EDITOR'S CHOICE

Bird May Be Bankrupt, But Shared Micromobility Is Doing Just Fine

23 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"Despite Bird's murky future, cities are really taking to their shared scooters and bikes...according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ (NACTO) annual report...The number of micromobility trips in the U.S. and Canada increased by five million from 2021 and are up by 40% since 2018

"34 percent of riders are using bikes and scooters ''to access jobs,'' while 39 percent are running errands, 16 percent are going to school, and 50 percent for ''other social or recreation trips.''"

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Whisper In The Sky: Massive Electric Pane Ready To Test Vertical Takeoff

23 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"Butterfly...features a 'completely novel approach to aviation that unlocks a new standard in quietness, performance, and reliability...OSTR technology strategically adjusts propeller revolutions per minute (RPM) to enhance efficiency during the vertical, transition, and forward flight phases, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in power demand during hover.

"Butterfly boasts an impressive maximum range of 100 miles (161 km) and a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). What sets it apart is its capacity, accommodating five passengers alongside cargo."

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Buses Are Driving Montana's EV Future

23 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"School does not stop at 30 degrees below zero on the Hi-Line. Neither do the buses."

"The electric bus's evenly distributed weight helped it crawl out of a tough spot that Hamilton doesn’t think a diesel bus could overcome...Two years into a national effort to bring states into the EV age, the poster child for Montana’s progress is a hulking bus, not a grill-less, sleek sedan...Predictable miles and scheduled returns to home base make public transit a great fit for electric buses.."

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Nearly Half of New Passenger Cars in EU Electrified - ACEA

22 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"...Electrified vehicles - either fully electric models, plug-in hybrids or full hybrids - accounted for over 47.6% of all new passenger car registrations in the EU as of November, up from 43% in the same period last year...consumers continued to prefer hybrid-electric vehicles, with a year-on-year surge of 28.7%, while demand for plug-in hybrids declined by 22.1%

"The number of new vehicles registered in November in the EU, Britain and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) grew by 6% to 1.08 million vehicles."

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Waymo Has 7.1 million Driverless Miles - How Does Its Driving Compare To Humans

22 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"The Google spinoff's robotaxis led to a reduction in injury-related and police-reported crashes when compared to human benchmarks, according to new research."

"Waymo analyzed 7.13 million fully driverless miles in three cities - Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco...Waymo’s driverless cars were 6.7 times less likely than human drivers to be involved a crash resulting in an injury, or an 85 percent reduction over the human benchmark..."

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Russia Has a New EV Prototype and Yes, It Really Looks Like This

22 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"This odd Russian electric vehicle prototype...apparently called the "Amber." ...the tragic-looking machine is a product of Moscow Polytechnic University...attempting to build an EV for the Russian market...the electric motor, batteries, and everything in between are probably Russian-sourced and Avtotor, the Russian automotive company said to be manufacturing it, claims the Amber will go into production in 2025."

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E1 Series Confirms 2024 Calendar Racing Electric Boats Around The Globe

22 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"Season one of E1 is shaping up to be a global event as its race calendar will showcase electric boats competing across Europe, the Middle East, and now Asia. More is also in the works, as the league has already shared plans for its first US-based race event in Miami during season two.

"...the league has previously said the eight confirmed teams will be the only ones competing, E1's latest release says up to 10 teams of male and female Racebird pilots.."

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Blood, Guns, and Broken Scooters: Inside The Chaotic Rise And Fall Of Bird

22 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"Bird became the largest micromobility company in North America this fall after purchasing competitor Spin. It was once valued at more than $2 billion and seemed to epitomize a shiny future of clean urban transport

"founded in September 2017 with just 10 scooters in Santa Monica, California. Nine months later it had raised more than $300 million...Bird ridership plummeted as Covid lockdowns shut cities down."

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There Was Some Good Climate News In 2023. Really.

20 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"New technologies that can help address climate change, from heat pumps to solar panels to EVs, are coming to the market and getting cheaper. Climate policy is also developing...

"We put the 'inevitable EV' on our list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies... strong policy support and expanding supply chains were combining to vault the technology to new relevance...this new growth means there are almost 41 million passenger EVs on the road."

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How Robotics Is Essential To Making Electric Vehicles More Affordable

20 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"There is no way back. The E wave will come, as it has already in China...Although EVs are still cars, they are sufficiently different to build compared to internal combustion vehicles, so they require major alterations to manufacturing processes.

...another factor could help reduce the costs of all vehicle manufacturing, particularly EVs – advanced robotics.

"Traditional manufacturers still offer quite a limited EV range, because adding these to their lines further complicates the variants they must produce."

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Buick Dealers Don't Want To Sell EVs

20 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"Buick's dealership network in the US has approximately halved, with dealers choosing the buyout route rather than investing money in upgrading to accommodate the selling and servicing of EVs...he dealers who left the brand represented around 20% of Buick's US sales...the company recorded a 58% rise in sales

"Buick announced...dealers must invest at least $300,000 to $400,000 for tooling, equipment, and personnel training..."

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Exhaust Pollution Limits Frozen At Current Levels, But Electric Cars Targeted With New Restrictions

20 Dec 2023 | Synopsis

"...the inclusion of harmful particulate matter from brakes and the abrasion of tyres reflects the fact that electric vehicles are by no means pollution free...the freeze of Euro 6 limits as an indication that the car lobby was 'back in control after a few years in the wilderness following Dieselgate'...But one significant change in the law...the introduction into Euro 7 of limits for particulate matter produced by brakes..."

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