MIT researchers have developed a groundbreaking sodium–air fuel cell that could reshape the future of electric transportation. Designed to replace the heavy lithium-ion batteries currently used in aviation, marine, and rail sectors, this innovative system delivers more than three times the energy density of today’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries — potentially making electric flight a reality.

The new fuel cell, developed by a team led by MIT doctoral students Karen Sugano, Sunil Mair, Saahir Ganti-Agrawal, and Professor Yet-Ming Chiang, uses liquid sodium metal and ambient air as its core materials. Unlike traditional batteries, which are limited by their weight-to-energy ratio, this system offers a fuel cell format that can be quickly refueled and deliver sustained power output.

Turning tough plant materials into usable fuel has long been one of the biggest challenges in renewable energy. At the center of this effort is cellulose, Earth’s most abundant renewable polymer. Despite being made entirely of glucose, its tightly packed crystalline structure—combined with lignin and hemicellulose—makes it extremely difficult to break down. Nature accomplishes this only slowly, and with the help of complex enzyme systems.

Now, scientists at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), along with collaborators in Brazil and abroad, have discovered a powerful new enzyme that can unlock cellulose more efficiently than ever before. Known as CelOCE (cellulose oxidative cleaving enzyme), this metalloenzyme could dramatically enhance the production of second-generation ethanol, a clean fuel made from agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse and corn straw. The research was recently published in Nature.

German automotive supplier Continental has introduced a revolutionary sensor technology designed to measure temperature directly on the rotor of permanently excited synchronous motors (PMSMs)—a first in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The innovation, known as the e-Motor Rotor Temperature Sensor (eRTS), is poised to make electric motors more powerful, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable.

This advancement marks a significant leap forward in EV motor technology. Unlike current systems that estimate rotor temperature through indirect methods like stator sensors, current flow, and environmental data, the eRTS provides direct, real-time temperature readings on the rotor itself. This dramatically reduces the tolerance range from 15°C (59°F) to just 3°C (37.4°F), allowing for far greater accuracy and efficiency in motor design and operation.