Clean
Car Standards
Op-Ed:
Electric
Cars, The EPA, And Us. According
to an op-ed by Jack Fruchtman in the Martha’s Vineyard Times, “The Island has become a major leader in combating climate change, especially regarding carbon emissions. Massachusetts has designated several towns as green communities, which, as The Times has
reported, allows them to apply for hundreds of thousands of dollars for renewable energy projects (‘Aquinnah is now a Green Community,’ Feb. 13). Last month, I attended an informational meeting at the Chilmark Community Center hosted by the Vineyard Sustainable
Energy Committee, which includes representatives from all six towns. The speaker was its chairman, Robert Hannemann, a retired Tufts University engineering professor. He focused on the Island’s vision of reaching 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 (see his
op/ed in the Times’s Oct. 23 issue). He pointed out several opportunities for residents to reduce their carbon footprint. One is that when we must replace furnaces or boilers in our homes and commercial and town buildings, we should purchase energy-efficient
heat pumps. Another is for us to drive electric or hybrid vehicles. In our house, we have reduced our heating fuel bill by adding heat pumps. As for driving, we are shamefully behind. Our early 2000s Ford is, bluntly, a gas guzzler, emitting way too much carbon
into the atmosphere. In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency gave automakers 13 years to meet new emissions standards that required their vehicles to average 54 miles per gallon. This goal doubled the average distance that vehicles reached in miles per
gallon. According to the New York Times, climate scientists estimate that the increase in gas mileage would cut emissions by 6 billion tons over the life of the more fuel-efficient vehicles.” [Martha’s Vineyard Times,
3/11/20
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States
Washington
State Passes Bill To Become A ZEV State, Pushes For Ban Of Gas Cars. According
to Electrek, “Washington State’s Senate narrowly passed SB 5811 this week, paving the way for the Evergreen State to become the 12th to adopt California’s zero-emissions mandate. SB 5811 passed the House in January, and Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign
the bill. When that happens, the entire US west coast will require that at least 5% of auto sales are EVs, increasing to 8% by 2025. The most immediate effect could be an increased choice of all-electric models in Washington. Some automakers elect to sell
their EVs only in ZEV states. After the bill is signed into law, more of those compliance-oriented electric vehicles are expected to be offered in Washington. Washington had adopted California emissions standards in 2005 but without the Zero-Emissions (ZEV)
Mandate. The Senate’s approval of the ZEV mandate comes after years of opposition from trade associations representing major automakers. Don Anair, research director for clean transportation at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said: With the passage of this
bill, Washington is closer to joining the 11 other states that have established successful zero-emission vehicle programs. Whatever state policymakers can do to quickly electrify transportation, clean up fuels, and reduce carbon emissions is a step in the
right direction to help us avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The Union of Concerned Scientists explained that the transportation sector is Washington’s biggest source of carbon pollution. The organization said that driving an average electric
vehicle in Washington contributes 1.3 metric tons of global warming emissions per year, compared to the 4.9 metric tons emitted by the average new gasoline-powered car.” [Electrek,
3/11/20
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Bill
To Close Loophole For Colorado Electric Vehicle Sales. According
to KDVR, “A Colorado bill allowing electric vehicle manufacturers to sell directly to consumers has passed a key legislative committee, clearing the way for a compromise with auto dealerships. The Colorado Sun reported an amended version of the bill was approved
by the House Energy and Environment Committee on Monday. The original measure would have allowed Ford, Toyota and other automakers with dealer franchises to jump into the direct-sales market to sell their electric vehicles. The compromise was an amendment
that will allow only automakers that have no existing dealer franchise to sell electric vehicles direct to consumers.” [KDVR,
3/11/20
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Auto
Manufacturers
Elon
Musk Says Tesla Has Now Produced 1 Million Electric Vehicles. According
to CNBC, “Tesla has produced 1 million electric vehicles, according to the firm’s CEO Elon Musk, who congratulated the ‘Tesla team’ on the milestone via a tweet. News of the landmark figure came after Tesla shares dropped by over 13% yesterday, amid continuing
concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and a steep drop in oil prices. The Nasdaq Composite index, on which Tesla is listed, fell 7.3 percent on the day. In extended hours trading Tuesday, Tesla shares were over 10% higher. Currently, Tesla offers four models
of electric vehicle: the Model 3 and Model S, which are sedans, and the Model Y and Model X, which are types of SUV. Deliveries of the Model Y are due to start by the end of this quarter. Musk’s announcement comes at a time when several large automakers are
making moves into the electric vehicle sector. Last week, the BMW Group released details of an electric concept car, the BMW Concept i4. Production of that vehicle is expected to start in 2021. Towards the end of last year, the German company announced that
500,000 of its electrified cars had been sold. At the time, CEO Oliver Zipse said that the business ‘was stepping up the pace significantly’ and aiming to have one million electric vehicles on the road ‘within two years.’ And in November 2019, the Volkswagen
Group officially started series production of its ID.3 electric car, with the German carmaker planning to launch ‘almost 70 new electric models’ on its platform by 2028. China’s electric car market is the biggest on the planet: a little over one million electric
cars were sold there in 2018, according to the IEA, with Europe and the U.S. following behind.” [CNBC,
3/11/20
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Lordstown
Motors Wants To Avoid The ‘Carnage’ Of Failed EV Startups. According
to The Verge, “One of the stranger dramas that’s played out during Donald Trump’s presidency is that of the former General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio. In a bid to cut costs and move away from sedans, GM announced in 2018 that it was closing the plant
(along with two others) and laying off its workers there. Trump scorned the automaker over the decision — that is, until, in May 2019, GM decided to sell it to a struggling electric truck startup called Workhorse. All of a sudden, it was ‘GREAT NEWS FOR OHIO,’
Trump tweeted, breaking the news. Except it wasn’t exactly Workhorse that was buying the plant. Workhorse has been in trouble over the last two years, despite having previously secured deals to supply electric (and electric-assisted) commercial vans to companies
like Ryder and UPS. It’s one of four companies in the running to build the United States Postal Service’s new generation of mail trucks, but its business has come to something of a standstill as it awaits the results of that bid. Instead, Workhorse’s founder
and former CEO Steve Burns started a new company called Lordstown Motors, and that company is what will build electric pickup trucks at the former GM factory. But it won’t be just any electric truck: Lordstown Motors plans to build a simple electric work truck
that’s based on intellectual property developed by Workhorse for its own pickup, the W-15 — a project that had stalled out as Workhorse started to run out of money. Burns paid Workhorse $15.8 million to license the IP, according to documents filed with regulators
this week, and his former company will also earn 1 percent of each truck sold by Lordstown as well as 1 percent of any equity raise.” [The Verge,
3/11/20
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Your
City May Be In The Running To Build Elon Musk's New Cybertruck. According
to CNN, “Tesla is looking for a location to build its planned Cybertruck, and it will be thousands of miles from its only US auto assembly line in California. CEO Elon Musk disclosed via tweet late Tuesday that he is scouting locations to build the truck and
that it ‘will be central US.’ The Cybertruck is a futuristic looking pickup that Tesla said it plans to begin building in 2021. The tweet brought responses from elected officials and economic development executives across the central part of the country, all
hoping to jump into the competition for the new plant. The response tweets included a state senator from North Carolina, a member of Congress from Arkansas, the president of the Joplin, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Despite
the eagerness of elected officials for their towns to be considered, there is already a short list of contenders, and Nashville, Tennessee, appears to be at the top of that short list for the new plant, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Telsa is already holding talks with officials in Nashville about a location there, according to that person. Electric vehicle production is already underway in Tennessee. Nissan (NSANY) has been building the Leaf all-electric vehicle in Smyrna since 2010.
Volkswagen (VLKAF) is planning to turn out electric vehicles at its plant in Chattanooga. Access to parts suppliers for electric vehicles is a factor in whatever location Tesla selects. One of the factors is logistics and being able to conveniently deliver
vehicles to the East Coast. Nashville is on the short list of locations that meets the criteria, according to the person familiar with discussions.” [CNN,
3/11/20
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GM
CEO: EV Adoption Needs To Shift From ‘Regulatory-Driven To Customer-Driven’.
According
to Electrek, “Last week, General Motors unveiled an entire portfolio of about a dozen electric vehicles that it plans to sell in the next four years. At the event, we had the chance to speak with Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive. We asked Barra about EV profitability,
regulations, and the big-ness of most of its upcoming electric vehicles. In January, GM president Mark Reuss told us, ‘Our next-gen EVs will be profitable from Day One.’ So we started there. Electrek: You said that your EVs will be profitable in the first
generation. Does that mean the first vehicle out the door or across the entire generation? Mary Barra: That starts next year when we start selling the GMC Hummer EV truck. What I will say is that [profitability] will come very, very early in the Ultium platform,
which we used to call BEV3. So, your EVs will be profitable in the course of the first generation, in the first year or so? I’m not going to give you the specific year. But I’d say very, very early in the generation that starts next year. All these vehicles
are going to help you guys with reducing emissions. Right? Absolutely. So under what conditions would you decide to strike a deal with California and remove yourself from the opposition to the state creating its own emission standards? We work regularly with
our regulators around the world and clearly in the United States – with the EPA, with NHTSA, and with CARB. We have high respect for all of them. And we’re hopeful of finding a solution. When you look at all the EVs we have on the road right now, the Bolt,
and the second generation with the Bolt EUV coming out next year, we are extremely committed.” [Electrek,
3/11/20
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BMW
Ends Production Of The I8 Electric Sports Car Next Month. According
to Electrek, “BMW i8, the best-selling plug-in hybrid sports car, is going to see the end of its production run next month after about 20,000 units produced. The German automaker announced today: ‘The final stretch on the way to the ‘Hall of Fame’ of BMW sports
cars: Six years after its market launch, the BMW i8 ends its product life cycle. When production of the BMW i8 Coupé ceases, the plug-in hybrid sports cars will have long secured their place among the company’s milestones. The BMW i8 started its worldwide
success story as a unique symbiosis of futuristic design and pioneering technology. The BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid model paved the way for driving pleasure that was as dynamic as it was sustainable and became the epitome of the fascination of driving
with electrified drive technology. It laid the foundation for the BMW Group’s now broad range of plug-in hybrid models. At the same time, the BMW i8 developed into the world’s most successful sports car with an electrified drive system. With more than 20 000
units sold since 2014, it achieved higher sales than all competitors in its segment combined.’ The concept of the BMW i8 was first unveiled at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in 2009. Four years later, the production version debuted alongside
the BMW i3 with the expectation of it being the first of many launches of new electric models for BMW. The BMW i3 remained the brand’s lone all-electric vehicle, but the BMW i8 inspired the German automaker to launch many plug-in hybrid versions of other vehicles
in its lineup. Now BMW says that the i8 is becoming a ‘classic car’ as it confirms the end of its production run in April.” [Electrek,
3/11/20
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Nissan
Ariya EV Concept Has A Shield, Not A Grille, And We May See It Sooner, Not Later.
According
to Car and Driver, “When Nissan unveiled the Ariya concept electric vehicle at the Toyota auto show last fall, it was coy about some things like when a production version might go on sale and how much such an EV would cost. On the other hand, it was open about
others, such as that there was a lot of tech hidden in the all-electric SUV. As we get closer to actually seeing a Nissan electric SUV available for sale, Nissan is revealing more details about the Ariya. Today, that means information about the EV’s unusual
grille in the front fascia, which Nissan is calling a ‘shield.’ Credit where credit’s due: that’s a clever name. You kind of have to open your imagination to picture holding part of the Ariya’s front end on your arm, but the darker area that would be a grille
on a gasoline-engined vehicle could certainly be used to block a weapon if needed. Here, that darker area is used to protect the car and its occupants by hiding a number of safety sensors that can see through the polycarbonate material. A Nissan spokesperson
told Car and Driver that the shield hides the same ‘suite of sensors and hardware for the ProPilot 2.0 system that is already in use in the Skyline in Japan,’ so that means sensors for front-facing radar, sonar, and an Around View Monitor camera. Nissan designers
and engineers took the time to develop a number of versions of the shield to make sure these sensors actually work through the material used on the concept car. All of these tests mean that Nissan could implement a grille like this on a Skyline and the ProPilot
functions would work.” [Car and Driver, 3/11/20
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Report:
Volkswagen Will Be First To Profit From Manufacturing Electric Vehicles.
according
to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “A new report picks Volkswagen as the first incumbent global carmaker to make money selling electric vehicles with profits expected to arrive by 2022 — the same year VW Chattanooga begins building EVs. Forbes magazine,
citing a report by Swiss investment bank UBS, said the number of Volkswagen battery-powered vehicles sold will hit more than 15% of its global sales within five years. Tesla, now the No. 1 electric vehicle maker, is expected to come under pressure from VW,
said Forbes. VW’s Chattanooga plant is undertaking an $800 million expansion to assemble the all-electric SUV, which Volkswagen said will be called the I.D.4. The new battery-powered SUV, which Volkswagen is now showing off images of what it will look like,
will undergo assembly at a German plant for two years before production starts in Chattanooga. The German automaker last week unveiled plans to hire 600 more people to produce the new Atlas Cross Sport SUV, the existing Atlas SUV and, eventually, the battery-powered
vehicle. ‘As we continue to grow our Tennessee operation as Volkswagen’s North American hub for electric vehicle manufacturing, we must also grow our team,’ said Chattanooga plant CEO Tom du Plessis. ‘We want to be one of the top employers here.’ The hiring
boost will push VW’s headcount in Chattanooga to more than 4,000 workers. Volkswagen is now Chattanooga’s biggest manufacturing employer. According to VW’s latest plans, up to 1.5 million electric vehicles are to be produced globally as early as 2025 — which
is more than it earlier envisioned.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 3/11/20
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Tesla
On The Hunt For Cybertruck Plant Location In Central U.S. According
to Bloomberg, “Tesla Inc. is looking for a location for a Cybertruck plant in the central U.S., Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday, as the electric-car maker expands its manufacturing footprint. Musk unveiled the Cybertruck electric pickup in November in a bid to take
on the likes of Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. A botched demo that featured shattered glass generated enormous buzz and prompted the automaker to sell T-shirts featuring the broken windows. Tesla recently completed construction of its newest plant in
China and started delivering locally assembled Model 3 sedans to consumers in January. It’s also planning a factory near Berlin. In 2014, Tesla announced plans to build a massive battery manufacturing plant, setting off fierce competition for what was then
one of the country’s biggest economic-development prizes. The company narrowed the finalists to five states -- Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas -- and Nevada prevailed. Last month, Musk hinted that a factory could be built in Texas. The Texas
Enterprise Fund, created by the state’s legislature under former Governor Rick Perry, has become one of the largest payers of economic-development incentives in the nation. Texas offered $2.3 million to entice SpaceX, the rocket company Musk founded and runs,
to locate a launch facility in Brownsville, on the Gulf Coast near the Mexican border. Tesla’s chip team is based both in Palo Alto, California, where Tesla is headquartered, and in Austin, Texas. Tesla’s sole U.S. auto-assembly plant is in Fremont, California,
where the company makes the Model S, X and 3 and has begun producing the Model Y crossover. Commenting on his tweet Tuesday, Musk said ‘Model Y production for east coast too,’ without elaborating.” [Bloomberg,
3/12/20
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Tesla’s
Expansion Plans Come Into Focus (Sort Of). According
to Axios, “Tesla
CEO Elon Musk said he’s ‘scouting’ central U.S. locations for a factory that would build the upcoming Cybertruck, as well as the Model Y crossover, for deliveries on the East Coast, I reported last night along with Axios’ Joann Muller. Why it matters: The
announcements via Twitter Tuesday night add some clarity to expansion plans for the Silicon Valley electric automaker, which has recently found itself on better financial ground ahead of key product launches. What we’re hearing: A source familiar with the
planning says one of the locations being considered for the new factory is Nashville, Tennessee. ‘Incentives play a role, but so do logistics costs, access to a large workforce with a wide range of talents, and quality of life,’ Musk told the Wall Street Journal
in an email. Tennessee is a hub of auto manufacturing, with GM, Nissan and Volkswagen — along with many auto suppliers — already operating in the state. Where it stands: All-wheel-drive versions of the futuristic-looking Cybertruck are slated to begin production
in 2021, while the less-expensive rear-wheel-drive model will follow a year later. The Model Y, a small crossover utility, recently began production at Tesla’s Fremont, California, factory. Tesla also recently opened a factory in China for the Model 3 and
Model Y and is building a plant in Germany, too. ‘Should Tesla build Model Ys in the new factory, the vehicle will be manufactured in four places — China, Germany and Fremont, California, are the others,’ CNBC notes.” [Axios,
3/11/20
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Electric
Vehicles
Oil Prices Are Tumbling, But Global Electric Vehicles Will Be Just Fine, Says UBS.
According to Barron’s, “What does an oil-price correction mean for the electric-vehicle industry? Some investors are asking that question, with crude price down about 20% year-to-date
amid a Saudi Arabia—Russia tussle over prices and coronavirus-demand fears. Investors are worried that weak oil prices could undermine the advantages of electric vehicles over the gasoline-powered version, specifically in the U.S., according to UBS analysts
Paul Gong, Patrick Hummel and Kohei Takahashi.” [Barron’s,
3/11/20 (=)]
Chart Of The Day: The State Of EV Sales.
According to Axios, “Now that Joe Biden is firmly in the driver’s seat for the Democratic nomination, now’s not a bad time to mention that he wants standards ‘aimed at ensuring 100%
of new sales for light- and medium-duty vehicles will be electrified.’ Why it matters: There’s not a date in his plan, but the chart above, from the DOE’s handy transportation ‘fact of the week’ series, shows how much work there is to do around a 100% EV goal.
Where it stands: Sales of fully electric vehicles rose by only about 3,000 units in 2019 after a sharp rise the prior year. And sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles fell. Overall, combined sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrids were only about 2% of total
U.S. auto sales.” [Axios, 3/11/20
(=)]
International
Electric Vehicle Push Struggles To Accelerate In Pakistan.
According to Reuters, “As Pakistan’s first-ever electric three-wheeled rickshaws start to roll off the assembly line, the country is struggling to build momentum for its shift to
electric vehicles in efforts to cut air pollution and curb climate change. It has been four months since Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet approved the National Electric Vehicle Policy, offering tax exemptions and incentives to manufacturers, importers and
buyers of electric vehicles. But pushback by traditional automakers has stalled the government’s finalizing of the policy, leaving electric vehicle (EV) makers worried that eco-friendly cars, vans, motorcycles and rickshaws will remain too expensive for the
mass market. ‘The electric rickshaws have comparatively much lower running and maintenance costs,’ said Syed Ismail Ghaznavi, sales head at Sazgar Engineering Works Limited, which launched the country’s first electric rickshaw in January. Sazgar’s electric
rickshaw can travel up to 170 km (105 miles) on a charge, has almost no moving parts - which means fewer trips to the mechanic - and produces zero emissions, Ghaznavi pointed out. ‘But we need the government support to roll it out on a larger scale for the
public,’ he said. Transport accounts for more than 40% of the air pollution produced in Pakistan, according to data from the country’s climate change ministry. In the policy it approved in November, the government set a target to bring half a million electric
motorcycles and rickshaws, along with more than 100,000 electric cars, buses and trucks, into the transportation system in the next five years. By 2030, the government wants to have about one-third of the vehicles in Pakistan running on electrical energy,
said Malik Amin Aslam, the prime minister’s advisor on climate change.” [Reuters,
3/11/20 (=)]
Electric Cars, Carbon Capture Get Boost In U.K. Budget.
According to E&E News, “The U.K. Treasury allocated funds to support electric cars and carbon-capture technology, adding a green theme to a budget that also set out £27 billion ($35
billion) for building roads. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said the measures were part of Britain’s commitment to rein in greenhouse gases and host the annual round of United Nations climate talks scheduled for November. They set out the latest steps
to meet a goal of zeroing out carbon pollution by 2050. ‘There can be no lasting prosperity for our people, if we do not protect our planet,’ Sunak said in a statement to Parliament in London yesterday. ‘The fourth part of our Plan for Prosperity, is: To create
the high skill, high wage, low carbon jobs of the future.’ The measures for green industries include: £800 million for new technology that can suck pollution out of the air, known as carbon capture and storage. That will pay for CCS units at two U.K. sites,
one by the middle of this decade and another by 2030. £10 million of funding to help distilleries in Scotland go green. A Green Gas Levy to help fund the use of cleaner fuels such as biomethane. Support the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers, backed
by a ‘low carbon heat support scheme.’ £270 million of additional funding for heat networks to adopt low-carbon sources of energy. The Treasury also confirmed funding for the Heat Networks Investment Project for an additional year to 2022. Companies that plan
to work on CCS technology embraced the announcement, saying it would support jobs in northern England, especially at industrial clusters such as those around the Humber River.” [E&E News,
3/12/20 (=)]
COngress
Tale Of A GOP 'Flip Flop': Scandal, Cash And EVs.
According to E&E News, “The Volkswagen AG settlement has long been a target for conservatives. Now, one former Republican congressman who took part in the GOP campaign against it
— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — is putting his personal stamp on his state’s VW-funded plans to promote electric vehicles. DeSantis’ about-face highlights the pot of money becoming available to states because of the settlement, which was brokered by the Obama
administration in 2016 and forces Volkswagen to invest billions in electric vehicle charging networks and cleaner fleets. The agreement resulted from a federal probe into the company’s installation of devices that allowed its diesel cars to cheat on emissions
tests. ‘Back in 2016, DeSantis agreed with me. What changed?’ said William Yeatman, who as a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute helped lead opposition to the VW settlement from free-market think tanks. ‘Quite obviously, he became governor
of the state and was able to take credit for [the projects]. So no mystery there.’ The shift also spotlights how pivotal the VW settlement could be for the trajectory of electric vehicles. The deal is expected, for instance, to fund over $2.3 billion worth
of EV chargers nationally — making it second only to the $3 billion worth of projects proposed by utilities, according to data tracked by Atlas Public Policy. Florida is slated to have the third-largest share of VW settlement funds, after California and Texas.
So far, a little over 10% of the pot controlled by state environmental agencies has been spent, said Nick Nigro, founder of the analytic firm.” [E&E News,
3/12/20 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Senior Research Associate
Climate Action Campaign
202.448.2877 ext. 119