⚡️ EV hotel

September 8, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🔌 Tesla to install EV charging stations at Hilton hotels

🪱 Squishy worm-like robot goes places other robots can't

📱 Motorola's cheap Razr could change foldable phones forever

UP FIRST

Tesla to install thousands of EV chargers at Hilton hotels

The rollout will start next year and at least six new chargers will be offered at each location

Tesla has struck a deal to install 20,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at 2,000 Hilton hotels in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, CNBC reported on Thursday.

The automaker will install its Universal Wall Connector, which can charge not only Teslas but any North American electric vehicle.

The move enables Tesla to further build out its charging services while the Hilton hopes it will prove attractive for business and leisure customers looking for a place to stay.

Hilton’s chief brand officer Matt Schuyler said his business was seeing a “rapid and steep” increase in the number of customer requests for EV-charging facilities, and claimed that its existing charging points are already having a positive impact on hotel bookings. Schuyler added that after airport shuttles, car charging is the most popular search on Hilton's website.

ROBOTICS

Squishy worm-like robot goes places other robots can't

The diminutive device could act as an 'extra set of eyes and ears' for aircraft engineers carrying out inspections

GE Aerospace has unveiled a remarkable – and remarkably squishy – robot called Sensiworm (Soft ElectroNics Skin-Innervated Robotic Worm) that’s set to enhance aircraft safety.

The camera-equipped Sensiworm has been designed for the detailed inspection of airplane parts like engines, while it's hoped that a future design will also be able to carry out repairs.

A video released by the company on Thursday shows a Sensiworm prototype doing its thing, crawling through an engine in search of cracks and corrosion while all the time sending back live video to its human operators.

“With mini-robot companions like Sensiworm, service operators would have multiple additional sets of eyes and ears to perform on-wing inspections,” said Deepak Trivedi, principal robotics engineer at GE Aerospace Research, adding that the robot's soft and compliant design allows it to explore "every inch" of a jet engine.

OPINION by Mark Jansen

Motorola's cheap Razr could change foldable phones forever

The Razr (2023) is still waiting for a price in the U.S.

In all the fuss over the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, you may have forgotten Motorola also recently released some foldable phones of its own.

The Motorola Razr (2023) and Motorola Razr Plus (confusingly known as the Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra, respectively, in the U.K.) are two flip foldables well worth your attention. But there's something special about this duo. While the Razr Plus is a flagship phone with a lot in common with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Razr (2023) is rumored to be something we haven't seen in a foldable yet – a true, honest-to-god midrange phone.

While U.S. pricing and availability haven't been confirmed for Motorola's new foldable, the odds are it'll fall somewhere around the $600 to $800 price range. While not exactly an affordable phone by most metrics, it's likely to have the cheapest MSRP of any foldable sold in the U.S. to date.

In other words, this is a very good thing. Motorola should have released a midrange foldable phone years ago -- and in some ways, it did. Only it forgot to lower the price ...

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