EDITOR'S CHOICE

CATL's First 100-Second Swappable EV Batteries Debut, Proving How Far Ahead China Is

28 May 2025 | Synopsis

"CATL's new 'Choco-SEB' battery pack can be swapped in 100 seconds, making it just as quick as filling up at a gas station. The new EV features ultra-fast charging and starts at under $24,000 as China widens its lead on the global auto industry.

"Changan Automobile announced that it had delivered 1,000 Oshan 520 models, the first electric vehicle (EV) based on CATL's Choco-SEB swappable batteries...aims to have 1,000 battery swap stations in 31 cities across China by the end of 2025."

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Another Way Electric Cars Air Keep the Air Clean: Study Finds Harmful Brake Dust Reduced by 83%

28 May 2025 | Synopsis

EIT Urban Mobility study looked primarily at London, Milan and Barcelona...The primary reason for this is the use of regenerative braking, meaning that electric vehicles can slow down without rubbing friction brakes.

"...side-by-side at the best purpose-built EVs and their gas-powered counterparts, such as the Tesla Model 3 and the BMW 3 series, there is little difference in weight... across the model line...a difference of about 5%, not 20%."

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Stellantis Launches The FIAT TRIS Electric 3-Wheeler In Global Micromobility Push

28 May 2025 | Synopsis

"...the TRIS has been designed to meet the needs of micro transportation, merging iconic Italian design, affordability, and versatility into an easy-to-use, zero-emissions business solution...play a pivotal role in its global expansion, particularly in the Africa & Middle East region.

"...(GVW) of 1,025 kg and an RCE-homologated payload capacity maximum of 540 kg. TRIS's lithium battery pack has a capacity of 6.9 kWh, which provides a homologated range of 90 km..."

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Letters To The Editor: Why Is It Suddenly OK To Stomp On The Authority Of States?

27 May 2025 | Synopsis

"Protecting the rights of states to make their own laws and set their own regulatory standards has been a primarily Republican tenant for the past decades... The U.S. Senate votes to nullify California's planned transition to electric and hybrid cars

"This is a further step in the Republicans' aggressive war on efforts to improve the environment and address the worsening climate change situation...The fundamental problems with their approach to the environment and climate change: dishonesty and mean-spiritednes."

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Some Impressive News From Kenya's Growing Electric Motorcycle Sector

27 May 2025 | Synopsis

"Kenya's electric motorcycle sales seem to be taking off. In 2023, there were 70,691 motorcycles sold in Kenya. 2,557 of these were electric. That means 3.6% of motorcycles sold in 2023 in Kenya were electric..

"ARC Ride, an e-mobility battery-as-a-service (BaaS) provider, recently announced $5 million of financing from British International Investment (BII)...The company has already installed 170 charging stations in Nairobi...enables quicker battery swaps."

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California's eVTOL Air Taxi Startups Face Daunting Hurdles Ahead of LA28 Olympics Launch

27 May 2025 | Synopsis

eVTOL developer and operator is hoping to provide air taxi service for the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, transporting passengers above the city's congestion. However, among the obstacles they need to surmount is, first of all FAA certification of the aircraft themselves, establishing pilot training and licensing standards, and defining operational guidelines.

Additionally, vertiports need to be located and built and air traffic control procedures established.

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Researchers Take A Step Toward Carbon-Capturing Lithium Batteries

26 May 2025 | Synopsis

Li-CO₂ batteries could be a two-in-one solution to the current problems of storing renewable energy and taking carbon emissions out of the air. They absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into a white powder called lithium carbonate while discharging energy.

"...scientists noticed something interesting about this CO₂ contamination: It improved the battery's amount of charge...the technology has a few issues. The batteries don''t last very long."

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India's Car Economy Leaves the Middle Class Fuming

23 May 2025 | Synopsis

To ease an unfair tax burden, policymakers should look to 21st-century China, not 20th-century America.

"At 6 million-plus kilometers (4 million miles), India's road network is now the second largest in the world after the US..For intercity travel, India's template ought to have been 21st-century China, not 20th-century America...A still-small, car-owning middle class (fewer than one in 10 households) is feeling squeezed by the $7 billion it pays in tolls every year."

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10-lb Electric Outboard Works Like A Carbon Fiber Oar With Prop Drive

23 May 2025 | Synopsis

"The Temo 450 Carbon carries like a canoe paddle, but instead of manual muscle power, it tasks an integrated propeller drive with delivering up to 200 watts of propulsive power. At just 10 lb (4.6 kg), it's one of the sleekest, easiest ways of putting motor power to water.

"...after the 80 minutes of cruise time are up, users will have to charge the full drive for roughly 4.5 hours back to full...Temo estimates 60 minutes of runtime when going full power."

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Last Diesel Bus To Be Made In Australian State Leaves Production Line, All Electric From Now

23 May 2025 | Synopsis

"Each electric bus produced at the Volgren facility has the capability to travel up to 300 kilometres on a single charge and saves around 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year...8 electric buses have already been built Volgren's Malaga facility and are now servicing Perth CAT routes, while 18 EV chargers have been installed at the Elizabeth Quay Bus Station..The state government has also promised to allocate an additional $61.9 million in the upcoming state budget to shift manufacturing to fully electric."

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Electra's EL9 Hybrid-Electric Ultra Short Achieves Breakthrough Wind Tunnel Performance, 7X Greater Lift than Conventional Aircraft

23 May 2025 | Synopsis

"Electra's blown wing design delivers the high lift needed for takeoff and landing in just 150 feet. This is 10 percent the distance typically required by conventional aircraft of the same size.

"...the tests demonstrated lift coefficients greater than 20 - 7X greater than the 2.5-3 range typical of unblown wings...EL9's approach and landing profile meets all FAA Part 23 safety and stall margin requirements."

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Volvo Produces Electric Articulated and Bi-Articulated Buses in Brazil

21 May 2025 | Synopsis

the Volvo BZRT, is available in both articulated and bi-articulated formats and is designed to support high-capacity urban transport systems, particularly Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks...electric bi-articulated version measures 28 metres in length and can accommodate up to 250 passengers.

"The bus is powered by two 200kW electric motors... paired with a two-speed automated transmission...chassis supports up to eight battery packs, with a combined capacity of 720kWh."

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