• Energy

Tesla Has Q1 Profit, Ford and Rivian Scrap Plans to Build EVs

• #conservationist
• electric vehicles
• environment
• EVs
• Hummer
• Rivian
• Tesla

CNBC reported yesterday that despite factory closures in China and the U.S., Tesla managed to eke out $16M in profit in the first quarter of the year, but it remains unclear how quickly its U.S. car plant and suppliers can ramp up production once it re-opens from Covid-19 restrictions. 

Why This Matters: The COVID pandemic is a setback for many industries — but particularly ones working to get off the ground like electric vehicle manufacturing.

• Sustainability

The USPS Is in a Crisis, But Switching to EVs Could Help Them

• #environmentalist
• conservation
• EVs
• mail
• mail truck
• Postal Service
• USPS

Over the last few weeks, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been in the news — berated by President Trump for losing money and struggling financially due to a drop in the volume of mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why This Matters:   There is no more basic government service than mail delivery.  And it is affordable and available to every American.

• Sustainability

GM Wants to Dominate EV Market, Takes Aim At “Pain Points”

• batteries
• cobalt
• Detroit
• EVs
• General Motors
• Tesla

Last week, the CEO of General Motors rolled out the company’s extensive plans to manufacture electric vehicles across all its brands and vehicle models and it even hopes to rejuvenate its luxury Cadillac brand by offering high-end EVs that will compete with Tesla, according to The New York Times.

Why This Matters:  GM is making a big bet on EVs and looking to leapfrog all the other conventional vehicle companies – and make money on these EVs right from the start.

• Climate Change

China Building To Dominate 21st Century’s Renewable Energy Sector And Fight Climate Change

• batteries
• China
• climate change
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• oil and gas
• solar panels

The U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia may have dominated the 20th-century energy market, but according to an in-depth article in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle, China is now determined to dominate the 21st-century market in which energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions have become paramount for nations contending with climate change.

Why This Matters:  The United States, thanks to President Trump and his desire to prop up the dying coal, gas, and oil industries, is falling behind in this competition for the future energy market.

• Energy

New Poll Explains Consumer Reluctance To Buy EVs

• electric vehicles
• EVs
• range anxiety

According to a new Ipsos poll, Americans want to take individual actions to combat climate change, but only 30% were willing to buy an electric vehicle.  According to a larger global survey on battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the reasons for the lack of consumer uptake were concerns about the higher cost of BEVs, their limited […]

• People

Yes, We Need More Electric Vehicles, But We Also Need to Drive Less

• decarbonization
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• green infrastructure

Throughout the Democratic presidential debates, and even at our own Climate Forum 2020, candidates emphasized the need for America to transition to more electric vehicle use. In fact, many of the Democratic candidates’ climate plans include sizeable investments for electric vehicle infrastructure, even offering “cash for clunkers” programs. However, as City Lab recently argued, before […]

• Energy

Tesla’s Competitors Close In, Elon Musk Remains Optimistic

• EVs
• Tesla

Tesla, under the leadership of CEO Elon Musk, has a vision to put everyone in an electric car and the company’s competitors may make that reality come true while making Tesla a “nice brand” as the Washington Post put it. There were reasons to celebrate at Tesla’s 2019 shareholder meeting help this week but one […]

• Energy

Cutting Through the Noise: How Green are EVs?

• electric cars
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• renewable energy
• Solar

This summer my (Miro’s) husband and I are planning a road trip from DC to the Finger Lakes and out of curiosity, I was looking at ways to make our trip more sustainable. I stumbled upon this helpful and practical guide of how to prepare your car, home, and even luggage to limit the impact […]

• Energy

EV Charging Stations and EV Busses Picking Up

• Chevron
• electric buses
• electric cars
• EVgo
• EVs
• mass transit

Electric vehicles in California got a major boost on Monday when EV infrastructure company EVgo announced a deal with Chevron to install fast chargers at select gas stations in California.  Forbes Magazine recently reported that homes that are located close to electric-vehicle charging stations, according to a new analysis by realtor.com, sell at a premium — 1.5 times higher than their surrounding metro areas and 2.6 times higher than the rest of the country.

• Energy

Plunging Battery Prices Will Drive EV Price Parity Within a Decade

• Bloomberg
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• greenhouse gas emission
• internal combustion vehicles
• Mercedes-Benz

The rapid decline in battery prices for electric vehicles will make them far more affordable in the near term, and as a result, the age of gas-powered vehicles may end sooner than experts previously thought, according to a new report from Bloomberg NEF. In the annual Bloomberg outlook on electric vehicles, they predict that by […]

• Energy

US states begin taxing electric vehicles

• climate action
• EVs
• taxes

Most European Union member countries offer tax and acquisition incentives for electric vehicles in hopes that they can help fight climate change but here in the U.S., in nearly half of states, driving a battery-powered car requires paying additional fees. As Bloomberg reported, “to date, 24 states have imposed special fees on electric vehicles, according […]

• Energy

Busting the myth that EVs lead to more emissions than fossil fuel cars

• EVs
• GHG emissions
• GHGs
• sustainability

There’s a false rumor being spread around the internet by trolls, well-meaning people and…the likes of Politico and WSJ Editorial Board about the environmental benefit of electric vehicles. Essentially the claim is that since EVs have to be recharged largely through grid power, they end up emitting more greenhouse gases because our utilities are still […]