EDITOR'S PICK

If You're Thinking Of Snapping Up A Cheap New Chinese Electric Car There Is Something You Should Know…

19 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Looking rather nice and packed with gadgetry, Chinese electric cars are clearly going to outsell Western brands on price...huge issue hanging over electric cars from China: are they four-wheeled Trojan horses packed with electronics to spy on myriad aspects of life in the West?...an electric car is always internet-connected, and acts like a giant, data-gobbling mobile phone.

"The sort of regulation in China that expands the power of the Party is not helpful to tech companies trying to become multinationals and convince the rest of the world that they're just profit-driven normal companies."

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Is the Big Federal EVSE Turnoff Truly Under Way?

18 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"GSA directive implementing [White House] executive order said the 'policy allows GSA to support customer agency mission-critical vehicle charging using existing equipment at federally owned facilities under GSA's jurisdiction, custody, and control and to discontinue the use of non-mission critical EVSE [chargers]...result in many EVs being sold off at bargain prices, costing the government up to $1 billion..full federal picture is still somewhat chaotic."

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Apple CEO Cook Exposes Critical Logical Flaw In Current US Regime's Tariff Policy

18 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...critics point out that Trump's tariffs have prompted retaliatory tariffs from targeted countries...In 2018...Tim Cook had a very pointed outlook on [D.I.C.'s] tariff policy...popular conception is that companies come to China because of low labor costs...China stopped being a low-labor-cost country many years ago

"The reason (for moving jobs to China) is because of the skill. The quantity of skill in one location and the type of skill Chinese workers possess."

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Saudi Arabia's Strategic Push into the Electric Vehicle Market

18 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

Saudi Arabia...is making significant strides in the electric vehicle ...market by investing heavily in building a comprehensive industry chain...The country has invested in U.S. EV startup Lucid Motors and launched its local brand, Ceer...The Saudi government plans to electrify 30% of Riyadh's vehicles by 2030...Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, is the largest shareholder of Lucid Motors

"Saudi Arabia is transitioning from a traditional oil-based economy to a diversified one focused on renewable energy."

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Virgin Atlantic Partners With Joby Aviation For UK Electric Air Taxi Launch

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"The partnership builds on an existing agreement between Joby and Delta Air Lines, which owns a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic...electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds reaching 200 mph...vertical take-off and landing with significantly less noise than conventional helicopters..optimised for rapid, back-to-back flights and could operate on routes up to 100 miles."

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Driverless Electric Bus With L4 Autonomy Runs On Barcelona Streets

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Two autonomous electric minibuses are operating on a 2.2-kilometer (1.36-mile) open road loop in the heart of Barcelona's streets...With 1,000 km covered and nearly 700 people transported, this first full-scale test [in Valence, France] demonstrated the maturity of the technology

"...the electric bus can run for 120 kilometers (74 miles) without a recharge and reach 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph). It is equipped with 10 cameras and eight lidars..."

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BYD Unveils New Super-Charging EV Tech To Rival Gasoline Fill-Up Time

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"The so-called 'super e-platform' will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it to travel 400 km (249 miles) on a 5-minute charge...Charging speeds of 1,000 kW would be twice as fast as Tesla's superchargers whose latest version offers up to 500 kw charging speeds.

"The new charging architecture will be initially available in two new EVs - Han L sedan and Tang L SUV priced from 270,000 yuan ($37,328.91)."

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Tesla FSD Cameras Vs. LIDAR In the Ultimate Wile E. Coyote Test

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

Youtuber Mark Rober LIDAR maps Disneyland's Space Mountain ride and uses the same technology to test Tesla's camera-based FSD against Lexus' LIDAR-based driving system in the ultimate Wile E. Coyote challenge. Will Musk's car tell the difference between a real road and a projection of the road and the "child" hidden behind it, and will he capture and build a 3D model of the secretive Disney ride?

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Can Leapmotor Save Stellantis In The Shift To Electric Vehicles?

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...the company's profits fell 70% in 2024, and its outspoken CEO Carlos Tavares quit at the end of the year...Leapmotor joins the other 14 members of the Stellantis group (although only eight are active in Europe)

"Leapmotor potentially plugs a gap like nothing else in its portfolio. When the current battery-electric (BEV) transition started around 2020, Stellantis appeared to have mostly one drivetrain on offer..they were platforms shared with internal combustion engine (ICE) versions..."

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Northvolt Bankruptcy: Europe's Chances Of Beating China In The EV Race Just Got Slimmer

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...Swedish battery company owned in part by Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs has filed for bankruptcy in its own country...deathblow for the battery maker, established in 2016, following its American interest in filing for bankruptcy in November last year."

"The big hope was that Nothvolt could go up against Chinese bands like CATL and BYD...Plans to build EV batteries in Europe have been bogged down by bureaucratic hurdles, production problems and slower EV demand than expected."

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Geothermal Is Having A Moment In The Sun, But Black Swans Are Casting Shade

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Geothermal energy is once again capturing attention, hailed by some as the stable, reliable renewable resource that can balance the intermittency of wind and solar power...enthusiasm often overlooks historical realities, especially when measured against criteria I consistently use to assess energy solutions

"Recent advances in battery storage, demand response technologies, and grid flexibility are increasingly undermining geothermal's claim of unique baseload capability."

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Owner Discovers Hidden Tesla Warranty Issue That Started With Replacement of a 12V Battery

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"A battery replacement became a five-figure nightmare for one Tesla owner after the company classified the vehicle as "salvage" without warning.

"According to Tesla's official guidelines, any vehicle deemed a total loss by an insurance company, often due to significant damage from accidents, floods, fires, or other hazards, is classified as a salvage vehicle.... Tesla must conduct tests before potentially reinstating supercharging...costing at least $1,600 upfront."

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