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In perhaps the least surprising news of the past six weeks, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to roll back President Biden’s electric vehicle and emissions policies. Reuters reports that the incoming president’s transition team has recommended cutting off support for EVs and charging stations while boosting measures to block cars, components and battery materials from China.

The transition team’s other reported plans include new tariffs on all battery materials globally, boosting US production of battery materials and negotiations with allies for exemptions. They’re also said to plan on taking money allocated for building charging stations and making EVs more affordable and redirecting them to sourcing batteries and their required minerals from places other than China. In addition, they reportedly want to axe the Biden administration’s $7,500 tax credit for consumer EV purchases.

The plans would let automakers produce more gas-powered vehicles by reversing emissions and fuel economy standards, pushing them back to 2019 levels. Reuters says that would lead to around 25 percent more emissions per vehicle mile than the current limits. It would also lower the average car fuel economy by about 15 percent.

Climate scientists have stressed the importance of transitioning from gas-powered cars to EVs in reducing carbon emissions and fending off the most ravaging scenarios for the planet. Greenhouse gases, including those from vehicle emissions, build up in the atmosphere and warm the climate. That leads to a cascade of effects in the atmosphere, on land and in oceans — some of which we’re already seeing.

As for tariffs, economists have said Trump’s plans would likely spur multiple trade wars as countries retaliate with tariffs on American goods, disrupt supply chains and pierce the heart of America’s post-World War II alliances. “If we go down the tariff war path, we’re going down a very dark path for the economy,” Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, told The New York Times in October.

The Biden administration has championed climate legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $369 billion for green initiatives, and EPA rules that require automakers to ramp up EV sales.

Meanwhile, Trump has called climate change a “hoax.” In May, he reportedly told a group of oil executives that he would immediately reverse dozens of Biden’s environmental rules while blocking new ones from being enacted. His asking price for such deregulation was that they raise $1 billion for his campaign. (Thanks, Citizens United!) So, while the reports about his transition team’s plans are still a gut punch to those who care about leaving the planet in a habitable state for future generations (and slowing the effects we’re already seeing), they aren’t exactly shocking to anyone paying attention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/trump-reportedly-plans-to-reverse-bidens-ev-policies-182206662.html?src=rss 

Google may have only recently begun rolling out its Veo generative AI to enterprise customers, but the company is not wasting any time getting a new version of the video tool out to early testers. On Monday, Google announced a preview of Veo 2. According to the company, Veo 2 “understands the language of cinematography.” In practice, that means you can reference a specific genre of film, cinematic effect or lens when prompting the model.

Additionally, Google says the new model has a better understanding of real-world physics and human movement. Correctly modeling humans in motion is something all generative models struggle to do. So the company’s claim that Veo 2 is better when it comes to both of those trouble points is notable. Of course, the samples the company provided aren’t enough to know for sure; the true test of Veo 2’s capabilities will come when someone prompts it to generate a video of a gymnast’s routine. Oh, and speaking of things video models struggle with, Google says Veo will produce artifacts like extra fingers “less frequently.”

Separately, Google is rolling out improvements to Imagen 3. Of its text-to-image model, the company says the latest version generates brighter and better-composed images. Additionally, it can render more diverse art styles with greater accuracy. At the same time, it’s also better at following prompts more faithfully. Prompt adherence was an issue I highlighted when the company made Imagen 3 available to Google Cloud customers earlier this month, so if nothing else, Google is aware of the areas where its AI models need work.

Veo 2 will gradually roll out to Google Labs users in the US. For now, Google will limit testers to generating up to eight seconds of footage at 720p. For context, Sora can generate up to 20 seconds of 1080p footage, though doing so requires a $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. As for the latest enhancements to Imagen 3, those are available to Google Labs users in more than 100 countries through ImageFX.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-ai-video-model-sucks-less-at-physics-170041204.html?src=rss 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has just signed a €10.6 ($11.1) billion contract to build the IRIS constellation. It’s the EU’s most ambitious space program in a decade and is designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink network. The contract will last 12 years, and the first launch is expected in 2029.

IRIS, which stands for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, will consist of almost 300 satellites launched by European rockets. It’s built on top of two other EU satellite constellations, Copernicus and Galileo, the largest Earth-observation program and most accurate GPS system, respectively. Though most of the satellites’ work capacity will be used to provide commercial broadband services, a significant part is dedicated to security and crisis management. Most of the satellites are planned for a low earth orbit, but some will be in a medium earth orbit.

Of the €10.6 billion, €6 billion comes from the EU, while the ESA is forking over €550 million. The remaining €4 billion will come from the private sector.

The ESA is partnering with the European Commission through SpaceRISE, an industrial consortium led by European satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat. Other members include Deutsche Telekom, Airbus and Thales, according to the Financial Times.

Since IRIS is many years away, Starlink will likely dominate the current satellite internet market. Recently, SpaceX completed the first direct-to-cell satellite constellation, which will allow phones to be connected even in remote areas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/europe-will-build-its-own-secure-satellite-network-161115164.html?src=rss 

For years, reporting has claimed employees and contractors at Amazon’s warehouses are injured at unusually high rates, often attributed to a high pace of work. On Sunday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions published an investigation that claims Amazon’s own internal research reached similar conclusions — and then ignored them, The New York Times reported.

The Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, published its 160-page report, which among other things, details the results of two internal Amazon initiatives meant to study worker injuries: Project Elderwand and Project Soteria. The former identified an upper bound of repetitive motions workers could perform before substantial risk of injury would occur, and noted that current quotes were above that rate. The latter indicated a link between work speed and injury. Both studies recommended relaxing the pace of work, but executives chose not to do so.

Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said that Sanders’ report used what she called “out-of-date documents” (the studies were conducted in 2020 and 2021). She continued saying that Amazon’s work environment has improved recently, and that a Washington State judge had rejected allegations that Amazon required its employees to work in an unsafe environment.

Amazon was cited last year by OSHA at half a dozen warehouses for “failing to keep workers safe.” An investigation by the Washington Post in 2021 found Amazon warehouse workers are seriously injured at a rate nearly twice that of the warehousing industry at large; it echoed similar findings by Reveal from 2019.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-ignored-internal-studies-on-injuries-senate-investigation-claims-144611988.html?src=rss 

Are you ready for the holiday travels and the long hours on your phone that accompany them? Whether you’re using your device for directions or entertainment, it’s a pain when you’re phone just dies. Try to avoid this by picking up one of our choices for best power banks and portable chargers, like Anker’s 200W Prime Power Bank — our favorite premium power bank.

Anker’s Prime Power Bank with a 100W charging base is currently available for $110, down from $185. This 41 percent off deal brings the power bank and charging base back down to a record-low price. To start from the bottom, its charging base has a USB port and two USB-C ports. You can use them while the base is plugged in and juicing up the power bank. As for the power bank, it can charge a MacBook Air once and an iPhone 14 or Galaxy S23 3.4 times. The power bank’s sleek screen shows how much battery the Anker device still holds. 

If you’re only really interested in the power bank then you can get it for a lot cheaper. The Anker Prime Power Bank is available on its own for just $78 — a 40 percent discount. This deal is also a record-low price for the device and offers all the same perks just sans-base. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-prime-power-bank-with-charging-base-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-150600518.html?src=rss 

If you’re looking for a holiday gift, Masterclass has something that may catch your attention. As part of a special holiday offer, you can get two MasterClass annual memberships — one for yourself and one to give away as a gift — for the price of one. Memberships start at $120 per year, which lets you watch on one device at a time, $180 grants access to two devices simultaneously and allows for downloads, and a Family membership covers six devices. Your giftee will get the same level of membership you buy for yourself. 

If you have a loved one interested in filmmaking, cooking, business, writing or just generally improving themselves, MasterClass is the ideal gift. A membership includes access to 180 different big name instructors teaching on topics they know a lot about. Classes on offer sound like an A-list roll call: Martin Scorsese and Jodie Foster teach lessons on filmmaking, Mark Cubain lays out his business knowledge, Questlove shows you how to DJ and Margaret Atwood gives a seminar on writing.

Classes range from around two to six hours and are broken up into shorter lessens, usually between 10 and 20 minutes. There are even exercises and community forums to get you actually doing the things the teachers teach. Recently, MasterClass added series as part of its lineup, such as GOAT, which are 20 minute episodes covering a single topic (such as making a grilled cheese or playing pickleball) that feel more like a mini documentary than a lesson. The mobile app also offers series of short, swipeable videos, for a highly polished TikTok feel.

Engadget has tried out the service and found it to be like a really smart streaming service, where you get to watch masters talk about how they go about their craft. Even if you bought it to mostly learn about filmmaking, for instance, you can also about peripheral elements like comedy from Steve Martin, Kevin Hart and Judd Apataow. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/masterclass-subscriptions-are-buy-one-get-one-free-in-this-last-minute-gift-deal-140039669.html?src=rss