• Energy

Automakers Worldwide Compete to Create Cheap, Efficient Car Batteries

• batteries
• charging
• electric vehicles
• General Motors
• Tesla

The car battery was once thought to be one of the least interesting parts of an automobile, technically speaking. But things are changing now that the public has begun prioritizing sustainable transportation and lowering emissions. Wood Mackenzie, an energy research and consulting firm, suggests that electric vehicles will make up 18 percent of new car sales by 2030, which will increase the demand for batteries — and the materials to make them. 

Why This Matters: According to Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, mass-producing batteries is “The hardest thing in the world.”

• Energy

GM’s Announcement On All EVs by 2035 Is Shaking Things Up

• ads
• cars
• electric vehicles
• General Motors
• GM
• internal combustion
• oil and gas
• Super Bowl

GM announced last week it intends to make the switch to selling only electric vehicles by 2035 — a surprise move that accelerates the pace of the conversion from internal combustion (IC) vehicles here in the U.S.  It

Why This Matters:  Secretary Pete was confirmed and he is poised to ride the wave of the transportation transformation.  GM’s decision will push the other major automakers to do the same.

• Climate Change

Biden Intends to Replace Federal Fleet with EVs

• clean energy
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• federal fleet
• General Motors
• procurement

President Biden’s climate executive order calls for the government to use the procurement power of the federal government to require federal agencies to replace all 645,000 federal vehicles with electric-powered ones.

Why This Matters: The 645,000 federal vehicles pale in comparison to the 276 million vehicles (paywall) on the road in the USA, but the signal the Biden climate EO sends is clear.

• Air

One Cool Thing: GM Makes an EV Splash at Consumer Electronics Show

• Bright Drop
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• General Motors
• GM
• The Jetsons

GM unveiled big plans at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show for electric vehicles — driverless “shuttle” vans and even – imagine this – flying cars.  CEO Mary Barra, the keynote speaker, unveiled a new company logo and highlighted innovative new vehicles.  The company has created a new unit called BrightDrop that will sell its EV600 […]

• Sustainability

GM’s Big Electric Truck Deal

• Cybertruck
• electric vehicles
• General Motors
• GM
• Hummer
• Nikola
• Tesla
• trucks

General Motors formally teamed up with Nikola Motors, inking a deal yesterday to help the electric-truck startup to develop and manufacture new electric truck models, in exchange for an 11% stake in Nikola Corp, The Wall Street Journal reported.  Both company’s stock prices jumped after the announcement showing that investors are still sweet on big […]

• Air

Tesla and other US Car Companies Suspend EV Plants — GM Will Make Ventilators and Masks

• Defense Production Act
• Ford
• General Motors
• masks
• Tesla
• ventilators

The President late on Friday finally used his Defense Production Act authority to order General Motors to begin to make ventilators, and the CEO Elon Musk of Tesla said the company’s New York electric vehicle factory will reopen in order to make ventilators and will also purchase and donate devices to the New York hospitals.

Why This Matters:  EV manufacturing shutdowns particularly impact the next wave of EVs that were about to start to roll off the assembly line – such as Volkswagen’s ID.3 and Tesla’s Model Y.