The Road That Powers Your Car: Why Florida’s Charging Highway Is Just the Beginning

By Futurist Thomas Frey

The Question Nobody Expected Florida to Answer First

A 4.4-mile stretch of highway in Central Florida will do something no American road has ever done: charge electric vehicles while they drive. State Road 516, connecting Lake and Orange counties, will embed inductive charging coils beneath the pavement, wirelessly transferring up to 200 kilowatts to compatible vehicles at highway speeds. Construction begins this spring. Partial opening expected by 2027. Full operation by 2029.

This isn’t a gimmick. It’s the opening move in infrastructure’s biggest transformation since the Interstate Highway System. And it forces an uncomfortable question: once roads become energy delivery systems, what else changes? How quickly does this spread? And what happens when autonomous vehicles that never stop driving meet highways that never stop charging?

Let me walk you through the forces driving this shift, where it leads in an autonomous era, and why this becomes national infrastructure faster than anyone expects.

Continue reading… “The Road That Powers Your Car: Why Florida’s Charging Highway Is Just the Beginning”

Florida will allow autonomous cars with no safety drivers on public roads starting July 1

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The new law is intended to make Florida competitive with other states that have welcomed self-driving vehicles and testing.

Self-driving vehicles without any safety driver in the vehicle will be allowed on Florida roads starting July 1.

As Florida’s governor signed the new bill into law, he stated the intention is to remove “barriers to the advancement of autonomous vehicles” in the state.

Anyone who is onboard is also exempted from laws against texting or other distracted-driving activities in the vehicle.

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Florida’s ‘city of the future’ is first solar-powered town in America

Developers hope Babcock Ranch will become America’s first self-sustaining city; Phil Keating reports on the progress.Video

America’s first solar community coming to life in Florida

Developers hope Babcock Ranch will become America’s first self-sustaining city; Phil Keating reports on the progress.

Continue reading… “Florida’s ‘city of the future’ is first solar-powered town in America”

It’s Illegal to Live off the Grid in the State of Florida

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Robin Speronis lives off the grid in Florida, completely independent of the city’s water and electric system. A few weeks ago, officials ruled her off-grid home illegal. Officials cited the International Property Maintenance Code, which mandates that homes be connected to an electricity grid and a running water source.

That’s like saying our dependency on corporations isn’t even a choice. The choice to live without most utilities has been ongoing for Robin, the self-sufficient woman has lived for more than a year and a half using solar energy, a propane camping stove and rain water.

In the end, she was found not guilty of not having a proper sewer or electrical system; but was guilty of not being hooked up to an approved water supply.

Continue reading… “It’s Illegal to Live off the Grid in the State of Florida”

Living off the Grid is now Illegal in the State of Florida

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Robin Speronis lives off the grid in Florida, completely independent of the city’s water and electric system. A few weeks ago, officials ruled her off-grid home illegal. Officials cited the International Property Maintenance Code, which mandates that homes be connected to an electricity grid and a running water source.

Continue reading… “Living off the Grid is now Illegal in the State of Florida”

Florida to test drones in the battle against mosquitoes

Drone packing a shortwave infrared camera to find the pools where larvae are

Mosquitoes are a big problem that plagues the world.  We have recently seen a sticker that will render the wearer invisible to mosquitoes.  Now, Florida, the paradise of marshy wetlands i.e. mosquito breeding grounds, is gearing up for an experiment involving aerial drones to fight mosquitoes.

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Top 20 most dangerous U.S.cities for pedestrians

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Florida holds the top four on the list with the most dangerous places to walk in America.

The 2011 edition of the “Dangerous by Design” report has just been released by Transportation for America, which calculated the Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) in metro areas around the country. Cities where people walk more have more pedestrian deaths, so the index plots the number of pedestrians who die against the number of people who walk.

 

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18% of Homes in Florida Are Vacant

vacant homes in Florida

The worst-hit county in Florida  is Collier — home of Naples — with a whopping 32% of homes empty.

It’s not always easy to feel sorry for sunny Florida. But it just got hit with another blow.  The Census Bureau revealed that 18% — or 1.6 million — of the Sunshine State’s homes are sitting vacant. That’s a rise of more than 63% over the past 10 years.

 

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