As anyone who’s stuck paying an onerous bill to a local internet monopoly will agree, there’s a great market opportunity out there for any company that could offer a global wireless internet connection. SpaceX has been working on just that since 2015, developing a broadband satellite constellation called Starlink. A recent article in SmarterAnalyst proposes that Tesla could be an integral part of the plan.
The popularity of electric vehicles is becoming very apparent in so many ways. In many places, the price of used electric vehicles is actually increasing, because demand is so high. In the case of the Tesla Model 3, some people are paying more for a recent used car, than the price of a new one. This is because they are not prepared to wait in the reservation list to get one. In my own experience, I see more and more electric vehicles on the road. Where I used to have the charging stations to myself when on my travels, now I see more and more electric vehicle drivers charging alongside me. I think I will soon be joining a queue, as there will be more drivers needing a charge than available chargers.
As more households and businesses install rooftop solar and begin tracking their energy production, an increasing number of solar hosts are diving into a variety demand response opportunities —some at the behest of the utilities — to reduce their electricity bills.
Comparisons between Tesla and Apple are nothing new, but with the Silicon Valley automaker poised for a new wave of growth, it’s a good time to revisit the parallels between the two disruptive companies. A recent article from ARK Investment Management explains the similarities in eerie detail.
Electric vehicles are gaining traction in China. Daniel Ren (via South China Morning Post) writes, “While US maker Tesla often grabs the headlines … BYD and peers like Beijing Auto and Roewe are quietly selling enough electric vehicles (EVs) to make China the world’s largest market for both electric and conventional vehicles. In fact, sales of EVs in China reached 770,000 units last year.”
Taiwanese electric scooter startup Gogoro has a sharp design, smart engineering, and massive capital behind it. Now, it’s taking its über-clever, battery swapping electric scooters to the big time by partnering with DHL and Taiwan Post to supply the two shipping giants with Gogoro 2 utility scooters.
Hyundai says it is working on three solar charging systems that may appear on Hyundai and Kia cars after 2019. The output of the systems will be modest, but every watt helps increase range and lower emissions.
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, (ORNL) have now come up with an induction charging system capable of operating at a power of 120 kW, with up to a 6-inch gap between the primary and secondary coils, and at an efficiency of about 97%.
Europe’s automotive market is slowly getting charged. The drivers of electrification are EU regulatory agencies, which are imposing ever-stricter limits on carbon and nitrogen oxide pollution. Meanwhile, the German auto industry is pulling in the other direction, using its immense political power to try to delay and water down emissions regulations. The various European countries are caught in the middle — some are embracing the electric future, some are resisting it, and most are muddling through with no particular plan.
The most popular articles of the past week on CleanTechnica included another great total cost of ownership (TCO) comparison between the Tesla Model 3 and some very popular cars, consumer demand levers Tesla could pull if it needed to stimulate more demand, an exploration of Tesla’s focus and mission beyond being a carmaker, electric bike fatalities and injuries rising, and more.
