After several years of excitement, investment and growing interest in thermoelectrics and their potential in energy harvesting applications, it's now time to clearly look at what's hype and what's reality, and the technology developers in the field know that well.

Off-grid power has been in decline. Widely seeing it as the poor man's option, users have aspired to get beyond it to the more secure, "troublefree" world of on-grid - or so they believed.

Evovelo has just announced its prototype electric trike, which can reach speeds of 45 kph with a drivers' cab and solar panel on the roof.

Electric vehicles are the future and ones that make their own electricity are the end game for these.

All the publicity currently goes to the race to make regular and premium cars have longer range

There is more energy to harvest at sea. True, water craft have stronger resistance to overcome but on balance, it means that energy independent electric boats are more common than their equivalents on land or in the air and they have lessons for both.

IDTechEx's free, expert led webinars provide up-to-date insights on the latest emerging technology trends. You can now access these at a time that suits you, for up to one month.

Companies get vaporised when market segmentation widens. Classics are those making steam trains missing the move to electric and to other modes of travel and NortonVilliersTriumph thinking that dominance of the UK motorcycle market protected them when, of course, motorcycles are a world market appropriately addressed by others

This article charts the development of water vehicles towards energy independence.

IDTechEx is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 22 August.

RethinkX and Barclays Research have issued carefully prepared research concluding that the global peak for cars will be in only a few years. Analysts IDTechEx say around 2030. Most experts see it as inevitable.

It is now becoming clear that the appalling emissions from ships that cause global warming and local injuries can be virtually eliminated.

IDTechEx forecasts no let up in the growth of the global lithium-ion battery market even in 2027. These batteries are now steadily replacing lead acid in its last strongholds such as mobility vehicles for the disabled, fork lift trucks, golf carts and cars though there is a long way to go in each case.

Sono Motors in Germany has officially launched its solar electric car Sion in Munich with first deliveries expected in 2019.

IDTechEx is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 15 August.

Mobile robotics in material handling and logistics will become a $75bn market by 2027. It will then more than double by 2038. These staggering headline figures mask turbulent transformative change underneath: some technologies will rise and transform the fortunes of industries, fuelling growth rates far outpacing recent trends, whilst others will face with decay and obsolescence. We are at the beginning of the beginning of a transformative change, and the time to plan is now.

Energy Independent Electric Vehicles (EIVs) are the end game and IDTechEx will be showcasing the opportunities at their next event.

It is easy to look at an industry like composites and quickly dismiss it as slow-moving and of no real interest to you or your company, but the chances are you would be wrong.

The new IDTechEx Research report, Last Mile Electric Vehicles 2018-2028 concerns goods and people reaching final destination such as down the pathway past the guard dog or riding from the train station.

Dr Richard Collins et al. discuss composites and their uses in drones and enabling internet infrastructure.