CES 2021’s Green Highlights: Solar-powered TV remotes, electric air taxis, and balcony beekeeping

Taking place virtually for the first time, the annual Consumer Electronics Show once again featured a host of emerging clean technologies – BusinessGreen takes a look at some of the most eye-catching developments

Every year it is the top event in the calendar for gadget geeks and cutting-edge tech enthusiasts, featuring an array of innovations from both global brands and one-man-band start-ups alike.

But while some 170,000 people attended last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) over four days at its sprawling Las Vegas exhibition space, CES 2021 was – for obvious reasons – an altogether different event, as it for the first time in its five-decade history took place virtually.

Inevitably, the coronavirus crisis that has gripped the world over the past year fed into a number of the innovations on show at this year’s event, with a major focus on healthcare and face masks, but there were also clear signals of the growing importance of green consumer technologies in the home, on the go, on the plate, and even in the skies.

From solar-powered TV remotes and driverless cars, to home recycling robots, BusinessGreen has rounded up some of the most exciting green announcements at the influential exhibition.

 

Samsung: Solar-powered TV remotes and upcycled smartphones

Smart home gadgets are of rapidly growing interest to innovators, offering consumers greater ease of use, as well as opportunities to link up with green technologies such as battery storage, electric vehicle charging, and solar power generation to improve efficiency and ease pressure on the power grid.

It was no surprise then that electronics giant Samsung placed sustainable home technologies at the heart of its CES announcements this year. And perhaps the most eye-catching of all its new offerings for this burgeoning market was the news the company will soon be ditching disposable batteries from its TV remotes in a bid to cut down on waste.

Instead, from later this year all Samsung televisions will come with a solar-powered remote control that can be recharged by indoor light, outdoor sunlight, or USB, marking a first-of-its-kind innovation for the brand. The company estimates the move will prevent waste from a projected 99 million AAA batteries over seven years. Plus the remotes will also be manufactured from 24 per cent recycled plastic content.

Indeed, waste is a major and growing problem for the global consumer electronics market, and Samsung is one of several top smartphone manufacturers to face growing criticism over the impact of its old products on the planet. It was therefore interesting to see the firm’s latest thinking on this issue last week, as it touted the potential of repurposing older smartphones for other uses in the home, such as for baby monitors, or devices to control heating and lighting.

With the UN estimating up to $10bn of precious yet polluting metals are dumped around the world each year through e-waste efforts from major electronics firms to both design-out waste and upcycle older gadgets look set to garner increasing focus in the coming years.  

Samsung’s solar-powered TV remotes are set for rollout in 2021

Samsung’s solar-powered TV remotes are set for rollout in 2021 | Credit: Samsung

General Motors accelerates electric vision

America’s largest carmaker was one of CES 2021’s headline exhibitors, and its flurry of announcements last week sought to place electric and driverless vehicles front and centre for both its near and long-term vision.

Firstly, GM unveiled a new logo and brand identity designed to underscore its increasing focus on EVs and autonomous driving, backed by ‘Everybody In’, a major new marketing campaign aimed at encouraging wider consumer adoption of its expanding range of battery cars.

GM is investing $27bn in EV and autonomous vehicles through to 2025, with a plan to launch 30 new EVs globally by that date. All of the firm’s road electrification efforts are being developed under the umbrella of its ‘Ultium’ platform, which GM claims will be capable of delivering an EV that can drive up to 450 miles on a full charge, powering EVs of many shapes, sizes, and price tags.

“At GM, we believe that after one of the most difficult years in recent history, this moment will prove to be an inflection point,” the company’s chairman and CEO Mary Barra said last week. “We’re spending more than $27 billion dollars on our electric and autonomous vehicle programs by 2025, and we feel confident that the emphasis we are placing on a more personalised driving experience will make our future EVs some of the most enjoyable and exciting vehicles we’ve ever made.

And, among various updates on its EV and driverless car efforts at the event, GM also announced the launch of its new electric delivery vehicle business – BrightDrop – estimating the total market opportunity for greener logistics in the US could surge to $850bn within five years. Among the first vehicles to step off the production line as part of the venture is the EV600, a light commercial delivery van with a range of up to 250 miles on a full charge, with FedEx Express slated to be the first customer later this year.

That wasn’t all either. GM is also looking to the skies for inspiration, it seems, becoming the latest firm to delve into the world of electric air taxis, as it last week unveiled animations of a proposed Cadillac-branded personal aircraft powered by batteries. Details are scarce at present, but GM said the single-seater air taxi would reach speeds of up to 56mph. It follows similar moves from Hyundai and Aston Martin, which have both sought stake claims in the nascent air taxi space.

Clearly, GM – which has built its business on iconic combustion engine car brands such as Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac – has its sights on a major green transformation over the coming decade.

GM’s BrightDrop EV600 is set to go on sale later this year

GM’s BrightDrop EV600 is set to go on sale later this year | Credit: GM

Solar cars and removal EV batteries

The electrification of road transport continues to open up more opportunities for innovation, and each year CES provides a marker for just how rapidly the sector is evolving.

German start-up Sono Motors last week unveiled the latest prototype for its “affordable” solar-powered electric car, which boasts panels on its roof and doors that can help charge the car’s battery when on the move during daylight hours, thereby reducing reliance on grid charging.

The firm claims the Sion car has a maximum range of 158 miles, but will be able to charge itself enough for up to around 21 miles-worth of driving each day if it is sunny. What’s more, the company hopes to offer the car at a price tag of around $26,000 (£19,000), making it more affordable than a Tesla.

Made of polymer rather than glass, the solar panels are designed to seamlessly integrate into the body of the car, and Sono is also currently developing means of using them on truck trailers to help boost the green credentials of heavy goods vehicles.

Meanwhile, driverless car technologies continue to capture the attention of the tech world. Chinese EV manufacturer NIO was among a clutch of companies to eschew CES’s virtual programme this year, instead unveiling its biggest innovation on its own website as it debuted its first autonomous driving model, which could be on the road by next year.

But as well as incorporating driverless software designed to be further updated and built on in the coming years, perhaps most intriguingly the ET7 also uses batteries designed to be swapped-out at dedicated NIO battery pack stations in order to speed up charging times. It forms part of NIO’s plan to install a network of 500 EV battery swap stations across China by the end of this year, each with 14 slots for drivers to pick up a fully charged battery in exchange for their near-depleted one for charging.

Could on-the-go charging and removable batteries signal an exciting new future for electric vehicles? We’ll have to wait and see.

Sono’s solar powered car

Sono’s solar powered car | Credit: Sono Motors

Recycling begins – and ends – at home

Among some of the smaller firms exhibiting their wares at CES last week was UK-based start-up Lasso Loop Recycling, which is currently developing what it claims is the first closed-loop domestic recycling device.

Resembling a hi-tech waste bin, the appliance is designed to sit in the kitchen, hallway, or wherever convenient in the home, where users can deposit waste plastic, glass, metals, and more. The machine takes the items, steam cleans them, grinds them down and crushes them, separates the materials, and places them into different compartments below, which can then be emptied into kerbside recycling collection boxes. The firm also envisages a smartphone app that could automatically organise for someone to come and collect the boxes when full.

Broadly speaking, Lasso’s aim is to avoid the need for large dedicated recycling facilities by carrying out all the sorting and recycling work at home – in effect creating a near closed loop system. The firm has already attracted more than 500 investors worldwide through a recent crowdfunding campaign, and is planning another later this year. The final version of the system is then earmarked to be ready for sale around 2023, according to Engadget, but at a (fairly hefty) $3,500 price tag per unit, recycling companies perhaps won’t be too worried about losing their business just yet. 

Lasso’s home closed loop recycling appliance

Lasso’s home closed loop recycling appliance | Credit: Lasso

Beekeeping for beginners

Ever fancied a go at bee-keeping, but weren’t sure how or where to start?

With people spending far more time at home this year as a result of the pandemic, there has been a surge of interest in home grown veg and gardening, as well as the natural world more generally. And with pollinator populations dropping, posing a major threat to biodiversity more broadly, Italian firm Beeing is hoping its B-Box – a new manufactured hive designed for home beekeeping at home – could become a new trend among eco-conscious consumers.

The B-Box is small enough to fit onto balconies and patios, and is designed to be both safe and easy-to-use for those without any previous beekeeping experience, enabling users to monitor the health and humidity of the hive using sensors, according to the firm.

Users can even harvest honey using levers that separate excess honeycomb from the rest of the hive, enabling collection without the need for special protective clothing, it claims.

At €597 the B-Box doesn’t come cheap, but those keen to get started on a new lockdown hobby won’t have to wait long as they are already on sale through Beeing’s website.

Article Source and Credit businessgreen.com https://www.businessgreen.com/feature/4025958/ces-2021-green-highlights-solar-powered-tv-remotes-electric-air-taxis-balcony-beekeeping Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buytickets.com