The push to transition away from gas- and diesel-guzzling vehicles to battery-powered ones is being driven, at least in part, by the environmental imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

But not everything about EVs is clean—take, for example, the electricity powering them. Fossil fuels still generate about 60% of electricity in the US, after all.

But what if your car could run on sunshine?

That’s how Desmond Wheatley, president and CEO of San Diego-based Beam Global, describes the clean tech company’s off-grid EV charging solution. Beam’s flagship product, the EV ARC system, is solar-powered. The canopy-like system features a solar array that tracks the sun, yielding higher electricity generation; fits into a conventional parking space; and can charge up to six vehicles at once.

“We’re quite different than anybody else in the industry in that our products generate and store their own clean, renewable energy and deliver those directly to vehicles, unlike everybody else who’s connecting to the utility grid, which is still 60%, 65% carbon-based in the US,” Wheatley told Tech Brew. “And that’s pretty much a fact globally.”

And soon, Beam—which is publicly traded, with a market cap of more than $85 million—plans to take its technology to the curb; it’s slated to introduce a streetlight replacement that offers solar- and wind-generated EV charging on city streets.

“We can offer meaningful EV charging at the curb—most of which will be renewable-energized, immune to blackouts and brownouts, with a very low utility bill,” Wheatley said.

Keep reading here.—JG

The agriculture industry grapples with challenges like supply-chain issues, extreme weather, and regulatory changes. Amid these hurdles, however, the integration of data, artificial intelligence, and IoT presents an opportunity for farmers and tech investors.

This shift from data scarcity to abundance allows for innovative solutions in managing crop yield, transforming food production, and addressing climate impacts. Join Tech Brew for insights from Cristina Rohr (S2G Ventures) and Charlie Andersen (Burro) as they discuss the future of agtech, explore emerging innovations, and break down expert predictions. Register now!

The “Tesla graveyards” that popped up amid last week’s polar vortex could have been isolated incidents, but EV industry execs know it’s crucial to address such issues if they’re going to win over skeptical consumers.

“The early adopters are tolerant of some bugs and issues,” Rick Wilmer, CEO of EV charging provider ChargePoint, told Tech Brew. “But when you get into the mainstream market, the tolerance for that goes down. And if we’re gonna prevent the lack of charger reliability…from being an impediment to EV adoption, we’ve got to stay on top of network reliability.”

EVs’ cold-weather woes made headlines after reports of long lines and dead batteries near charging stations in Chicago, where the wind chill dropped as low as 30 degrees below zero. EV drivers also reportedly faced drastic drops in battery range and longer charging times.

The New York Times spoke to an Uber driver whose EV died while he was en route to a charging station with 30 miles of range left. The driver had to have his car towed, and it later took him hours to charge up.

EV proponents are quick to note that ICE vehicles face challenges in freezing conditions, too—as anyone who’s shivered in the cold while their starter sputters can attest. Still, it’s true that EVs have some unique challenges when the mercury plummets.

Keep reading here.—JG

Could 2024 be the year that drone delivery finally takes off?

Alphabet-owned Wing is betting on a bigger future for the technology with a new aircraft that can handle delivery boxes of up to five pounds, doubling the capacity limit of the company’s currently operating drones. Wing claims the fleet addition will give it more versatility in accommodating a range of order types for companies like Walmart, DoorDash, and healthcare logistics startup Apian.

Cleared for takeoff: The rollout comes as a number of factors seem to be aligning in favor of a potential tipping point for the long-discussed means of fulfilling retail orders in the coming year.

Among the biggest, the Federal Aviation Administration removed a key regulatory hurdle last year when it granted a handful of drone operators—including Wing—permission to fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), meaning they no longer need human spotters.

“This marks a paradigm shift in the way US regulators are approaching approvals for these types of advanced BVLOS drone operations,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth wrote in a blog post. “We believe 2024 will be the year of drone delivery.”

Keep reading here.—PK