EDITOR'S CHOICE

Earth Shattered Global Heat Record In '23 And It's Flirting With Warming Limit, European Agency Says

10 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"The European climate agency Copernicus said the year was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's barely below the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit

"The United States lurched through 28 weather disasters last year that caused at least $1 billion in damage, smashing the old record of 22 set in 2020...They combined to kill 492 people and cause nearly $93 billion in damage, according to NOAA."

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MIT Researchers Outline A Path For Scaling Clean Hydrogen Production

10 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...the paper proposes a phased approach to qualify for the tax credits. In the first phase, hydrogen created from grid electricity can receive the credits under looser standards as the industry gets its footing.

"...as hydrogen demand for renewable electricity grows, and market competition drives an increasing quantity of renewables deployment, transitioning to hourly matching will be necessary to avoid high emissions."

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Kia Introduces Modular 'Platform Beyond Vehicle' Strategy, Teases Several Concept EVs at 2024 CES

10 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Kia introduced its fully customizable Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) to provide businesses and individuals with modular, fit-for-purpose EVs...Kia's new technology enables one vehicle chassis to meet multiple purposes. The automaker shared that the entire area behind the fixed cab can support interchangeable upper bodies it calls 'life modules.' ...it is a taxi, mobile boutique, cargo van, or a recreational vehicle."

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VW Solid-State Battery Retains 95% Capacity Over 1,000 Charge Cycles In Lab Testing

10 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"In the automotive industry, companies shoot for no worse than a 20 percent capacity loss after 700 charging cycles. QuantumScape's solid-state cell blew these results out of the water, losing just five percent of total capacity by the end of a 1,000-cycle...there's no reason why an older EV couldn't be refurbished with a new age solid-state battery pack and continue to operate reliably for many more years."

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Electric Vehicle Tax In Pennsylvania Would Punish Drivers For Being Responsible

10 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Government policy should incentivize behaviors that help our communities and discourage behaviors that harm them. This regressive tax does the exact opposite.

"Pennsylvania's proposed tax nearly 30% more expensive than the next highest state tax. Among the 29 states that charge a flat annual registration fee for electric vehicles, the average is roughly $125, less than half of the state's proposal."

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Cities Should Prioritize Electric Vehicle Adoption in 2024

08 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...cities can draw upon 2 main tools to accelerate the construction of charging infrastructure...(1) EV vehicle-ready building codes, which ensure the long-term, cost-effective buildout of charging...(2) streamlining permitting processes and providing pre-approved site, which helps to spur private investment in charging infrastructure...States, too, are targeting strategies to increase their EV charging infrastructure."

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Rolls-Royce Sees Record Sales As Demand For All-Electric Car Grows

08 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...owned by BMW, delivered 6,032 vehicles to customers in 2023, a slight rise on its previous record of 6,021 in 2022.

"Performance was driven by demand for its Cullinan, Ghost and Phantom marques, as well as the Spectre model

"Chief Executive Chris Brownridge [is] especially encouraging to see the enormous interest in and demand for [the electric] Spectre, supporting the decision to adopt a bold, all-electric strategy for future model development and production."

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The Unstoppable Rise of Sustainable Investing

08 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"In the study titled "Attention to Global Warming" (researchers) analysed temperature and financial data in 74 cities with major stock exchanges...people living in cities with higher abnormal temperatures were more likely to search for relevant information...Investors also tended to sell stocks that are highly sensitive to climate change..no evidence that the same was true for institutional investors."

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Biden Could Get An Electric "Beast." It Would Be Pricey...and Technologically Daunting

08 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Transitioning from gas-powered vehicles to electric is a central component of the president’s climate policy agenda...Electrifying Biden's own ride is complicated.

"The Beast is a specialty Cadillac limousine... estimated to weigh more than 15,000 pounds and cost more than $1.5 million...The vehicle could be reconfigured to run on a battery or as a hybrid...the battery needs for a roughly 15,000-pound vehicle would be "extraordinary"...

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The Scarcity of Car-Carrying Ships Is Causing A Surge In Shipping Costs To Unprecedented Levels, Disrupting The Export Flow Of Electric Vehicles From China To Europe

08 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

Despite a 17% anticipated increase in cars shipped globally to a record 23.4 million in 2023, the industry is grappling with a 10% reduction in ship availability compared to pre-Covid-19 levels. European car imports experienced a remarkable 40% rise, with China projected to ship 4.3 million vehicles in 2023, significantly surpassing the 1 million shipped in 2020.

"Approximately one in four EVs sold in Europe originates from mainland China, emphasizing the critical role of sea freight in the supply chain."

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How China's BYD Overtook Tesla To Become The World's Biggest EV Maker

07 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Critical to BYD's success has been vertical integration. Instead of relying on other companies for parts, BYD managed to crack the code of producing EVs cheaply in part by making most of its own components...BYD has had a lot of help from the Chinese government and even Warren Buffett..BYD is building factories in Europe, Latin America and across Asia...its cars and buses are popping up in cities all over the world."

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VW Solid-State Battery Prototype Shows Real Promise

07 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"A solid-state prototype from VW’s US partner QuantumScape 'significantly exceeded' industry targets in recent tests...the cell saw only 5% storage capacity loss after more than 1,000 charging cycles, the equivalent of 500,000 kilometers on the road...industry targets for this development phase are 700 charging cycles and a maximum loss of 20% capacity

"This innovation, if proven to work beyond the lab and reproduced flawlessly hundreds

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