⤴⤵ Up Wing/Down Wing #47

A curated selection of pro-progress and anti-progress news items from the week that was

In case you missed it ...

✨ Why even supersmart AI might never take all the jobs (Tuesday)

⚛️ ⚡✨ AI’s Need for Nuclear: A Quick Q&A with … energy writer and historian Emmet Penney (Wednesday)

⚡ Washington and the New Energy Revolution: How's it going? (Thursday)

⤴🎦 An Up Wing film from a Down Wing decade (Friday)

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⤴ Up Wing Things

🛩️ Sodium fuel-cell could unlock electric aircraft. MIT researchers have unveiled a promising new fuel cell that could reshape electric transportation beyond cars. Using liquid sodium metal instead of lithium-ion batteries, the system offers up to three times the energy-to-weight ratio, potentially reaching 1,700 watt-hours per kilogram. That could be revolutionary for electric aircraft, ships, and trains, where weight is a major constraint. Unlike traditional batteries, the sodium fuel cell generates power through a metal-air reaction and is “refueled” rather than recharged. A spinoff company, Propel Aero, is already working to commercialize the tech, with flight tests expected within a year. (The Debrief)

⚔ Anduril and Meta form a lethal alliance. The defense tech startup is teaming up with Meta to bring AI and augmented reality to the battlefield. The two companies are developing high-tech tools for US soldiers, including the EagleEye helmet:

The EagleEye system will improve soldiers’ hearing and vision by helping them detect drones flying miles away or hidden targets, the Journal reported. The project will rely on Anduril’s autonomy software and Meta’s AI models.

Luckey said that effort will build on Anduril’s work on the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program, in which it has partnered with Microsoft to develop an augmented-reality-powered headset for soldiers.

As Silicon Valley increasingly embraces defense work, Meta is positioning itself as a key player in the future of military tech. (Wapo)

🚙 Strategic policy propels EV popularity in Norway. Norway has made electric vehicles work — even in its remote, Arctic regions — through a mix of smart policy and practical infrastructure. Generous government incentives, including tax exemptions and reduced tolls, made EVs more affordable than gas cars:

In 2024, nearly 90 percent of new passenger cars sold in Norway were fully electric. Of the cars sold last month, the EV share was 97 percent.

By comparison, EVs last year accounted for 8 percent of new car sales in the United States, 13 percent in the euro zone and 27 percent in China.

A nationwide charging network, powered almost entirely by renewables, helped ease “range anxiety,” even in snowy, mountainous terrain. Early public investment spurred private growth, while consistent support built consumer confidence. Despite cold-weather challenges, Norwegians embraced EVs for their low operating costs and convenience. With the right mix of policy, planning, and incentives, EV adoption can thrive in unlikely places. (Wapo)

♻️ SCOTUS limits NEPA overreach. In a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court rejected the DC Circuit’s broad interpretation of agency responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act. The case centered on whether federal agencies must evaluate third-party environmental impacts — like oil drilling and refining — when approving infrastructure projects. Writing for the majority, Justice Kavanaugh clarified that NEPA requires agencies to assess only the direct effects of the project in question, not speculative downstream or upstream impacts. The ruling is a win for infrastructure developers, easing NEPA burdens and potentially streamlining approvals for projects like Utah’s proposed Uinta Basin railway. (Reason)