A Rice University team researching carbon nanotube synthesis has received $4.1 million funding from both Rice’s Carbon Hub and The Kavli Foundation. Photo by Gustavo Raskosky/Rice University

A Rice University-led team of scientists has been awarded a $4.1 million grant to optimize a synthesis process that could make carbon materials sustainable and affordable on a large scale.

Known as carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis, the process has the ability to create hollow cylindrical nanoscale structures made from carbon atoms that are strong, lightweight and carry heat and electricity well. CNT synthesis evolved across multiple countries around the same time, according to Rice. But to scale up the process in a way that could create alternatives to materials dependent on heavy industry, Matteo Pasquali, the team's leader and the A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, says collaboration will be required.

“We have to apply a collaborative mindset to solve this problem,” Pasquali says in a statement. “We believe that by bringing together a dedicated interdisciplinary community, this project will lead to improvements in reactor efficiency and help identify further gaps in instrumentation and modeling.”

The grant seeks to achieve that. The funds come from both Rice’s Carbon Hub, which contributed $2.2 million to the team, and The Kavli Foundation, which granted $1.9 million in the form of a Kavli Exploration Award in Nanoscience for Sustainability.

The Kavli Foundation supports research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience and theoretical physics. Winners of its Kavli Prize, which recognizes scientific breakthroughs, often go on to win the Nobel Prize.

“We are proud to partner with Rice University to support this important high-risk, high-reward research,” says Amy Bernard, director of life sciences at The Kavli Foundation, says in a statement.

Pasquali is the director and one of the creators of Rice's Carbon Hub, a collaborative group of corporations, researchers, universities and nonprofits focused on decarbonizing the economy. He says the grant will help the team develop tools to shed light on CNT formation and reaction zones.

“We are at a critical juncture in carbon research, and it is really important that we shed light on the physical and chemical processes that drive CNT synthesis,” Pasquali says. “Currently, reactors are black boxes, which prevents us from ramping up synthesis efficiency. We need to better understand the forces at play in CNT formation by developing new tools to shed light on the reaction zone and find ways to leverage it to our advantage.”

Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice, and Thomas Senftle, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice, are also involved in the project. Other collaborators hail from the UK, Italy, Korea, and Spain, as well as U.S. labs and universities, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT and others.

In October, a separate team of Rice researchers released a study on a new synthesis process with applications in developing commercially relevant solar cells.

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University of Houston collaborates with county on future-facing sustainability efforts

dream team

Researchers at the University of Houston are partnering with the Harris County Office of County Administration’s Sustainability Office, the Harris County Energy Management Team, and other county staff in an effort to develop a comprehensive baseline of energy use and energy-use intensity that will aim to reduce energy costs and emissions in county facilities.

Once fully established, the team will work on tracking progress and evaluating the effectiveness of energy-saving measures over time. They will begin to build the foundation for future programs aimed at maximizing savings, reducing energy consumption, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources in county operations.

Harris County energy managers, Glen Rhoden and Yas Ahmadi, will work with UH professionals, including:

  • Jian Shi, UH Cullen College of Engineering associate professor of engineering technology and electrical and computer engineering
  • Zhu Han, Moores professor of electrical and computer engineering
  • Xidan "Delia" Zhang, UH research intern

The group began collaborating a year ago, and analyzed energy consumption data from county facilities.They were able to successfully identify key summertime energy-saving opportunities and completed retro-commissioning of four county buildings. Those efforts saved over $230,000 annually in electricity costs.

“This project is a prime example of how impactful research at UH can be when applied to real-world challenges, delivering tangible benefits to both the environment and the communities we serve,” Shi says in a news release.

The team will plan to do additional building projects, which includes the development of solar energy and heat pump initiatives, building automation system upgrades, and LED lighting installations. The goal is to reduce electricity usage by at least 5 percent per year for county facilities by 2030 and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent over the next 5 years for county buildings.

“Addressing climate change and the energy transition requires a collaborative effort that is not only data-driven and action-oriented but also human-centric,” Shi adds. “It’s about more than just technology—it’s about improving the quality of life for Texans.”

Houston-based autonomous trucking tech co. raises $20M

fresh funding

A Houston-based autonomous vehicle technology company has raised early funding.

Bot Auto has announced the completion of its pre-series A funding round which was oversubscribed and raised $20 million. The round was led by investments from Brightway Future Capital, Cherubic Ventures, EnvisionX Capital, First Star Ventures, Linear Capital, M31 Capital, Taihill Venture, Uphonest Capital, and Welight Capital.

“As true believers in autonomous trucking, we're thankful for our investors' shared vision,” Xiaodi Hou, founder and CEO of Bot Auto, says in a news release. “Our strong commitment, combined with recent AI advancements and a sharpened focus on operational efficiency, has created a clear path to commercialization.”

The funds raised will be focused on developing the technology and will opt to avoid unnecessary hiring ahead of operational maturity, scaling the operational footprint prior to product readiness, over expansion and partnership debt. The company aims for a more sustainable and efficient future, and is hoping its engineers and AV executives help Bot Auto become an autonomous trucking game changer.

The Investment is expected to help expand Bot Auto's tech development in autonomous trucking that will focus on safety and operation efficiency.

“Our prospects for success have never been more promising,” Hou adds. “ We march forward, committed to bringing this transformative technology to humanity for a brighter future.”

Bot Auto’s vision aligns with the pioneering spirit of Houston’s legacy in space exploration, striving to achieve remarkable feats in technology and transportation. The company is dedicated to leveraging this investment to make significant strides in the US autonomous trucking industry, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and efficient future.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

Texas-based Tesla posts first quarterly increase in deliveries, but shares slump

mixed feelings

Low interest financing, sweet lease deals, price cuts and free charging boosted Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter, the first increase this year for the electric vehicle maker.

The Austin, Texas, company said Wednesday that it delivered 462,890 vehicles from July through September, bolstered by loans as low as 1.99%, and $299 monthly leases on the Model 3, its least expensive vehicle. It delivered 435,059 vehicles during the same period last year.

The figures for July through September came in slightly higher than analyst estimates of 462,000 for the period, according to data provider FactSet.

However, shares of Tesla Inc. dropped sharply in morning trading, down nearly 4%.

The deliveries were “good and a step in the right direction,” wrote Dan Ives of Wedbush, but that there would be pressure on the company's stock because investors had been hoping for even better.

“Overall, this is a clear improvement from the first half and we believe getting in the range of 1.8 million for the year is still the key and important bogey,” Ives said.

Tesla has struggled much of the year to sell its aging model lineup as growth in electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and Europe slowed due to concerns with range, price and the ability to charge on trips.

Falling sales early in the year led to once-unheard of discounts for the automaker, cutting into its industry leading profit margins. Analysts estimated that Tesla’s average vehicle sales price was $42,500 for the third quarter, the lowest price in four years.

The sales decline likely will pull down third quarter earnings when they are announced on Oct. 23.

Tesla’s sales decline comes as competition is increasing from legacy and startup automakers, which are trying to nibble away at the company’s market share.

Nearly all of Tesla’s sales came from the smaller and less-expensive Models 3 and Y, with the company selling only 22,915 of its more expensive models that include X and S, as well as the new Cybertruck.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to investors Tuesday that third-quarter sales would bring a rebound as China sales continue to increase and price and demand stabilizes.” As China continues to heat up on the demand story for Tesla with favorable leasing/financing terms and pent-up demand in the region, we are confident that we will see a significant growth figure in the region,” he wrote.

Europe will continue to be slow with macroeconomic pressures, and U.S. demand should stabilize, Ives wrote.

But BNP Paribas Exane said in an investor note that long term expectations of the market are somewhat high for Tesla. The company said its sales estimates for 2026 and 2027 “remain 10% to 15% below the street, respectively.”

Tesla is scheduled to unveil a purpose built robotaxi at an event next week.