EV/AV Report: Mercedes-Benz road tests solid state batteries; while autonomous bikes learn to do their own tricks

Toronto, Ontario — In this weekly electronic and autonomous vehicle report, Mercedes-Benz has reportedly begun road testing the solid state batteries in its EQS vehicle model; while scientists at the Robotics and AI Institute train an autonomous bike to perform its own tricks.

Setting the solid-state stage

Mercedes-Benz, in partnership with Factorial, has announced that its prototype EQS vehicle model, equipped with a solid-state battery, has begun road tests.

According to online reports, the new EQS is expected to deliver 1,000 kilometres of range. Additionally, the automaker further claims that the vehicle’s solid-state battery pack will deliver 25 percent more range with the same size and weight as current lithium-ion batteries.

The solid-state battery in question uses a “floating cell carrier” so that when the battery is charged, the material expands and then contracts again once discharged.

Currently, the automaker has not reported how long the road testing will take place, however, previous reports suggest that the vehicle will be available by the end of the decade.

One hop this time

Scientists at the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) in Cambridge, Massachusetts have reportedly created an autonomous BMX bike that can perform its own tricks.

Referred to as an Ultra Mobility Vehicle (UMV), the ‘living’ BMX bike has been designed to self-learn and perform tricks such as bunny hops.

The RAI team developed a control unit for the new robot vehicle that relies on reinforcement learning so that the bike’s system rewards itself for completing a correct action and then learns from this data.

Watch the Ultra Mobility Vehicle in action below.