FlashFeed

Full text

Toyota is not planning to roll out a Hilux PHEV anytime soon.

The PHEV powertrain would compromise towing and payload.

The Ford Ranger and Chinese rivals already offer PHEV options.

While Chinese automakers reel in buyers with their plug-in hybrid trucks, Toyota is charting a different course. The automotive giant reckons plug-in powertrain technology is not ready for the heavy-duty grind of the pickup segment, so it is sticking with more traditional solutions for now.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");

}

});

The Toyota Hilux entered a new generation last year with diesel, mild-hybrid, and fully electric variants, and an FCEV is due to join the range in 2028. That sets it apart from the rival Ford Ranger, which already comes with a PHEV powertrain in markets outside North America, alongside its non-electrified diesel and gasoline options.

More: Ford’s Ranger Super Duty Forced Toyota’s Hand And The Hilux Answered. Sort Of

Other plug-in hybrid midsize pickups include the BYD Shark 6, the GWM Cannon Alpha, the Nissan Frontier Pro, as well as the upcoming Chery Stockman from China. Toyota has deep expertise in hybrids and PHEVs, yet it has no interest in bringing the technology to its best-selling truck, at least in its current state.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("89c65a14-4682-4807-a4bb-5436c5361bee");

} else{

adpushup.triggerAd("f25825bd-1260-4574-84ce-2b26e315fad8");

}

});

The Australian-spec Toyota Hilux BEV.

Ray Munday, Toyota Australia senior manager of product planning and pricing, spoke to local media CarExpert about the potential of a Hilux PHEV.

“We definitely recognize that there’s some strong competition in that area, and we are looking into it, but until the technology is ready, we’re not going to release something that’s rushed. At the moment, typically the challenge with PHEV or any electrification is added mass, which reduces payload and then also the ability to tow. The systems aren’t necessarily developed at the moment to be able to meet our standards of what heavy towing means for a HiLux customer.”

“The expectation of the Toyota and HiLux brand is very high, probably higher than it is on other products,” he added.” We really respect that, and that adds a challenge.”

The Hilux fitted with optional accessories.

In other words, Toyota is worried that a Hilux PHEV could not match the 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) towing capacity and 1-tonne (2,205 lbs) payload of its diesel counterpart, at least in real-world use. Consider that the dual-motor Hilux BEV carries a towing rating of just 2,000 kg (4,409 lbs), which all but confirms the automaker’s fears.

More: Toyota’s Electric Hilux Costs $20K More Than The Diesel, And That’s Not Even The Worst Part

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

As a result, Toyota’s future PHEV plans will remain focused on its passenger cars and SUVs , at least until the technology matures enough for heavy-duty applications. In a similar context, John Pappas, vice president of sales, marketing, and franchise operations at Toyota Australia, said:

“We’re always looking at these types of powertrain solutions, we’re not just sitting back, but they need to be able to meet the needs of the customer. We’ve got those lifestyle ute options available now in other HiLux grades, but we want to be able to make sure that if we’re going to bring these types of powertrains to market through our very large investment in research and development, that they’re right for our market.”

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

The Toyota Hilux with a mild-hybrid diesel powertrain.

Full text

Reflect10 solar panel geometry increases daily energy production by 20%

Cells capture more sunlight during low-angle hours and cloud conditions

Silicon panel efficiency limits are nearing – this is big news

Canadian startup Reflect10 has introduced a new photovoltaic (PV) module architecture that could significantly boost how much energy solar panels could produce, and it’s nothing to do with the maximum wattage.

Instead, the upgrade embeds a light-reflecting geometry directly into the solar panel to reflect incoming sunlight multiple times, giving photons additional opportunities to hit the PV cells. By enabling additional reflections and angles, it means solar panels can convert even more sunlight into electricity as the sun sets into lower angles.

Though the concept as a whole already existed, it previously required external mirrors or motors, making the installation more expensive. Various studies pointed at energy production improvements of between 11% and 57%.

The same panel, with the same wattage, could produce 20% more capacity

According to the company, it could lead to 20% higher average daily energy production compared with standard solar panels, with low-angle times like early morning and late afternoon generating up to 2.66x more power. The technology also promises to increase efficiency during conditions of diffused light, like cloudy weather.

This upgrade also comes at an important time, because conventional silicon solar cells are quickly approaching their theoretical efficiency ceiling, making it nearly impossible to produce more electricity.

“These results represent a significant and immediate step forward at a time when the industry has faced a fundamental physical ceiling for decades,” founder Louis Massicotte said (via pv magazine ).

According to the company, the global solar industry has grown by an average of +0.18 percentage points of efficiency per year under real field conditions since 1954, marking very slow progress.

Ultimately, Reflect10 boosts panel efficiency not by boosting the cell efficiency itself, but rather by enabling more light to hit the cells. Ultimately, it means that a 500W panel, for example, could produce 500W of electricity more of the time, rather than being restricted to a lesser wattage due to unfavorable conditions, leading to a higher total capacity (measured in kWh).

Proven efficiency-boosting PV tech could tackle current restrictions

Though testing data primarily comes from optical simulations by Canada’s National Optics Institute, the company has also conducted proof-of-concept field trials to prove it works across both Morocco and Canada.

An independent scientific review carried out by the Île-de-France Photovoltaic Institute (IPVF) also notes the technology’s potential to scale and plug gaps in grid shortfalls across a broader range of times – not just during peak sunlight hours.

“By increasing production at the beginning and end of the day, the technology could help better match periods of peak electricity demand while reducing the concentration of generation around the midday solar peak,” IPVF research director Pere Roca i Cabarrocas commented.

The company is now pursuing three international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications ahead of its public presentation in Paris.

Reflect10 itself doesn’t plan to manufacture panels with the new light-reflecting geometry – instead, the Canadian company is offering 50 non-exclusive licenses for its intellectual property to module manufacturers.

Full text

For crime drama fans who crave icy landscapes, haunted detectives , and slow-burn investigations that feel like they seep into your bones, Cardinal is the chilly answer to the void left every time True Detective leaves your screen. Adapted from Giles Blunt ’s acclaimed mystery novels, this Canadian thriller trades the sun-baked noir of Louisiana or California for a stark Northern Ontario winter, where even the snow feels dangerous, and the cold becomes as threatening as the killers themselves. Across four seasons, Cardinal builds a world where guilt hangs heavy in the air, justice is rarely clean, and survival isn’t guaranteed — physically or emotionally.

Full text

Windrose delivered dozens of electric trucks, yet some staff claim they went unpaid.

A US judge ordered the company to pay one executive $413,000 in full.

The company relies on contract manufacturers and local assemblers.

Questions have started to swirl around Windrose, one of many electric truck startups, after two former employees alleged that the company’s boss refused to pay them and that one of its pricey trucks has gone missing.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");

}

});

While the name Windrose Technology may not ring a bell, the company says it has raised roughly $400 million and aims to establish itself as a serious player in the electric-truck race, building a hauler to rival the Tesla Semi . The firm is Chinese-owned and runs out of a headquarters in Belgium, and beyond its US launch, it has locked in orders from buyers in Norway, Chile, and Australia .

Read: Ford’s First Heavy Duty EV Truck Swaps Diesel Grit For Electric Grit

But as we’ve seen so many times before with newly established vehicle manufacturers, not everything has been smooth sailing for Windrose. According to the Wall Street Journal , the company’s founder and chief executive, Wen Han, reportedly lost track of one of the company’s trucks earlier this year.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("89c65a14-4682-4807-a4bb-5436c5361bee");

} else{

adpushup.triggerAd("f25825bd-1260-4574-84ce-2b26e315fad8");

}

});

Unpaid Wages

Windrose

Travis Waite and Harold Keller, two former employees fired in January, allegedly refused to help Han locate the truck until they received $91,000 in unpaid wages and benefits, according to the WSJ. They say that as of July, they still hadn’t been paid, and the truck had yet to turn up. Han contends the sum Waite and Keller claim they’re owed is “unfounded.”

The company’s boss has admitted that he “hired too quickly and too aggressively in order to help the company expand”. He also acknowledged that Windrose has had payroll issues but insists it has the funding to support its ambitions for global expansion. Later this year, Windrose wants to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company.

According to the WSJ, the company delivered its first electric truck in late 2024 and currently has 36 of its trucks operating worldwide. Han says the company’s trucks deliver roughly double the driving range of equivalent electric big rigs from Volvo and Daimler, all while costing significantly less. This is in part thanks to the company using contract manufacturers in China to build the truck, before they’re shipped to regional partners for local assembly.

Cash For Sponsorships

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Windrose

As the company has grown, Han reportedly sponsored a basketball team near its Belgian headquarters, pledged $15 million to Stanford University once Windrose goes public, and said the firm has facilities in California and Georgia ready to start local assembly. Over that same stretch, employees’ paychecks have allegedly been frequently delayed.

Last October, the company’s first North American operations boss, Jason Gies, demanded payment of unpaid wages, the WSJ reports. He was fired just days later, and after filing a lawsuit in federal court, a judge ordered Windrose to pay him $413,000.

More recently, Windrose drew the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after it was revealed that two of the four Windrose trucks in the US had VINs indicating they were made in Georgia, even though they were built in China. Han has blamed this issue on a former employee. Clearly, the company is experiencing growing pains, and only time will tell if it can iron out the kinks.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Full text

In some parts of the US, up to 30 percent of people may carry the antibody behind a red meat allergy spurred by tick bites, far exceeding the estimated number of people who actually have the allergy, according a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report .

The findings suggest far more Americans than previously thought may be at risk of the allergy, which can make having a hamburger for dinner a potentially life-threatening choice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously estimated that only 0.14 percent of the US population (up to 450,000 people) has the allergy. But the study also highlights how little we understand about this unique disease—and the challenges of accurately diagnosing it.

The study surveyed blood donations for the disease's key antibody, which is in a class dubbed IgE and specifically attacks a double-sugar molecule called galactose-α-1,3-galactose, also known as alpha-gal. This disaccharide is found decorating the cells of nonprimate mammals, including cows and pigs, but it's also released in the saliva of ticks, particularly the lone star tick ( Amblyomma americanum ). People bitten by ticks can develop IgE antibodies against alpha-gal, which can sometimes trigger an allergic response to eating red meat as well as other animal products, such as dairy and gelatin.

Read full article

Comments

Full text

A team of conservationists has discovered and restored the tombstone of Sebastian, a formerly enslaved man who died free in 1729.

"That discovery is likely one of the oldest gravestones of a free Black person in America," Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, said in a July 4 speech . "It's been there all along. We just had to go look and share the story."

The stone marker is inscribed with Sebastian's chosen name, Boston, and features an image common in 17th- and early 18th-century tombstones in New England: the death's head . The symbol includes a stylized skull flanked by wings, which were possibly intended to symbolize spiritual resurrection .

On the tombstone, a simple, five-line inscription reads:

Original Inscription

HERE LYES Y e

BODY OF BOSTON

AGED 70 YEARS

DEC D FEB Y Y e 28

1728

Modern English

HERE LIES THE

BODY OF BOSTON

AGED 70 YEARS

DECEASED FEBRUARY THE 28

1728

In 18th-century American writing, the word "the" was often abbreviated with a Y-shaped letter form called a " thorn " representing the "th" sound. Tombstones also frequently abbreviated "deceased" and the month. Somewhat confusingly, before 1752, the American colonies regularly used the Julian calendar , as did Britain, in which the new year started on March 25. Boston's year of death is listed on the tombstone as 1728, but his February 28 death was actually in 1729 in our modern Gregorian calendar.

Kelly Thomas, the director of the Historic Burying Grounds Initiative for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, told WBZ News Radio that she identified the gravestone during a restoration project at the Granary Burying Ground , the city's third-oldest cemetery. Established in 1660, the cemetery includes over 5,000 graves, including the final resting places of Declaration of Independence signers Samuel Adams and John Hancock; the U.S. Revolutionary War officer Paul Revere; and Crispus Attucks, a sailor of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry who is thought to be the first American killed in the Boston Massacre.

"I was reviewing the photos of headstones, and then I noticed that the stone only had one name," rather than a first and last name, Thomas told WBZ News Radio, suggesting that Boston was either enslaved or free when he died. Based on a search of historical records, Thomas determined that Boston's enslaved name was Sebastian and that he also went by Bastian.

RELATED STORIES

'It's a huge deal': Archaeologists discover second cannonball from the Battle of the Alamo, and it was likely fired by Texans

8-year-old African American boy from Colonial Maryland found buried with white Colonists, and it's unclear if he was enslaved

Lost Indigenous settlements described by Jamestown colonist John Smith finally found

A surprising amount of information was recorded about Boston and his wife, Jane Lake. In 1701, they had their daughter, also named Jane, baptized at First Church in Boston, where they regularly attended worship services. But while the two were married with children, they were also both enslaved and lived in different households, historian Gloria Whiting wrote in a 2016 study .

Boston was likely freed in the early 18th century, some time after the 1702 death of John Waite, who had held him in slavery. By 1708, a list of free Black people included the name Boston, and he had gained a reputation in the city as a hardworking handyman, according to Whiting's study. He had been freed for roughly 30 years when he died in 1729 and was well-known enough to have an obituary published for him in the New-England Weekly Journal , a rare occurrence for enslaved or freed Black people in colonial America.

Wu also said that, in recent weeks, archaeologists in Boston had discovered musket balls and gun flints from the infamous Battle of Bunker Hill that took place on June 17, 1775. The battle was fought by British Crown forces and New England troops in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War.

See if you know what these mysterious artifacts are with our archaeological fragments quiz!

Full text

Yesterday's layoffs at Xbox took, and will continue to take, a terrible toll. Some trumpeted the fact that no studios were closed, although the practical impact of spinning them out to independence or new ownership remains to be seen, but that has no bearing on the blow to morale caused by such deep cuts to long-standing dev teams.

One former Elder Scrolls Online developer put words to those feelings in a short, poignant thread on X , lamenting the state of the game and developer ZeniMax Online Studios, which was reportedly purged of half its employees in the layoffs.

"I’m just so angry today," wrote Andrew Young, a content designer on Elder Scrolls Online who worked at ZeniMax Online Studios from 2012-2042. "People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence. The team deserved much better."

The Elder Scrolls Online has had a tough go of it over the years. Its launch in 2014 did not make a great impression , and while the shift to Tamriel Unlimited a year later turned things around , it always felt to me a bit like an afterthought MMO: The second cousin to World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14 whose face you recognize in photos, but whose name you can't quite put your finger on.

(Image credit: Andrew Young (Twitter)) But things seemed to take a darker turn in 2025. Just a year after a GDC talk extolling the actually-quite-remarkable success of TESO , game director Matt Firor—also the president of ZeniMax Online Studios—suddenly left the studio , a move he later said was the direct result of Microsoft's 2025 bloodbath layoffs that also saw the cancellation of a new ZeniMax Online MMO known as Project Blackbird.

That Microsoft saw fit to cut even deeper into the studio just a year after that has some concerned about its future. Following the layoff announcement, TESO community manager Jessica Folsom reaffirmed the dev team's commitment to the game but added that previously announced roadmaps for the new seasonal structure " will be shifting ." There's no indication of anything more serious in the offing but I can't help thinking of Amazon's New World, a moderately successful MMO that was nonetheless canned when Amazon decided that its own "go big" strategy for gaming wasn't working.

"I’ve been gone for a while, but talking to people today and realizing there’s really no one left and no changing it now makes my heart ache," Young concluded. "For the people, our game, who we were as a team and a studio. This is a serious loss, and I don’t think people know how much."

2026 games : All the upcoming games

Best PC games : Our all-time favorites

Free PC games : Freebie fest

Best FPS games : Finest gunplay

Best RPGs : Grand adventures

Best co-op games : Better together

Full text

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever suggested President Donald Trump may be taking the U.S. World Cup defeat to Belgium “hard,” while joking that he wouldn’t be the one to bring it up when the two meet.

Speaking to Flemish public broadcaster VRT News, De Wever said congratulations on Belgium’s victory have become the first thing people mention to him at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

“Everyone’s talking about one thing, and that is congratulations for the well-deserved victory of the Red Devils,” he said. “Of course, the losing party is also present. That also happens to be the biggest partner in NATO.”

Asked whether he was worried Trump could be upset by the result, De Wever quipped that the president “has the reputation of sometimes reacting a bit irritably to things that he doesn’t like, and I think this defeat will hit hard.”

Still, De Wever said he had no plans to needle Trump. “I’m not going to start about it myself,” he said. “But if he were to say something about it, then I’ll see what that is and how I can react to it.”

The exchange comes after the White House mounted an extraordinary effort to keep U.S. striker Folarin Balogun eligible for the knockout match against Belgium.

After Balogun was shown a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino while senior Trump administration officials and U.S. Soccer made the case to FIFA to overturn the automatic one-match suspension.

FIFA ultimately lifted the ban, allowing Balogun to play — a highly unusual move that prompted the Royal Belgian Football Association to explore legal options and fueled criticism from European football governing body UEFA over the perception of political influence on an ostensibly independent disciplinary process. Belgium ultimately won anyway on Monday in dominant fashion, eliminating the U.S.

White House FIFA World Cup Task Force Executive Director Andrew Giuliani praised the U.S. team despite the 4-1 defeat.

“Obviously it was disappointing the way the U.S. team played last night,” Giuliani said on Fox News. “But … at the end of this match they all gathered together afterwards, thanked the fans and prayed together. I think that shows the character of these men. To go through a moment like that in their career and do that — it’s a great group of men.”

Giuliani also defended the administration’s involvement in the Balogun case, arguing that Trump’s intervention was aimed at ensuring fair play rather than influencing the outcome.

“There’s a lot of politics in soccer. When you think about all the money and power on the line, there might be more politics in the world of soccer than there is in Washington, D.C.,” Giuliani said. “President Trump is squarely focused on making sure that everything is fair with regard to everything happening on the ballot box or anything happening on the pitch, and that is why he has been such a great leader throughout this incredible World Cup.”

Emilio Perez Ibarguen contributed to this report.

Full text

Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

Galaxy A18 leak points to an almost unchanged design, with Samsung making only minor tweaks to the camera housing while keeping the familiar 6.7-inch Infinity-U display.

The biggest upgrade may be under the hood, with the Galaxy A18 5G rumored to ditch Exynos for a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.

Size changes are barely noticeable, as the A18 is only 0.1mm narrower and 0.34mm thicker than the Galaxy A17.

Samsung’s next budget Galaxy phone is beginning to take shape, but if you were hoping for a dramatic redesign, you may want to lower your expectations. A fresh set of CAD renders of the Galaxy A18 has now surfaced, and the device looks almost identical to the predecessor with a few changes.

The renders, shared by Smartphone Checker in collaboration with well-known leaker OnLeaks, are reportedly based on factory CAD files used by accessory makers before launch. These files don’t necessarily show final colors or finishes but are generally considered reliable for dimensions, button placement, and the overall shape of a device.