130. Honda’s Solid State EV Plan, Lunar Soil Rocket Fuel, The Molecular Computer Dream

Summary: Show Notes: Honda aims for a solid-state-powered EV by the end of the decade | Ars Technica (00:53) Honda is working on what it believes will be the breakthrough that brings solid-state batteries to the market.  Working solo on this technology   Shinji Aoyama, Honda's global leader of electrification, told Ars Technica: “In the springtime of 2024, we will start a pilot line (for manufacturing). Then if we can be successful, we believe we can launch a vehicle with a solid-state battery in the latter part of the 2020s. 2029, 2028." CEO and president Toshihiro Mibe added that the automaker hasn't decided which vehicle will be the first to be outfitted with a solid-state battery. Solid State batteries might be potentially cheaper, safer, charge quicker, and hold more energy per pound, but they also don't have much of a life span. As we talked about last week Dendrites are tiny crystal spikes that form in the lithium metal anodes of solid-state batteries over time.  Honda is trying to solve the issue where the dendrites bore through the electrolyte over time and cause a short circuit during charging, reducing the battery's life span. Honda's solution is to sandwich the solid electrolyte with a polymer fabric keeping the dendrites from forming without sacrificing the battery's capabilities. They will roll press the elements instead of stamping, which Honda believes should give the company greater control over the thickness of each battery. The automaker is still in the early stages of testing these batteries at its facility.  They have to work quickly if they want to be ready for the pilot manufacturing of solid-state batteries in the spring of 2024. Bruvi Launches Breakthrough Single-Serve Coffee System  | Business Insider (06:19) Bruvi is a startup which recently launched its breakthrough brewing system today, just in time for the holiday season.  U.S. coffee drinkers use more than 17 million single-serve pods annually, the vast majority of which end up in landfills, where they take around 500 years to decompose. Only about 9% of plastic is recycled and small coffee pods are even more challenging to recycle. Bruvi‘s B-pods is taking a novel approach to bio-degradable coffee pods by assuming they end up at the landfill. And designing them to disintegrate when they do. B-Pods are bio-enzyme infused capsules designed to substantially break down in a landfill more rapidly than untreated plastics through an organic process that leaves no microplastics behind.  Bruvi co-founder Mel Elias, in an interview with TechCrunch, talks on the pods: “We are convinced here at Bruvi that we have found a very viable alternative, other than recycling, to address the problem of plastic waste by using bio enzyme technology … For consumers who are under the perception that single-serve pod coffee systems are bad for the environment, our aspiration at Bruvi is to ultimately turn this perception on its head and demonstrate that if you really care about the environment but still want to drink specialty coffee, Bruvi is your choice.” He continues talking on the bio-enzyme portion of their product: “This is the first time enzyme-infused plastic has been applied to a polypropylene coffee capsule, so this has already been an expensive endeavor for us as a startup … Adding the bio-enzyme admittedly does add a significant enough increase to the actual cost of our pods that would be a disincentive to most. Our social impact mission demands this course of action and so do the consumers we are trying to reach. Simply put, we couldn’t afford not to implement this solution.” Elias ends off with what his hopes are for the company and their mission: “Our immediate hope is that the large waste management companies that own or manage the majority of the active landfills in the U.S. today will be more incentivized, and supported by policy and regulation to increase the number of landfill gas to energy projects th