New legislation has been enacted in the UK on the 19th of July, 2018. Though this is UK legislation, and only applies here, it is important because it is one of the first attempts to enshrine the requirements for autonomous vehicles, and electric vehicle charging, into law. The legislation is the “Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018,” sponsored by The Secretary of State for Transport, Christopher Grayling.
New analysis shows that the plug-in vehicle market in the US generally only grows when new hot ticket models are introduced and that new plug-in models tend to reach peak sales levels after two to four full years on the market.
The YouTube video below recently caught our attention. Seeing Nico Rosberg’s smiling face with his hand on electric Porsche Mission E on a track conveyed a great deal.
The Chinese plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market lifted off the accelerator, with some 78,000 units registered in June, up only 77%. This slowdown from the three-digit growth rates of previous months is explained by the fact that, in June, “new energy” subsidies were slashed to vehicles with ranges lower to 150 km. That means most small “city EVs” stopped being sold, draining a significant percentage of sales.
Recently, I have been involved in a number of discussions on CleanTechnica about the range required for an EV to do longer journeys, and to be considered more than just a “city car” for local runs.
It seems quite common these days to attribute obsession with Tesla and especially the Tesla Model 3 to some kind of Le Elon Muské cult Kool-Aid. You know, Tesla is so extremely popular only because of Elon Musk’s quirky, nerdy, superhero shtick and unconventional marketing pizzaz. Tesla’s cars are okay, but they’re in high demand simply because Tesla fans are crazy and quite illogical. And there’s not as much demand as everyone presumes anyway. Right?
A theft of cobalt from the Netherlands highlights the importance of this metal within the EV worldwide surge.
Last week, I wrote about a US democratic crisis. It concerns Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on the surface, but a bit more deeply, it concerns oil. Take a deep breath and bear with me a moment while I set the stage before connecting the dots.
Waymo has forged new alliances with 5 companies in the Phoenix area that will make its self-driving Pacifica minivans available to customers. Walmart, AutoNation, and Avis are some of the new partners with Waymo.
On July 24, Mercom Capital Group (MCG) released its “Q2 2018 Battery Storage, Smart Grid and Efficiency Funding and M&A Report.” The report is available online, though it is a bit pricey at $299 to $499.
Mercom Capital Group is a highly regarded clean energy consulting firm with worldwide influence. Its new report provides a picture of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other funding that took place during the second quarter in the fields of battery storage, smart grid, and energy efficiency.
