GDP, and vehicle manufacturing makes up 33% of the country’s exports, mainly to European markets. 

While Slovakia has been working towards similar zero-emission goals, the EV manufacturing industry is still largely powered by fossil fuels. On top of this, the country’s EV industry is still somewhat in its development phases, relying on affordable, if not completely cheap, labor. 

The worldwide fossil fuel ban has also seen Australia looking to introduce new laws that will soon see Australians having to purchase cleaner, battery-powered vehicles in the coming decades. 

The recent move by the EU has prompted the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) to have a more aggressive stance to introduce partial bans on gas-operated vehicles. 

President of the AEVA, Chris Jones said that 2035 is perhaps a conservative position to ban new fossil fuel cars, and it would put pressure on other countries, including Australia to adapt to the fast-growing global demand for EVs. 

Automakers that manufacture less than 1,000 new combustion engine vehicles could potentially be barred from the ban, but that could potentially lower safety standards in the country, aligning Australian drivers to receive similar EVs currently available in developing nations. 

While countries across the board are willing to sacrifice economic growth and development across several industries, many are skeptical about whether phase-out dates are realistic enough. There is a lot of potential for the future of electric vehicles, yet this time many hope it will be a sustainable long-term solution that’s realistic enough to achieve. 

On January 11, a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system outage impacted some 11,000 flights in the US. In the days after the incident, the FAA issued a statement explaining the cause:

A preliminary FAA review of last week’s outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database. The agency has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage.

The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient. The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.

According to Reuters, the FAA has implemented “a one-hour synchronization delay for one of the backup databases. This action will prevent data errors from immediately reaching that backup database.” The FAA also said it “now requires at least two individuals to be present during the maintenance of the (messaging) system, including one federal manager.”