EDITOR'S CHOICE

Why Climbing Star Alex Honold Says His Electric Pickup Is Like Driving A Spaceship: Once You Experience That, It’’s Really Hard to Go Back

14 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"...celebrated rock climber and star of the Academy Award-winning documentary 'Free Solo' [views his R1T as] 'by far the best truck ever.'

"Rivian is challenging industry incumbents like Ford with their best-selling F-150 Lightning and EV leader Tesla...Once you get used to it being faster, silent, and cheaper to maintain, everything about it is just better...Once you experience that, it's really hard to go back."

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NTSB Cites Blade Separation in Electric Aircraft Accident: Joby eVTOL Was Operating Unmanned

14 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"The National Transportation Safety Board is citing blade failure as the cause of the crash of a remotely piloted Joby Aviation electric aircraft in 2022...The remote pilot in command (PIC) put the aircraft into a descent..

"As the aircraft passed through 8,900 feet the propeller from propulsion station 3 located on the right inboard wing experienced oscillations in rpm and motor vibrations.

"...second preproduction prototype aircraft has flown nearly 25,000 miles, including more than 100 flights flown by a pilot on board..."

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Greenland's Melting Ice Sheet Is Causing a Vegetation Boom, Climate Experts Are Worried

14 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"According to the study (published in journal Scientific Reports) estimated 11,000 square miles of Greenland's ice sheet and glaciers have melted in the 1980s...amounting to 1.6% of Greenland's total ice cover...Climate experts worry that the increased vegetation exacerbates Greenland's ice loss, creating a troubling feedback loop. Beyond its immediate environmental impact, Greenland's ice loss poses a significant threat to global sea levels."

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This Company Is Salvaging EV Parts From Old Airplanes

14 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"There's currently some 8,000-plus retired aircraft all over the world...The number of retired aircraft around the world is set to [soar] to over 20,000 planes by the end of the decade...salvaging parts from obsolete jets could yield tens of millions of battery cases...[Singapore-based Nandia REM] is also apparently looking for ways to repurpose plastics and other materials that could be useful in cars..."

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Japan's Oldest Outboard Builder Silences Seas With All-Electric Motor

14 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"Tohatsu Corporation beat [Yamaha] to market by a couple years back in the mid-20th century to become the country's first outboard producer.

"Tohatsu began building motor products with its founding in 1922, but it wasn't until the 1950s that it turned its attention to marine outboards...The first outboard scheduled for launch is a 6-kW (8-hp) unit. Tohatsu and Ilmor will hold an official premiere for their 6-kW e-outboard at this year's Miami Boat Show."

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The EV Revolution Isn't Dead Yet, Although Some Would Like You To Think So

13 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"...talk of an implosion in the market for electric vehicles in the US is verging on the ridiculous."

"...leading forecasters agree that EV sales and market share will continue to grow in 2024...The truth is that EV sales were strong in 2023. US consumers bought 1.19 million all-electric vehicles last year, up 46% from the prior year

".. both 2023 sales and 2024 forecasts...do not support the idea that we are in some kind of apocalyptic event for this segment of the auto market."

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Walmart Is Rolling Out Its 'Coast-To-Coast' Network Of DC Fast Chargers

13 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"Walmart is hitting the ground running: It says it's going to remodel 650 stores across 47 states and Puerto Rico over the next 12 months, and build or convert more than 150 stores in the next five years. DC fast charger installation is included in that plan.

"The retailer stated that it's 'working on developing a coast-to-coast network of affordable electric vehicle fast-charging stations'..90% of the US population is located within 10 miles of a Walmart."

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Fisker Ocean 0wners Flagged Sudden Power Loss And Brake Problems For Months, Internal Documents Show

13 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"Shortly after Fisker board member Wendy Greuel took delivery, her Ocean SUV lost power on a public road, according to two employees familiar with the matter... Geeta Gupta Fisker - the company's chief financial officer, chief operating officer and Henrik's wife - took an Ocean out for a drive, only to have it suffer a similar fate

"Problems with the Ocean SUV, however, are not limited to the vehicle suddenly losing power, a review of nearly 200 documents shows."

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Explained: How China Built Electric Vehicle Company BYD, Its Tesla Killer

13 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"Nobody is laughing at BYD now."

"BYD is building assembly lines in Brazil, Hungary, Thailand and Uzbekistan and preparing to do so in Indonesia and Mexico.

"BYD has shown how Chinese carmakers can tap the country’s dominance of electrical products. No company has benefited as much from China's embrace of battery-electric cars and plug-in gasoline-electric cars.

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Dutch Police Found A Way To Test E-Bike Power On The Side Of The Road

13 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"The device is similar to a dynamometer typically used to measure the performance of vehicles like cars...the Dutch police have rolled out nearly 250 smaller versions that are appropriately sized for doing tests on bicycles...European e-bikes are limited to a relatively paltry 250W...e-bikes are permitted to reach 25 km/h under pedal assist..the majority of e-bikes that are in excess of local performance limits are fat tire electric bikes."

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