Share
Tech and Science Daily | The Standard
Plug It In: EV dream of 1,000-mile mega battery
Season 1
•
This special series looks at the future of electric vehicles as part of the Standard’s Plug It In Summit in London, where representatives from the tech and motoring sectors will discuss how EVs could help cut pollution to meet carbon emissions targets.
With more drivers seeking to go electric but worried about cost and battery life, what happens to power performance when temperatures drop?
The race is also on to find more eco-friendly alternatives to dwindling minerals needed for building super-fuel cells of the future.
Tech & Science Daily meets Dr Billy Wu, senior lecturer at Imperial College London, and an expert in electro-chemical energy technologies.
His research focuses on “energy density”, how to make car batteries last longer and go further.
We discuss whether more range really is better, improving battery life and concerns about running out of critical resources such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
More info: standard.co.uk/plugitin
More episodes
View all episodes
Solar storm hits severe levels, Brick Lane data-centre row, EU “high-risk” tech phase-out
07:04||Season 1Alan Leer is in the host seat in London, watching the Sun kick off like it pays rent here — a severe space-weather event has operators on satellite-watch and grid-watch. Back on the ground, Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery row turns into the most modern London argument imaginable: do we prioritise homes, or the server farms that keep the city’s digital heartbeat going? Meanwhile, the EU moves toward forcing “high-risk” suppliers out of critical infrastructure and Microsoft does yet another emergency Windows fix. More news over at standard.co.uk — and follow for your weekday hit of tech and science, made for the commute.
China’s London mega-embassy approved, ChatGPT age prediction, quantum security warning, 2XKO hits console
07:25||Season 1Alan Leer on the mic from London with a security-flavoured tech-and-science roundup: the government green-lights China’s mega-embassy by the Tower with data-cable nerves in the background, OpenAI makes ChatGPT guess who’s under 18, and researchers remind us quantum computers aren’t magically “unhackable” — they’re just expensive and complicated. Plus, Riot’s 2XKO finally lands on console, and there’s a quick iPhone update PSA for anyone still sulking about the new look. More news over at Standard.co.uk
Tube 4G hits halfway, UCL’s Ring Nebula “iron bar”, BBC goes YouTube-first, RuneScape turns 25
06:46||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, Alan Leer is on the Tube signal beat as TfL’s 4G and 5G rollout in the London Underground reaches the halfway mark. Then we head skyward, with a UCL-led team spotting a strange iron “bar” hidden inside the Ring Nebula.Also on the slate: the BBC is reportedly lining up YouTube-first content to win over younger viewers, RuneScape turns 25 with a wave of player-first changes, and Samsung might’ve accidentally revealed more than it meant to about the Galaxy S26 lineup.
TfL ticketing tech shake-up, UCL’s sound-reacting humanoid robots, and AMD’s modular PC hints
06:20||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, Alan Leer coversTfL’s ticketing tech getting a major operational change, UCL robots learning to react to sound in real time, and we round up UK robotics policy, AMD’s CES reveals, a Final Fantasy VII update, and the latest Android 16 beta fixes.
Whooping Cough Vaccine Breakthrough, TfL Pedicab Crackdown, and UK Fusion Manufacturing Push
07:24||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, London researchers share new findings on how whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy can protect infants at the upper airway, TfL edges closer to regulating pedicabs in 2026, and a UK fusion-focused manufacturing initiative targets a key materials challenge using multi-metal 3D printing. Plus: why flu activity remains elevated in early 2026, a major gaming mod shutdown, and what Apple’s iOS 26.3 beta 2 means for iPhone users in Europe.
Piers Linney MBE on AI’s “Make-or-Break” 2026, UK Digital ID U-Turn, Animal Crossing 3.0 Drops
11:34||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, former Dragon’s Den investor Piers Linney joins Alan Leer to unpack new Tech Show London research on why AI spending is rising in UK business but implementation is lagging — and whether 2026 is make-or-break for the AI boom. Plus, the UK government reportedly rolls back the mandatory element of digital ID right-to-work plans, Animal Crossing: New Horizons drops its free 3.0 update early ahead of a Switch 2 edition launch, and London phone brand Nothing warns that memory chip costs could push smartphone prices higher in 2026.
UCL brain-scan breakthrough, primate bonding study, UK food label push, NASA ISS medical return, and Star Wars Outlaws on Game Pass
06:16||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, Alan Leer covers new UCL brain imaging research separating Parkinson’s from Lewy body dementia, an Imperial-linked primate study on bonding behaviours, Which? calling for mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labels in the UK, NASA’s early ISS Crew-11 return after a medical issue, plus Star Wars Outlaws landing on Xbox Game Pass and the latest Android security updates.
Moorfields eye injection breakthrough, UCL Alzheimer’s gene focus, Brazil probes WhatsApp Business, Hytale early access, Minecraft “cutest drop”
06:22||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, Alan Leer covers a London breakthrough from Moorfields and UCL using a routine eye-surgery gel injection to restore sight in rare hypotony cases, plus new UCL Alzheimer’s research on APOE gene risk, Brazil’s probe into WhatsApp Business terms, Hytale’s early access launch and Minecraft’s “cutest drop” tease. Plus a little bit for Genshin fans tooYou'll find all your latest news at Standard.co.uk
TfL and the driverless future, Paddington life-sciences mega-hub plans, and ARIA’s Arctic sea-ice experiment
07:39||Season 1Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard, we look at fresh plans for a major clinical life sciences building next to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, TfL’s evolving role in how driverless vehicles could operate on London streets, and ARIA’s update on real-world field research into “re-thickening” Arctic sea ice. Plus: a London council cyber warning, what Reuters says is coming in the EU’s Digital Networks Act, the New Game Plus gaming showcase, and the standout gadgets emerging from CES 2026.