18 May 2024 18:54:08 UTC

 EDITOR'S CHOICE

Grant Sinclair Releases Pics And Specs of Production-Version Iris eTrike

18 May 2023 | Synopsis

"Like other velomobiles, [the Iris] is claimed to be more aerodynamic than a traditional bicycle, thus allowing it to reach higher speed...The Iris rolls on carbon wheels (24-inch in front, 26-inch in the back) clad in puncture-proof Tannus cargo bike tires.

"The rider's pedaling power is augmented by their choice of a 250, 500 or 750-watt mid-drive motor...The Iris eTrike is available now for a special preorder price of £4,999... Press Release

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Why Some Companies Want You To Rent the Battery In Your EV

18 May 2023 | Synopsis

"Instead of owning the batteries that power our EVs, some companies want to rethink our relationship and are pushing batteries as a service. Pay a monthly subscription fee, and you could consistently change out the nearly-spent batteries powering your vehicle for fresh ones in swapping stations.

"If...you prefer to lease the [75kWh] battery [from Nio] you'll pay just under $50,000 up front, plus a monthly [subscription] fee of $135..."

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BMW Just Revealed An Electric Hydrofoil Boat At the Cannes Film Festival

18 May 2023 | Synopsis

'The Icon'...is a collaboration between BMW and boat maker TYDE... six battery packs for energy, totaling 240 kWh. This energy is put to use via two 134-horsepower electric motors that BMW says will allow the boat to hit a maximum speed of 30 knots...The Icon can travel approximately 62 miles on a full charge...the boat is a hydrofoil design...reduces the energy required to clip through the water by by up to 80% versus a conventional boat design."

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Why So Many EV Chargers in America Don't Work

18 May 2023 | Synopsis

Bloomberg Quicktake video looks at charger manufacturers' efforts to improve the reliability of their chargers and their networks; in ChargePoint's case, as featured in the video, rigorous environmental and use testing. For US drivers to change to electric cars, the network, as being encouraged by federal rules and incentives, they need to have confidence public chargers will work when and where they are needed."

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Panasonic Plans Multiple New Battery Factories In North America By 2030

18 May 2023 | Synopsis

"The company, whose energy unit makes batteries for Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), seeks to boost its auto battery capacity to 200 gigawatt hours per year by March 2031, about four times its level at the end of March...Panasonic plans to build at least two new factories for 4680 battery production in North America by 2030...Panasonic has yet to decide where in North America it will add the production capacity."

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Tesla Isn't Too Good for Advertising Anymore, Elon Musk Says

17 May 2023 | Synopsis

"Elon Musk is finally thinking about advertising his cars, probably because he now owns a platform that needs advertising to survive.

"Tesla has long prided itself on word-of-mouth among its fan base to market its vehicles. It's built a formidable brand without paying for television, radio or print ads.

"It's unclear what form Tesla's ads will take because, as Musk admitted, there's no strategy yet. Will there ever be a strategy?"

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The Likelihood That Earth Briefly Hits Key Warming Threshold Grows Bigger and Closer, UN Forecasts

17 May 2023 | Synopsis

"There's a two-out-of-three chance that the world will temporarily hit a key warming limit [of 1.5°C] within the next five years [according to] United Nations weather agency...

"Scientists expect a temporary burst of heat from El Nino...to supercharge human-caused warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas to new heights.Temperatures are expected to then slip back down a bit.

"Scientists in a special 2018 United Nations report said going past that point would be drastically and dangerously different with more death, destruction and damage to global ecosystems."

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The Best Bike Is One That Gets You Out of Your Car

17 May 2023 | Synopsis

"We can't beat climate change by simply switching petroleum for plugs; we have to use less energy, period...Fortunately, e-bikes do exactly that. The energy capacity in a single Tesla Model 3 battery is enough to power 100 e-bikes.

"That car will produce 36 tons of carbon dioxide in its total life span, including production. An e-cargo bike will create about 300kg of CO2...I need to replace about 1,000 car miles to 'offset' the lifetime emissions from making the bike."

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Toyota Became An Inadvertent Marketing Agent For Tesla On Scott Burns' Car-Hunting Adventure

17 May 2023 | Synopsis

"A nationwide search for new RAV4 plug-ins...revealed only 311 available nationwide...Two were priced at a stunning $66,397.

" there is an alternative. Go full electric. We could buy a Tesla model Y. Add a destination fee of $1,390 and a $250 order fee and the grand total is $51,880...Subtract the $7,500 tax credit and the net cost is $44,380. That gets a car conceived and built in the USA. A car that costs less...to operate and maintain...has a great environmental ''dividend'' - far less pollution."

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China Is Kicking America's Ass In the EV Battery Race and It's Going To Define the 21st Century

17 May 2023 | Synopsis

"China's state-supported enterprises (i.e. China Inc.) dominate in every aspect of the development of batteries for electric vehicles, from the mining and refining of raw materials to the manufacture of the batteries themselves.

China has been working to dominate the battery space since at least 2015...a clear goal: to corner the market for key materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel; invest in their extraction; and [build battery factories]

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