EDITOR'S CHOICE

California Has to Stop Building Freeways. Now

27 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"...new report 'California at a Crossroads"...calls for an end to 'California's traffic-creating, pave-the-earth approach to transportation.

"People aren't used to thinking of freeways as fossil fuel infrastructure, but they are'...once built, there's no going back, no making up for the extra driving by trying to convince people that a bus or train might be a better choice - we're stuck with it.

"There's no reason a smarter and better transportation system can't create more jobs per public dollar."

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Global Team of Researchers Develop Low-Cost Aluminum-Sulfur Batteries

27 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"The new battery architecture...uses aluminum and sulfur as its two electrode materials, with a molten salt electrolyte...the team showed that the battery cells could endure hundreds of cycles at exceptionally high charging rates, with a projected cost per cell of about one-sixth that of comparable lithium-ion cells...charging rate was highly dependent on the working temperature, with 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit) showing 25 times"

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How Electric Cars Became Trump and Biden's Latest Battle Vehicles

27 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"For Biden, electric vehicles are a legacy issue - part of his historic plans to fight climate change...making the U.S. auto industry competitive with the global leader, China...

"The bicoastal Democratic electric vehicle push has stiffened longtime conservative opposition to the cars..Trump needs to divide union members from their union to have a shot in Michigan, and he sees this issue of electric cars as his vehicle.."

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How climate change is going to change the insurance industry

27 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"Some regions will soon be 'uninsurable'

"A new report by the First Street Foundation found that close to 40 million properties across the U.S. are at risk of rising insurance rates and non-renewals, making up approximately one-quarter of all homes in the country...California, Florida, and Louisiana are some of the most affected regions however, the signs are beginning to show even in inland states like West Virginia."

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Tesla Needs Graphite. Alaska Has Plenty. But Mining It Raises Fears In Nearby Native Villages

27 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"..the prospective site of a mile-wide open pit mine that could reach deep below the tundra - into the largest known deposit of graphite in the United States...the Biden administration...recently announced up to $37.5 million in subsidies for Graphite One...The Nome-based corporation, Bering Straits Native Corp., also agreed to invest $2 million in Graphite One...tensions surrounding Graphite One’s project underscore how the rush to bolster domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles threatens a new round of disruption to tribal communities..."

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Sustainable Commuting Solutions: How Electric Bikes Are Reshaping Urban Transport

26 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"Electric two-wheelers are fundamentally altering the way urban residents perceive and engage with transportation in India and abroad."

"According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), e-bike sales have soared, with over 30 million units sold worldwide in 2022 alone...A study by the European Cyclists' Federation found that e-bikes produce only a fraction of the emissions generated by cars, making them a vital tool in achieving sustainable urban mobility targets."

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"Extreme" New Charging Law With $500 Fine Will Hit Thousands Of Homes in 2024 - But Electric Vehicle Owners Will Love It

26 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Electric Vehicle Charging Act into law, giving residents of certain homes [essentially condos] the right to install charging equipment for EVs in their designated parking spaces.

The unit owner requesting to install the charger also must be responsible for all costs related to installation of the EV charging system...they're responsible for electricity usage.

"Associations that willfully violate the Act are liable to the unit owner for actual damages as well as a civil penalty not to exceed $500."

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Ukraine War Sped The World On A Path To Net Zero Emissions: Report

26 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"...research by Ember, a London-based energy think tank, which discovered that solar and wind power surged forward by 5 percent in Europe last year, accounting for a record 22 percent of electricity generation...Record growth in solar power installations and electric cars is now 'in line with a pathway towards net zero emissions globally by mid-century'...

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Renowned Climate Scientist Michael E. Mann On What 'Doomers' Get Wrong

26 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"...the observation that the primary obstacle to action on climate change no longer seems to be denial; it's the idea that we lack agency, doomism...There are a lot of people who think that the science supports this view, but it doesn't.

"I think is the right framing for the problem that we face today: the pairing of urgency and agency. That it's not too late...There’s no point beyond which we shouldn’t keep trying to limit warming."

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French President Macron Unveils €100/Month Leasing Scheme For EU-Made Electric Cars

26 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"The announcement is part of a broader government strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5% annually, with the aim of a 55% reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

The scheme is aimed to help poorer households, in an effort to shift mobility habits from combustion cars to electric models...This new EV leasing announcement is part of a 'social ecology plan,' to make EU-made EVs cheaper, French Transport Minister..."

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Mapped: Most Searched-For Electric Vehicles by Country

25 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"...GRIDSERVE pulled together a database of the most searched-for electric vehicles by country in 2022...Using Google Keyword Planner, they gathered the volume of online searches for 317 EVs across more than 200 countries and mapped the most popular results in each location.

"Lexus RZ, was the most searched-for model in a whopping 47 countries, more than one-fifth of the entire dataset...Tesla Model 3 came in strong at second place..."

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Electric Car Rules Could Cost Carmakers Billions

25 Sep 2023 | Synopsis

"New Brexit trade rules covering electric vehicles could cost European manufacturers £3.75bn over the next three years

"The main problem lies in so-called "rules of origin"...They apply to shipments of cars across the Channel under the terms of the Brexit deal.. ensure that electric vehicles will need to have batteries produced in either the UK or the EU....Cars that do not meet the criteria will face 10% tariffs."

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