Here’s another good news item that will certainly bother electric vehicle (EV) critics. Something readers on CleanTechnica know is that EV battery prices are continuing to get cheaper. This not only spells good news for the industry but challenges other alternative energy drivetrains. It might sound obvious to say batteries are getting cheaper, but we’re always amazed to see how many people aren’t aware of it.
A longtime friend of mine with rooftop solar panels took a test drive of my humble 2015 Nissan LEAF the other day. He and his wife drive a nice SUV hybrid and once owned a Jaguar. After some nice comments about the LEAF, he and his wife decided that absolutely his next vehicle will be all electric. I encouraged him to test drive some Tesla options (explaining the value, quality, autonomous safety, minimalistic style, and top-of-the-line technology.) As his hybrid is in very good shape, he did not seem in a hurry. He responded that by the time he made the switch to all-electric, there will be many choices as good as a Tesla and his interest may lie elsewhere. Perhaps this vehicle below might interest him, being a one-time Jaguar owner.
The top 20 CleanTechnica stories of the past week, surprisingly, didn’t include a single Tesla story! Just kidding — it was the subject of 5 of the 20 articles and was heavily embedded in some of the others as well. But we did also have some fascinating pieces about other EVs, clean power trends, scientific advancements, and more.
Alternative title: “It’s a bad idea to doubt Tesla Performance before the product is revealed.”
Many electric vehicle purists have a disdain for plug-in hybrids, claiming that they aren’t real electric vehicles and that their typical short battery ranges are a joke.
The German engineering and steel firm Thyssenkrupp is expecting that a surge in demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries over the next decade may lead to factory-gear order increases of more than €1 billion (~$1.2 billion), going on recent statements made by company execs.
Many corporations, focused on the relentless pursuit of profits, make their money at the expense of the people, and the planet. The only proper purpose of any business is to serve the society in which it operates, and to contribute to the protection of the planet we all depend on for our existence. Ecotricity, founded by Dale Vince, is almost unique amongst UK energy companies in aiming to do just that. Although it makes money, that is only a means to achieve its main aim, environmental protection. Its main method of environmental protection is by supplying and developing renewable energy in the UK.
EDF Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of EDF Group, has been chosen by Pacific Gas & Electric, the primary utility company serving the northern California community and the San Francisco Bay Area, to provide 40 megawatt-hours of “behind the meter” energy storage for its commercial and industrial customers.
Off the east coast of Puerto Rico, there are two island municipalities. One, Isla de Vieques, has an area of about 134 square miles and a population of 8,825. The other island is Isla Culebra, which has an area of 11 square miles and a population of just under 1,800. Both islands were hit badly by Hurricane Maria, and now both have been given substantial aid by Tesla.
Just months after Tesla completed the largest grid storage battery in South Australia, Hyundai says it will build and install one that is 50% larger near Ulsan in South Korea by the end of February.
