TIME Hails EV, Hydrogen, and Battery Innovations as Best of 2024
Source： eepower
For more than 20 years, TIME Magazine has published an annual list of new products and ideas in its TIME’s Best Inventions issue. 2024’s list of 200 inventions was compiled from nominations from the magazine’s editors and contributors worldwide. Fields of growing interest, such as renewable energy and artificial intelligence, were considered, and each contender was evaluated on originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.
In Part 1 of this two-part series, EEPower highlights 7 transportation innovations of particular interest to engineers and energy specialists.
1. Cavnue Connected and Automated Vehicle Corridor
Car manufacturers are spending billions to develop connected vehicles that communicate with one another and others that operate autonomously. Cavnue is taking the next step by developing a smart highway to become part of the connected driving experience. On a three-mile stretch of I-94 in Michigan, sensors costing $15 million have been installed every 200 meters to observe road conditions and traffic flow in real-time. Additional projects are planned for Austin, Texas, and Savannah, Georgia.
2. Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Although it has taken several years to finally arrive on the U.S. market, the 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz has arrived as a fully battery electric seven-seater. The famous VW microbus from the 1950s provides the design cues for the ID. Buzz. The fast-charging lithium-ion batteries under the minivan’s floor can be charged 80 percent in just 30 minutes, unlike the original microbus, which was more than a handful at highway speeds or on a windy day, the ID. Buzz has a low center of gravity for superb stability and a host of driving aids to make any journey safer.
Electric Volkswagen bus. Image used courtesy of Volkswagen
3. InductEV Wireless Charging Network
InductEV is developing a modular, wireless en-route charging system for freight, transit, and commercial vehicles. Instead of plugging in a vehicle and waiting for it to charge, the InductEV uses plates installed at bus stops or freight depots that wirelessly connect to charging plates on the underside of buses or commercial trucks. The system is now used by seven municipal transit agencies in Washington state. The company claims the battery will charge enough to gain up to three miles of range for every minute the bus or truck sits on top of a charging plate.
4. AM Batteries Powder to Electrode Method
Adopting the dry coating process for lithium-ion battery electrode production would eliminate the solvents and drying steps required in traditional wet coating. Tesla hopes to use this process to produce its 4680 battery cells more efficiently and cost-effectively. LG Energy Solution has been working on dry coating technology for about a decade and plans to begin full-scale production in 2028.
Another company pursuing dry coating for electrodes is AM Batteries. The company’s manufacturing technique sprays a coating directly onto the battery electrode, eliminating the energy required for heating and drying. The company claims carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by up to 40% in the manufacturing process. Samples of the company’s dry electrode technology have been sent to its partners for testing, but there is no word on when production might begin.
5. South 8 LiGas
One reason lithium-ion batteries are difficult to extinguish if they catch fire is the highly flammable organic liquid used as an electrolyte. Battery maker South 8 has addressed this problem by injecting a liquified gas electrolyte into the battery cells. The LiGas gaseous electrolyte rapidly vents from punctured cells. In tests, these cells burned for just six seconds compared to standard commercial lithium-ion cells, which continued to burn for five to 10 minutes. With a lower viscosity electrolyte, the LiGas cells exhibit higher conductivity for faster charging and can operate in temps as low as -60°F versus -30°F for conventional batteries.
6. ZeroAvia ZA600
Aviation directly contributes about 2 to 2.8% of global CO₂ emissions; however, its total climate impact is much greater—around 3.5 to 4%—when accounting for non-CO₂ effects. The sector is one of the hardest to decarbonize due to its reliance on energy-dense jet fuels and the slow adoption of sustainable alternatives like biofuels or electric propulsion.
ZeroAvia ZA600 is a hydrogen-electric aviation powertrain that can power a 19-seat aircraft without releasing any carbon. A hydrogen fuel cell is fed by gaseous hydrogen stored onboard in lightweight tanks. The fuel cell combines the hydrogen with oxygen from the atmosphere to produce electricity, with a byproduct of water vapor. The electricity powers the electric motors that turn propellers to provide the thrust needed for flight.
ZeroAvia aims to fly net-zero emissions by 2050. The company claims battery power alone will not have sufficient energy density to fly a large passenger aircraft. However, the company's solution will meet the requirements. In 2024, the company earned approval from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority for further experimental flights.
7. NASA Advanced Composite Solar Sail System
The NASA Advanced Composite Solar Sail is a deployable structure launched in April 2024 as a proof-of-concept for solar sail propulsion systems. Solar sails use the sunlight’s pressure for propulsion, eliminating the need for conventional rocket propellant. They are intended for future low-cost deep space missions.
When the solar sail is unfurled, it is about 30 feet (about 9 meters) on a side. Solar radiation pressure is small, which means a solar sail must be large to generate usable thrust. The experimental satellite that NASA has deployed is not much larger than a microwave oven, but its 860 square foot sail made from a metallic film will be the first of what promises to be many future tests.