Buoys Provide Data About Birds & Bats Offshore
Offshore wind has significant potential to bring abundant, renewable power into homes and businesses in coastal communities. But wind power plant operators need solid information about conditions, such as wind speeds at various times of day, to confidently make sound investments in technology and wind plant locations. Such is the case for California, which is looking to add offshore wind to its power resources. In fall 2020, DOE’s PNNL partnered with WETO and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to deploy two offshore wind research buoys off the northern and central California coastlines — near Humboldt and Morro Bay, California, respectively.
Earlier this year, the buoy stationed near Humboldt was taken offline for some technical upgrades. A research team streamlined that buoy’s power use and incorporated more efficient data management capabilities.
The buoy also invited a new passenger on board.
Hitchin’ a Ride Is for the Birds (and Bats)
Enter ThermalTracker-3D, a technology developed by PNNL and supported by WETO. ThermalTracker-3D is designed to track bird (avian) and bat behaviors and attributes — such as flight height and speed — needed for assessing potential risks from offshore wind energy development.
The prototype technology, equipped with specialized software and a pair of thermal, stereovision cameras, hitched a ride on the Morro Bay buoy 20 miles off the coast of Humboldt County with the purpose of collecting information about seabird and bat activity. Paired with the buoy, avian and bat activity can be correlated with various weather and ocean conditions.
This image, created from a sequence of ThermalTracker-3D photo frames, shows the flight track of a bird over the Pacific Ocean. Image courtesy of Shari Matzner, PNNL
The Results Bob In
The yearlong deployment is ending in fall 2021 for the Morro Bay buoy, with those results starting to land in the team’s hands in real time.
“So far, we’ve noted a lot of variability in daily wind speed, especially in the upper part of the turbine rotor layer, at Morro Bay,” said Raghu Krishnamurthy, a PNNL Earth scientist who is analyzing the data. “We are also finding that the wind speed increased roughly one and a half times at night.”
At the Humboldt location off the northern coast, steady-state winds — winds that provide consistent power production during all hours of the day — are being observed at each altitude. These data will provide further insight about the minimum daily power production available from offshore wind power plants in California during all seasons.
The PNNL team continues to thoroughly analyze the buoy data as it comes in and will publish a technical report at the end of 2021.
ThermalTracker-3D also continues to pull in avian data — recording data continuously and transmitting the flight data to shore every hour. In its first 30 days at sea, the system recorded 699 flight tracks — the first time that continuous, “24/7” observations have been made in U.S. coastal waters.
One of two offshore wind research buoys that are managed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), as depicted in an artist’s rendering. The buoys are equipped with instrumentation that can take wind speed measurements as high as 250 meters, the height of today’s wind turbines. Results will help wind power plant operators make decisions for states such as California on investments and locations. Image by Mike Perkins, PNNL
Floating — and Flying — Into the Future
The Morro Bay buoy will also be recovered from the ocean and undergo similar upgrades as the Humboldt buoy, which will remain deployed until spring 2022. It will then take a tropical trip to the coast off Oahu, Hawaii, to support offshore wind energy planning for that state.
ThermalTracker-3D is installed on the Humboldt buoy as part of its update. Photo by Shari Matzner, PNNL
Meanwhile, once ThermalTracker-3D completes its first California stint, the research team plans to develop a system for potential future deployment on an offshore wind turbine. This effort will compare postconstruction seabird behavior with the baseline data collected off the buoy — completing the understanding of how seabirds are affected by offshore wind energy development.
The data from the buoy and ThermalTracker-3D deployments will be available to the wind energy research community on the Data Archive and Portal, which is managed by PNNL. In August, R&D World Magazine announced that ThermalTracker-3D is a finalist for an R&D 100 award in the Software/Services category; winners will be announced later this year.
Courtesy of Energy.gov & PNNL, The Newest Dynamic Duo for Offshore Wind Research, ThermalTracker-3D joins forces with offshore wind research buoy during California deployment.
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If you haven’t noticed, Genesis is quickly making a name for itself in the US. The luxury automaker now has 60 sales outlets as it expands into new US states. With new EVs launching, Genesis is eyeing a bigger share of the US luxury market.
Hyundai Motor Group’s Genesis brand is quietly emerging as a powerhouse in the US luxury market. Genesis marked its entry into the luxury segment in 2008 as a Hyundai-branded model.
In 2015, Hyundai announced Genesis would become an independent luxury brand. Since launching its first vehicle in the US, the luxury brand’s sales have surged from 7,000 in 2016 to over 69,000 last year. It even outsold Nissan’s Infiniti.
According to Genesis, this is just the start. The Korean luxury brand wants an even bigger slice of the market as it eyes rivals like Porsche.
A big reason behind the brand’s confidence is its new lineup of stylishly electric models. Genesis sells three EVs in the US: The GV60, Electrified G80, and Electrified GV70.
After introducing the Electrified GV70 just last year, the electric SUV is already Genesis’ top-selling EV in the US. According to Kelley Blue Book, Genesis sold 2,343 electric GV70 models in the US through September.
Genesis eyes a bigger share of the US luxury market
Altogether, the luxury brand’s EV sales reached over 4,600 through the first nine months of 2024, topping Porsche (4,291) and Volvo (3,644).
Genesis made a statement at the LA Auto Show, unveiling the updated 2026 Electrified GV70. The luxury electric SUV now includes more range and an NACS port so drivers can charge at Tesla Superchargers. It will go on sale in the first half of 2025.
Meanwhile, Genesis showcased its new GV60 Magma Concept at the event, its first dedicated high-performance EV. The brand sees its Magma performance brand rivaling that of Geman luxury brands like Mercedes AMG, BMW M, and Audi RS.
The Genesis GV60 Magma EV will launch next year, spearheading the brand’s “expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles.”
Genesis enhanced the battery and motor while fine-tuning the chassis, thermodynamics, and profile for more power and efficiency.
It also features an aggressive new design, sitting much lower and wider than the current GV60 model. Genesis added a Magma-exclusive sound system to give it a sports car-like feel in the cockpit.
In April, we got our first look at the G80 EV Magma concept, which could be a potential challenger to Tesla’s Model S Plaid and the Porsche Taycan GT Turbo.
The luxury brand is expected to launch its flagship electric three-row SUV next year, the GV90. Genesis previewed the ultra-luxury EV in March after unveiling the Neolun concept.
Genesis now has 60 sales bases in the US, with new stores in Washington, Minnesota, New York, and Florida. It’s also building 30 in Canada as it expands its presence in the North American luxury market.
The luxury brand is opening a new dedicated design center in California. The “Genesis Design California” will open in the first half of 2025 as it builds out its US network.
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A rumor spreading like wildfire on social media claims BYD will be taking over NIO (NYSE: NIO) as the EV giant gobbles up market share in China. The rumor was posted by a suspected BYD employee, but NIO is denying the claim.
BYD acquiring NIO would be a massive move as China’s leading EV maker continues to dominate the market. But that’s not going to happen.
According to CnEVPost, NIO’s assistant vice president for branding and communications, Ma Lin, denied the rumors that BYD is taking over the company on Friday.
Ma posted a screenshot on social media asking BYD’s general manager of branding and PR, Li Yunfei if the person who posted the fake rumor was an employee.
Earlier today, the suspected employee claimed BYD and NIO were setting up a joint venture. In a Weibo post, the suspect said BYD would have majority control of the partnership with a 51% share while NIO would get the remaining 49% ownership.
Ma told Li that if it was, in fact, a BYD employee, he needed to issue an official clarification and apologize. If not, they can get the police involved together. Li also denied the rumors, saying the claim was seriously untrue.
NIO denies rumors that BYD is taking over the company
This is not the first time rumors surfaced that BYD will be taking over NIO, but because it is a suspected employee, the post has garnered more attention.
BYD is on a major hiring spree as it ramps up production to meet the higher demand. The EV giant now has over 900,000 employees, making it by far the largest A-share listed company in China.
After selling over 500,000 vehicles for the first time in a single month in October, BYD’s surge is heating up as the EV giant expands overseas for growth.
October was BYD’s fifth consecutive record sales month as it closes in on auto leaders like Ford in global deliveries.
NIO is also gaining momentum, with sales topping the 20,000 mark for the sixth straight month in October. With output of its new lower-priced Onvo L60 electric SUV ramping up, NIO expects to continue seeing higher demand.
Ma said on Friday that NIO’s “recent situation is quite good.” The company’s head of PR added, “Cash flow turned positive in the third quarter, gross profit improved in October, earning an extra RMB 100 million, and Onvo (deliveries) will exceed 10,000 in December.”
NIO is launching its third brand, Firefly, with deliveries kicking off in the first half of 2025. The company expects sales to double next year as it works to become profitable by 2026.
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Hyundai Motors is recalling 145,235 EVs and other “electrified” vehicles in the US, citing concerns about a loss of driving power, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday.
The NHTSA announced this morning that the recall affects selected IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 EVs, as well as certain luxury Genesis models, including the GV60, GV70, and G80 electrified variants, from the 2022-2025 model years, Reuters reported.
It looks like the issue stems from “the integrated charging control units in these vehicles, which may become damaged and fail to charge the 12-volt battery. This malfunction could lead to a complete loss of drive power, posing safety risks for drivers,” the NHTSA stated.
If you’re an owner of one of these Hyundai models dating 2022-2025, stay tuned. Hyundai has not yet provided a timeline as to when affected vehicles will be repaired.
To make that happen, the company’s dealers will inspect and replace the charging unit and its fuse if necessary, NHTSA said. Free of charge, of course.
Importantly, no crashes, injuries, fatalities, or fires due to this issue have been reported in the US, Hyundai reported.
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