General Motors says it is still focused on electrification and autonomy despite a slowdown in US EV interest. At its GM Forward event, the company said its hands-off, eyes-off Super Cruise system will expand to nearly every vehicle, including pickup trucks and crossovers. Sterling Anderson, the company's head of product, said trust with customers is central to its plans. GM also said its new infotainment system will record dash cam video that is end-to-end encrypted, so the company cannot read it. Its new lithium manganese-rich battery chemistry is expected to cut battery costs by about 30 percent.
Registrations are open for Brimbank's School Battery Blitz, a competition where classes collect household batteries for recycling during National Recycling Week, from 9 to 15 November. Classes register online, and students bring batteries to school in sealed bags for placement in buckets supplied by the council's recycling partner. The buckets are collected at the end of the week and weighed, with prizes for the classes that collect the most. Grades three to six receive a recycling truck visit, and years 7 to 12 receive a pizza lunch. Registrations close on 2 November.
Emissions from making lithium-ion batteries are small today but could rise by a factor of 10 or more by 2050, according to a study led by Haiwei Zhou at the University of Melbourne. The batteries are used in many parts of the energy transition. The researchers estimate these emissions currently make up 0.18 percent of annual greenhouse gas releases. They compared ways to reduce emissions, including cutting the number of batteries needed rather than only lowering the carbon footprint of each one. Their projections used International Energy Agency scenarios for electric vehicles and energy storage through 2050.
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Queensland households with rooftop solar can maximise summer energy use with home batteries. Solar panels generate peak energy midday when demand is low, but batteries store excess power for later. Government rebates for eligible installations will decrease from 1 January, encouraging homeowners to act before year-end. Weglow offers tailored solar and battery solutions based on individual energy needs and existing setups.
