EDITOR'S CHOICE

What Would It Take to Defeat Big Oil? A Progressive Economist Weighs In

20 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"To be successful, climate mitigation policies must not exacerbate global inequality, economist Gregor Semieniuk says.

"As long as there is no ambitious turn away from fossil-fuel reliant transport, power, heat and industrial processes, it’s easy to blame oil producers...oil and gas companies are doing everything they can to maintain demand for their product.

"So far, the low-carbon transition does not look to be a leveler of the inequalities, but rather to reinforce them."

Read Full Story

Gisas Power II - All-Electric Tug To Serve Istanbul Harbour

20 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"DNV-classed newbuild has an LOA of 18.7 metres, a beam of 6.7 metres, a design draught of 3.5 metres, a gross tonnage of 107, and four crewmembers...Two Corvus Energy 1,423kWh lithium-ion batteries drive two azimuthing propellers via 925kW motors to enable Gisas Power II to achieve a speed of 11.3 knots and a bollard pull of approximately 30 tonnes...enables the batteries to be fully charged within one hour, and a single charge will allow multiple ship handling trips.."

Read Full Story

This Is What Americans Really Think About Climate Change

19 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"Pew Research Center surveyed nearly 11,000 American adults in March...Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (69%) want the US to take steps to reach net zero by 2050...Two-thirds of Americans said that big businesses and corporations aren’t doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change...Americans who live in the Pacific region - California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and Alaska - are more likely than those in other areas to say that climate change is affecting them a lot at a local level."

Read Full Story

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..."

Read Full Story

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."

Read Full Story

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..."

Read Full Story

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

Read Full Story

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."

Read Full Story

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."

Read Full Story

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..."

Read Full Story