Using electric cars to reverse-power cities is not a new idea – but getting paid for it is. And now, the Wall Street Journal says a University of Delaware professor has designed a project that is doing just that. Here’s how it works.
The main idea is that the power stored in the cars – which are essentially giant rolling batteries – can smooth out demand for power during peak periods of energy use. The local utility then pays the car owners for that power. Pipe dream? Not really. So far, the Delaware test program is paying out about $110 a month per car – which is usually more than the cost of the power the cars are using to drive around, so the owners are seeing a net profit just to drive the cars.
That’s a sweet deal. Again, it’s just a test program, but many energy utilities around the world are taking a closer look at the unique symbiotic relationship with electric vehicles.
Ever lose your carry-on luggage on a long trip? Ugh, what a huge pain the neck. If only you could track it on your phone! Well of course, in the growing Internet of Things, now you can.
Meet Bluesmart, a high-tech rollie that’s packing a lot of tech in with your skivvies and dress shirts. The Bluesmart features location tracking on your phone, proximity sensors, an automatic locking if it gets away from you, a built-in battery to charge up your tech and it can even weigh itself. The app even checks the weather at your destination so you know what to pack! There’s also a special quick-access pocket for your laptop for getting through security more easily.
The Bluesmart is already into stretch goals on Indiegogo and the $195 early bird units are all gone, so you’d better hit the link below and pony up 215 dollars quick before all the first issue bags roll away.
Normally, a dot-one phone OS update wouldn’t rank as big news, but Apple’s latest iOS update does because it rolls out a possibly game-changing new technology known as Apple Pay.
Cell phone and computer companies have talked about a “digital wallet” for years but it looks like Apple is finally ready to make a serious go of it in the U.S. with the iOS 8.1 update, which is free and available now. Apple has lined up all three major credit card issuers, many major banks and hundreds of retailers to accept the tap-to-pay system, which they claim is more secure than using credit cards.
Right now, only the iPhone 6 series and some iPads can use Apple Pay, and time will tell if the system catches on. We’d like to know if you’re going to use Apple Pay and what kind of experience you have, so leave a comment below.
