EDITOR'S CHOICE

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $131 Million to Boost America’s Battery Supply Chain & Supercharge Electric Vehicle Innovation

19 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"DOE announced 27 projects to receive $71 million to develop innovative and equitable clean mobility options, alleviating supply chain concerns for EV batteries, and increasing EV drive range.

"United States Advanced Battery Consortium...will receive $60 million for pre-competitive, vehicle-related advanced battery R&D that addresses critical priorities for the next phase of widescale EV commercialization.

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Insect Populations Flourish In Restored Habitats Of Solar Energy Facilities

18 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory wanted to understand the ecological value of PV solar energy sites planted with native grasses and wildflowers

"The research findings suggest two important implications of habitat-friendly solar energy. One is that habitat-friendly solar sites can play an important role in conserving biodiversity...Second, habitat-friendly solar sites can help mitigate land-use conflicts."

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EV Rentals Can Lead The Way To Increased EV AdoptionNew Study RevealsUnexpected Impact Of Car Rentals On EV Adoption - Here's How It Could Change Everything

18 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Research published in the journal Energy suggests that EV rentals can reduce customers' concerns about taking the risk of purchasing an expensive and uncertain commodity like an EV...

"Renting an EV can teach a consumer valuable lessons about zero emissions transportation...the end-user cost is about 2–3 cents per mile for EVs and 13 cents per mile for ICE vehicles.

"It's really, really important that EV rentals are not taken lightly by rental company staff."

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Yes, It's Cold. Yes, The Planet's Still Warming

18 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"It's important to remember that the cold snap is, for many of us, just a moment of discomfort, while climate change is a long-term disaster.

"Despite the skepticism from those Republicans that cold weather and climate change can co-exist...today's frigid weather isn't inconsistent with the heating of the planet and warming of the climate.

"...analysis of 4,458 hours of climate-denial content on YouTube...found that the percentage of posts completely denying climate change have dropped from 65% of posts in 2018 to 30% today."

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How To Keep Electric Vehicles Charged In Extreme Cold

18 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"The experience for Tesla owners is a window into the cold, hard truth about the susceptibility of battery electric vehicles to the effects of very cold weather...The simple answer to why this happens is chemistry and physics..EVs can lose up to around 30% of their available power in cold weather...To combat the cold weather effect, EV owners are advised to conduct what’s known as preconditioning their vehicle’s battery."

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For Truckers Driving EVs, There's No Going Back

18 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"LaBush belongs to a small but growing group of commercial medium-to-heavy-duty truck drivers who use electric trucks...While trucks are only 4 percent of the vehicles on the road, they make up almost a quarter of the country’s transportation emissions...analysis of the nation's 12.2 million truck fleet, there are almost 13,000 electric trucks - which can be defined as Class 2B to Class 8 vehicle...Everyone who has had an EV has no aspirations to go back to diesel at this point."

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Electric Cars In Canadian Winter: A Hot Topic!

17 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...unlike the minus 40 [C] mornings when a combustion engine won't start without a block heater, you won't have that issue with an EV....There is a debate about how much range an electric vehicle loses in cold temperatures...The safest (and most reasonable) number to go with is the same range loss a combustion vehicle experiences in the winter: 25 per cent."

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Sub-£17,500 Volkswagen ID.1 To Debut By 2027

17 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"The battery-powered city car, which could carry the name ID.1, is slated to be priced below €20,000 or £17,500, slotting under VW's upcoming ID.2 hatchback...the German carmaker is not a stranger to making small electric cars. The discontinued e-Up! was its first foray into the segment

"When it debuts, probably sometime in 2026, the so-called ID.1 will go up against the next-generation Renault Twingo, which also will cost about €20,000."

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IEA Chief Welcomes 'Unstoppable' Growth Of Clean Energy

17 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

When asked by CNBC commentators at 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos about outcome of just concluded COP 28, IEA head Fatih Birol saw two positive developments: more than 200 countries signed on to pledge to move away from fossil fuels and he sees the growth of clean energy all around the world as "strong" and "unstoppable", including deployment of electric vehicles and heat pumps. He pledged that the IEA will track those nations' performance..."

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Renault Unveils Shapeshifting Morphoz Concept Car

17 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...the electric car has an extendable body that can be switched between a shorter, city-car form and a longer version for travel...In addition to a fully electric powertrain with a battery-sharing system, the car has level three driving autonomy and a smart system powered by artificial intelligence...

"The city version of the car is 4.40 metres long with a wheelbase length of 2.73 metres. It is powered by a 40 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery kilowatt hour (kWh) battery that has a range of up to 249 miles to suit day-to-day journeys to work or the shops."

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What EV Sales Slump? Commercial EV Deployments Are Soaring!

17 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...the numbers paint a narrative of swift expansion in the commercial EV and ZEV (Zero-Emission Vehicle) markets. CALSTART's latest figures reveal a remarkable 250% growth in the zero-emission heavy truck market.

"While electric semis like the ones from Tesla and Freightliner tend to grab the headlines, it's the commercial van segment that's seeing the most rapid rates of EV adoption...significant surge of 11,835 units deployed in the first half of 2023. That is a staggering 461% increase in deployments..."

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EVs Are Cheaper Than Ever. That's Bad For EV Owners

16 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Hertz had sold about a third of its fleet to pay its creditors, but then had to bulk back up....Hertz's decision to buy 100,000 Model 3s in October 2021 - its first major policy since exiting bankruptcy earlier that year - look inexplicably foolhardy in retrospect..Depreciation is a key risk for rental companies, which can see a huge slice of their asset base wiped out at the at the stroke of an accountant's pen .

"Price parity now appears to be arriving. That's great news for the electric car industry, and for drivers who've not been able to afford a battery vehicle - but it offers a silver lining for the beleaguered rental companies..."

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