31 Mar 2023 11:46:11 UTC

EDITOR'S CHOICE

How One Country Set Aside Nearly $500M for Electric Vehicle Subsidies, But Not For Cars

30 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

Indonesia "announced a plan to put 2 million electric motorcycles on the road in the next three years. To help expedite that massive movement toward emissions-free motorcycles, Indonesia has now announced 7 trillion rupiahs (approximately US $460M) in subsidies for electric motorcycle purchases through the end of next year.

"...the subsidies to cover sales of around 800,000 new electric motorcycles as well as the conversion of 200,000 combustion engine motorcycles to electric drive."

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A Nordic Upstart Aims To Leapfrog Tesla And Other Battery Rivals With Lower-Cost, High-Tech Cell

30 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Freyr thinks it's got a shot at becoming a global battery powerhouse by using a highly automated production system for battery cells utilizing a new design that's easier to manufacture.

"...moving from 17 steps in a conventional production system down to eight...capex goes down by 50% or more, energy consumption goes down by 60% or more. The space of the facility is reduced by 80% on a per gigawatt hour basis."

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Fossil Fuel Companies Are Donating Millions to Skew University Research

30 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"A report released this month by Data for Progress and Fossil Free Research showed the extent of this influence, tracking donations at over two dozen schools. Between 2003 and 2022, top fossil fuel companies donated at least $20 million to Harvard University alone...fossil fuel funders are making a strong attempt to skew the results, timing, and presentation of scientific research...

"Some schools have already taken positive steps."

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White House Announces New Partnerships to Boost Electric Vehicle Production

30 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"A number of major corporations and nonprofits have signed on to the effort, including Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Prologis, Hertz, Amazon, Google, Wells Fargo, and Consumer Reports, among others -- who have committed to expand EV fleets, boost the current number of charging stations, and promote clean energy efforts through national awareness campaigns.

"Since Biden took office in 2021, electric vehicle sales have tripled..."

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Brits Think Electric Vehicle Owners Are 'Sexier' Than Gas-Guzzler Drivers, Research Says

30 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...almost half of the 2,000 people quizzed by Big Motoring World confessing they'd be more interested in dating someone who is passionate about the climate crisis, it's no surprise that cars burning through fossil fuels could be a turn off.

"Anyone with an electric car might want to look at moving to Belfast as it was here EV drivers found it easiest to win over suitors, with almost 60% of people reporting that they'd be more likely to date someone with an EV."

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Americans Are Willing to Pay More to Reject Chinese EVs

29 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Seventy-eight percent of Americans say they would pay more to buy a U.S.-made EV over a similar Chinese model...Only 22% of adults said that they would choose the less expensive Chinese vehicle.

Heatmap "poll adds ballast to one of the law's central ideas: that Americans would support policy to boost U.S. domestic industry as much - or more - than they would back a more straightforward decarbonization measure...The EV question united Americans across party, gender, race, age, and ideological lines..."

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Electrifying New Research Debunks EV 'Range Anxiety'

29 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"University of Delaware researchers with collaborators at Dalhousie University and Georgia Tech may help dispel some of this 'range anxiety' associated with EVs.

"...like sneakers, EVs can get you where you want to go, and some can help you do it faster - but the most expensive option may not be worth the investment.

"...there is a segment of the market - between 25% to 37% of the driving population - where EVs with smaller batteries, combined with community charging, can meet all of their driving trip needs."

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I Charged A Kia At a Tesla Supercharger And Saw How Elon Musk Can Make EV Charging Suck Less for Everybody

29 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Tesla has kicked things off by retrofitting 10 stations: two in California and eight in my native New York...The charging process was straightforward and much smoother than the experience...the toughest part of plugging in was quite literally the act of plugging in. Supercharger stalls were designed with only Teslas in mind...Some non-Teslas need to take up two parking spots to plug in comfortably."

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New Study Explores How Long Electric Vehicle Batteries Actually Last

29 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

Recurrent recently conducted a study...looking at data from about 15,000 cars...within the limitations of the study, the results show some encouraging news...only 1.5 percent of EVs in the study had their batteries replaced.

"Due to the limitations of the study, it's still hard to predict how long batteries will last beyond 100,000 miles, which is incidentally the limit of most manufacturer warranty periods."

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Gravity Batteries: Abandoned Mines Could Store Enough Energy to Power 'the Entire Earth'

29 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...scientists at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis...claim that turning decommissioned mines into vast “gravity batteries” could provide up to 70 terawatts of energy storage. This is enough to match the entire world’s daily electricity consumption...Gravity batteries...are mechanical contraptions...uses existing elevators to raise and lower containers full of sand."

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