Category: Trends (Page 3 of 10)

How much EV range is enough? That depends

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

Wonderful article by Arthur Frederick (Fritz) Hasler, PhD, former leader of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization & Analysis Laboratory »

I’ve owned Nissan LEAFs with ranges of 81 miles, 115 miles, and 150 miles. My first Nissan LEAF had a 24 kWh battery. I now own a Tesla Model 3 Long Range with an EPA range rating of 310 miles and a 75 kWh battery. The longest cross-country trip I dared to make with my 2nd and 3rd Nissan LEAFs was 265 miles. Now I routinely make 1500 mile trips with my Model 3 driving 500 miles/day just like I did with my gasmobile.

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The average mileage driven by US car owners is about 40 miles a day, so some experts think an EV range of 200 miles should be adequate for most drivers. I recently met a man who takes this philosophy to the limit. He purchased a cheap, used, 81-mile-rated LEAF with a degraded battery that now has a range of only 40 miles. His commute to work is 10 miles and he was able to get his employer to put in a charger, so the car works fine for his commute. He has another car that he uses if he wants to make longer trips.

New research shows that satisfaction with the car buying process declined again in 2022

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

The 2022 Car Buyer Journey Study released by Cox Automotive reveals vehicle buyers were frustrated with high prices, limited availability, and the amount of time required to complete the process.

Meanwhile, the latest survey showed that 87% of EV buyers are open to the idea of buying fully online, while 73% of buyers of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are open to ecommerce solutions.

Lack of electric vehicles availability slowing down the Canadian government’s efforts to transition federal fleet

2023-02-17 / Robert Vinet

Natasha Bulowski, National Observer ::

A lack of vehicle availability and charging infrastructure is slowing down the federal government’s efforts to transition its fleet to electric vehicles, according to a memo to the deputy minister of natural resources that Canada’s National Observer obtained through a federal access-to-information request.

The federal government is aiming for its light-duty vehicle fleet to be comprised entirely of zero-emission or hybrid vehicles by 2030. These vehicles are used for a wide range of purposes across all federal departments, like mail delivery or transporting equipment and employees for work duties (for example, to meetings and conferences).

Nearly 300,000 new BEVs took to California’s roads last year

2023-02-16 / Robert Vinet

Electric vehicles made up 16 percent of new vehicle sales in California in 2022.

A a total of 292,496 battery-electric vehicles (BEV) were registered for California roads, according to data from the California Energy Commission.

Additionally, there were 50,748 new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and 2,574 fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) sold last year.

Elsewhere :: CleanTechnica / InsideEVs

Automakers are backing California in challenge to set emissions standards

2023-02-16 / Robert Vinet

The federal court case — Ohio v. EPA — is pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. 17 US states petitioned the court to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which allows the California to set emissions standards higher than federal standards.

The 17 petitioners opposing California and the Environmental Protection Agency are the US states of Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Meanwhile, today New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state will initiate the process to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Cars II.

The automakers — BMW, Ford, Honda, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, Volvo — essentially argue that California’s emissions standards are in line with market forces, noting in the brief that demand for EVs has drastically increased.

Read Stephen Edelstein’s article in Green Car Reports to learn more.

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.”