EDITOR'S CHOICE

China's CATL Unveils Condensed Matter Battery to Power Civil Aircraft

19 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

CATL "unveiled a condensed matter battery that it said could supply enough energy to power electric passenger aircraft for civil aviation use

"The battery, a type of semi-solid state product with condensed electrolyte and new anode and separator materials, will have an energy density of 500 Watt hours per kilogramme (Wh/kg)

"Nio is planning to power its ET7 cars with a semi-solid state battery with 360 Wh/kg energy density..."

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Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder: Golden Ratio 'Proves' Which Everyday Cars Are the Best (And Worst) Looking

19 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

Car and van dealer Vanarama used the 'golden ratio' formula to determine the most attractive motors from the 50 most-licensed models in the UK.

Audi..."makes the best-looking cars with an overall score of 77, followed by BMW with 70, Mercedez-Benz with 67, Skoda with 62 and Vauxhall with 60...saloons topped the list, scoring 66 out of 100 on average. Meanwhile city cars are viewed as the least attractive..with an avg. score of 26 out of 100."

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Gogoro's Battery-Swapping Stations In Taiwan Are Now Virtual Power Plants

19 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"Taiwanese two-wheeler battery swapping company Gogoro has a plan to give energy back to Taiwan’s electrical grid and make money while doing it.

"Gogoro's stations collectively hold nearly 2 gigawatt hours...The capacity of the 2,500 GoStations that will be part of the Enel X integration is about 150 megawatt hours of battery capacity...the companies have converted nearly 1,300 GoStations across more than 500 locations into VPP nodes..."

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Which Australian Banks Offer Special Loans for Electric Cars?

19 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"As part of its aim to reach net-zero by 2035, [Bank of Australia] has announced it is no longer funding loans for new fossil-fuel vehicles from 2025.

"Westpac has recently become the first of Australia's "big four" banks to offer lower interest rates on car loans for electrified vehicles

"The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) now discounts up to one per cent off the standard rate for new and used hydrogen vehicles valued up to $250,000

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Walkable Neighborhoods Are Happy Neighborhoods Finds Study

18 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"City residents are happier living in a walkable neighborhood, reports a study published in the latest Journal of the American Planning Association...pre-pandemic surveys in Dublin, Ireland, researchers found that a 'significant number of people are happier if they live in attractive, walkable places that enable social connections and trust in others'...The study builds on many others which have reported similar findings...The concept is as old as cities themselvs."

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Other Views: EPA Wants to Speed Up EV Switch. Good, The Planet Needs It

18 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"...vehicle pollution standards could be one of the United States' most important steps in staving off the most devastating effects of global warming and reducing exposure to unhealthy pollution - if the regulations are put into place. As of now, they are just proposals...The rules would go further than Biden's previous goal of having half of all cars sold in 2030 be electric....Regulations drive results, and the planet needs results quickly."

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U.S. Car Brands Will Benefit Most From Electric Car Tax Breaks

18 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"Rules that take effect on Tuesday [April 18, 2023] will limit the $7,500 credits to electric cars made domestically with minerals from the U.S. or trade allies...Only 10 vehicles will initially qualify for tax credits of $7,500...But those 10 include many of the most popular models and accounted for two-thirds of electric vehicle sales

"The rules give U.S. carmakers at least a temporary advantage over competitors like Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan..."

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With Emissions Cap For Car Makers On the Table, Australian Motor Industry Urges Government To Be "Ambitious"

18 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"...urged the federal government to be ambitious in imposing CO2 limits on car makers, saying its own figures show there is room for the government to go harder than it previously thought...the lack of a standard in Australia has put it at the end of the waitlist for in-demand EVs

"...environment groups advocating for ambitious targets in line with the European Union, while car makers say the target should be closer to that of the United States."

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Brexit Backer Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos To Build Electric Grenadier in Austria

18 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"The decision means that the UK has missed out on building a second Ineos vehicle, after Ratcliffe, a vocal Brexit backer who is resident in Monaco for tax purposes, chose a French factory for the original Grenadier.

"The choice of Magna means that Ineos has not attempted to build a second car from scratch...The Graz factory builds electric SUVs including the Jaguar I-Pace and the Fisker Ocean."

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Biden's Green Gamble

17 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"Biden just handed [GOP] a gift that could rally the GOP base...Between the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Biden has already set the wheels in motion to try to make EVs more accessible and affordable.

" A new Gallup poll, released Wednesday, shows Americans' widespread reluctance to embrace electric vehicles.

"Pew Research poll from last summer showed 55% of Americans opposed phasing out new gasoline-powered cars and trucks by 2035, while 43% supported it."

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