Tesla remains committed to its ambitious project of constructing an electric big-rig charging corridor spanning from Texas to California, undeterred by being excluded from a lucrative federal funding program associated with President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. However, we have learned that the project’s original scope may still undergo modifications.

The company had been looking to secure close to $100 million from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant program under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). With approximately $24 million of its own funds, Tesla aimed to construct nine electric semi-truck charging stations spanning from Laredo, Texas, to Fremont, California.

This corridor, if implemented, would create a groundbreaking charging network that has the potential to revolutionize long-distance and regional electric trucking, making a significant contribution to the reduction of pollution in the transportation industry. Without it, however, Tesla’s commitment to revolutionize heavy-duty trucking could face even more delays than it already has.

The project, known as TESSERACT, was presented to the FHWA. It was mentioned in a slide within a lengthy 964-page filing with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Tesla worked together with SCAQMD on the application.

However, Tesla was not on the list of 47 recipients that the Biden administration announced in January. Together, those winners were granted a staggering $623 million to construct electric vehicle charging and refueling stations nationwide. Despite Tesla’s success in winning approximately 13% of all other charging awards from the Infrastructure Act, the company has only managed to secure around $17 million in revenue.

Rohan Patel, who recently departed from his VP position at Tesla amidst the company’s 10% workforce reduction, mentioned in a message that Tesla might explore options such as state funding opportunities or future rounds of the CFI program. According to him, some of the sites along the route are obvious choices, even without funding.

The 1,800-mile route would connect Tesla’s two North American vehicle factories, as well as one that is planned but delayed in Mexico. Every station was initially planned to have eight 750kW chargers specifically for Tesla Semis, along with four chargers available for other electric trucks. It’s uncertain how successful it would be if the company couldn’t construct all nine stations, which are evenly spaced along the route.

Approximately half of the CFI funding recipients selected by the Biden administration have prioritized the expansion of EV charging infrastructure in various communities, including urban and rural areas. These efforts aim to establish charging stations at key locations such as schools, parks, libraries, and multi-family housing complexes, among others.

A significant portion of the funding was allocated to support 11 “corridor” projects, several of which are located along the I-10 corridor that coincides with Tesla’s proposed route. This allocation involves $70 million to the North Texas Council of Governments for the construction of up to five hydrogen fueling stations catering to medium and heavy-duty trucks in the Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio regions.

The Department of Transportation stated in January that the project will contribute to the establishment of a hydrogen corridor stretching from southern California to Texas.

“Funding hydrogen stations will be seen as a complete waste of money,” Patel stated in an interview.

Although he is no longer representing Tesla, he expressed his disapproval of funding hydrogen infrastructure during his tenure at the company.

On X in February, he expressed his frustration with governments worldwide for squandering tax dollars on hydrogen for light/heavy duty infrastructure. Quitting is always possible, just like giving up smoking.

There are other challenges to the project besides funding. Tesla’s recent restructuring could add another layer of complexity.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has expressed a strong commitment to advancing autonomy within the company. It has been reported that Tesla has shifted its focus from a planned low-cost electric vehicle to prioritizing the development of a specialized robotaxi. The Semi has experienced significant delays in its production timeline, with Tesla having manufactured only a limited number of around 100 units so far.

Despite all this, the Tesla Semi program continues to gain traction among customers. Shortly after the restructuring, Dan Priestley, the head of the Semi program, took to social media to announce a promising new customer for the trucks. In March, Priestley also mentioned that Tesla has been utilizing Semis to transport battery packs from Nevada to the Fremont factory.

A novel vaccine platform could eliminate boosters for some diseases since one dose could cover all future viral strains. It’s only been tried in mice, but researchers are optimistic.

“This could be the universal vaccine that we have been looking for,” said UC Riverside virologist Rong Hai.

The vaccination contains live, attenuated virus. Many vaccines, including MMR and chickenpox, use a similar mechanism. Unlike them, the new vaccines won’t require the immune system to respond to the infection. RNA interference (RNAi) will be activated instead.

Though it sounds like COVID-19’s mRNA vaccines, it operates differently.

As an immunological response to viral infection, hosts—people, mice, and others—produce short interfering RNAs. “These RNAi knock down the virus,” said lead author Shouwei Ding, renowned microbiology professor.

By generating proteins that prevent RNAi, viruses can avoid this response, but weakening them first solves the problem. It can replicate, but the host RNAi response wins. This weakened virus can be utilized as a vaccination to improve our RNAi immune system, Ding said.

Mutating won’t help either. “Viruses may mutate in vaccine-untargeted areas. We target their entire genome with thousands of tiny RNAs, Hai said. “They cannot escape this.”

The idea that RNAi can help people fight viral infections has been controversial, but over the last decade, several researchers have begun studying RNAi-based treatments.

The novel vaccine platform has another major benefit. Since it doesn’t require B and T cells, it could be utilized in very young babies or persons with immunological problems who can’t receive live vaccines.

The researchers designed a Nodamura mouse virus vaccination to test this. Mice genetically engineered to eliminate B and T immune cells received one shot. That one shot protected them from the Nodamura virus for at least three months, a considerable period considering mice typically live two to three years.

Since newborn mice can manufacture short RNAs, the vaccine worked in them, making it suitable for babies too young to receive immunizations.

A previous study suggests that flu infection triggers the RNAi system; therefore, that’s their next target. To reduce needle anxiety, they want to create a nasal spray vaccine.

We’ll apply this idea to create a flu vaccination for infants next. If we succeed, they won’t need their moms’ antibodies, added Ding.

It’s still early, but if it works, applying the method to other infections should be easy.

Ding said, “Dengue, SARS, and COVID are well-known human pathogens. They share viral functions. For easy knowledge transfer, this should apply to these viruses.”

The paper appears in PNAS.

Orbex, a small launch company based in the UK, got more money from backers, including Scotland’s national bank. The company is now getting ready for its first orbital launch, but the date for that mission has not yet been set.

With its start in 2015, Orbex is one of only a few companies in Europe racing to make the next generation of launch vehicles. The retirement of the Ariane 5 and big delays to the Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets have left a huge gap that these companies are trying to fill. Without these vehicles, there is almost no native launch capacity coming out of Europe.

But Orbex also has a chance because of his absence. The company is working on what is sometimes called a “microlauncher.” It is a two-stage vehicle called Prime that is only 19 meters tall and can take up to 180 kilograms of payload. Rocket Lab’s Electron is the most similar. It’s only a meter shorter, but it can take up to 300 kilograms.

The fact that Orbex is small is not a problem for the company. In fact, Orbex CEO Philip Chambers told TechCrunch via email that the company is seeing “positive market conditions” for its product.

“There is a pent-up demand for sovereign launch capabilities,” he said. “We are seeing an exponential growth of satellites being launched into LEO, and demand for launch is far exceeding supply. At the moment, it’s not possible to launch a single kilogram from Europe.” “We will let European customers choose how to launch their own payloads and let them launch European payloads from European soil.”

Prime will take off from a new spaceport being built with money from the UK’s national space agency in Sutherland, which is in northern Scotland. The end goal is to use a patented recovery technique that the company calls REFLIGHT. This is an interstage device that sits between the rocket stages. When the booster comes off, four “petals” will unfold and, along with a parachute, create enough drag for a soft landing in the ocean.

It’s possible that a bigger car will be made in the future, but Chambers made it clear that Prime was the company’s top goal. He did say, though, that many of the rocket’s main technologies could be used with bigger packages.

Considering the laws of physics, it would be logical for Orbex to explore the option of using larger vehicles in order to compete on cost per kg.

The company is starting its Series D round with £16.7 million ($20.7 million) in new funding, including investments from Octopus Ventures, BGF, Heartcore, EIFO, and other contributors. Following the closure of a £40.4 million ($50 million) Series C in October 2022, Orbex has secured additional capital. Although a spokesperson has confirmed that the new funding will assist Orbex in accelerating the development of Prime, ensuring its readiness and scalability for the launch period, the specific launch window has not been announced yet.