White House
White House Warns Carmakers On Emissions In Tense Call.
According to Bloomberg, “The White House has
issued an us-versus-them challenge to carmakers: back an administration plan to roll back fuel-economy standards or risk President Donald Trump’s wrath by siding with California’s stringent emissions requirements. That message was delivered during a tense
conference call between Trump administration officials and auto executives in late February, according to five people familiar with the call who spoke on the condition they not be identified discussing the private conversation. The administration has terminated
months of talks between federal regulators and California officials to maintain a common standard. Automakers have urged the two sides to reach an agreement to avert a legal battle with the state, which covets its unique ability to establish its own emissions
rules. Joining the call for the White House were senior officials with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one of the people said.” [Bloomberg,
3/6/19
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Electric Vehicles
Uber, Lyft Slow To Electrify — Study.
According to E&E News, “Major ride-hailing companies aren’t keeping pace with the market in electrifying their fleets, with North American giants Uber and Lyft aiming low in their
future adoption targets, according to a report released yesterday by the International Council on Clean Transportation. The council examined the rate of electric vehicle deployment, targets, and pilots or other support programs undertaken by the five global
ride-hailing services: Uber and Lyft, whose main markets are the United States; China-based Didi Chuxing Technology Co.; India-based Ola Cabs; and Singapore’s GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. Ltd. Overall, it found ‘comparatively little progress’ had been made on the
electrification of ride hailing, suggesting that EVs ‘have not become a core part of ride-hailing companies’ business models.’ Of the companies studied, none has electrified even 2 percent of its fleets. But in locations where companies are pursuing substantial
conversions, their plans have come in response to government policies, particularly of a restrictive sort. ‘The policy context is key,’ said Nic Lutsey, a co-author and the council’s program director for electric vehicles. In China, for example, several major
cities exempted EVs from a lottery system that otherwise required drivers to pay money for new car registrations, and didn’t guarantee approval. ‘The only way to bring in a lot of vehicles and get them registered quickly was, you make them electric,’ Lutsey
said.” [E&E News,
3/6/19 (=)]
Musk Reportedly Blindsided Tesla Staff With Store Closures.
According to E&E news, “Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk caught many employees by surprise with his announcement last week that the electric-car maker would close most
stores and shift to online-only sales, according to three people familiar with the matter. Many sales personnel found out about the decision when Tesla published a public blog post Thursday afternoon, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing
sensitive matters. One of the key people involved in implementing the online sales strategy is Sanjay Shah, who has taken on additional responsibilities since his arrival from Amazon.com Inc. last summer, the people said. He joined Tesla as senior vice president
of energy operations and continues to oversee that business. Tesla declined to comment on the sales shift beyond Thursday’s blog post and a Musk email to employees later that day. The abrupt move by Musk, 47, also shocked some investors, including Alex Chalekian,
the founder and CEO of Lake Avenue Financial in Pasadena, California. The firm, which manages more than $150 million in client assets, sold all of the Tesla stock held for advisory clients on Friday. ‘This was a total 180-degree turn,’ Chalekian, who owns
a black Tesla Model S, said in a phone interview Monday. ‘Tesla had been talking about expanding stores, and all of a sudden they are closing them. To me, this signals a huge financial concern and a possible cash-flow issue for Tesla.’” [E&E News,
3/6/19 (=)]
Tesla Model 3 Helps Electric Car Sales Surge In California.
According to Electrek, “The volume production of Tesla Model 3 and the deliveries of the electric sedan in its home state has helped electric car sales surge to new highs in California.
According to registration data gathered by IHS for a California New Car Dealer Association report, all-electric vehicle sales have increased by over 80% in California in 2018. EV sales went from 51,176 units in 2017 to 92,447 cars in 2018. The bulk of the
increase can be attributed to Tesla introducing Model 3 in the US. In 2017, the automaker only delivered a few thousand Model 3 vehicles in its home state, but the number surged to 51,293 Model 3 registrations in 2018. According to the registration data, Tesla
had the two best selling all-electric cars in California in 2018. Even when including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, Tesla still comes on top when it comes to overall market shares for ‘alternative powertrain’ in California.” [Electrek,
3/6/19 (=)]
Utilities Rev Up The Electric Vehicle Renaissance.
According to Forbes, “In the early 1900s, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were camping buddies. They called themselves the Vagabonds and took road trips together nearly every year. In
1914, Ford revealed that he and Edison were even working together on a cheap electric car, although that project never got off the ground. In those early years of automobility, electric cars were still preponderant on American roads: in 1900 more than one-third
of U.S. vehicles — nearly 34,000 cars — ran on batteries, compared with 22 percent fueled by gas. All that changed with mass-production of the Model T. But now, more than a century later, Ford and Edison’s industrial descendants are again attempting to produce
and fuel the cars of the future. Utilities are emerging as a key player in the global race to deploy electric vehicles. Not only do they provide the ‘fuel’ — electricity — they’re also increasingly investing in, and championing, vehicle electrification. By
doing so, the Edison Electric Institute says, utilities can achieve a ‘quadruple win‘ - making better use of existing grid assets, pleasing customers, cutting costs, and reducing environmental impact. Let’s look more closely at some reasons for that ‘quadruple
win’.” [Forbes,
3/5/19 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Research Associate
202.448.2877 ext. 119