Former SpaceX engineers raised $50 million to build a Tesla for freight trains

Presented by   In the past few decades, we’ve gotten the internet, iPhones, and self-driving vehicles. But since the 1980s, when railroad companies realized they could stack two cargo containers onto each car, trains haven’t changed much. And that’s a shame, because they continue to be the most environmentally-friendly option to move cargo across land. However, freight trains may soon be getting a makeover, thanks to a startup called Parallel Systems. With $50 million in funding, and three co-founders who happen to be former engineers from SpaceX, the company has built special wheels that turn train cars into electric-powered, autonomous vehicles—no train engines required. What comes next looks a whole lot like Tesla for trains, and it’s ready to revolutionize the $250 billion rail freight industry. Read my story here. — Mark Wilson   Former SpaceX engineers raised $50 million to build a Tesla for freight trains Autonomous, electric freight trains are here to take on semitrucks.   READ MORE   After 149 years, Colgate’s toothpaste tubes are finally recyclable Colgate redesigned its toothpaste so the tubes can go into curbside recycling bins. It could eventually keep a billion tubes out of landfills each year.   READ MORE   How 1 billion square feet of New York office space was turned into apartments One Wall Street is a timely model for converting empty office buildings into residential units. The question now is how to create affordable adaptive reuse housing that won’t just cater to the elite.   READ MORE   From failed medical devices to wrongful arrests, this is what happens when inclusive design takes a backseat Here are 4 tangible ways to make product design more diverse from the outset.   READ MORE

a message from capital one Creating a mission-driven culture of innovation A successful business model looks far beyond a single transaction. Read more here.

‘A tool of the devil’: The dark history of the humble fork It took eight centuries from its first recorded sighting for the fork to become universal at tables in the West. Here’s why.   READ MORE

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