EDITOR'S CHOICE

The Lifestyle Change That Simulates "Falling in Love"

12 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"...study conducted by economists at the University of Zurich...found [a] person with a one-hour commute to work has to earn 40% more money to be as satisfied as someone who walks...shifting from a long commute to a short walk would make a single person as happy as if he or she had found a new love.

"...prioritize public transportation over car dependency wherever possible, and invest in a surefire last-mile solution (like an electric scooter or a folding bike) to make sure some stage of the journey is outside and within your control."

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Electric Car Manufacturers Are Making A Huge Mistake That Is Slowing EV Adoption

12 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"...automakers are working to find out what kind of cars would work the best with electric powertrains and would attract the most amount of buyers...recent survey by automotive market analytics firm AutoPacific reveals that out of all segments, buyers looking for pickup trucks are the least likely to buy electric.

"...they surveyed over 11,000 drivers across the U.S. who intend to buy a new car within the next three years..."

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Editorial: Don't Believe The Naysayers. We Can Electrify The Economy Without Leaving Workers Behind

12 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"The U.S. economy is in the early stages of an once-in-a-lifetime shift from an economy powered by fossil fuels...bad-faith actors are trying to exploit workers' anxieties about their role in a zero-emission future

"Some workers may fear that vehicle electrification will leave them behind. But there is no evidence that it will cause a broad swath of blue-collar jobs to disappear...Contrast that with Trump's opportunistic defeatism, which only plays into the hands of oil and gas companies that stand to profit from any delay in phasing out their polluting products."

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US Treasury Lays Out Rules For Instant EV Rebate

12 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"The new guidance lays out how dealers can effectively reduce the price for an EV for consumers by as much as $7,500 at the time of the purchase, rather than requiring the buyers to wait until they file their annual federal taxes to claim the credit."

"...EV buyers...Overwhelmingly preferred a point-of-sale rebate to a tax credit...With the EV tax credit, Treasury said it expects to refund dealers within 72 hours if sale."

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Why Tesla Isn't Unionized

12 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

United Auto Workers hopes a successful strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis could help it organize at Tesla...Tesla is the biggest threat in the long term to UAW wages and benefits. UAW doesn’t have any choice but to take on [Tesla]...Tesla's aggressive tactics; and Tesla's strategy of granting factory workers stock options...The company has taken a forceful anti-union position."

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Electric Cars Are Stalling A Cultural Revolution

11 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"We don't need electric cars to mitigate the effects of rising global temperatures...The transition to EVs will not be quick enough or impactful enough to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, which is why a cultural change is necessary. Americans should use other modes of transportation, such as biking, walking or taking the subway, bus or train

"What the United States needs are policies that encourage a shift away from the use of automobiles and towards other, more efficient forms of transport."

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London Will Be The World's First Car-Free City, According To A New Survey

11 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"According to a poll of 2,000 Brits, they think the Big Smoke could be totally vehicle-less by 2050...a national survey conducted by bike subscription company Swapfiets, over half of Brits polled said that London would be the first city in the world to go car-free within the next 27 years, with bikes and e-bikes becoming our main means of transport...if e-bikes were to replace all 2.6 million registered cars in the capital, 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 could be avoided each year..."

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New Study Delves Into The Motivations Behind Climate Action In The United States

11 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"The study, 'Climate action in the United States'...suggest that a growing number of people in the United States are actively engaging in climate-friendly behaviors, driven by their sense of responsibility and concern for the environment.

"Motivations for taking climate action varied among respondents...The findings from our study are hopeful in that they indicate people are already concerned about and taking action.."

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Insurance Costs Could Cripple European Electric Car Sales

11 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"European electric car sales growth will be hit by zooming insurance costs and expiring subsidies...According to moneyexpert.com, electric car insurance is more expensive because of pricey parts that aren’t readily available...British media is awash with horror stories about the latest insurance premiums...This isn't just a European problem. Thatcham is liaising with partners across the world, including the U.S."

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Meet The Kenyan Man Turning Plastic Waste Into Car Fuel

11 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Using pyrolysis...a process that heats plastic in an oxygen-deprived environment – Muritu transforms plastics back into an oil or hydrocarbon liquid. An exciting by-product, biochar, fuels the furnaces.

"Muritu's company currently churns out 1,000 liters of fuel every couple of days. Impressively, 80% of the plastic waste input is converted into fuel

"...a whopping 400 million tonnes of waste is produced annually, of which a mere 9% gets recycled..."

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NIO Completes 30 Million Global Battery Swaps, Further Proving The Process's Viability

10 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"Battery swaps were by no means invented by NIO, but the Chinese automaker has been the most prominent passenger vehicle developer in embracing the technology...To date, NIO has over 1,900 swap stations operating in China and Europe, offering a unique alternative to BEVs being sold by its competitors...it took NIO four years to reach 10 million swaps, then a mere nine months to double that figure."

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EVs Are 'Simply Better' For Environment, Even In Fossil Fuel Dominated Grids

10 Oct 2023 | Synopsis

"A new analysis by independent energy research firm Rystad Energy has concluded that battery-powered electric vehicles are “simply better for the environment” than diesel or gasoline car..."

"...base case scenario for power generation in China over the next 20 years, Rystad Energy finds that the lifecycle emissions of a BEV are about 39 tonnes of CO2e, compared to almost 85 tonnes for an ICE vehicle."

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