Volkswagen, like pretty much all foreign brands, has really been struggling in China in recent years. The whole German auto industry is basically in crisis because their cash cow in China has shifted and now prefers buying cool new EVs from Chinese companies. Well, Volkswagen decided to team up with … [continued]
Recent warnings from American AI leaders have created the impression that the world is only beginning to confront the dangers of advanced artificial intelligence. Dario Amodei, chief executive of tech company Anthropic, has called for governments to intervene to slow the development of increasingly powerful AI models. His proposal begins … [continued]
BYD launched the new Seagull in China on Tuesday. BYD’s smallest car is not as small now. The EV adds technology and capability, while retaining much of what made it popular. The value is even stronger now, but the potential impact is bigger than the car itself. Overall, the car … [continued]
For most of the fossil-fuel era, energy security meant securing a continuous flow of things that disappeared when they were used. Oil arrived in tankers, natural gas crossed pipelines or oceans as LNG, and coal moved by rail and ship. Burn the fuel and another shipment had to follow, which … [continued]
High gas prices and a never-ending wave of new BEVs has allowed September to reach 67% EV market share, a new record! However, while record market share was achieved in the past thanks to strong EV sales, this time, the record achievement is thanks to a significant ICE (internal combustion … [continued]
China has reached a stage of vehicle electrification that is easy to miss if the only number being watched is national EV market share. New urban buses are now essentially all electric, and in many cities the procurement question is no longer whether to replace a diesel bus with a … [continued]
Electric ships attract attention because the vessel is the visible technology. Put a large battery into an inland cargo vessel, replace the diesel propulsion system with electric motors, and the decarbonization story appears straightforward. Inland shipping looks particularly promising because many vessels travel repeatable routes between known terminals, where large … [continued]
People love to complain about how China provides massive state subsidies to its domestic manufacturers, as if the US, the EU, and Japan do not. Whether is it a zillion tax breaks for corporations or forgiveness of local property taxes, the last thing any business in the west wants is … [continued]
Two years ago, the EU imposed new tariffs on Chinese made electric cars because they were flooding the the new car market in Europe. For some reason, the European Commission decided not to place similar tariffs on plug-in hybrids made in China at the same time. The German auto industry … [continued]
Over the course of a few years, China became the absolute juggernaut of the world’s electric vehicle industry. That includes full electrics (BEVs) and plugin hybrids (PHEVs). Regarding the latter, Chinese companies added a lot more battery capacity and range to PHEVs while improving efficiency, technology, charging, etc. So, when … [continued]
