All posts tagged: electric vehicles

Universal Plug-and-Charge for EV Charging Stations Is Set to Launch in 2025

Universal Plug-and-Charge for EV Charging Stations Is Set to Launch in 2025

Published by skeptic

To fill a car with gas, you generally just need a credit card or cash. To charge an EV at a DC fast-charging station, you need any number of things to work—a credit card reader, an app for that charger’s network, a touchscreen that’s working—and they’re all a little different. That situation could change next year if a new “universal Plug and Charge” initiative from SAE International, a group of EV carmakers and chargers, moves ahead and gains ground. Launching in early 2025, the network could make charging an EV actually easier than gassing up: Plug in, let the car and charger figure out the payment details over a cloud connection, and go. Some car and charging network combinations already offer such a system through a patchwork of individual deals, as listed at Inside EVs. Teslas have always offered a plug-and-charge experience, given the tight integration between its Superchargers and vehicles. Now Tesla will join the plug-and-charge movement proper, allowing Teslas to have a roughly similar experience at other stations. The Electric Vehicle Public Key …

EU battery manufacturing gets €3bn boost through EIB partnership

EU battery manufacturing gets €3bn boost through EIB partnership

Published by skeptic

The EU is making a bold move to strengthen its battery manufacturing capabilities with a groundbreaking partnership between the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB). This collaboration, announced today, will inject €3bn in public funding into the EU’s battery value chain, aiming to establish a competitive, sustainable, and innovative battery industry across Europe. Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, explained: “Europe is set on a path to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Battery production is a priority for the clean energy transition in the transport and power sectors and beyond. “The European Commission is committed to mobilising much-needed investments in cutting-edge technologies to support a resilient European battery sector. “We are combining different financial instruments to target our support in the most efficient way and maximise private investment. The partnership with the EIB will help EU businesses and innovators to reap the benefits of innovative net-zero technologies.” Why the EU must enhance battery manufacturing capabilities The expansion of EU battery manufacturing is more than just a matter …

Decoding Draghi

Decoding Draghi

Published by Sam

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IEA highlights uneven global progress in clean energy deployment

IEA highlights uneven global progress in clean energy deployment

Published by skeptic

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) recent report on clean energy deployment reveals a complex landscape of growth and challenges in the first half of 2024. While the deployment of clean energy technologies is on the rise worldwide, the report exposes significant variations across regions and technologies. This uneven progress underscores the need for supportive policies to help countries accelerate their clean energy transitions. Solar power and electric vehicles drive clean energy growth According to the IEA’s Clean Energy Market Monitor, solar photovoltaics (PV) and electric vehicles (EVs) are leading the global clean energy surge. Solar PV installation has seen substantial growth, with new capacity additions up by 36% compared to the same period last year. In the United States, solar deployment surged by an impressive 80%. This growth is attributed to lower equipment costs and expanded manufacturing, which have made solar energy more accessible for both residential and commercial users. Similarly, EV sales have seen a robust increase, growing by 25% globally. This trend is especially prominent in China, where EVs accounted for nearly 45% …

The Best Electric Kick Scooters of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

The Best Electric Kick Scooters of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Published by skeptic

I’ve tested a ton of scooters. Not all of them deserve a spot above, but some are still worth considering. Niu KQi3 Pro for $599: Over many rides, I became quite fond of the KQi3 Pro, and it was our top pick in this guide for quite some time. It offers great range for the money. Despite riding over steep bridges around New York City, I frequently got around 15 miles out of it, but you can probably expect 18 to 20 miles (unless you’re also a tall giant like me). It goes 20 miles per hour, the 9.5-inch tubeless tires offer a comfy ride, and the disc brakes reliably bring it to a quick stop. You get perks like a bell, lights, and space on the handlebar for attaching a phone mount. It’s super easy to fold, but it weighs 45 pounds, so it’s not what I’d call lightweight. I also wish the handlebars could fold down since they can snag on stair railings. It’s slightly older now and has been replaced by the …

Lime’s New Rideshare Ebikes Are More Approachable—Throttle and All

Lime’s New Rideshare Ebikes Are More Approachable—Throttle and All

Published by skeptic

Lime’s fleets are largely free-floating, which has attracted ire. Undocked rideshare ebikes and escooters have long been scrutinized as they’ve inevitably crowded sidewalks and even ended up in rivers. Lime says it’s “agnostic” to free-floating and parking areas and does both based on what cities require. Some markets have “corrals” where riders park their scooters and bikes, and there are penalties if riders do not park in these areas. Critics say the fines for bad behavior aren’t harsh enough. Many of the components in the new models are shared across Lime’s other products. For example, the brake levers are the same as the ones on Lime’s scooters, as the company found them to perform well. The batteries are the same as the Gen4 ebike, making swaps faster and cheaper. Lime also says all the screw heads on the bike are the same size, so operators do not need to switch drill bits when making repairs. Parrish says these changes increase the availability of these vehicles and lower Lime’s operating costs. That’s important, as many other …

Climate Protestors Storm Tesla’s Gigafactory in Europe

Climate Protestors Storm Tesla’s Gigafactory in Europe

Published by skeptic

Protesters charged onto Tesla’s factory site near Berlin on Friday, as part of a five-day demonstration against the carmaker’s local expansion plans. Footage on social media showed crowds of black-clad protesters on Tesla premises and running towards one of the site’s buildings. “800 people have entered the premises of the gigafactory,” Lucia Mende, spokesperson for the group Disrupt Tesla, told WIRED. She added activists were now on their way to a disused airfield which German media recently reported Tesla was using to store thousands of unsold cars. “They want to prevent the expansion of the factory,” Mende said of the protesters. “Several people are trying to gain unauthorized access to the Tesla factory premises,” the local police said on X, at around midday local time. “We are working to prevent this.” Mende claimed arrests had been made but did not know how many. Neither the police nor Tesla immediately replied to WIRED’s request for comment. “We here from the forest have witnessed how the protesters broke through police lines to get onto the factory grounds,” …

Rivian loses .45 billion as cost-cutting measures continue

Rivian loses $1.45 billion as cost-cutting measures continue

Published by skeptic

Rivian lost $1.45 billion in the first quarter, showing that its recent company-wide cost-cutting measures have a ways to go before it can approach profitability. The EV-maker brought in $1.2 billion in revenue in the period, coming in just under its record haul from the prior quarter, according to its first-quarter earnings report that was released Tuesday after markets closed. Rivian’s revenue grew 82% from the $661 million it generated in the first quarter in 2023. The Q1 revenue figure, while showing growth year-over-year, reflected a somewhat tepid sales quarter. The company reported in April it produced 13,980 vehicles and delivered 13,588 of them in the first quarter of 2024. Both of those figures are down from the fourth quarter of 2023, where it built 17,541 and shipped 13,972. Rivian reaffirmed on Tuesday that it plans to make around the same number of EVs as it did in 2023. Rivian had an eventful first quarter that included a splashy reveal of its future R2 and R3 EV lineup as well as more belt tightening and …

Inside the Climate Protests Hellbent on Stopping Tesla

Inside the Climate Protests Hellbent on Stopping Tesla

Published by skeptic

Mara is sick. The 24-year-old has been living in a mosquito-infested forest near Tesla’s German gigafactory since March, and despite the 78 degrees Fahrenheit heat, a cold is spreading through the camp. Sitting on a makeshift bench, she tells me how she left Berlin to live among the pine trees, roughly an hour’s drive outside the city, in an attempt to stop the company from expanding. This week, she will be joined by the notorious German climate group Here And No Further (Ende Gelände), known for its theatrical, often law-breaking blockades, for a five-day-long protest. Anticipating the arrival of hundreds of demonstrators, Tesla said it would shut the factory for four days, telling its employees to work from home, according to an internal email obtained by the German newspaper Handelsblatt. Despite the absence of Tesla workers, the company employees and local authorities will be on high alert for troublemakers. The factory is separated from the forest by only a thin fence, and as I walk the forest track tracing the factory’s perimeter, a police car …

Macron claims a win on Chinese cognac tariffs at meeting with Xi Jinping – POLITICO

Macron claims a win on Chinese cognac tariffs at meeting with Xi Jinping – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

Speaking at a French-Chinese business summit later in the evening, Macron said he would welcome Chinese investments in France including into electric vehicles and batteries — but once again stressed the need for balance in mutual trade. “Our relations have always been at the forefront of relations between China and Western countries, setting an example of mutual reinforcement and progress,” Xi said at the event. Earlier in the day, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who attended a meeting with Xi and Macron, said China’s “overcapacity” in fields including electric vehicles had resulted in “unsustainable unbalances.” Macron’s gifts to Xi included various bottles of French Cognac. Xi didn’t comment on the issue of liquor tariffs. Source link