China EV maker BYD signs deal with Uber, Turkish ‘dude’ guns a one-handed silver at the Olympics, US to turn nuclear plutonium site into 1 GW solar farm

INTERESTING ENGINEERING SHOP

Uber has announced a landmark deal to integrate 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs) from China’s BYD into its global fleet, a move poised to transform the ride-hailing industry.

This multi-year agreement aims to offer a range of incentives to Uber drivers, facilitating a significant shift towards greener transportation.

The partnership is set to first roll out in Europe and Latin America, with plans to extend to the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

For more on this development, check out today’s Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Staff Embedded Software Engineer
> DevOps Engineer

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MUST READ

🚗 BYD trumps Tesla: China EV maker signs deal with Uber for 100,000 cars

The collaboration between Uber and BYD is reportedly designed to tackle the barriers that have previously impeded the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The two companies plan to enhance the EV experience for Uber drivers through various incentives, including discounts on maintenance, charging, financing, and leasing.

This initiative is a critical step in Uber’s strategy to expand its already significant on-demand EV network.

“The companies aim to bring down the total cost of EV ownership for Uber drivers, accelerating the uptake of EVs on the Uber platform globally, and introducing millions of riders to greener rides,” stated the companies in a joint statement.

🥈 Tech-free glory: Turkish ‘dude’ at Olympics guns silver with 1 hand in pocket

In an Olympics filled with awe-inspiring feats and intense competition, Yusuf Dikec, a 51-year-old Turkish air pistol shooter, stood out in an extraordinary way.

On July 30, Dikec, alongside his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, clinched the silver medal in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event at the Paris Olympics, marking Türkiye’s first-ever Olympic medal in shooting.

What made this achievement even more remarkable was Dikec’s unorthodox approach to the sport, which captured the hearts of viewers worldwide and made headlines for all the right reasons.

☀️ Bombs to beams: US to turn nuclear plutonium site into 1 GW solar farm

The Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to turn a former nuclear weapons development site in Washington state into a one gigawatt (GW) solar farm.

Once a top-secret site producing weapons-grade plutonium, the Hanford site will soon generate clean energy as part of the DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative.

The US is making major strides in reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and deploying more solar and wind power plants. Estimates suggest that as much as 90 GW of solar energy capacity has been added to the grid in recent years, powering 13 million American homes.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> Scientists have discovered a comet traveling in one direction out of the solar system after a close encounter with Saturn. The comet, known as Comet A117uUD (A117uUD), was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on June 14, 2024. (More)

> Scientists have discovered nearly 514 million-year-old fossil of the earliest mollusks described as ‘flat, armored slugs without shells’. Named, Shishania aculeata, the newly found species were flat, shell-less, and wrapped in spiny armor that likely protected the body. (More)

> After studying a lunar sample brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission, a group of Chinese scientists has proposed a continuous early crust development process on the moon, as opposed to the classical two-stage moon crust development model. (More)

ENERGY

> In a significant move in the development of electric vehicles, Japanese automakers Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi have joined forces to challenge EV giants like Tesla of the US and China’s BYD. (More)

> The study by a research team at HZB addresses a critical gap by investigating the implications of operating PEC water splitting directly at elevated pressure for hydrogen production. (More)

> A European Union-funded clean energy project has reached the halfway mark, bringing island communities a step closer to a reliable power source that can withstand extreme storms. (More)

INNOVATION

> New coating of special organic molecules can pave the way for a new generation of solar panels, according to the researchers. This coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite, while also lowering their cost. (More)

> Chinese robotics firm Unitree is taking on its US competitors, like Boston Dynamics, by rolling out an interesting update to its quadruped Go2. The Go2-W is an all-terrain variant of its Go2 series, featuring motorized wheels instead of pads on its feet. (More)

> Space agencies are advancing inflatable heat shields they see as not only key for future missions to Mars, but also for unlocking fully reusable rockets and larger cargo deliveries back to Earth. (More)

VIDEO

> A Spanish laboratory is breeding and sterilizing thousands of tiger mosquitoes to fight dengue fever and other diseases as climate change encourages the invasive species to spread across Europe. (More)

> Archaeologists in Peru have discovered the remains of what is believed to be wealthy members of the Chimu civilization, a pre-Inca society that thrived for centuries in arid plains. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, Which block is least likely to spin when the stoppers are positioned as shown?

The answer is: D

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FROM THE WEB

> Bumble and Hinge allowed stalkers to pinpoint users’ locations down to 2 meters, researchers say

> The European Union's landmark artificial intelligence law officially enters into force Thursday — and it means tough changes for American technology giants

> Boeing names aerospace veteran Kelly Ortberg as new CEO, replacing David Calhoun

> A team led by scientists at the University of Bath discovers how light particles can be used to reveal the ‘hidden’ energy states of molecules

> Archaeologists working in Italy recently discovered physical remnants of Spartacus’s slave rebellion of 73 BCE