Share

Your weekly intelligence on EVs and Transportation Decarbonization
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

EV bashers got a lot of mileage last week out of news reports showing stranded Tesla drivers at a charging station near Chicago during the city’s coldest weather in years. But some of the coverage took pains to point out that internal combustion engine vehicles also have difficulty starting in sub-zero temperatures, with Electrek citing data from chilly Norway showing that EVs have a lower failure rate than ICE vehicles. Others weighed in with reports suggesting Teslas aren’t as equipped for the cold as GM EVs, while others wondered whether the stranded drivers had taken proper precautions for the cold. 


EV critics also cited Hertz’s decision to replace 20,000 of its EVs with gas-powered cars after saying EVs would account for a quarter of its fleet by 2025. The car rental company cited “customer demand,” high repair costs and low resale values.  


The partisan divide over the Biden administration’s EV policies was on display last week at the Washington Auto Show’s Public Policy Day, reports NetZero Insider’s Rich Heidorn Jr. Republican House members said EVs should compete without subsidies, while Democrats and administration officials said the funding was needed to build the industry’s scale, which they said will reduce prices. 


We also had some state EV news, with Mississippi lawmakers weighing incentives for an EV battery plant that could employ 2,000; Democrats in the Virginia Senate again defeating Republican efforts to repeal the state’s adoption of California’s clean car rules; and the Wisconsin Senate easing restrictions on businesses that install chargers and imposing a tax on EV charging. 


It’s not all EVs this week. We also have a story on IMC, which hauls shipping containers from ports to warehouses, ordering 50 Nikola fuel-cell trucks for its operations in California, Arizona and Nevada after disappointing results from two years of testing battery-electric vehicles. 


Finally, we have a report on University of Waterloo researchers exploring how idle fuel cell-powered trucks could serve as mobile generators to support overworked power grids. 


All that and more in this week’s Transportation and EVs Intelligence Report.


Jump To

Electric Vehicles
Fuel Cells

 
 

U.S.

US logistics firm opts for hydrogen trucks after testing and rejecting battery electric fleet

IMC, the largest company in the US hauling containers from ports to warehouses, has ordered 50 Nikola fuel-cell trucks for its operations in California, Arizona and Nevada, after disappointing results from two years of testing battery-electric vehicles. Hydrogen Insight


Return to Top
 

Electric Vehicles

Illinois

Electric Car Owners Confront a Harsh Foe: Cold Weather

In freezing temperatures, the batteries of electric vehicles can be less efficient and have shorter range, a lesson many Tesla drivers in Chicago learned this week. New York Times


U.S.

Exclusive: Uber steps up efforts to get drivers into Teslas

Uber can't force its drivers to go electric, but various incentives have helped it boost EV uptake in the last few years. Axios


Virginia

Virginia Senate Democrats vote down GOP-sponsored 'clean cars' repeal bills

Virginia Senate Democrats on Jan. 16 defeated for a third straight year Republican efforts to repeal an electric vehicle mandate that aims to reduce carbon pollution through the adoption of California's stringent rules for vehicle emissions. A Senate committee voted down three GOP-sponsored bills that would have rolled back the so-called "clean cars" legislation first passed and signed into law in 2021. The Associated Press


U.S.

Yes, EVs had trouble charging in Chicago cold. No, it wasn't entirely their fault

There have been quite a few headlines in the past two days about Tesla owners in Chicago stuck at charging stations for hours waiting to charge their batteries or, worse, having to have their cars towed away when the batteries died or wouldn't charge. There's truth in the reports -- batteries take longer to charge in single-digit temperatures, and owners have had cars towed. But all vehicle batteries, even those in ICE-powered cars, suffer in cold weather -- as can fluids like oil and diesel, hardware like door handles and locks, and electronic components, without taking the proper steps. Autoblog


U.S.

U.S. to spend nearly $150 million to fix broken charging ports

This new set of funds offers 24 recipients in 20 states grants to upgrade, replace, or repair existing EV charging infrastructure, and relieve some of the common frustrations drivers have when rolling up to an out-of-service charging port. Electrek


U.S.

The Only Question About Sales Growth for Electric Vehicles in 2024 Is, How Big?

As more models qualify for tax credits and automakers work on battery technology, consumers can test drive a bevy of models. Inside Climate News


U.S.

The Key to Accelerated EV Adoption

Rather than create years-long backlogs, utilities should first consider advanced software solutions for EV charging optimization that can provide the asset-level insights they need to maximize EV uptake within the constraints of today's distribution grid. North American Clean Energy


U.S.

Tesla isn't very good at explaining some things': Expert says there's a simple hack to charging your EV battery in the cold

For nearly a week, frigid temperatures from Chicago to northern Texas have made life painful for electric-vehicle owners, with reduced driving range and hours of waiting at charging stations. On Jan. 15, television reporters found Teslas that were running out of juice while in long lines for plugs at a Supercharger station. The temperature hit a low of minus 9 Fahrenheit. Experts acknowledge that cold weather can be hard for EVs, but they say with some planning and a little adjustment, owners should be able to travel pretty much as normal. Fortune


U.S.

OPINION: The Real Crime With The U.S. EV Tax Credit -- Pushing Larger Vehicles

Price limit on SUVs higher than for light-duty vehicles. Clean Technica


U.S.

How long will your EV driving range last with cold temps? Here's what AAA found

With extreme winter weather impacting roads across the country, many electric vehicle drivers have reported a drop in battery life. Because Oregon is among the states with the most EV owners, AAA's Oregon/Idaho Division is informing drivers about the potential effects of cold temperatures. AAA recently pointed KOIN 6 News to a 2019 study which found that temperatures below 20 degrees reduce driving ranges by 41%, due to the HVAC system that's used to heat a vehicle's interior. As a result, researchers discovered that EV owners spend an additional $25 on charging for every 1,000 miles that they drive. KOIN-TV


U.S.

Hertz reverses course on electric vehicles

The company, which once said EVs would account for a quarter of its rental fleet by 2025, is selling some 20,000 electric vehicles and replacing them with gas-powered cars. Utility Dive


U.S.

Gasoline is cheap right now -- but charging an EV is still cheaper

The price of home charging an electric vehicle in the U.S., on average, is equivalent to $1.41 per gallon. Canary Media


U.S.

Chicago's wind gusts expose how Elon Musk failed to design a Tesla for when it gets too cold

The cold temperatures are turning up the heat on Elon Musk and his electric vehicles. As record-breaking gusts crept into Chicago in the coldest temperatures seen in the Windy City since 2019, Tesla owners have been having difficulties charging their cars. Musk didn't account for different climates when designing his Silicon Valley-based cars in San Francisco and Austin. As climate-change intensifies and EVs are adopted in colder metros, this oversight becomes more glaring. Fortune


Illinois

Electric vehicle owners face huge challenges amid Chicago cold snap

It's been years since the city of Chicago has had a prolonged period of cold weather like this, and some residents are learning the hard way that electric vehicles have difficult coping with the frigid conditions too. NBC Chicago


U.S.

Are You a Super Driver? Some States Want to Help You Go Electric.

A small share of motorists burns about a third of America's gasoline, a study found. Switching to electric vehicles would make a huge dent in climate-warming emissions. New York Times


New York

Tesla Superchargers are overwhelmed by new Uber drivers in NYC

To mitigate the situation, Tesla announced that it implemented its new "congestion fee" at the local Supercharger station in New York. Electrek


Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers to weigh incentives for an EV battery plant that could employ 2,000

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is asking legislators for $350 million in incentives for a proposed factory that would manufacture electric vehicles batteries and employ about 2,000 people in Marshall County. The Republican governor on Jan. 16 declined to name the company that plans to spend $1.9 billion to build the facility in northern Mississippi. It would be the second-largest corporate investment in state history. The Meridian Star


Michigan

GM says EVs are built for Detroit cold snaps

General Motors says its electric vehicles hold up in the Detroit cold because they're built specifically for this kind of weather. Metro Detroit will be enduring the bitter cold for the rest of the week and it's going to cause problems for drivers in more ways than one - especially for people with electric vehicles. WJBK


International

WATCH: Climate Czar John Kerry Says Electric Car Critics 'Are Engaged in High Levels of Disinformation'

Climate czar John Kerry said Wednesday that President Joe Biden's policies promoting electric vehicles and other aspects of his transition to green energy have faced attacks from people engaged in "disinformation." Kerry also cited difficulties and delays in permitting and deploying renewable technologies as a reason for some of the pullback on a transition to renewables. Washington Free Beacon


International

Solid state: EV giants chase 'holy grail' of batteries

Here are some of the companies developing these kind of batteries. EV market leader Tesla, an industry outlier, has not detailed any solid-state development plans. Rappler


International

PGGM Infrastructure fund joins EV charging firm Electra as largest shareholder

An open-ended fund managed by the infrastructure arm of Dutch pension fund asset manager PGGM has become the largest shareholder in Electra, an operator of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Europe. IPE Real Assets


International

OPINION: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowhsahi: We can't let up on the EV transition

All of us -- governments, automakers and businesses -- must keep our ambitions high. If we are to hit our collective goals, and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, now is the time to speed up, writes Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Fast Company


International

OPINION: Electric cars are not the future

Worldwide, according to Bloomberg, there are 280 million electric mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and three-wheelers compared with just 20 million passenger EVs. Looking back in five years, we may conclude that electric cars were made for American suburbia and for almost nowhere else, writes Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper. The Financial Times


International

Electric vehicles fail at a lower rate than gas cars in extreme cold

Electric vehicles fail at a lower rate than gas-powered cars in the extreme cold, according to a road assistance service in Norway. Electric vehicles often get bad press about their performance in the cold. Just yesterday, we reported on dead Tesla vehicles piling up at supercharger stations across Chicago. It now looks like the extreme cold conditions have affected the chargers themselves rather than the vehicles, according to local sources. But it mainly gets attention because it's a new technology and it fails for different reasons than gasoline vehicles in the cold. Electrek


Wisconsin

What to know about a proposed Wisconsin tax on electric vehicle chargers

Electric vehicle charging stations could spring up at gas stations and grocery stores throughout Wisconsin, after the state Senate passed a proposed bill Jan. 16. The bill, which passed by a 30-2 vote, would ease restrictions on businesses that install chargers and impose a tax on electricity sold to electric vehicle owners. The measure would also make Wisconsin eligible for nearly $80 million in federal funds for the installation of charging stations and other electric vehicle infrastructure. Here's what to know. ABC


Return to Top
 

Fuel Cells

International

Idle fuel cell trucks could provide clean energy boost to the grid

University of Waterloo researchers exploring how idle fuel cell-powered trucks can serve as mobile generators, to support overworked and ageing power grids. design products & applications


Return to Top
 
iconShare
iconTweet
iconShare
iconForward

Copyright © 2024 RTO Insider LLC, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
RTO Insider LLC, 2415 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD 21224-4733, United States

You are receiving this message, the NetZero Insider Weekly Intelligence Report on EVs and Transportation, as part of your paid subscription. You can set your email delivery preferences here - and change them any time you want. Note: if you're not logged in, do so and then click "My Account" in the top-right corner and scroll down to the "Requested Emails" section.

Unsubscribe





Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign