Category: Environment (Page 1 of 5)

Maryland becomes latest US State to announce 2035 ICE ban

2023-03-17 / Robert Vinet

Maryland is the latest US State to announce the adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II act, first adopted by California in August last year.

The new regulations mandates that 35 percent of new car sales must be tailpipe emissions-free by 2026. The percentage increases to 51 percent in 2028, then 68 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035.

Governor Wes Moore announced that manufacturers must increase the share of electric vehicles they sell in the state over the next few years until a 100% figure is reached in 2035. The ICE ban will be in effect for all passenger cars and light trucks. You’ll have to travel out of state if you want a Ford F-150 with a V8 instead of a Lightning.

More » CarBuzz

Porsche and Ferrari are behind the debate that could derail 2035 EU ICE ban

2023-03-09 / Robert Vinet

It is deeply disappointing to learn that Porsche and Ferrari are lurking in the shadows, feeding the climate change debate.

CarScoops »

In mid-February, the European Union approved a law that was set to effectively ban the sale of new internal combustion vehicles by 2035. At the time, it seemed that a rubber stamp was all that was needed to finalize the environmental measure. In March, though, Germany and Italy threw a wrench in the works, and it seems that those nations’ two best-known performance brands may be partially to blame for the EU’s headache.

Porsche and Ferrari, two brands known for their on-track performance and engineering expertise, have both decided to invest heavily in the future of synthetic fuels – the very product that both Italy and Germany want allowances made for before they agree to sign onto the legislation, reports Bloomberg.

Gasoline use is declining and it’s not just due to EVs

2023-03-08 / Robert Vinet

Around 8.8 million barrels of gasoline were consumed daily in the U.S.A. in 2022. That’s down from 9.3 million barrels in 2019, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Part of the reason is a decline in the number of commuters. According to projections, by the end of 2023, 25% of professionals are expected to be working remotely. Prior to the pandemic, a mere 6% of professionals worked remotely. And, according to a McKinsey survey, 35% of Americans would work from home five days per week if they could and as of last year, and more than half had the opportunity to do so at least once per week.

But beyond the attraction of working from home, there’s the price of fuel, which a year ago was pushing $5 a gallon, hardly an incentive to want to hit the road. In contrast, the current national average is $3.45, according to AAA.

More » The Detroit Bureau

Meanwhile, Ford claims their all-electric E-Transit van has saved 745,000 US gallons of gasoline to date, and it’s only been on the road for a year.

The NYC area is seeing an explosive growth in electric vehicles

2023-03-06 / Robert Vinet

NY Times »

While the earliest purchases of electric vehicles were mostly in affluent areas, over the past two years there has been explosive growth in ownership in moderate-income counties around the city — including Orange County, N.Y., where Mr. Sibley, a sound engineer, found his Bolt for $21,000.

Various factors are propelling drivers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to convert to electric: more varied models, including trucks and S.U.V.s; more public charging stations; and significant government incentives. And for the first time, the prices of some electric cars are competitive with those of gas-powered vehicles — without the expense of gas.

Yet there is also hesitation. Some drivers have concerns over the vehicles’ range. It can be hard to lay hands on an electric vehicle because carmakers cannot keep up with demand. And while electric vehicles have become cheaper, they still cost about $60,000 on average.

Light EVs are all the rage in European cities. Could they be coming to North America?

2023-02-28 / Robert Vinet

‘Light electric vehicles’ are cheaper and more energy efficient than even standard EVs. But U.S. road regulations and city design may be holding them back.

As growing research shows, even electric vehicles are tough on the environment, due to the minerals required for their batteries, and the wear and tear on roads. “It’s just ridiculous to have that within the city,” Lutz says. Meanwhile, the Luvly, which starts at €10,000, weighs about 880 pounds (compared to 4,000 pounds for the average car), and is much more energy efficient than most EVs. It’s fitted with a smaller battery, uses less material (the exterior is recyclable thermo-plastic), and costs less to run.

Vehicles like this are common in European cities. They’re are known as quadricycles, which are a type of LEV, or light electric vehicle, an official classification that also includes e-scooters and e-bikes. Each country sets its own rules, but LEVs are generally allowed on highways, though Lutz, whose model can reach 90km/hr (56 mph), says that would be “an extreme use case.”

How the 15-minute city-planning concept became a right-wing conspiracy theory

2023-02-19 / Robert Vinet

It’s a peculiarity of our viral media ecosystem. One day, you’re trying to manage traffic jams in a mid-sized English city; the next you are the foot soldiers of an international conspiracy to lock people in their homes on the orders of the World Economic Forum.

At least, that’s what happened to local politicians in Oxford, England, after Oxfordshire County Councilor Duncan Enright explained to the Sunday Times in October how the university town of 160,000 would try to develop a “15-minute city” of “low-traffic neighborhoods”—assuring that most residents can access goods and services within a short walk or bike ride of home.

Pundits railed against these “tyrannical bureaucrats,” (Jordan Peterson) with their “insidious” and “evil” (Andrew Vobes) “climate change lockdowns,” (Nigel Farage) and “surveillance culture to make Pyongyang envious” (right-leaning news channel GBTV). Last week, a Tory MP asked for an inquiry into the “international socialist concept” on the floor of Parliament, noting that “15-minute cities will cost us our personal freedom.” The power of the English-language meme-o-sphere carried the 15-minute city conspiracy to Canada, Australia, and the United States, and it has flourished on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, prompting two separate debunkings from USA Today and one from Reuters.

Follow this link for the whole article by Henry Grabar, Slate Magazine

Here’s why EV’s really are better and cleaner than gas-burning cars

2023-02-19 / Robert Vinet

EVs use their energy efficiently (Source » Toronto Star)

Social media is riddled with myths put out by electric vehicles skeptics. One of the biggest is the idea that EVs produce more emissions than gas-burning cars if they’re charged on a carbon-heavy electrical grid.

The Star spoke to academics, researchers, and other experts to put three of these falsehoods to rest.

Myth #1: EVs are worse for the climate than ICE cars if they’re charged with dirty electricity.
Myth #2 EVs are worse for the climate than gas cars because of the environmental impact of their batteries.
Myth #3 You have to drive an EV for many years to compensate for the additional emissions produced by its battery manufacturing.

Read Marco Chown Oved’s article at The Star »