Wouldn’t it have been miraculous if drones and robots had put out the L.A. wildfires soon after they’d started? Peter Diamandis, executive chairman of the X Prize Foundation, sure thinks so.
In April 2023, X Prize launched an $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire, a global incentive competition whose goal it is to detect a fire at ignition and put it out within 10 minutes. Today, 50 teams from 10 nations are moving forward on developing the technology that could win them the X Prize and enable it to all come together. A winner is expected in early 2026. It will be discussed and other relevant and pressing issues at the Abundance360 Summit in March of this year for those who are interested.
Diamandis wished it had been done earlier, and it could be preventable. On January 15 in his email newsletter, he wrote, “My family and I evacuated our home last Tuesday and luckily, our home is safe (for now), but the atmosphere in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades remains toxic as Teslas and flat-screen TVs melt and go up in smoke.”
The Palisades fire, on the western side of Los Angeles, was 52% contained, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire, near Pasadena, is 81% contained, as of about 6:30 Pacific time this morning according the New York Times. Winds are expected to increase this afternoon, creating a “particularly dangerous situation.”
Another good from Diamandis: “I also believe the future of fire insurance will soon change. Rather than paying you to rebuild your home after it burns down, the best insurers will use exponential tech to protect and prevent your home from ever burning in the first place. That’s a policy I’d prefer to have.”
He’s not the only futurist to warn us that advanced technologies like drones and robotics have become a necessity. Just talking about the impact of climate change doesn’t tell the whole story anymore. The words ‘remediation’ and ‘mitigation’ are becoming front and center. Climate change remediation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. Mitigation reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere. The U.S. and other countries will need to invest more in emergency response and prevention tactics and technologies to prepare for wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and more.
Canoo files for BK: Electric van maker Canoo announced on Jan. 17 that it will be ceasing operations “immediately” and that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware. The EV startup estimates in its filing that its assets are worth $126 million and that it owes over $164 million to its creditors, according to TechCrunch and The Verge. The U.S. will be appointing a bankruptcy trustee to oversee liquidation of the company’s assets and the distribution of proceeds to creditor, Canoo said. The startup EV maker had asked for support from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Loan Programs Office and from foreign investors, but neither came through. It’s the latest sign of problems developing for the company with Oklahoma operations idling and several executives leaving in recent weeks — including all of its founders.
What will come of Nissan and Honda merger?: With Nissan and Honda announcing its merger last month, what will come next? The merger could help the companies compete with other automakers in the electric vehicle (EV) market tapping into Nissan’s experience in building batteries and EVs, and Honda’s success in hybrid powertrains. A joint holding company is being formed, with each brand retained but a merger of the two global automakers taking place. Honda said it will initially lead the new executive management.
Some analysts wonder if the JV will be able to produce competitive, profitable EVs and hybrids, with both companies being known for staying behind global market leaders in designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing new model lineups. Nissan is currently marketing its Ariya all-electric crossover SUV. Car and Driver recent placed the Accord and Civic on its top 10 models to now this year. At CES earlier this month, Honda debuted two prototypes in its new 0 Series line of battery electric vehicles. Honda also showed another EV — an updated version of its Afeela 1 sedan, in a JV project with consumer electronics giant Sony.
Don’t forget about my Substack page: If you’re looking for something to read, check out Discovery: Jon LeSage’s Substack. It started with publishing my book in September, but then I got hooked. It was also fascinating to see a few big names out there — in writing, journalism, novels, music, technology innovations, politics, economics, and more — joining up in Substack. For a writer like me, it’s a thrill just to be there. They also make it easier to keep your commentaries organized and sent out to readers, along with promoting it on social media. If you’re hooked on writing and sending it out to the world, go see Substack and consider trying it out. It’s all free, and you can put out subscriber only version as well.
News briefs:
1. Check out U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Transformative Pathways for U.S. Industry with fascinating analysis of industrial transformation.
2. Learn more about how National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will continue to support medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging by tapping into its ARIES platform and decades of electrification research.
3. With the changing executive branch in Washington DC, California Air Resources Board (CARB) sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrawing the state’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver for its Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) Regulation. CARB thinks it would be prudent to do so given its experience during the previous Trump administration.
4. The U.S. Department of Energy released an update to the 45VH2-GREET model, which has been adopted by the Department of the Treasury for the purposes of calculating well-to-gate emissions of hydrogen production facilities for the clean hydrogen production tax credit established in Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C section 45V [45V tax credit]).
5. Hyundai Motor America says that it’s been awarded The Clean Transport Award at the annual Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA, being recognized for its groundbreaking advancements in hydrogen mobility and clean logistics.
6. The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a federal coalition focused on advocating for the advancement of the electric vehicle supply chain, released its 2025 Policy Platform to support electric vehicle adoption. It’s also organized around building a robust domestic supply chain, and creating American jobs. Built on four pillars supporting all elements of the EV value chain, ZETA’s Policy Platform will reinforce the industry’s continued strong domestic growth, the coalition said.
