EDITOR'S CHOICE

Electric Vehicles Are Less Reliable Than Conventional Cars, Finds Most Recent CR Survey

30 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"Hybrids are the most reliable cars and PHEVs the least reliable in CR's most recent survey...on average, EVs from the past three model years had 79 percent more problems than conventional cars...some of the most common problems EV owners report are issues with electric drive motors, charging, and EV batteries

"...Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y are now the sweet spot in the automotive industry when it comes to building electric cars..."

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Range Anxiety? What A New Study Found

30 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"Prediction of electrical use and environmental benefit base their calculations on vehicle miles traveled.

"Models that assume equal substitution between BEV and CV usage are implicitly assuming an optimistic scenario that is inconsistent with historical usage."

"...the study suggests that the majority of early BEV adopters owning more than one vehicle may choose to drive their BEV less, using their second conventional vehicle for distance"

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Electric Vehicle Batteries May Have A New Source Material - Used Tires

30 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"T-Phite is putting used car tires through a process called pyrolysis...putting the tires under extreme heat so that they break down into smaller molecules...become three primary byproducts – pyrolytic oil, steel and carbon black...contains graphite material essential to providing an electric pathway within batteries for energy to surge.

"In the U.S. alone, roughly 250 million tires are left for scrap every year..."

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No Easy Way To Communicate The Impacts Of Climate Change, Says Study

30 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...a range of universities...sought to reduce the psychological distance of climate change by showing a 3D virtual simulation of a storm surge in Hong Kong to a representative sample of 1,507 Hong Kong residents to see if it would change their behaviors and attitudes regarding climate change.

"...The average impact across the whole sample was small...the next two parts of the study as it becomes more immersive and realistic..."

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Honda Earmarks $3.4 Billion For Electric Bike Evolution, Plans 30 Models by 2030

30 Nov 2023 | Synopsis

"...will start operating dedicated electric motorcycle plants globally from around 2027...The company highlighted India and the ASEAN region as places where it aims to expand its market share...new production facilities will "highly likely" be in India and Southeast Asia...Honda added that it has been developing lithium ferro-phosphate batteries and is planning to adopt them in 2025... mid-to-long term, Honda will explore batteries with high energy density, with an eye toward using all-solid-state batteries."

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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..."

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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..."

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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..."

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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]

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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..."

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