EDITOR'S PICK

Over Half Of EV Drivers Rely On Public Chargers, ChargeLab Survey Finds

05 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

While 86% of EV drivers in the US now have access to a home charger, 59.6% still use public chargers weekly.

The findings come in a new survey of 500 EV drivers by US EV charging software company ChargeLab, which says this underscores the need for continued investment in public charging infrastructure...

"There's no shortage of news coverage on the problems with public charging - but what makes us excited about this survey is it reframes the issue as an opportunity,"

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West Texas Orphan Wells Are Leaking With Unknown Harms

05 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

The Texas Railroad Commission is tasked with plugging wells. But the state regulators say their scope is limited.

"The massive pool of salt water on Wight's ranch is the latest man-made disaster resulting from abandoned oil and water wells across the state...the three-member elected body has fought with groundwater districts and landowners about who is responsible for plugging certain wells...the urgency has increased in recent years as orphaned wells in the Permian Basin began to leak salt water and, in some cases, hazardous liquids."

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We Tried Charging A Rivian And Chevy Bolt With Ford's Tesla Adapter

04 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"...can't you use the Ford adapter to charge a Rivian, or a Chevrolet Bolt, or anything else on the Supercharger network now? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

"...this isn't a hardware issue when it comes to charging - it's a software issue. Until Tesla authenticates more vehicles to work on its network, those won't be allowed to charge there.

"After 2025, just about every new EV in the U.S. and Canada will have native access to Tesla

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How Psychology Can Help People Live More Climate-Friendly Lives - Lessons From Around The World

04 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"New research by an international team of more than 250 scientists studied several environmental interventions and the way people responded to them in 63 countries.

"...team tested the effectiveness of 11 strategies designed to increase climate change awareness and climate action around the globe...Overall, 86% of people surveyed believed that climate change is happening, is a dangerous problem and is largely caused by humans."

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Ampaire's Hybrid-Electric Caravan Runs On SAF

04 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"The Eco Caravan replaces the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan’s Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop with Ampaire's AMP-H570 AMP Drive hybrid-electric propulsion unit...The Eco Caravan uses a 550-horsepower compression-ignition engine and electric motor in an integrated parallel hybrid, which means both the engine and motor provide torque to the propeller directly...a hybrid-electric system cuts fuel burn by 50 to 70 percent, and using a fuel that?s carbon neutral or carbon negative."

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Scientists Make Breakthrough In Recycling Lithium Batteries Using Fruit Peels

04 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"...scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, may have led to the most environmentally friendly method of recycling these batteries yet. The new method uses fruit peels to extract precious metals from spent batteries, which can then be reused in new batteries.

"NTU team was able to achieve the same results as industrial recycling processes using just orange peels and citric acid, a weak organic acid found in citrus fruits, with no extreme temperatures required."

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Electric Vehicles Outperformed Diesel In This Winter's Extreme Cold

04 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"In Colorado's West Grand School District, electric school buses didn’t perform as well as their diesel counterparts. They performed better.

"Even though it's true that EV experience reduced range in extreme weather conditions, gas and diesel vehicles do, too. And, in the case of diesel, the vehicles might not start at all in Colorado's bitter winter cold...When it's up to 20 below that's good day, and (the electric school bus) has performed extremely well."

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Tesla Superchargers Cost More For Other EVs, Unless You Buy A Membership

03 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"Tesla is charging owners of other EVs roughly 35% more per kilowatt-hour (kWh), according to rates listed on the company's app.

"At some locations, [Tesla charges a] premium of closer to 37%, while at others it was as low as 23% during off-peak hours

"However, Tesla is also offering a $12.99-per-month membership that grants other EV owners the same pricing that Tesla drivers get."

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Toyota Reveals It Would Rather Buy Emission Credits Than "Waste" Money Building Electric Vehicles

03 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"Toyota has revealed its strategic decision to prioritize the purchase of credits over investing in the manufacturing of electric vehicles...This statement was made by the CEO of Toyota N.A., who believes that EVs will only make up 30% of the US new-vehicle market in 2030, half of the target the EPA sought last year.

"The question that arises from this discussion is: How can automakers strike a balance between economic viability and environmental sustainability?"

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Aptera 3-Wheeler Closer To Production Thanks To Successful Crowfunding

03 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"2,040 reservations brought in nearly $34 million

"The sum gets the company into pre-production and validation testing, and it unlocks a $21.9 million grant from California's Solar Mobility Manufacturing Project...The grant is contingent upon Aptera buying $21.9 million in production equipment to build the car in the state...If Aptera can show a production-intent vehicle that's can do what's been claimed, the outfit's staying power and 46,000 reservations would indicate nothing is out of the question..."

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What To Do If You've Just Rented An Electric Car

03 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"The biggest thing to know is that you'll need to think a bit harder about refueling than you're used to...EV charging requires some more planning ahead.

"Note that EV chargers are often finicky and may spit out errors a couple of times before successfully accepting your payment...Fundamentally, charging an electric car comes down to locating a station that suits your needs (slow or fast) and your car (Tesla or not)."

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California Hits Another EV Milestone: 100,000 Public Chargers

03 Mar 2024 | Synopsis

"100,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers have been installed throughout California, which is on top of over 500,000 at-home chargers. This comes just weeks after the approval of a $1.9 billion plan to build a bigger, better charging network.

"The plan details how the money will be spent with at least 50% dedicated to benefiting communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. With this funding, the state expects to reach its goal of 250,000 public chargers in the next few years."

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