Category: Regulation (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.

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Volkswagen hopes to bring an affordable EV to market by 2025

2023-03-15 / Robert Vinet

Volkswagen ID. 2all Concept

Volkswagen claims it still working to bring an ‘affordable’ people’s electric car – costing around EUR25,000 (CDN$36,500 / US$26,790.00 / £23,000) in today’s prices – to market by 2025. (Reuters)

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Meanwhile, luxury-brand Porsche, part of the VW Group, has been working hard in the shadows to be exempt from to burning fossil fuel regulations. (Financial Times)

Meanwhile, Oliver Blume defends being Porsche and VW CEO (Automotive News)

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.”

Buyer demand prompts builder to install Level 2 EV chargers in Vancouver residential buildings

2023-02-28 / Robert Vinet

A new multi-unit residential development in East Vancouver is getting 110 Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations after would-be buyers responded overwhelmingly to the choice of the optional upgrade.

The City of Vancouver’s building code, amended in 2018, requires new multi-family residential buildings must be 100 per cent EV-ready. All parking spaces for residents must have an energized outlet capable of providing Level 2 charging or higher.

New Jersey will require all new cars and light-duty truck sales to be zero-emission by 2035

2023-02-17 / Robert Vinet

In an address at Rutgers University, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a series of new and accelerated targets and commitments to combat climate change.

NJ Governor outlined six pillars that will serve as the foundation for a cleaner, greener, and more resilient New Jersey.

Is the dominance of fossil fuels across the global economy finally starting to wane?

2023-02-16 / Robert Vinet

Michael Holder, Business Green ::

Such a prospect may be difficult to imagine right now, given the record profits being funnelled into the pockets of companies such as ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and Centrica. A cursory look at your energy bill or the latest global greenhouse gas emissions stats is enough to make one wince at the firm grip fossil fuels still appear to have on all aspects of the global economy.

But growing numbers of respected energy policy wonks have been taking a peek under the bonnet of the global energy system, and finding cause for cautious optimism that – even if it is not happening at the speed global climate goals require – the decarbonisation of the global economy may start far sooner than many realise.

EVs could cost less than dinosaur-juice powered cars by the end of this year (2023)

2023-02-16 / Robert Vinet

Jack Ewing of The New York Times, makes the case that increased competition, government incentives, and falling prices for lithium and other battery materials are making electric vehicles more affordable, and could soon be on a par with more internal combustion (ICE) cars. Perhaps even by the end of 2023.

The battery-powered version of GM’s Equinox crossover, for example, will start around $30,000 when it arrives this fall, the carmaker has said. That is $3,400 more than the least expensive gasoline-fueled Equinox. But factoring in government incentives, the electric Equinox should be cheaper. Like all electric vehicles, the car will need less maintenance, and the electricity to power it will cost less than the gasoline used by its combustion engine equivalent.

The article also makes the point that the EV will require less maintenance, and “the electricity to power it will cost less than the gasoline used by its combustion engine equivalent.”