EDITOR'S CHOICE

When It Comes to Climate Solutions, Technical Fixes Aren't Enough

22 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"... recent reports turn the concept on its head, touting positive climate tipping points as thresholds that will help transition the economy away from fossil fuels...The report identified three areas that have the potential to create ripple effects in other industries...Widespread adoption of passenger EVs - replacing "gray" with "green" ammonia fertilizer...incorporating plant-based proteins into global human diets.

"But technical fixes don?t matter without political will."

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Genesis Builds the Electrified GV70 in Alabama: Why That's Important

22 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"The plant at present builds the Elantra compact sedan, Tucson compact crossover, Santa Fe mid-size crossover, Sonata sedan, and Santa Cruz pickup truck.

"That made Montgomery not only the first non-Korean Genesis plant, but the company's first in the U.S. to build battery-electric vehicles..The passage of the IRA appears to have accelerated [plans to build Hyundai EV plant in Georgia] with a potential expansion to 500,000 units a year and the possibility of Genesis EVs from that plant, too."

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The Future of EVs: Will They Ever Be Affordable?

22 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"The market welcomed several new relatively affordable electric vehicles in 2023...combination of reshoring and increased production capabilities, along with less expensive battery chemistries like lithium iron phosphate and increased competition across all market players, will combine to make electric vehicles cheaper to purchase and own than their combustion equivalents before the decade is out."

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Electric Cars Are Creating A New Economy - And Leaving Some Towns Behind

22 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...Stellantis ended production at the 58-year-old [Belvidere Jeep] plant and laid off roughly 1,200 workers...The decision...shows the dark side of the zero-emissions economy the Biden administration is championing...As it embarks on its biggest retooling in a century, the auto industry has announced more than $70 billion of EV investments in the United States alone.

"Protecting jobs in the EV transition will be a top concern for the United Auto Workers union."

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Ford Reveals Explorer Electric Crossover Based On Volkswagen Platform

21 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Ford's newest Explorer is an electric compact crossover designed for Europe...developed on Volkswagen Group's MEB modular platform designed for mainstream electric vehicles.

"...buyers will be able to choose between rear- and all-wheel drive, and experience 10-80% charges in 25 minutes using a DC fast charger. It isn't clear how big the battery is, but the similar ID.4 from Volkswagen comes with 62- and 82-kwh battery..."

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Tesla Debt Is No Longer Junk-Rated By Moody's After It Upgrades Elon Musk's Carmaker

21 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

The "carmaker's dominance of the EV market and its efforts to keep costs low have boosted its ability to repay its debts...The rating action reflects Moody's expectation that Tesla will remain one of the foremost manufacturers of battery electric vehicles with an expanding global presence and very high profitability

"Musk has set a goal of cutting the cost of building some Tesla models by 50%...Fitch Ratings...doesn't currently issue a rating for Tesla, meaning its bonds still aren't universally considered to be investment grade."

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Industry Research Forecasts First eVTOL Routes And Use Cases

21 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...according to industry insights, commercial passengers...will not be the first patrons of the new mode of transport.

"27% of the respondents believed the most significant initial use case will be search and rescue, 20% remote supply, and 15% organ transport. Passenger traffic came in third with 14%. Then followed cargo transport, disaster relief, military missions, and medevac."

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CATL's Kirin Battery Begins Mass Production

21 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"The Kirin Battery is the third generation Cell-to-Pack (CTP) technology released by CATL, that is, it is a modular-less battery pack, a technology that was pioneered by the company in 2019...volume utilization rate has reached 72%, increasing the energy density of the ternary battery system to 255Wh/kg and ferrous lithium phosphate battery system to 160Wh/kg...the Kirin Battery pack can be increased by 13% compared with the 4680 large cylindrical battery system."

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Mexico Makes Lots of Electric Cars, but Few Mexicans Drive Them

21 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

Besides Tesla's factory plans for the country "General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, BMW and Volkswagen's Audi unit also are producing EVs in Mexico, or plan to. And Mexico also has at least one home-grown EV-maker, the unlisted Zacua...the government wants EVs to account for half of all cars sold domestically by 2030.

"Nearly 1.1 million new cars in total were sold in Mexico last year. Just 5,600 of those were EVs..."

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How Chinese EVs Are On The Verge Of World Domination

20 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Chinese EVs are on the rise, offering great range, performance, and style at sometimes a fraction of the cost of a Tesla Model S or Hyundai Ioniq 5.

BYD's Han is "their answer to the Tesla Model S. With a range of 375 miles and a price of around $31,100. It is certainly hell-bent on being competitive.

"The ET5 from Nio is competitively priced [and] offers up to a staggering 621 miles of range" for less than the Tesla Model 3 at 315 miles...

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