Global sales of combustion engine cars peaked in 2017 - Our World in Data

For decades, one of the biggest debates among off-road enthusiasts has been whether gas or diesel trucks make for the better off-roader. There are plenty of good reasons to run both types of vehicles on your favorite trails, but gas and diesel enjoyers alike have a new issue to worry about. That would be the new kid on the block: electric SUVs with purported off-road chops for days. While it might've once been inconceivable that an electric vehicle could even come close to matching the performance of off-road all-stars like the Toyota Tundra, the Subaru Forester Wilderness, and even the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the introduction of the Rivian R1S and R1T in 2021 turned the off-roading world upside down. As it turns out, modern EVs aren't just highly capable on pavement; they can also be tuned for seriously impressive rock crawling, and they even have some significant benefits over their competitors with traditional internal combustion engines. For one, many EVs have excellent ground clearance, and they need fewer pieces of specialized gear to excel on even the most challenging wilderness trails.

We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply. AbstractSodium-salt-based physical inhibitors reduce coal–oxygen interactions through moisture absorption and retention in the prevention of coal spontaneous combustion, but their wetting and spreading performance on coal surfaces can be further improved. To enhance the overall inhibition performance of sodium-salt-based inhibitors, the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was introduced to modify the sodium chloride (NaCl) inhibition system, and the optimal composite inhibitor formulation was selected through experimental characterization and comprehensive evaluation using the entropy weight method. The results showed that SDS further enhanced the moisture-regulation capacity of the NaCl system.

Like many of us, Toyota wants Europe to leave room in new car dealerships for internal-combustion engines, and it has a fairly bold suggestion for how to do it: cars running exclusively on qualifying renewable fuels, the company announced Friday, should count as zero-emission vehicles. Yes, even with an engine burning fuel under the hood. Toyota calls this a request for "partnership and pragmatism. " Specifically, it wants European regulators to accept the idea under a common definition aligned with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive. The important word here is “exclusively.” This isn’t a request to give every gasoline car a green badge because its owner occasionally buys a different kind of gas; it's asking if cars that only ever run on eligible fuels could get that zero-emission tag. The timing is key, because Europe is already reconsidering its combustion-engine endgame. Current rules call for a 100-percent reduction in fleet CO2 emissions for new cars and vans from 2035 onward, but the European Commission has alternatively proposed a 90-percent reduction, with the remaining emissions compensated through qualifying fuels or European low-carbon steel.

A Russian man secretly working for Ukraine's intelligence services has shared videos of surveillance work he says he has done for Kyiv inside Russia. The man, who we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil. He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs. Ivan was cautious about how much detail he shared, making it impossible to verify the activities he claims to have carried out.56 minutes ago

Site search54 minutes agoMonica GarnseyBBC Eye Two Russian men secretly working for Ukraine's intelligence services have given rare accounts of operations they claim to have been involved with, that have targeted military assets and personnel inside Russia. One of the men, whom we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role from Russia in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil. He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs. The documentary, by independent Polish journalist Marcin Mamon, also features a man we are calling Foma, a Russian living in exile in Poland. Foma runs a network of undercover volunteers in Russia, that surveils high-level officers that the GUR - Ukraine's military intelligence service - is considering targeting, he says. He stresses they are never involved in the attacks themselves. Getty ImagesLt Gen Fanil Sarvarov was killed in Moscow last year by an explosive device hidden under his carThere have been previous media reports of Russian sabotage groups, but it is rare to get access to someone operating on the ground, like Ivan, explaining alleged activities.