Saudi Universities Top List of Best Innovative Projects at Industrial Innovation Hackathon

The Industrial Innovation Hackathon concluded on Saturday. (OXAGON)
The Industrial Innovation Hackathon concluded on Saturday. (OXAGON)
TT

Saudi Universities Top List of Best Innovative Projects at Industrial Innovation Hackathon

The Industrial Innovation Hackathon concluded on Saturday. (OXAGON)
The Industrial Innovation Hackathon concluded on Saturday. (OXAGON)

The Industrial Innovation Hackathon, which was organized by the Saudi Ministry of Education in cooperation with NEOM's Industrial City OXAGON concluded on Saturday.

The event, which kicked off on Thursday, witnessed the participation of 30 Saudi universities and the public and private sectors. They came together to work on more than 65 projects.

Teams competed within the fields of Technology in serving mankind, water sustainability, electric fuel, and green hydrogen, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The Saudi universities were the top winners.

The top three projects were: SAvetro, 3D & IOT ICS, and BlindLine projects.

The SAvetro project aims to provide solutions for transport for the future. It was developed by a manufacturing team from the King Abdulaziz University.

The 3D & IOT ICS project is a program that seeks to organize construction projects through the Internet of Things and 3D modeling through drones. It was presented by a team from the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University.

The BlindLine project is a smart device to support learning the Brail language. It was submitted by a team from the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University.

The three winning teams will receive support from the OXAGON accelerator for a chance to turn their ideas into projects on the ground.



Tesla Plans Four New Batteries in 2026, Including for Robotaxi

FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
TT

Tesla Plans Four New Batteries in 2026, Including for Robotaxi

FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A staff member attends to customers inside a Tesla Model Y car at a showroom of the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo

Tesla plans to design four new versions of its in-house battery to power the Cybertruck, its forthcoming robotaxi and other electric vehicles, the Information reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of its plans.

The Elon Musk-led firm currently sources most of its EV batteries from other companies, including Panasonic Energy and LG Energy but has been trying to ramp up production of its 4680 battery cells in the United States to lower costs and boost margins.

The development of the 4680 battery has been facing troubles, with the company losing 70% to 80% of the cathodes in test production compared with conventional battery makers, which lose fewer than 2% of their components to manufacturing defects, the report said.

Cathodes, a key part of the battery, helps in creating energy that propels an EV, Reuters reported.

The company has also been trying to scale production of dry-coated version of the 4680 cells but has been struggling with the speed at which they can make the batteries, Reuters had reported last year.

Tesla is planning to introduce the dry cathodes in Cybertruck batteries by the middle of next year, the Information report said, adding that the company plans to make between 2,000 and 3,000 Cybertrucks a week using the dry-coating technology.

By 2026, Tesla plans to introduce four versions of the 4680 that use the dry cathode, one of which, code-named NC05, will power the robotaxi, according to the report.

The EV maker is expected to unveil its long-awaited robotaxi product next week as it looks to shift its focus to AI-powered autonomous technology amid slowing demand for battery-powered cars.