EDITOR'S CHOICE

President Biden's EV Push Characterized as Benefiting Bicoastal "Elites" More Than Middle Class or Poor: Study

26 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"California EVs concentrated in affluent, college-educated, at least 75% white and Asian areas, analysis finds"

...biggest EV clumps were found to be concentrated in Silicon Valley cities and affluent coastal areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties, the central hubs of tech titans and Hollywood giants.

"EVs are almost non-existent in low-income California communities, especially with high populations of Black and Latino residents."

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Goldman's Strategy to Play the $3 Trillion Energy Revolution

26 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"..the Inflation Reduction Act: a total of $1.2 trillion in incentives... should unlock $3 trillion in investments across renewable energy...Goldman estimates..."renewable technologies can deliver twice the scale of energy produced by shale, unlocking the equivalent of 43 mnboe/d through green electrons (70%, mostly solar and wind) and green molecules (30%, mostly hydrogen and bio-energy) by 2032..."

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U.S. Eyeing Ways to Include Europe In Electric Car Tax Breaks

26 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"The Treasury guidance on the tax incentives coming next week will spell out details of how the agency proposes to weigh the extraction and processing of minerals used in electric vehicles and their components. The initial version will exclude minerals extracted and processed in the EU..."

"Treasury's release of the proposal next week will start a 30-day comment period, after which the agency will issue a final version."

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Just How Good Were Exxon's Climate Projections?

26 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...researchers compared each Exxon climate model to real-world climate records, scoring them from 0 to 100. And they found that, on average, Exxon's predictions were 72 percent accurate! Exxon's best prediction, published in 1985, was 99 percent accurate - more accurate than predictions from the world's top independent and government scientists at that time.

Exxon "instructed their staff to 'emphasize the uncertainty in scientific conclusions regarding the potential enhanced greenhouse effect.'"

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Aptera Selects Top-Ranked Driver Assistance System

25 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

Aptera"...has selected an open-source driver assistance system called ''openpilot'' as its official system that will be integrated into its production model solar EVs...Previously voted the number one driver assistance system by Consumer Reports, openpilot is the only consumer system available (aside from Tesla) that can halt at stop signs and red lights, while only using 1/10th the power...owners should see virtually-zero efficiency loss while using the driver assistance system."

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US Electric Car Tax Credit Rules Change Next Week. No One Knows How.

25 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...the law has many purposes. For one thing, it aims to promote the domestic economy by ruling out EVs built on other continents. For another, it sets income limits so the wealthiest Americans can’t reduce their tax burden by buying EVs.

"One section of the law governs where the minerals found in EV batteries originate...That means that we simply don’t know which vehicles, if any, will meet the requirements when they kick in next week."

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Tesla Roadster Batteries Are Failing, Revealing End Of Life Symptoms

25 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"While the Roadster's original battery packs are still going strong, the upgraded ones are dying.

"In 2016, Tesla began offering Roadster owners a larger, upgraded battery pack...fitted with upgraded 3.2 amp-hour 18650 cells compared to the 2.2 amp-hour cells used in the original packs.

"Gruber concluded a "cell quality issue" was the root cause of the packs' failure...they theorize the upgraded packs sold between 2016 and 2019 were produce in the same production run and may deteriorate like this regardless of whether they're frequently in use or sitting in a garage."

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Hamburg, Germany : First City to Ban Gas-Powered Taxis In Tts Fleet: "Taxis Fit for the Future"

25 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"Hamburg is setting a precedent in Germany, and perhaps worldwide, by mandating hydrogen- or electric-powered taxi fleets by 2025.

"There are about 350 cleaner cabs cruising Hamburg. Sixty-five of operator Best Taxi's fleet of 150 vehicles are compliant with the rule, running on batteries or hydrogen...taxi business can play a crucial part in the plan to cut harmful carbon pollution by 1.4 million tons by 2030..."

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Brussels and Berlin Strike Deal on 2035 Combustion-Engine Ban

25 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"...deal...will allow the continued sale of combustion-engine cars running exclusively on synthetic e-fuels even after legislation comes into force...It is unclear exactly how the Commission plans to do that, but it has agreed to carve out a new category for vehicles running on e-fuels inside the existing Euro 6 automotive rulebook...The deal means Germany has effectively dropped its last-minute opposition to the car engine ban law..."

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Biden Reaches Moment of Truth for Electric Vehicle Tax Credits

24 Mar 2023 | Synopsis

"The Treasury Department's unenviable task has been to try to balance these competing interests while going through its process of interpreting the law and implementing it through the US tax code

"The idea is simple: The US doesn't want its auto industry to be dependent on geopolitical adversaries...determining whether..a foreign entity of concern...has control or influence over a company that mines or processes critical minerals? It's complex!"

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