EDITOR'S CHOICE

We're Overhauling Our Cars In The Name Of Energy Efficiency - Why Not Our Roads?

16 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...Bipartisan Infrastructure Law...created a $6.4 billion program to fund carbon reduction strategies and support a range of projects to reduce emissions from on-road highway sources...U.S. Energy Information Agency projects that in 2050, when 60 percent of the new vehicles sold are projected to be electric vehicles, most vehicles on the road will still likely be powered by ICEs

"...investing in a higher-performance road system is a lever within state control that will improve the efficiency and carbon emissions of all vehicles, regardless of how each is powered. See also: "Induced Demand" question.

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EV Automakers Under Pressure To Demonstrate Material Circularity

16 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...material circularity...in lay terms...means assessing the share of material that is recycled and fed back into the economy...the automotive industry focuses on rethinking the surrounding built environment with its materials, its construction techniques, and its methods...

"The EU is intensely focused on material circularity in transportation. They say that the value of products, materials, and resources is strengthened by returning them into the product cycle after they have reached the end of their lifecyle."

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German State Secretary Says Fossil Fuels Are A 'Stranded Asset' And Won’t Be Profitable For Long

16 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

In a CNBC video interview from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Special Envoy Jennifer Morgan observed that world governments that are enacting strong renewable energy laws are benefiting from a wave a investments in renewable energy projects and, most notably, commented that fossil fuel investments are a "stranded asset" and will not be profitable much longer.

Morgan is the former director of Greenpeace International, Amsterdam.

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US Energy Tax Credit Trading Grows To As Much As $9 Billion, Study Finds

16 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Developers of renewable energy projects selling unused U.S. tax credits to other companies now account for a market worth between $7 billion and $9 billion, buoyed by legislation in 2022 that made these trades possible..."

"President Joe Biden's climate law aimed to stoke trillions of dollars of investment to wean the economy off planet-warming fossil fuels...That represents more than one third of the roughly $20 billion traditionally raised each yeare through tax equity for such projects in the United States."

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BMW Officially Recognizes "Peak Combustion Engine" As EV Tipping Point 'Was Last Year'

15 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"BMW AG says demand for its luxury cars powered by gasoline reached its highest point last year and expects all-electric models to lead future growth...BMW group EV sales jumped 75% last year, driven by models like the i4 sedan...Future volume growth will primarily come from battery electric vehicles

"By the end of the decade, BMW's EVs will have higher returns than its combustion-engine cars."

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No, E-Bike Fires Are Not A 'Leading Cause of Death' In NYC

15 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...a headline from Men's Journal [states] "E-bike Batteries: A Leading Cause Of Death In NYC"...The only problem is it's wrong. As in, completely wrong. The premise is not even close to aligning with reality...Every one of those 17 deaths last year is a tragedy

"Compared to [e-bike] battery fire deaths, New Yorkers are 176x more likely to die from a drug overdose, 23x more likely to be murdered, 5x more likely to die while riding the subway"

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EV Predictions Aren't Great, But Those For Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Are A Disaster

15 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"BloombergNEF's 'Electric Vehicle Outlook 2023' estimation...320 million electric vehicles were sold last year...90% of them were 2- and 3-wheelers...oil producers expect that, by around mid-century, there will be only 700-750 million zero-emission vehicles globally..."

"FCEVs' share in total zero-emission vehicle sales will be less than 5%. That is to say, it's useless to talk about a hydrogen economy until mid-century..."

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How Many Chinese Cars Are Sold In Europe?

15 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"For the period January-September 2023, [the report 'The Chinese car in Italy: knowing to decide'] speaks of around 462,600 registrations (equivalent to 4.8% of the market). In 2022 as a whole, the figures were 455,400 (4% market share).

"On an economic level, the value of imports and exports between China and Europe will reach €9.37 billion in 2022 (+432% compared to 2020) and almost €16 billion in 2023."

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Electric Cars 'The Best Vehicle' In Frigid Temperatures, Say EV Advocates In Saskatoon

15 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...many drivers question how they will fare on cold Prairie days...Tesla Model 3 can generally travel 500 kilometres on a single charge in the summer, but on cold winter days that decreases to around 300 kilometres...Matthew Pointer, who also drives a Tesla Model 3 [in Saskatoon where temperature is -20F] , said he finds his electric vehicle to be a much better driving experience in the winter than a gas car."

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OPINION : Government Support for Electric Vehicles Is Good for Everyone

14 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"The first area where policy is needed is to help with the higher upfront costs of electric vehicles. For consumers concerned about their carbon footprint, or simply wanting to enjoy the benefits of an electric vehicle...

"The shift to electric vehicles is being driven by innovation and competition in the private sector, but government policy will significantly determine the benefits to people and the climate. Policy is needed to make EVs widely accessible to people while the technology and markets continue to mature..."

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EV Sales Are Just Getting Started

14 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"You may have seen dire headlines that EV sales have dried up. They haven't. Electric vehicles sold reasonably well in 2023..."

"There is just one little problem: Last year, U.S. sales of EVs were the highest ever, both in sheer numbers and as a percentage of the overall new-car market...The EV Sales Tracker from EVadoption estimates nearly 1.2 million battery-electric vehicles...

"Bloomberg projects 2024 EV sales in the U.S. at just under 1.9 million units, making up 13 percent of new-car purchases."

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Mercedes: Solid-State Batteries "May Not Be Necessary"

14 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Markus Schafer...said improvements to the energy density of lithium ion batteries had been 'unexpected' to the point where they could end up being "neck and neck" with solid-state batteries in terms of cost and energy density.

"He conceded there is a safety advantage to solid-state technology but developments are expected in lithium technology too...Schafer also dismissed ultra-fast charging as a way of getting smaller batteries into electric cars, because range anxiety is still prevalent among buyers..."

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