Cars Clips: August 6, 2024
2024 Elections |
Trump says he has ‘no choice’ but to back EVs after Musk endorsement — “Trump says he has ‘no choice’ but to back EVs after Musk endorsement Ex-president, who previously denigrated electric vehicles, says they are suitable for a ‘small slice’ of the population. Donald Trump has for months denigrated electric vehicles, arguing their supporters should ‘rot in hell’ and that assisting the nascent industry is ‘lunacy’. He now appears to have somewhat shifted his view thanks to the support of Elon Musk, the world’s richest person. ‘I’m for electric cars, I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly,’ Trump, the Republican nominee for US president, told supporters at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday.” [Guardian, 8/5/24 (=)]
On the politics of electric vehicles, Trump says the quiet part loud — “Donald Trump has been unsubtle in his condemnations of electric vehicles. After taking steps to stymie the industry during his presidency, the Republican added EVs to his party’s list of culture war villains after leaving the White House. Last fall, for example, Trump told an audience that people who own electric cars become “somewhat schizophrenic“ because they can only drive their cars for 10 minutes. Around the same time, he insisted that gas-powered cars are better for the environment than EVs. (They’re not.) In December, the GOP candidate added that electric vehicles don’t ‘go far’ and have to be recharged ‘every two minutes.’” [MSNBC, 8/5/24 (=)]
Donald Trump got a Tesla Cybertruck from a controversial influencer—right after the former president said EVs will ‘destroy the country’ — “Adin Ross, a controversial streamer who has been banned from Twitch at least seven times, interviewed and gifted former President Donald Trump a custom Tesla Cybertruck on Monday. After interviewing Trump for a little over an hour, Ross led Trump outside of his Mar-a-Lago home to present the Cybertruck, which was adorned with the now-iconic photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist after being shot, a flurry of American flags, and a red ‘Make America Great Again’ logo wrapped at the front.” [Fortune, 8/5/24 (=)]
Donald Trump admits EV flip-flop was a quid pro quo to secure Elon Musk’s support — “Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump admitted to tempering his strident opposition to electric vehicles in order to gain the endorsement of billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla.” [Fortune, 8/5/24 (=)]
The Politics of Electric Vehicles Looms Large in Swing States Trump’s anti-EV rhetoric is a gift to Kamala Harris. — “Donald Trump, politically speaking, is handing Kamala Harris the keys to a shiny new electric vehicle — one that Harris and the Democrats might ride all the way to the White House. ‘I will end the electric-vehicle mandate on day one, thereby saving the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now,’ Trump said near the start of his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. He brought up the subject again toward the end of the speech, nearly 90 minutes later: ‘By the way, I’m all for electric. They have their application. But if somebody wants to buy a gas-powered car, gasoline-powered car, or a hybrid, they’re going to be able to do it. And we’re going to make that change on day one.’ There is no such thing as an electric-vehicle mandate — only a set of aggressive investments from the Biden-Harris administration that includes buyer tax credits of up to $7,500 per vehicle, as well as $7.5 billion paid to states for a national network of charging stations and $1.7 billion in federal grants to help automakers update, change, or expand factories making electric vehicles.” [New York Magazine, 8/6/24 (+)]
Electric Vehicles |
An EV charging company will penalize drivers who take more than they need — “Electrify America, one of the leading charging companies in the U.S., is trying to encourage drivers to get what they need and get out, or else pay a fee. The idea is to increase turnover at busy stations, improving availability and reducing the odds that drivers will have to wait for someone else spending extra time to ‘top off’ their EVs. Electrify America has implemented a pilot program at 10 Southern California stations where charging will stop after a car’s battery is 85% full . Once a vehicle hits the threshold and after a 10-minute grace period, the driver will be charged 40 cents a minute until they unplug and clear out for the next customer. In an interview with CNN, CEO Robert Barrosa said that the general scarcity of plugs has led some drivers to hog outlets for longer than they really need them.” [Fortune, 8/5/24 (=)]
Introducing the Latest EV Headache: ‘Charger Hogs’ Causing Endless Lines at Charging Stations — “To address this issue, Electrify America, one of America’s biggest charging companies, is experimenting with a strict limit at 10 of its busiest EV fast charging stations in California. Once a car’s batteries reach 85 percent capacity, charging will automatically stop, and the driver will be instructed to unplug and leave. Failure to do so will result in additional 40-cent-per-minute ‘idle time’ fees for occupying the space.” [Breitbart, 8/5/24 (-)]
EV Battery Pack Costs 90% Lower in 2023 Than in 2008 — “The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Vehicle Technologies Office estimates the cost of a electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack for a light-duty vehicle declined 90% between 2008 and 2023 (using 2023 constant dollars). The 2023 estimate is $139/kWh on a usable-energy basis for production at scale of at least 100,000 units per year. That compares to $1,415/kWh in 2008. The decline in cost is due to improvements in battery technologies and chemistries, as well as improvements in manufacturing and increases in production volume.” [Clean Technica, 8/6/24 (=)]
Amped Up: Electric cars able to outrun traditional cruisers prompt law enforcement to invest in their own — “The Dodge Charger Pursuit, the gold standard among police cruisers, can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in around 6.4 seconds — but many electric vehicles can make that speed in half that time, potentially out-running a police pursuit. According to law enforcement testing, a 2024 Kia EV6 GT gets to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds and has a higher top speed than a standard police car. The fastest Tesla models accelerate from zero to 60 MPH in well under three seconds. Several models, including the Rivian pick-up truck, can get to 60 MPH in two and a half seconds.” [WWNY-TV, 8/5/24 (=)]
EVs May Get Cheaper Than Gas Cars As Early As Next Year. Here’s Why — “One of the main sticking points to the wider adoption of electric vehicles in the United States and beyond is the high cost of a new EV. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average transaction price of a new combustion car in the U.S. in June was $48,644, while new EVs had an average MSRP of $56,371. That’s an almost $8,000 difference, enough to get you a used gas-powered daily commuter. In other words, there’s still a considerable gap, but that difference will soon disappear in favor of EVs thanks to the rapid decrease in the cost of lithium batteries.” [Inside EVs, 8/6/24 (=)]
Texas Man Dead After Cybertruck Crashes, Goes Up in Flames — “The cybertruck lost control, leaving the road and crashing into a culvert before bursting into flames, leaving just a shell of the car remaining, officials said. The driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene, has not been identified by authorities due to severe burns and investigators are unclear as to why he lost control of the vehicle. The crash took place in Southeast Texas in Chambers County, Baytown, near the intersection of Fisher Road and Cedar Port Parkway, approximately 30 miles from Houston.” [Newsweek, 8/5/24 (=)]
Are Electric Vehicles safe during Hurricane season? — “’Salt water and lithium-ion batteries: they do not mix. They’re a very dangerous combination. So we need to encourage everybody that if they’re in the area where storm surge or any salt water can have that intrusion, they have to evacuate those vehicles,’ said Amy Bollen with the South Trail Fire District. Drivers in Florida take their chances driving through flooding, but according to South Trail Fire, taking a chance on a lithium battery isn’t the best idea.” [WINK-TV, 8/5/24 (=)]
States & Local |
Nevada sits on federal funds that could provide more EV chargers — “The Nevada Department of Transportation is sitting on federal funds that could provide more electric vehicle chargers. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program (NEVI) is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Through this, Nevada was given $38 million to build EV charging stations across the state. NEVI is a matching grant program, designed to spark investment in EV charging infrastructure by offsetting the start-up costs for buying and installing high-speed EV chargers at strategic locations along each state’s major highways. Ryan Mckinnon, the Information Officer for Charge Ahead Partnership, explains that two years after receiving the funds to build these EV charging stations, Nevada has yet to ask for bids from companies that might want the money.” [KOLO-TV, 8/6/24 (=)]
Walmart's EV charging plans include D-FW — “Walmart is planning to build its own EV fast-charging network, starting with stores in Dallas-Fort Worth. Why it matters: Private investment in charging stations is critical to creating the nationwide network needed to spur more EV ownership. Context: Many companies are installing fast-charging stations — which are less prevalent than the slower Level 2 chargers — to lure customers. RaceTrac installed EV chargers at five North Texas locations this year. The big picture: EV adoption remains relatively low in the U.S. The federal government is trying to entice more people to go electric by offering one-time tax deductions and spending millions of dollars on new charging stations in D-FW and elsewhere.” [Axios, 8/6/24 (=)]
RESPONSES TO THIS EMAIL ARE NOT MONITORED
To receive Cars Clips and other Clean Vehicles Coalition (CVC) materials, please contact:
RILEY GILLIS – Program Assistant (He/Him)
(rgillis@partnershipproject.org)
For any other questions or comments, please contact:
MITCH DUNN – Director of Media Monitoring and Analysis, Beehive Research (He/Him)
***