EDITOR'S CHOICE

Raw Materials, Or Sacred Beings? Lithium Extraction Puts Two Worldviews Into Tension

21 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"In Uyuni...where one of the two new lithium plants will be constructed, Indigenous communities acknowledge the presence of these sacred beings...it is the mother’s milk of their Apu, a female volcano named Tunupa.

"The modern economy turns nature into a source of raw materials: morally and spiritually inert matter that is there to be extracted and mobilized worldwide...If societies really want a greener future, technological shifts such as EVs will be just part of the answer..."

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Electric Vehicle Charging Gets EU Competition Spotlight

21 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"A study on the electric vehicle charging market in the EU and the U.K...didn't uncover any evidence of "major competitive concerns" so far...

"The study does warn that there's a tendency for a public sector entity or one, or a few, private players to be a clear leader in recharging points. But it stressed the sector is still in its early stages and that more take-up of electric cars might prompt the rollout of more charging points and more competition."

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Chile Lithium Move Latest in Global Resource Nationalism Trend

21 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"President Gabriel Boric...announcement is the latest in a trend as countries look to assert greater control over key resources amid intensifying competition...Chile is the world's second largest producer of lithium, a key component in batteries used in electric vehicles. Home to the world's largest lithium reserves, Chile said it will over time transfer control of its vast lithium operations from industry giants SQM and Albemarle to a separate state-owned company."

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Tesla's co-Founder Just Made A Game-Changing Announcement About the Future of EV Batteries

21 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"The problem facing lithium recycling in the past was not that it couldn't be done...the infrastructure was not yet in place for it to be economically viable for profit-driven companies

"Redwood Materials has been collecting old EV battery packs from automakers such as Volvo, Ford, and Audi. In total, it collected 1,268 battery packs and recovered the lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper contained within at a whopping rate of above 95%

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What the U.S. Needs To Do To Be the Leaders in EVs And the Batteries That Power Them

20 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"There's a race for dominance in electric vehicles and the batteries that power them. China leads right now, but other countries - including the U.S. - are trying hard to catch up.

"China is the OPEC of batteries...Beijing has long been strategic about acquiring the critical minerals needed to make them...the U.S. has several large lithium deposits, including in Wyoming and Utah. But the permitting process to open new mines could take up to a decade."

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Tesla's Biggest Chinese Rival Drops a Bombshell

20 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"What is most striking about the [BYD] Seagull is neither its features nor its design but its price. This vehicle will be priced from 78,000 yuan ($11,326). This is more than half less than the base price of the Nissan Leaf

"The Seagull is based on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 and houses a 55 or 75 kW (75 or 102 hp) electric motor...powered by a lithium iron phosphate BYD Blade battery with capacities of 30 and 38 kWh...two range versions: 305 to 405 kilometers (190 to 252 miles) on a single charge."

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The Political Fight Over EVs In the USA Is Already Over

20 Apr 2023 | Synopsis

"There's no turning back the clock now."

"Fox News pundits and Republican officials have made no secret of their hostility to electric vehicles...Why are older, more conservative Americans wedded to gas-powered cars? Maybe they like the smell of petrol because it reminds them of a time when driving cars with the gas mileage of a main battle tank was uncontroversial.

"...majorities of Millennials and Zoomers support phasing vehicles altogether."

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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."

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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.."

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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."

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