EDITOR'S CHOICE

Fisker Ditches Tesla-Style Direct-Sales Model in Favor of Dealerships

04 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"The company began selling its first vehicle, the Ocean sport-utility vehicle, in 2023, but has been challenged by the complex logistics of shipping vehicles to U.S. customers from a factory in Austria.

"In Fisker’s case, the automaker found selling its cars online wasn’t saving as much money as it thought...Between the real estate, salaries and the financial burden of carrying unsold vehicles on its books, it cost Fisker thousands of dollars a vehicle."

Read Full Story

Why Red States Are Suing to Hide Their Transportation Emissions

04 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...21 states quietly filed suit against President Biden, federal Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, and the US DOT itself over the new 'Net Zero Highway rule,' which requires states to track greenhouse gas emissions on their roads and set targets to reduce them

"...the states' real reason for the lawsuit has more to do with 'virtue signaling that they'll fight anything associated with climate."

Read Full Story

Rimac Plans Move Into Robotaxis

03 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...best known for its Nevera electric hypercar, but the Croatian company offers a much more diverse range of products and services that's about to expand with a robotaxi service.

"Code-named Project 3 Mobility, Rimac's robotaxi service is being developed with some backing from Kia...Rimac's robotaxi will be designed for urban environments and will rely on supporting infrastructure that is also being developed by Rimac, including chargers and storage."

Read Full Story

The Arguments Against EVs Are All Bad

03 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"After a century of our burning gasoline to get around, the frankly bizarre nature of internal combustion has become invisible. Instead, it is the ascendant electric car that is met by the doubt and derision.

"Some anti-EV complaints are little more than bad-faith attacks drummed up by petroleum partisans...an EV gets cleaner and cleaner as the grid that supplies its electricity adds more and more renewables..."

Read Full Story

Fear Mongering About Range Anxiety Has To Stop - Connecticut Governor Calls Out EV Opponents

03 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Connecticut is not alone. Many state governments are battling fear mongering about transportation emissions.

"Ironically, the highest percentage of people who express range anxiety are those people who don't yet own their first EV...While 76% of future EV owners worry about range, nearly 59% of current EV drivers report none...After the owners became more attuned to the rhythm and flow of an EV, they became less concerned about charging"

Read Full Story

USA: Can I Get A Rebate For An E-Bike? Our State-By-State Guide

03 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"...more and more individual states are setting up e-bike rebate schemes, that effectively give residents discounts for new e-bike purchases. Some of these schemes are already up and running, and many more are in the long process of being approved and rolled out by state governments

"In most cases, the schemes that states and local governments offer are tax rebates that take around 20-30% off the price of an e-bike or e-cargo bike."

Read Full Story

EV Battery Repair Is Dangerous. Here's Why Mechanics Want To Do It Anyway.

03 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"EV battery repair is dangerous. Here's why mechanics want to do it anyway."

"...in theory, lots of these Tesla batteries can be fixed...But due to the time and training involved, the safety considerations, and the complexity of the repair... the bill to fix one car battery...might run upwards of $10,000...Cox Automotive estimates that it has saved over a gigawatt hour's worth of batteries -- enough to power about 17,000 new EVs - from being prematurely discarded."

Read Full Story

Future EVs: Over 60 New Electric Cars, Trucks And SUVs Coming In 2024

02 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"A decade ago, there were fewer than a dozen electric cars available for sale in America...[Now] it can seem like a dozen new electric cars are added to the list every week.

[Carscoops] "assembled a comprehensive database of electric vehicles scheduled for launch or arrival in U.S. showrooms from now until the end of 2024....spy photo or a full official rundown including pics, specs and prices depending on how near the model is to hitting the street."

Read Full Story

EV Range: Why More Isn't Better

02 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

An EV with a modest range is perfect for my lifestyle, and I expect suitable for many other drivers, too.

"Canada reports that the average commuting distance for 93 per cent of car commuters is just 8 km each way. Even those few drivers with longer commutes travel an average distance of 40 km each way.

"...large batteries come with downsides. They cost more than smaller batteries. They weigh more, which drags down a vehicle’s efficiency..."

Read Full Story

New Flow Battery Electric Car To Be Made In The USA

02 Jan 2024 | Synopsis

"Compared to lithium-ion batteries, the advantages of flow batteries for an electric car include non-toxicity, inflammability, longer range, and shorter fueling time. However, that's not as simple as it may sound.

"...improvements in energy density have created an opening for flow batteries in the long duration energy storage market for stationary applications. However, downsizing them for mobility has seemed far off in the future..."

Read Full Story