
Pilot journey begins for NI's first driverless bus
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BreakingNews.ie
4 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Tesla tests fully self-driving car in London and Swindon
Tesla is demonstrating its cars' fully self-driving capabilities in tests on UK public roads. The electric vehicle manufacturer released two videos showing a Model 3 car negotiating central London and Swindon's Magic Roundabout while the person in the driver's seat is not holding the steering wheel. Advertisement Roundabout final boss FSD Supervised tackling Swindon Magic Roundabout in 🇬🇧 — Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) July 25, 2025 The three-minute clip shot in London demonstrates the car dealing with roadworks and passing landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. Tesla said the Model 3 used for the videos contains the same hardware as vehicles delivered to customers today, but has software currently available only to its engineers. The company is awaiting regulatory approval to use its unsupervised full self-driving capabilities in the UK. Full drive through London, UK 🇬🇧 FSD Supervised is pending regulatory approval — Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) July 25, 2025 Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'It is a mistake to think that driverless technology won't be able to cope with the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the UKs roads – hats off to anyone, or anything, that can successfully negotiate the Magic Roundabout. Advertisement 'The challenge for the regulatory authorities – and the nagging worry in the minds of potential passengers – is how to be sure that these vehicles can cope in every combination of circumstances they might encounter, including those where the human drivers around them might be less inclined to stick to the rules. 'The regulatory test self-driving vehicles need to pass is not whether they can cope with our roads on a given day, it is whether they can cope every day in every combination of circumstances they might encounter.' On Monday, the Government launched a consultation on what rules self-driving taxis should have to meet in future.


BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Geothermal energy: Why NI is a 'Goldilocks' area for renewable home heating
The ground that Emmanuel Burns' County Antrim apartment block is built on has significantly reduced his energy bills since he moved in 18 months Rural Housing Association complex in Randalstown in County Antrim uses the heat of the earth itself to warm rooms and heat water through a geothermal system - pipes dug down into the ground to reach the renewable heat stored Ireland has been identified as one of eight "Goldilocks" regions in the UK with just the right conditions for accessing geothermal energy, thanks to the rocks beneath the only equipment Mr Burns needs is a thermostat on the wall. "It's pretty easy to use, you can adjust the heating to whatever you want - from 14 degrees to 26," he said. "Before I moved in here, I was paying £20, £30, £40 a week for heating, whereas now it's £15 a week."That's your heating day and night, your hot water, your air conditioning and you're making a saving every week, which adds up throughout the year."All nine apartments in the block are connected to six boreholes hidden beneath the car park, via two units located in a separate plant boreholes tap into water that was stored in layers of Sherwood sandstone as the rock formed over water heated up, depending on how deeply it was machines in the apartment block plant room extract the water, compress it to extract the heat, and then pipes feed that heat around the complex. Sherwood sandstone is found across Northern Ireland at different British Geological Survey says that makes it a "Goldilocks" region - just right – for a number of green energy opportunities, including say there is potential for secure, affordable, sustainable energy and skilled job creation as a result."The principle is that the deeper you go into the earth, the warmer it is," said Dr Marie Cowan, director of the Geological Survey of Northern porous nature of Sherwood sandstone makes extracting that heat possible."You can either use a closed loop system and drill into the earth and put it through a heat exchanger to decarbonise a home, a hospital, a school, a public building," she said."Or you can go deeper still, where there's a greater opportunity for warmer temperatures and tap that into a heat network for a town or a bigger estate that needs a greater heat." The technology has been used for decades in parts of Scandinavia, but we are only "catching up a wee bit now", according to Ryan Daly from Daly Renewables, who installed the system at Mr Burns' apartment block."The benefits of this is that the system itself is about 300 to 400% more efficient than a typical gas or oil boiler," he said."Typically it will have less maintenance than a boiler system."The technology has proven to be reliable, it's efficient, it helps save on carbon as well."Pilot geothermal projects were launched in Antrim and at the Stormont Estate in east Belfast in 2023 to test the potential. Can it be scaled up? The question is, can the results of these studies be scaled up across Northern Ireland?Dr Cowan believes they can."Whether it's further drilling, deeper drilling or more studies, the idea is to de-risk that [geothermal] opportunity for the whole of Northern Ireland."So whether you're in the private sector, public sector, a local council and education authority, a health trust, you can use that information and help decarbonise your estate."That also creates potential for skilled jobs in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing Ireland has targets for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and increasing its renewable energy use, which industry experts have warned are likely to be how we heat our homes has a role to play in meeting those Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland not to have a renewable energy support scheme in place for private residential Department for the Economy has consulted on proposals to support the decarbonisation of residential has been a complete turnaround for Dr Cowan over the course of her career."I was coming to look at these rocks for oil and gas exploration," she said."How the world has changed since then."Twenty-five years later, we're looking at the same rocks with a totally different lens - an opportunity to decarbonise the planet and make up for the legacy of that industry."


Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Telegraph
The perfect holiday in Northern Ireland, the UK's most underrated natural beauty
For a long time, Northern Ireland was written off by its history, which dwarfed anything that made this country shine. But to visit Northern Ireland and focus only on the Troubles would be a disservice, as well as a crying shame. This is a place of exceptional natural beauty, where the striking coastline reveals historic cliff paths and jagged caves, and a region of calm lakes is dotted with tiny islands. It's also home to a vibrant dining scene, with beachside seafood shacks and Michelin-starred restaurants, and one of the oldest food markets in the world. And of course, the Northern Irish aren't shy of a spot of nightlife. In Belfast and all over the country, there are quintessential pubs where there's always some craic to be found, along with traditional music and a bar stocked with locally distilled whiskeys and craft gins. So forget everything you thought you knew about Northern Ireland, and open yourself up to what's happening right now. For further inspiration, explore our guides to Northern Ireland's best hotels, things to do, restaurants, nightlife and beaches. In this guide: How to spend the perfect day in Northern Ireland Morning Kick off your trip by renting a car in Belfast and setting off to explore the Causeway Coast, a 120-mile route that snakes from the capital along the shoreline over to Derry-Londonderry. While you could technically tick off the entire route in one (long) day, there are dozens of reasons to take it at a slower pace. Your first pit stop is barely 30 minutes out of the city, at the Victorian cliffside walk, The Gobbins. On this guided experience (which can close due to rockfalls; check the website for more information), you'll pass through dark caves and over arched metal bridges that cling to the edge of the cliffs as the waves crash below. Afterwards, drive up to Ballycastle and have an early lunch in the Ursa Minor Bakehouse, the bakery where top Northern Ireland restaurants source their sourdough – try it topped with eggs and a drizzle of chilli oil.