[stunpix]

Personally, I’m tired of these clickbait titles. I’ve read similar ones “x now is y times better/faster/efficient” countless times last two decade or so for batteries, transistors, ai, chips, cars, whatever you name it. The reality: industry for some reason doesn’t leap insanely with new technologies every two-five years after such or similar claims but it’s slowly crawling for decades…

[workingon]

That’s how basic research works though. If you were older you’d be starting the see the results of the clickbait science from 40-50 years ago.

[h2odragon]

When GM inaugurated the "Saturn" brand, they had all sorts of PR puff describing what we'd now call a "hybrid drive train" for it. None of that happened then, but it was obviously a well realized, cherished dream, engineering done and shelved until some of the missing miracles became more economical. Why no one wants to build an electric car with a small diesel charger engine is still a mystery.

Or look at VR/AR ... Still stuck to the same visions used to scam people out of investment money since the 90s. because more practical ideas can't compete with the hype and scam established industry there.

Why do our smartphones all look like "slates" described in scifi back tot he 60s? because thats what the scifi stories told us we were going to have. Blackberry keyboards were awesome but we can't have a decent keyboard now because its un-stylish?

[mcronce]

On the subject of phones with keyboards, I miss sliders :(

[kumarvvr]

> small diesel charger engine

You could lug around a Honda generator itself.

However, we must think beyond Petrol and Diesel. What about plant based fuels, or high blended ones, where the engine can be optimized for constant torque, high efficiency operation.

Current ICE's are optimized for a certain set of assumptions, you know, to drive a vehicle.

A generator, expected to produce a constant current and voltage, can be optimally designed.

Having said that, say you have a generator with you in your EV. You are lugging around the weight, and the power cycle efficiency is reduced due to introduction of electrical energy conversion.

However, again, it serves well to have a tiny generator, that can charge up the vehicle to drive 50 or so miles, enough for emergencies.

[blacksmith_tb]

The 'range extender' of the BMW i3[1] is basically just that, and the Chevy Volt's engine was also not connected mechanically to its powertrain[2].

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_i3#Range_extender_option

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt#Drivetrain

[h2odragon]

Optimising engines for generator type use works no matter the fuel. In fact it makes them easier to adapt to a range of fuels, i think.

I'm still a fan of ethanol fuel: all the "its so bad" press uses transparent trickery in their arguments like considering the brewers grains waste instead of value added feed; and so on. The "we can use it now" advantages outweigh a lot when pinch comes to shove. That we can produce ethanol locally and small scale is I suspect the biggest reason it fell out of favor.

[greenthrow]

There were far, far fewer clickbait headlines or articles about science in public media 40-50 years ago. We have a modern epidemic because this kind of coverage now plays an unfortunately large role in research funding. It needs to be corrected because it erodes public trust in science.

[amelius]

"Transistor million times smaller than vacuum tube!"

At least they were somewhat right initially, and eventually they were even too modest.

[sennight]

Basic research is conducted without consideration to commercial exploitation. Think research in time reversal symmetry physics... try to making a buck off that. This article is the direct opposite of basic research, at least according to the authors of the abstract page: They cite a bunch of prior research on the mechanics underlying the paper and then say "However, a link between the generation of the carrier types and their importance for observables of technological relevance is missing." Translation: "We think we found an industrial application".

Actual progress is very slow, even when the technology is already out of the lab - it can easily be decades of waiting before making it into the hands of everyone who'd benefit. Like dialup modems... the tech behind that had not only been available, but already applied to the task, years before the number of people aware of it grew beyond military and telecom people. There were no hyperbolic articles preceding the release of the Hayes modem. Actually, I'm drawing a blank on any example of popsci carny barkers doing anything but misleading and misinforming.

[zaik]

...results of a small amount of the clickbait science from 40-50 years ago

[oblivion_noir_]

There's always a leading edge to technology that remains highly exclusive for a long time. Even if it's far away from being used for much it's exciting to see what the future holds. Things are being implemented now that were only a glimmer on the horizon 30 years ago