EDITOR'S CHOICE

Gas-Powered Vehicles Are Paying for Their Own Funeral

24 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Gas-powered cars, trucks and SUVs are still paying the bills for automakers as they pile money into electric vehicles...Ford expects to turn an overall profit before interest, taxes and depreciation of $9 billion to $11 billion for the year...is one of the only automakers that separates its EV operations from the rest of its business for financial reporting purposes

Carmakers are "plowing in lots of R&D - they're spending big on new battery plants, new assembly plants."

Read Full Story

Australia Doesn't Need An Array of Pricey Policies to Reduce Emissions From Vehicles, Just One Good One

24 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Instead of the growing potpourri of well-meaning policies to cut car emissions, Australia should introduce an emissions ceiling for new light vehicles, just like 80% of the rest of the world has already.

"...the Grattan Institute calculates that under an emissions ceiling, drivers who bought a zero- or low-emissions car instead of a petrol or diesel car would be $900 ahead five years later."

Read Full Story

The High, High Cost of Toyota's EV Blunder

24 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"And Toyota's [EV] myopia is symptomatic of Japan's broad struggle to get its economic groove back...

"The good news is that officials in Toyota City are realizing their blunder...bad news: it may already be too late as Tesla, Detroit, Germany and China beat Toyota to the punch.

"Not only did his team cling stubbornly to hybrid technology consumers don’t want, it poured billions into non-electronic alternatives like hydrogen power."

Read Full Story

Is South Australia a Hotbed for "Gold Hydrogen?"

24 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Claypans across Australia...are what some call 'fairy circles,' might hold the key to natural hydrogen seeps and a new mining industry...It turns out they can result from chemical reactions triggered by hydrogen gas seeping through cracks in the bedrock below.

"One working theory involves the radioactive decay of underground uranium...Another process involves the interactions between water and ferrous rocks."

Read Full Story

'The Age of AI Has Begun': Bill Gates Says This 'Revolutionary' Tech Is the Biggest Innovation Since the User-Friendly Computer

23 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"AI can help with everything from time-saving paperwork tasks to conducting research on life-saving drugs to how we educate our children...Further, could help people have 'AI-generated insights' about growing crops in areas affected by climate change.

"Though the technology is not without issues...it has the potential to transform everything from how search engines work to how papers are graded in schools."

Read Full Story

Ford Says Its EV unit Is Losing Billions, Should Be Seen As A Startup

23 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

Ford's "electric vehicle business has lost $3-billion before taxes during the past two years and will lose a similar amount this year as the company invests heavily in the new technology...Model e...is working on second - and even third-generation electric vehicles

"EV startups lose money while they invest in capability, develop knowledge, build (sales) volume and gain (market) share

"...expects to be building electric vehicles at a rate of 600,000 per year, reaching a rate of 2 million per year by the end of 2026."

Read Full Story

What's Different About the New Federal E-Bike Credit Proposal

23 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...the bill authors adjusted the income cap to $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly...only bikes that pass rigorous battery testing processes will be eligible for federal subsidies, pre-empting concerns about battery fires caused by cheap, unregulated, and unsafely-charged micromobility vehicles...the new E-BIKE Act has significantly more support from both lawmakers and advocates who have seen its societal benefits..."

Read Full Story

"Rocking Chair Rebellion" of Senior Citizens Joins Climate Protest

23 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...protesters who called themselves the Rocking Chair Rebellion sat in painted rockers outside the entrances of Chase and Wells Fargo banks...the demonstrations spanned more than 90 locations across the United States, led by Third Act, a group for activists over 60.

"The protests came just one day after the United Nations released a new report calling for urgent climate action..."

Read Full Story

These Are Canada's Electric Vehicle Hot Spots

23 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Quebeckers and British Columbians are far ahead in switching to green transportation thanks to legislated sales targets and other incentives.

"For Canada as a whole, the rate was 2.3 per 1,000 people...Both provinces have legislated ZEV sales targets: Quebec since 2016 and B.C. since 2019.

"Both provinces have legislated ZEV sales targets: Quebec since 2016 and B.C. since 2019."

Read Full Story

Women Are Less Likely to Buy Electric Vehicles Than Men. Here's What's Holding Them Back

22 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...safety and affordability could be behind the gender gap between men and women owners.

"..lack of reliability in charging infrastructure and considerations for safety could help explain why women...make up the minority of electric car drivers...Early research and recent surveys point to factors ranging from socioeconomic status, to experiences at car dealerships, to less awareness of how electric cars work."

Read Full Story