EDITOR'S CHOICE

Essay: How Progress Creates Its Own Obstacles

23 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"The world really is getting better. So why don’t people believe it?"

"Progress is an unusual state of affairs. It is not the default...you could argue that the biggest evidence against the narrative of progress is all in our heads...The US economy has not in fact gone down the tubes, and we are, in fact, making real progress on cutting carbon emissions...our political system make transformational change so difficult to achieve."

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How A Hurricane Proved EVs Are Sturdier Than Gas-Powered Cars

22 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"Flood damage spells trouble for every component of your vehicle from the engine to the interior to the electrical components... Water doesn't compress, so you wind up with bent rods as the engine tries to push the cylinders...remember that flood water isn't just water. It's salt, sand, and debris.

"Hurricane Ian saw 21 EVs catching fire after their batteries were submerged in saltwater back in 2022. This number turned out to be much lower than expected , but the risk is still there."

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Lifting The Veil On Tens Of Billions In Oil Company Payments To Governments

22 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"...reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...reveal payments made by extractive companies...The disclosures detail tens of billions of dollars in taxes, royalties and other payments

"The disclosures detail tens of billions of dollars in taxes, royalties and other payments...revealing in the U.S. is that we are likely getting a bad deal...Exxon reported paying nearly five times more in taxes to the United Arab Emirates - $5.6 billion."

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This Is How Electric Vehicles Win, One School Bus At A Time

22 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"Aside from savings on fuel and maintenance, owners can squeeze even more value from their fleets by sharing the energy stored in their EV batteries. The question is exactly how much value is to be gained

"...14 projects are expected to result in a V2G 'best practices' implementation toolkit for utilities and fleet managers...the US Army...is looking into the idea of assembling electric vehicles, hybrids, and/or conventional vehicles into instant microgrids."

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1.3 Million US Made Solar Panels, 875 MW - Orion Solar Farm Goes Live In Texas

22 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"...the three new [Orion Belt] solar farms combined have 1.3 million solar panels manufactured in America by First Solar...at its Perrysburg, Ohio facility...22,800 tons of structural steel for the entirety of the project was sourced from Gerdau steel mills located in Midlothian, Texas, and Cartersville, Georgia.

"...85 percent of that electricity will go to power Google data centers in Ellis County..."

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Atlantic Aviation Preparing Manhattan Heliport for Electric Air Taxis

21 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"FBO network Atlantic Aviation is preparing to install charging stations for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis...its terminal at the East 34th Street Heliport (6N5) on the Manhattan waterfront...The location is a hub for trips in and around New York City and handles flights for New York University’s Langone Health Center...Atlantic said it is working with Joby, Archer, and a third partner, Beta Technologies."

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Hydrogen Chase Boats Follow in Wake of America's Cup Designs

21 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"Unlike normal boats, when the Chase Zero boat 'takes off' it rides above the waves...hydrogen fed into two Toyota fuel cells which produce the electricity to power its motor and batteries. The design was a spin-off from the giant America's Cup sailing boats, which now lift above the water on foils.

"They basically produce no emissions at all and what's dumped in the water is fresh water... They foil at 30-35 knots cruise..."

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Antelope Valley Transit Agency Celebrates 10 Years Of Battery-Electric Bus Service

21 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"In early 2014...funded the purchase of two 40-foot BYD...battery-electric buses...By March 2022, AVTA became the only battery-electric, zero-emission transit agency in the country.

"AVTA now has 121 battery-electric vehicles (102 electric buses and 19 paratransit electric vehicles), the first and largest fleet in North America, serving more than 1,200 square miles."

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The End Of Gas Cars? EV Adoption Accelerates Across America

20 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"From 2021 to 2024, every state has seen an increase in the number of EVs per 10,000 residents. But, residents of states in the bottom half have been buying EVs even faster than those in the top half.

"Since 2021, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Montana have seen some of the largest increases in EV ownership, despite lacking state-level EV tax credits or robust charging networks."

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How US Taxpayers Helped Elon Musk Become the Richest Man on Earth

19 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

Now it's time to tax it back to where much of it came from.

"...just-published Politico analysis, 'the single biggest beneficiary of U.S. government contracts.'

"Tesla, a shaky electric vehicle company when Musk bought it, only 'took off after receiving $465 million in subsidies from the Obama administration in 2010...America's wealthiest 400 billionaire families, between 2010 and 2018, 'paid an average of just 8.2 percent of their income...'"

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Plug-In Hybrids May Not Be The Small First Step Towards EV Adoption After All

19 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"Consumers aren't too happy with their plug-in hybrids despite the fact they're billed as a bridge between gas-powered cars and electric vehicles."

"Right now, there are 41 PHEVs for sale in the U.S...the cars can go between 25 and 40 miles on a full charge and can be juiced up at home...Overall satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale with PHEVs is 669 while mass-market satisfaction with BEVs is 716..."

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Electric Motors Are About to Get a Major Upgrade Thanks to Benjamin Franklin

19 Oct 2024 | Synopsis

"Franklin's 'electrostatic motor' uses alternating positive and negative charges...to spin an axle, and doesn't rely on a flow of current like conventional electric motors...Electrostatic motors have several potentially huge advantages over regular motors. They are up to 80% more efficient than conventional motors...

"Electrostatic tech isn't suitable for fast-spinning motors like those in the powertrains of electric vehicles..."

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