EDITOR'S CHOICE

How Electric Cars Could Decide The 2024 Presidential Election

29 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"Electric vehicles, for some reason, have joined the long list of concepts, objects, and cultural artifacts that have become extremely politicized

"Democrats, for their part, seem to be rolling out a strategy that can be summed up as: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.

"Here’s a Republican from Decatur who is so steeped in anti-EV rhetoric that he thinks a 'big blue plasma beam' is going to vaporize him if he wrecks a Tesla..."

Read Full Story

How Many Electric Vehicles Are Needed To Hit Climate Change Goals?

29 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"Climate experts say now might just be the time to take the EV plunge, or, at least, take it within the next 10 years...National Renewable Energy Laboratory...study found 80% of vehicles sold in the next ten years need to be zero emission in order to meet 2050 targets to curb warming..study also showed the need to expand the size of the electricity grid to account for more EV's with the emphasis on clean, renewable energy..."

Read Full Story

On Eve of Official Launch: Musk's Cybertruck Is Already a Production Nightmare for Tesla

29 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...it's going to be a bear putting the panels together. It will be Tesla's first high-voltage vehicle, offering the benefit of faster charging, but also potential pitfalls. And it will be Tesla's only product dependent on in-house battery cells that are years behind schedule.

"The problems that are very evident with the Cybertruck are problems with the concept itself...Tesla has struggled to scale up 4680 battery production..."

Read Full Story

Car Dealers Tell Biden: Customers Aren't Ready For Electric Cars

29 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...3,882 franchised car dealers from 50 states sent a letter to Biden Tuesday urging the administration to slow down its EV mandates.

"Car dealers have enjoyed extraordinarily strong profits since the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chain disruptions led to vehicle shortages and higher-than-normal prices...Another potential threat to dealers might be less service revenue if EVs, which have fewer moving parts, need less repair work." [See also: Car Dealers Are The Biggest Barrier To The Electric Car Revolution In The US]

Read Full Story

Police Can't Write Tickets For Driverless Cars In California

29 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...law enforcement officers in the state can only issue citations for vehicles with actual drivers...internal memo from San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott...said officers could not issue citations for vehicles in a driverless mode for any moving violations...self-driving vehicles are still susceptible to receiving parking tickets.

"...state suspended General Motors’ Cruise robotaxis from operating late last month, citing safety concerns..."

Read Full Story

Report: Auto Emissions *Could* Have Dropped By 30%, But SUVs Ruined It For Everyone

27 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...the rise in electric vehicles, carbon emissions from automobiles could have dropped by more than 30% over the past 10 years, except they haven't - and that's because of our global appetite for jumbo cars...

"SUVs represent 51% of the new car market, and the average light-duty vehicle weight has bulked up to an all-time high of more than 1.5 tonnes...Electric vehicles, which represent 15% of global new car sales in 2022, use three to six times less energy than ICE vehicles to travel the same distance."

Read Full Story

Cars Broke Los Angeles. Could A New Form Of Transit Fix It?

27 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

Renewing the Dream paints the portrait of a city whose history was always linked to the evolution of urban mobility...facilitated by a slew of tech startups, from micro-mobility...ever-expanding LA Metro system, they could help alleviate people’s reliance on private cars

"...a prototype for a new type of EV station that goes beyond the pragmatics of charging your car and provides a space for the community."

Read Full Story

In 2024, Republican EV Attacks May Fall Short as Swing States Reap Investment

27 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

Republicans assert "Electric vehicles are a 'hoax,' they do not work, and they are strengthening China's economy at the expense of American jobs.

"...roughly $128 billion in investments in domestic EV and battery manufacturing announced since the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act..."Trump had the United States losing the EV race to China and if he had his way, the jobs of the future would be going to China..."

Read Full Story

VW Cuts Workers As Brand Deemed "No Longer Competitive"

27 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"Volkswagen's higher-ups have decided the people's brand isn't extracting enough money from the people, so they've decided to cut costs to compensate. By firing more people.

"...brand chief Thomas Schaefer warned that high costs and low productivity were making its cars uncompetitive....downsizing is being handled humanely, at least, with 'partial or early retirement' covering the sum total of the layoffs."

Read Full Story

Tesla Scores Another Win With Surprising Announcement From Legacy Carmaker Toyota To Adapt NACS For Future EVs

27 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"A new deal between the Japanese manufacturer and Tesla will allow Toyota and Lexus battery EVs to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) on their cars from 2025, giving access to 12,000 Superchargers throughout the continent...'certain' models under its umbrella will allow for the technology.

"Toyota's announcement on Oct. 19 came just two days after BMW revealed it too will adopt the NACS on its electric vehicles by 2025."

Read Full Story