Federal Government

 

Department of Transportation (DOT)

 

Exclusive: Stellantis, GM Pay $363 Million In US Fuel Economy Penalties — “Chrysler-parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and General Motors (GM.N) paid a total of $363 million in civil penalties for failing to meet U.S. fuel economy requirements for prior model years, documents seen on Friday by Reuters show. The record-setting penalties include $235.5 million for Stellantis for the 2018 and 2019 model years and $128.2 million for GM covering 2016 and 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which administers the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program. Stellantis said the penalty ‘reflects past performance recorded before the formation of Stellantis, and is not indicative of the Company’s direction.’ Stellantis previously paid a total of $156.6 million in penalties for the 2016 and 2017 model years. GM, which did not immediately comment, had not previously paid a fine in the 40-year history of the CAFE program. It had initially planned to use credits to meet its compliance shortfall but opted to pay penalties, NHTSA said. The GM and Stellantis penalties were paid between December and May, according to the records. This is the first time in three years the agency has collected fuel economy penalties.” [Reuters, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Stellantis, GM Fined $363 Million For Failing To Meet Fuel Economy Standards — “General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV paid $363 million in fines collectively in 2022 and 2023 for failing to meet U.S. fuel economy standards in previous years. Stellantis was fined $235.6 million for model years 2018 and 2019 and GM was fined $128.2 million for model years 2016 and 2017, according to data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and first reported by Reuters. They are the largest fines an automaker has ever paid under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, which has recorded penalties dating to 1985. It also marks the first time GM has paid a fine, according to NHTSA records. GM spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan said in a statement that the company is committed to an all-electric future and ‘has charted a path to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.’” [The Detroit News, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

G.M. And Stellantis Paid $364 Million In Fuel Economy Fines — “General Motors and Stellantis paid a combined $363.8 million in penalties for failing to meet federal fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks they produced in previous years, according to federal government documents posted on Friday. G.M. paid $128.2 million for failing to meet the targets with the light trucks it sold in 2018 and 2019, according to documents published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. Stellantis, the company created when Fiat Chrysler merged with the French automaker Peugeot, paid $235.6 million for cars it sold in 2016 and 2017. G.M. paid its fine in December, the documents showed, and Stellantis made payments in December and May. The payments were reported earlier by Reuters. The fines stem from years before each company started producing electric and hybrid vehicles in significant numbers. The penalties were levied under the corporate average fuel-economy standards that the safety agency oversees.” [The New York Times, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

 

Q&A: Pros And Cons Of Proposed EPA Vehicle Emissions Standards — “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new federal vehicle emissions standards in April to accelerate the transition to clean transportation. These standards aim to improve air quality, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2055, and decrease health issues caused by pollutants. Meeting these standards will demand investments in infrastructure, battery materials, and alternative technologies, with the Buy America initiative playing a vital role in promoting domestic production while addressing supply chain challenges, particularly for materials like lithium-ion. As polling data indicates, overcoming the obstacle of convincing more Americans to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) involves addressing concerns such as high costs and limited public charging options. Digital Journal interviewed Matthew West, Head of Marketing at Alsym Energy, a battery technology company focused on affordable, non-flammable, non-lithium batteries, to explore the feasibility of these goals and the required steps for U.S. manufacturing.” [Digital Journal, 6/2/23 (~)]

 

 

Manufacturers, Fleets, & OEMs

 

Ford Motor Co.

 

US: Ford BEV Sales Almost Rebounded In May 2023 — “In May, the total sales of Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the United States increased by 10.7 percent year-over-year to 170,933. After the first five months of the year, the group sold 830,841 vehicles (up 8.8 percent year-over-year). Results last month and year-to-date: Ford sales: 164,430 (up 12.0%) and 798,721 (up 9.8%) Lincoln sales: 6,503 (down 14.4%) and 32,120 (down 10.8%) Total sales: 170,933 (up 10.7%) and 830,841 (up 8.8%) Ford battery electric vehicles (BEV) sales in May amounted to 5,444, which is 13 percent less than a year ago. However, we can now clearly see that the company is ramping up production and sales again, after an unfortunate production shutdown of the Ford F-150 Lightning (battery recall) and the upgrade of the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s plant in Mexico.” [Inside EVs, 6/3/23 (+)]

 

General Motor Corp.

 

GM CEO Says Tesla Has The Lead In Electric Cars, Doesn’t See Profitable $30-40K EVs Until End Of Decade — “GM CEO Mary Barra says that she doesn’t see profitable electric cars in the $30,000 to $40,000 range until the end of the decade or ‘maybe even later.’ Here’s why she is wrong and why it doesn’t even matter. At a Sanford Bernstein conference, Barra commented on the current EV market and admitted that Tesla has the lead in it, but she hinted that she believes GM can catch up (via Reuters): Barra acknowledged that Tesla Inc has the lead in EV technology, profitability and scale, but said that lead is not permanent. She added about EV profitability: EV battery costs are still too high to build profitable mass-market vehicles, that sell for $30,000 to $40,000, Barra said. But she predicted EV and combustion vehicle costs will equalize ‘sometime in the latter part of this decade… maybe a little longer.’” [Electrek, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Hyundai Motor Co.

 

US: Hyundai BEV Sales Surged In May 2023 — “Hyundai Motor America reports 70,001 vehicle sales in the United States in May, which is nearly 18 percent more than a year ago. The year-to-date result is also quite positive at 325,262 (up 16 percent year-over-year). One of the most interesting things is that the South Korean brand is also quickly increasing sales of all-electric cars, based on the E-GMP platform (Ioniq 5 crossover/SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan). In May, Hyundai BEV sales (excluding the Kona Electric, for which data remain unavailable), amounted to 3,417, which is a new monthly record in the US. That’s about 78 percent more than a year ago and nearly 5 percent of the brand’s total volume.” [Inside EVs, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Tata Motors Ltd.

 

JLR Announces Major I-Pace Recall — “JLR is recalling all I-Pace vehicles produced in Graz, Austria, since 5 June 2018 due to a fire hazard. The recall affects 6,367 units of the electric model. There is a risk that the high-voltage battery could overheat. The manufacturer wants to update the software of the battery control module and replace the battery modules if necessary. According to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there have been reports of eight vehicle fires in the US, but no accidents or injuries so far.” [Electrive, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

India's Tata Group Signs $1.6 Billion EV Battery Plant Deal — “India’s Tata Group signed an outline deal on Friday on building a lithium-ion cell factory, based on investment of about 130 billion rupees ($1.58 billion), as part of the nation’s efforts to create its own electric vehicle supply chain. Compared to the size of its population, India’s car market is tiny. Tata Motors dominates its electric vehicle (EV) sales, which made up just 1% of India’s total car sales of about 3.8 million last year. A joint statement on the memorandum of understanding, between Tata’s unit Agratas Energy Storage Solutions and the government of the western state of Gujarat, said work on the plant, to be based in Sanand, northern Gujarat, was expected to start in less than three years. It would have initial manufacturing capacity of 20 Gigawatt hours (GWh), which could be doubled in a second phase of expansion, the statement said. ‘The plant will go a long way in contributing to the development of the EV ecosystem in Gujarat and India,’ Vijay Nehra, an official in the Gujarat state government told Reuters.” [Reuters, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Inc.

 

Tesla To Reap $1.8 Billion From IRA Incentives, All Model 3 Cars Eligible For Full Tax Credit — “Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is reporting that Tesla and Panasonic are expected to receive about $1.8 billion in Inflation Reduction Act production tax credits this year. That will put the two companies far ahead of the estimated $480 million that General Motors and LG Energy Solution are expected to receive. Ford won’t begin to reap any benefits from the law’s battery manufacturing credits until 2025. The rewards from the production credits that are part of the IRA are simple. The more batteries and EVs a company makes in the US or in countries that are included in the Treasury regulations that implement the IRA, the more money it gets via tax credits. Having started battery production at Gigafactory 1 a decade ago has put Tesla and Panasonic far ahead of their competition. ‘We’re pretty well positioned over the coming years to take advantage of [the IRA],’ Zachary Kirkhorn, Tesla’s CFO, told investors in January.” [CleanTechnica, 6/4/23 (+)]

 

Tesla Surprises By Gaining Full $7,500 Tax Credit On Cheapest Model 3, Now Starts At $30,000 — “Tesla surprises the market by confirming that buyers of its cheapest Model 3 now have access to the full $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles instead of the previous $3,750. It’s unclear how they achieved that, but it does bring the price of the Model 3 down to ~$30,000 for those who can take advantage of the tax credit. As we previously reported, buyers of new Tesla vehicles had access to a new and updated federal tax credit for electric vehicles since the start of the year. However, some new requirements limit access or the tax credit amount on certain models. For the two cheapest versions of the Model 3, buyers only had access to half the credit because the batteries in those vehicles were coming from China. But Tesla has now updated its online configurator to confirm that all Model 3 trims and configurations have access to the full $7,500 tax credit.” [Electrek, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Inventory Is Going Down As Discounts, Tax Credits, And Referrals Seem To Work — “Tesla’s new inventory vehicles are going down following a high earlier this year as recent discounts, new tax credits, and referrals appear to be working. High-interest rates and inflation have reduced the pool of new car buyers and made the auto market more competitive. To compete, Tesla has slashed prices on new orders throughout the year. More recently, the automaker stopped reducing prices on new orders, but it offered extra discounts on new inventory vehicles and launched a new referral program last month. In April, Tesla hit a new record high in new inventory vehicles in the US. Since then, Tesla offered an extra discount on some new inventory vehicles and increased the referral awards.” [Electrek, 6/4/23 (=)]

 

Tesla And Panasonic Could Get $41 Billion In Tax Credits By 2032 — “Tesla looks set to benefit the most from the billions of dollars in federal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. The law passed in August 2022 encourages companies to manufacture both cars and batteries in North America, and Tesla is on track to get the most tax breaks, one estimate found. With several plants already operating in the United States – Fremont and Austin for vehicles, Nevada for batteries and electric motors – Tesla is set to receive some $41 billion in tax credits over the next decade together with battery partner Panasonic. Tesla also broke ground on a lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, in early May.” [Inside EVs, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Tesla Model Y Sales Overtakes Toyota RAV4 In Its Quest To Become The Best-Selling Vehicle — “Tesla Model Y is another step closer to becoming the world’s best-selling vehicle in any category after overtaking Toyota RAV4 sales in Australia. Tesla sold approximately 3,178 Model Y units in Australia. Meanwhile, Toyota sold a total of 2,616 RAV4 vehicles. Only the Toyota Hi-Lux pickup truck and the Ford Ranger pickup sold more units than the Tesla Model Y. Toyota sold 5,772 Hi-Lux units and 4,110 Ford Ranger trucks were sold in May. According to The Driven, the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling EV last month, followed by the BYD Atto 3 with 1,448 unit sales. The Tesla Model 3 was the third best-selling EV in Australia with 1,298 sold in May. According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Australia’s automotive industry delivered 105,694 new vehicles in May, beating May 2022’s sale numbers by 12%. May 2023 sales results beat May 2017’s sales which held the previous record. In terms of battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales, Australia’s auto industry saw a 7.7% increase last month, signifying some uptick in EV adoption. BEV, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles made up 15.6% of Australia’s auto market in May.” [Teslarati, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Tesla's China-Made EV Sales Rose 2.4% In May From April – CPCA — “U.S. automaker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) delivered 77,695 China-made electric vehicles (EVs) in May, a 2.4% jump from April, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Monday. On a yearly basis, sales rose 142% in May from 32,165 vehicles in the same month of 2022 when Shanghai, where its factory is located, was still subject to COVID-19 containment measures that impacted production. Chinese rival BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ), with its Dynasty and Ocean series of EVs and petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, logged sales of 239,092 vehicle in May, up 14% from April, CPCA data showed. Advertisement · Scroll to continue CPCA is scheduled to release more detailed car sales figures for May later this month. Tesla has been under intense focus in China in recent weeks, amid an unannounced, high-stakes visit from boss Elon Musk. Musk wrapped up a two-day trip on Thursday that included talks with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Wednesday in Beijing, a source told Reuters.” [Reuters, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Taking Charge: Tesla Drives NC’s Shift To EVs — “Just as it has nationally, Tesla is powering North Carolina’s shift to plug-in vehicles. Over the past five years, Tesla models have accounted for more than two-thirds of new electric-vehicle registrations in the state, according to figures provided at the Journal’s request by the N.C. Department of Transportation. Chasing the enigmatic Elon Musk’s Austin, Texas-based company, barely visible on the EV horizon, are Nissan (6.3%) and Chevrolet (6%). Musk makes his mark Stalwarts like Toyota and Honda — whose influence led to a transformation in the U.S. automotive industry toward fuel-efficient vehicles in the 1970s — are absent from NCDOT’s list because neither hit 30 EV registrations in the state in 2023, spokesperson Jamie Kritzer said. Tesla’s jumpstart is no surprise to experts who follow the electric-vehicle industry. Caleb Martin’s mom enjoys Miami’s wild ride to the NBA finals. Davie County native is talk of the series ‘The reason for Tesla’s dominance is pretty simple,’ said Stephen Holland, a UNC Greensboro economics professor who has studied the impact of EVs. ‘They were the first ones to have good electric cars.’” [Winston-Salem Journal, 6/2/23 (+)]

 

It’s Here: Tesla Opens Second New Mexico Location — “About eight months after it was first announced, the new Tesla store located in Santa Ana Pueblo is now open for business. Thursday’s grand opening for the 35,000-square-foot facility at 1300 Jemez Canyon Dam was attended by tribal and local officials, and included a tour and test drives for the roughly 200 people in attendance. The Tesla facility, which sits near the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, is the second in New Mexico. In 2021, the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk opened its first store in the state at a former casino just north of Santa Fe in the Nambé Pueblo. ‘Now that we have our facility up and ready to open (its) doors, it’s going to provide new opportunities for us not only here within the pueblo but in our surrounding communities,’ Nathan Garcia, the governor of Santa Ana Pueblo, said. ‘It’s an honor to be a part of this that’s going to change people’s lives.’” [Albuquerque Journal, 6/1/23 (=)]

 

Toyota Motor Corp.

 

Toyota To Invest Another $2.1B In North Carolina Battery Production — “Dive Brief: Toyota will invest another $2.1 billion in its North Carolina EV battery factory to help boost the SUV’s production, according to a press release Wednesday. Toyota’s investments in EV battery production in North Carolina now total $5.9 billion as the state emerges as a major EV battery manufacturing hub in the U.S. Toyota will also launch its first U.S.-assembled battery electric vehicle — a three-row SUV — in Kentucky, with production slated to begin in 2025.” [Manufacturing Dive, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen Group

 

VW America CEO: No Price Gouging On ID.Buzz Electric Microbus — “The long wheelbase variant of the all-new Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan, which was designed specifically for the United States market, was revealed just a couple of days ago, but discussions over possible unfair dealer markups have already surfaced online, even though there’s no price list yet. In a recent piece published by Automotive News, VW Group of America CEO Pablo Di Si says that the company needs to find a way to keep dealers and customers happy, but that one thing is certain: there will be no price gouging on the new all-electric people-carrier. ‘We cannot make a mistake [with] this vehicle. With respect to the customer ... let’s discuss it. We have a good relationship with the [dealer] network,’ he said for Automotive News. ‘We cannot have markups.’ Ford recently announced that starting next year, it will adopt a no-haggle strategy for the sales of its EVs, with customers getting the choice to buy the car online and set up a remote delivery, without having to go through the classic dealer experience.” [Inside EVs, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Volkswagen ID.Buzz Headed To North America, Marking The Return Of An Icon — “Volkswagen marked the return of its iconic minibus to North America last week with the official launch of the ID.Buzz in the United States and Canada. The German automaker held the world premiere of the ID.Buzz with long wheelbase last week at Huntington Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway near Los Angeles. Huntington Beach is a well-known surfing spot, a fitting place for the world premiere of the VW ID.Buzz. After all, Volkswagen’s all-electric van is inspired by the company’s minibus transporter—the Bulli or T1 Transporter—from the 1950s. Volkswagen vans were quite popular with surfers back in the day. Some might say that the Volkswagen microbus might be the precursor vehicle that inspired van life.” [Teslarati, 6/4/23 (=)]

 

 

Electric Vehicles

 

Battery Technology

 

Building Solutions For 'Range Anxiety' Can Boost Electric Vehicle Transition — “When Trondheim-based Magnus Korpås bought his first electric car in 2019, he settled on a Tesla—the model of car that offered the most charging stations available to him at the time. However, in just a few years, Norway built out its charging infrastructure so quickly that no matter what type of electric vehicle (EV) you choose, there’s virtually always a charging point nearby. ‘In Norway, we’re quite used to electric vehicles. This is the common car now,’ says the professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. ‘You diverge from the standard if you buy something else, really.’ For the past three decades, Norway has doggedly endeavored to electrify its vehicle fleet, using a mix of infrastructure investments, subsidies and regulations to nudge people into electric cars. The results have been remarkable: 20% of cars on the road are EVs, and Norway was the first country in the world to see EV car sales begin to outpace fossil fuel car sales. Today, 80% of new cars sold in Norway are electric.” [Public News Service, 6/5/23 (+)]

 

Charging Infrastructure

 

Clean Condo Life: EV Charging Is A Process & An Inevitability — “In my ongoing clean condo life series on nudging my 19-story, 233-suite, 330–parking stall condo building in a densely populated part of downtown Vancouver toward adaptation and mitigation in the era of climate change, it’s time to talk EV charging, in large part because our building reached a milestone today. Yes, that’s a Tesla Model Y charging in the parkade in my building. Sharp eyes will note the EV and bike charging signs on the walls. Let’s take a step back in clean condo life. I’m a climate solutions nerd. I spend much of my time assessing the biggest global warming forcers; assessing the solutions to them against the filter of thermodynamics, economics, and human nature; and then projecting what I think are realistic pathways to decarbonization decades into the future. I make my living these days helping big investment fund managers, policymakers, and corporate executives figure out what to do about the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.” [CleanTechnica, 6/3/23 (+)]

 

The One Thing Holding Back Electric Vehicles In America — “Five years ago, when Bill Ferro would take a road trip in his electric BMW i3, he needed to be ready for anything. Driving from Boston to Charlotte meant bringing along a 50-foot extension cord; a blanket, in case he needed to turn the car’s heater off to maximize its range; and a spreadsheet full of alternate plans in case the unexpected happened at public charging stations. In one memorable instance, he was forced to rush several miles at midnight to a backup charger when a plug in a dark mall parking lot not only failed to work but refused to unlatch from his car. Today, Ferro gets into his Tesla, punches his destination into its navigation system, and doesn’t think much about running out of electrons. This is likely what it will take to persuade Americans to switch to electric vehicles: the ability to drive wherever you want, whenever you want, and never seriously worry about getting stuck.” [The Atlantic, 5/31/23 (~)]

 

Op-Ed: Charging Remains Biggest U.S. Hurdle To EV Adoption — According to Peter McGuthrie, “Although electric vehicles have taken huge steps toward mainstream adoption over the past few years, at least one major barrier remains. As Tesla and others work to expand their charging networks, consumers may still struggle to go electric until public charging becomes more extensive — and reliable. A new article from The Atlantic posits that drivers will need to feel comfortable driving anywhere in the U.S. at any time without fear of being stranded due to lack of charge, if we are to help EV adoption progress. Although the number of charging ports in the U.S. more than doubled between 2018 and 2022 according to the Department of Energy, most networks still have a long way to go before convincing drivers that there are enough in working condition to justify long road trips. In the article, EVSession founder Bill Ferro detailed a significant need to make chargers more reliable. Ferro’s platform EVSession lets drivers track charger reliability, drawing on experiences when unreliable chargers almost left him stranded. While most EV owners charge their vehicles overnight at home, enough for the average commute to work, long-term road trips are a different story.” [CleanTechnica, 6/4/23 (=)]

 

Critical Minerals & Materials

 

The Surprising New Source Of Lithium For Batteries — “Large troves of lithium will be needed to make the batteries for growing numbers of electric cars on the road. To find new supplies, companies and researchers are turning to an unexpected source: oil-and-gas reservoirs. These oil-and-gas sites harbor not only hydrocarbons, but also brine that contains metals including sodium, calcium and some lithium. When drillers poke holes into oil-saturated formations, the brine flows back to the surface along with the molecules that end up as fuel, and companies have been prompt to discard the earthy marinade. But now that the EV battery material has become a prized commodity, lithium companies are developing technologies to remove it from this brine—and oil-and-gas companies are also taking a second look. The process, known as direct lithium extraction, could mark a new era for the industry, researchers and analysts say. Extraction can be labor-intensive and has yet to be commercialized at scale, but rising demand for lithium is increasing the focus on new methods. ‘We need to rethink and look at assets that will require modern processes to unlock,’ says Robert Mintak, the chief executive of Vancouver-based Standard Lithium.” [The Wall Street Journal, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: Diversifying Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains Is Key To The Energy Transition And National Security — According to Graham Copley, “The Treasury Department recently released guidance for the Biden administration’s new clean vehicle credit, which is just the latest part of his administration’s efforts to push clean energy onto the markets. Earlier this year, for example, he introduced tax credits worth more than $1,000 a year for consumers who buy electric vehicles. And he vowed during his State of the Union address that 500,000 EV charging stations would be built nationwide by 2030. What is most frustrating about President Joe Biden’s clean energy infrastructure projects is his claim that they will result in more companies and consumers ‘buying American.’ That’s a good idea in theory. But the reality is far different. The United States does not produce enough critical minerals to meet domestic demand. And to secure these minerals, the nation’s supply chains woefully rely too much on unpredictable nations, most notably China.” [Washington Examiner, 6/5/23 (+)]

 

Op-Ed: Unless President Biden Stops Them, China Will Control America's EV Future — “President Joe Biden is pushing for half of United States auto sales to be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. Despite economic and humanitarian warning signs that our technology, workforce, infrastructure, and supply chains need more time to develop, it is increasingly clear that the federal government has already chosen an exclusively EV future for you. If your opinion is the wrong one, according to the environmentalists and D.C. bureaucrats, don’t worry! To help you change your mind, the Biden administration is happy to use its heavy hand to remove more affordable choices from the market over the coming decades. In response, major automakers have pledged to fully electrify their fleets. Even the U.S. military is working to switch from petroleum to volts.” [Newsweek, 6/5/23 (+)]

 

EV Sales & Transition

 

Bank Of America Has Launched This Solution To Smooth EV Transition — “The electric vehicle trend feels unstoppable and making the change can all feel a little unnerving. Bank of America wants to help smooth the transition for U.S. consumers. There are many reasons to go electric. EVs are cheaper to maintain and refuel than gas powered cars. With new tax credits, they can be cheaper to buy as well. Environmental benefits can be a factor when considering an EV. And many EVs are fun to drive, packing in more torque and horsepower than traditional vehicles. Questions about EVs remain with EV range and charging top of the list. Resale values and warranties are two others. Allaying some of those concerns is why Bank of America (ticker: BAC) recently launched an EV resource center ‘dedicated to helping consumers learn about and make informed decisions’ when they are thinking about buying an EV. On the website, potential buyers can look at charging options in their area and compare lifetime gas and maintenance savings for an EV. The can also check to see which EVs qualify for purchase tax credits passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.” [Barron’s, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

How Ford, GM Auto Dealers Are Thinking About Detroit’s EV Transition And Their Future — “KEY POINTS Auto dealers are essential to the adoption of EVs for companies including Ford and GM, which have thousands of local franchise owners instead of offering direct sales like Tesla. Dealers are the face and voice of Detroit to the car buyer on key EV issues including tax incentives to go electric and questions about charging infrastructure. Many auto dealership owners are on board with the EV transition, but many owners want more concessions from auto companies to pay for key investments like charging and worry about OEMs asserting too much control during the biggest change for transportation in a century.” [CNBC, 6/3/23 (=)]

 

Can eFuels Make Your Porsche Green? — “The internal combustion engine may have a future after all. Until recently, sports-car aficionados feared their beloved gas-burners were headed for the junk heap of history, as regulators in the U.S. and Europe look to ban sales of new cars that run on fossil fuels. But intense lobbying by automakers such as Porsche and Ferrari and energy giants like Exxon Mobil is beginning to persuade regulators that renewable synthetic fuels could gradually replace conventional gasoline at filling stations—a solution they say would reduce the amount of new carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Critics counter that synthetic fuels would not reduce overall levels of CO2. These so-called electrofuels, or eFuels, get their name from the large amounts of electricity used in their production, but they are made with recycled carbon dioxide extracted from organic material or the air. Vehicles running on eFuels emit recycled carbon dioxide, but they don’t pollute the air with additional CO2, the way a vehicle running on conventional gasoline would.” [The Wall Street Journal, 6/3/23 (~)]

 

 

States & Local

 

Colorado

 

Editorial: Charge 'Er Up — And Bill Colorado Ratepayers — “Hard-pressed Colorado ratepayers won’t be the only ones who get the shaft under a proposal by the state’s largest utility to stick them with the $140 million tab for a new network of electric-vehicle charging stations. The EVs’ owners will get shortchanged, too. As reported this week by The Gazette, a national coalition of consumers and businesses contends utility-run charging stations like those planned by Xcel Energy in Colorado are unfair to prospective competitors as well as EV motorists looking to charge up. That’s because the 460 charging stations Xcel aims to open by 2030 will be subsidized by the investor-owned, publicly regulated monopoly’s 1.7 million Colorado electrical ratepayers. They’ll have to fork over that subsidy through a rate hike in their monthly power bills assuming the Colorado Public Utilities Commission agrees to Xcel’s request. The arrangement would let Xcel use ratepayer revenue to fund startup costs for its charging stations, undercutting other private-sector providers that must risk their own capital to serve the EV market. It also could limit the locations at which EV drivers could recharge — once private providers have been elbowed out of the market.” [The Gazette, 6/2/23 (+)]

 

Maine

 

Electric Vehicle Charging Network Goes Down In Southern Maine — “A popular charging system for electric vehicles failed to work on Thursday. According to the Bangor Daily News, a systems failure at EVgo affected hundreds of the 850 chargers it has nationwide. The company has two dozen chargers in southern Maine, from York to Topsham, and none were working on Thursday morning. EVgo is one of several networks of chargers in the state. According to Efficiency Maine, there are nearly 900 EV charging ports in Maine, at over 400 locations. An EVgo representative said most of the chargers in Maine were back in operation by Friday.” [Maine Public, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Michigan

 

Detroit's New Industrial Revolution — “A fledgling manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations has expanded into a 33,000-square-foot facility near the Packard Plant to bring residents on the journey toward broader EV adoption. Why it matters: Where the Packard Plant exemplified manufacturing innovation decades ago before falling into decay, Dunamis founder Natalie King says her company’s arrival — along with General Motors’ nearby Factory Zero — signals a new wave of automotive advancement on the east side. ‘Once that plant goes down, we’re hoping to be one of the anchors within the community for the new industrial revolution in mobility,’ King tells Axios about the Packard Plant. State of play: Dunamis is still in ‘slow roll’ production of EV chargers and, according to the Free Press, has only produced a couple hundred as of April. Its current production line is capable of making 100,000 annually and King plans to add three more lines in the next six to 12 months. The big picture: The EV revolution is undoubtedly underway, as cities and states across the country are building out their infrastructure with the help of $7.5 billion in federal funding. But policymakers and manufacturers are trying to strike a balance between equitable access to EVs and prudent spending of federal money infusing the transition toward electrification.” [Axios, 6/2/23 (=)]

 

Minnesota

 

Xcel Asks To Withdraw Minn. EV Charging Proposal — “Xcel Energy Inc. wants to pull the plug on a proposal that could create the largest utility-owned vehicle charging network in the United States after Minnesota regulators shaved millions of dollars off an electric rate increase the company requested. Minneapolis-based Xcel is disappointed and will seek reconsideration of the state Public Utilities Commission rate decision, which ‘will limit our ability to continue to lead the clean energy transition for our customers,’ spokesperson Theo Keith said Friday in an emailed statement. ‘As an early example, we have requested to withdraw our pending proposal that would have helped move Minnesota toward cleaner transportation by increasing the availability of electric vehicle charging options and programs in the state,’ Keith said. The company filed a formal motion last week to withdraw that plan. Xcel proposed a group of transportation electrification programs in its Minnesota service area last summer, the centerpiece of which was a $193 million plan for the utility to build, own and operate 730 high-speed public charging sites with 1,470 ports by 2026.” [E&E News, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

Xcel Will Reassess Investments In Minnesota After Regulators' Rate Hike Decision — “Xcel Energy said it will reconsider significant investments in Minnesota after state regulators on Thursday approved a three-year rate increase that was much less than what the the state’s largest utility wanted. The Minnesota Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved the $306 million — or 9% — increase, which also was less than the state Department of Commerce and an administrative law judge recommended. Xcel was most recently asking for $440 million over three years. … The utility filed a petition late Thursday asking the PUC to withdraw its $330 million Clean Transportation Portfolio proposal. The centerpiece of that plan would have Xcel building and owning 730 electric vehicle fast chargers in Minnesota, which would make the state home to the largest utility-owned charging system in the country. While the $192 million EV charger proposal has garnered praise for filling the state’s charging gap, it has been roundly criticized by the EV charging and gas station industries, as well as the Minnesota Department of Commerce and many Xcel ratepayers, who would eventually pay for it.” [Star Tribune, 6/1/23 (=)]

 

North Carolina

 

NC EV Registrations Approach 61,500 — “Registrations for electric vehicles in North Carolina climbed 14% in the first quarter of 2023, reaching nearly 61,500, state figures show. In the Triad’s two largest counties, Guilford experienced a 12% increase and now tops 2,500 plug-in vehicles, while Forsyth’s total rose 10% and passed the 1,500 mark, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Statewide, there were 71 ‘zero-emission’ cars and trucks – defined by NCDOT as electric and plug-in electric – per 10,000 registered vehicles of all kinds as of March 31. Guilford had 60 and Forsyth 52 per 10,000. North Carolina’s two largest counties continue to skew statewide figures upward. Wake County’s more than 15,300 EVs accounted for 184 plug-ins per 10,000 registered vehicles while Mecklenburg, with nearly 10,400 electric vehicles, had a rate of 131 per 10,000.” [Winston-Salem Journal, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

 

International

 

China

 

China's EV Battery Sector Is Preparing A New Breakthrough — “One of China’s top battery-makers reckons it has cracked a technology to provide even cheaper and more powerful packs for electric vehicles. Gotion High-Tech Co. recently unveiled a lithium-iron-manganese-phosphate battery — LMFP for short — which it says will power an EV for 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on each charge. Until now, it’s largely the more expensive nickel-cobalt batteries have provided that kind of range. ‘It’s an upgrade, it’s a leap for energy density,’ Cheng Qian, executive president of Gotion’s international business unit, said in a phone interview from Tokyo. Gotion’s offering adds manganese to existing lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry that was commercialized in China and has been adopted by major EV makers from BYD Co. to Tesla Inc. as a method of cutting the cost of some models. Improvements in LFP that pack more power into smaller packages have helped popularize the technology, which is typically cheaper to manufacture.” [Bloomberg, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

France

 

France Rolls Out The Red Carpet For EV Battery Factories — “PARIS, June 5 - For French President Emmanuel Macron, it was a light-bulb moment. In an ornate ballroom at the Palace of Versailles last July, the head of Taiwan’s ProLogium took out a pair of scissors and cut one of its solid-state batteries the size of a credit card in half. The small bulb it was powering continued to shine. Macron was amazed by the demonstration of the safety and durability of the next-generation technology many carmakers hope will soon power electric vehicles (EVs), according to two people at the meeting. ‘We’ll make your life easier and help you set up shop here,’ he told ProLogium’s Chief Executive Vincent Yang. Ten months later, Macron and Yang stood side-by-side in Dunkirk to announce that ProLogium had picked the northern French port ahead of sites in Germany and the Netherlands for its first EV battery gigafactory outside Taiwan. It is one of four such gigafactories Macron hopes will transform the poor, former coal mining area near Belgium into a hub for the EV battery industry, creating jobs and helping to put France at the forefront of Europe’s energy transition. It didn’t happen by chance.” [Reuters, 6/5/23 (=)]

 

 

Research, Analysis  & Opinion

 

How ‘Dirty’ Are Electric Vehicles? The Answer Might Surprise You — “In order to truly consider the carbon impact of electric vs. gas cars, we need to look at their lifecycle emissions. This means cumulative emissions from production to operation to end-of-life. There are nuances to consider in each step along the way, so I’ll include considerations that may change the math as time goes on. If you’re not interested in all the details, the short of it is this: electric cars become ‘greener’ than their gasoline counterparts in around two years of normal use, regardless of how local electricity is generated. After this ‘break even’ point, EVs will always be cleaner than a combustion engine because of the much higher fuel efficiency of electric motors.” [CBT News, 6/2/23 (+)]

 

Op-Ed: I Love Electric Vehicles – And Was An Early Adopter. But Increasingly I Feel Duped — According to Rowan Atkinson, “Electric motoring is, in theory, a subject about which I should know something. My first university degree was in electrical and electronic engineering, with a subsequent master’s in control systems. Combine this, perhaps surprising, academic pathway with a lifelong passion for the motorcar, and you can see why I was drawn into an early adoption of electric vehicles. I bought my first electric hybrid 18 years ago and my first pure electric car nine years ago and (notwithstanding our poor electric charging infrastructure) have enjoyed my time with both very much. Electric vehicles may be a bit soulless, but they’re wonderful mechanisms: fast, quiet and, until recently, very cheap to run. But increasingly, I feel a little duped. When you start to drill into the facts, electric motoring doesn’t seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be.” [The Guardian, 6/3/23 (~)]

 

 

 

 

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