| | | | | | | Presented By Environmental Defense Fund | | | | Axios What's Next | | By Joann Muller, Jennifer A. Kingson and Alex Fitzpatrick · Dec 01, 2022 | | Airlines are electrifying everything from planes to baggage carts, Joann reports today. The only hangup? Airports need more power. - Join Axios today at 12:30 p.m. ET for a virtual event exploring the opportunities and challenges of adapting food systems to spearhead sustainability, improve global food security and withstand climate change.
Today's newsletter is 1,117 words ... 4 minutes. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Airlines search for a plug |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | Travelers know how hard it can be to find a plug at the airport to charge a phone or laptop. Now airlines are facing a similar challenge as they electrify their ground and air operations, writes Joann Muller. Why it matters: Even the largest airports don't have enough juice to quickly charge all the electrified planes, flying taxis and ground equipment that airlines intend to roll out over the coming years. - Stationary power storage — meaning, gigantic industrial batteries — will help fill the gap.
Driving the news: United Airlines this week bought an undisclosed stake in energy storage company Natron Energy, making it the first airline to invest directly in a battery manufacturer. - Natron makes trailer-size sodium-ion batteries that can charge electric airport ground vehicles, such as baggage tractors and pushback tugs.
- These batteries can recharge vehicles more quickly than today's lithium-ion batteries — an advantage at busy airports, where vehicle uptime is key.
- Longer term, United expects such batteries to power short-range electric aircraft, such as regional planes and urban air taxis.
Where it stands: United has electrified about 30% of its ground equipment, but is running into power constraints at some hubs. - "These airports weren't built for electrifying at this scale," says Mike Leskinen, president of United's investment arm, United Airlines Ventures (UAV).
- Airports will eventually build a more robust infrastructure using renewable energy, he predicts. "But when the wind is blowing and when the sun is shining isn't always exactly when you need the peak load."
- Natron's battery storage system helps solve that problem.
Zoom out: Many big airlines have set ambitious sustainability goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. But traditional carbon offsets, such as planting trees, won't be enough to meet those targets. - Most are looking to replace jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from agricultural or forest waste, algae or even used cooking oil.
- UAV, which invests in sustainability and customer experience startups, has stakes in or has agreed to purchase fuel from several SAF producers.
- United was also the first airline to invest in a biofuel refinery, NEXT, which plans to open a facility in Oregon in 2026.
Yes, but: SAF is still a long way from widespread commercial availability — which is why airlines are looking for other ways to meet their goals, such as electrifying smaller planes and ground equipment. What to watch: United has also invested in newfangled aircraft companies like Boom Supersonic, which is designing super-fast planes meant to run on SAF, and Heart Aerospace, which is developing a 30-seat hybrid electric aircraft to serve smaller markets within 200 miles of United's hubs. - And it has stakes in a couple of electric air taxi companies: Archer Aviation and Eve Air Mobility, a spinoff of Embraer.
The bottom line: Electrifying ground vehicles is a heck of a lot easier than building a cleaner airplane — so airlines like United are starting on terra firma. Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. San Fransico cops could get deadly robots |  | | | The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office uses a robot similar to one the SFPD owns. Photo: Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | | | | San Francisco police got a step closer to using potentially lethal robots this week, Axios' Megan Rose Dickey reports, after city officials approved a new ordinance. - Under the proposed rules, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) could use remote-controlled robots for deadly force "when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available."
What they're saying: SFPD does not own or operate "robots outfitted with lethal force options" and has no plans to augment its fleet with any "firearm," spokesperson Allison Maxie told Axios. - The new rules would allow SFPD to equip its robots with explosives "to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed or dangerous subjects" or "to contact, incapacitate or disorient" a suspect who poses "a risk of loss of life to law enforcement or other first responders," Maxie said.
- SFPD considers explosives "an intermediate force option," but acknowledges they "could potentially cause injury or be fatal," she added.
What's next: The legislation still needs final approval from the city's Board of Supervisors, which is all but guaranteed. Mayor London Breed, a sponsor of the measure, would then have to sign off within 10 days. Share this story. | | | | | | | | 3. Review: A Kindle you can write on |  | | | The Kindle Scribe. Photo courtesy of Amazon | | | | Amazon's new Kindle Scribe — the company's first e-reader that's also an e-writer — is a solid addition to the gadget pantheon, says Axios' Ina Fried. - "I've spent about a week and a half with the Kindle Scribe and have been mostly pleased," Ina writes in her review.
"Even before you pull out the included pen stylus, the Scribe is a very nice Kindle, with good ergonomics and a large, well-lit display." - "Using the pen opens up a range of additional uses, from taking handwritten meeting or lecture notes to marking up a PDF or Word document to jotting notes alongside the book you are reading."
Yes, but: The Scribe, available now for $330, isn't without its quirks. - "For example, it's not immediately clear how to shift between tasks, such as reading books and taking notes," Ina writes.
Read the rest of Ina's review. | | | | | | | | A message from Environmental Defense Fund | | How the new climate law can save you money | | |  | | | | The Inflation Reduction Act recently passed, and residential tax credits have the potential to save 100 million households about $37 billion per year. What's in it for you: See our list of easy ways to save money around your home, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Learn more. | | | | | | 4. What you're saying: EV stories |  | | | Photo: David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images | | | | Yesterday we asked readers: What was your first spin in an electric vehicle (EV)? - "The first EV I ever rode in or drove or owned was my Ford F-150 Lightning, which I've had since June," says What's Next reader Desmond Pieri. "It's an amazing vehicle."
- "The first EV we owned was a 2013 Leaf. Range was about 80 miles, just enough for local shopping," writes Robert Riedesel. "Almost ran out of juice on a couple of occasions. Enter our new EV: A 2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. We can go anywhere!"
- "My first experience in driving was the GM EV1," emails Harrison Cooper. "It was part of an engineering design contest way back in 1997 — the winner received a one-year lease. As a third prize winner, I was granted the opportunity to drive it around the block, so to speak.
- "It was an interesting experience, as I recall the quiet yet responsive manner in how it drove. Since then, I have ridden in the Leaf and a Tesla. But it does remain a cherished experience in my life."
Color us jealous, Harrison — that's a great bit of EV history. | | | | | | | | 5. One fun thing: Baguettes get UNESCO nod |  | | | Freshly baked baguettes in a Paris bakery. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images | | | | France's staple bread, the baguette, was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Wednesday, Axios' Ivana Saric reports. Details: The UN cultural body defines "intangible cultural heritage" as monuments, collections of objects, or "traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants." Share this story. | | | | | | | | A message from Environmental Defense Fund | | 8 ways to save money — and the planet | | | | | | | | You can save on household improvements and fight climate change. Here's how: Check out our list of 8 rebates and tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Some estimate 100 million households could save about $37 billion a year on energy bills. Start saving. | | | | Big thanks to What's Next copy editor Amy Stern. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next by signing up here for our free newsletter. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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