Cars Clips: October 2, 2024
2024 Elections |
Vance and Walz agree: Domestic manufacturing is climate policy — “’If you believe that,’ Vance continued, ‘the answer is you want to reshore as much manufacturing as possible, and you want to produce as much energy as possible in the United States of America, because we’re the cleanest economy in the world.’ In response, Walz pointed to the Inflation Reduction Act, which he credited with having ‘created jobs all across the country,’ including 2,000 jobs in electric vehicle manufacturing in Jeffersonville, a town in Vance's home state of Ohio. Walz framed the IRA as part of an energy agenda that includes fossil fuels, too, echoing Harris' energy messaging.” [E&E News, 10/2/24 (=)]
Walz touts EV jobs as he spars with Vance on clean energy in VP debate — “The moment reflected a disconnect between the campaigns of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump. The Democratic ticket has a record of energy investments and manufacturing growth to point to, but Vance suggested their record was insufficient and Republicans would perform far better if voters send them to the White House in the Nov. 5 election.” [Detroit News, 10/2/24 (=)]
Inside a Trump Ad Slamming Harris Over the Push for Electric Vehicles — “Ms. Harris does not want to ‘end all gas-powered cars,’ and the ad wildly overstates the goals of the Biden administration’s initiatives on electric vehicles. In 2021, President Biden announced a goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicles sold be electric powered by 2030. Electric vehicles now account for less than 10 percent of all new cars sold.” [New York Times, 10/1/24 (=)]
Vehicle & Engine Manufacturers |
Popular Chinese electric vehicles can listen to conversations, owners claim — “A popular brand of electric vehicle sold in Australia has a hidden backdoor allowing the manufacturer to listen into conversations, users have claimed. After witnessing an explosive month showcasing the awful possibilities of technological warfare, the topic of electric vehicles and their potential to be hacked has once again been thrust into the global spotlight. A driver who owns a BYD car, a Chinese brand of electric vehicle, has claimed that the software can listen to his conversations.” [New York Post, 10/1/24 (-)]
BYD Monthly Sales Surge Over the 400,000 Mark for the First Time — “Chinese automaking behemoth BYD Co. set a new record for monthly deliveries, selling more than 400,000 vehicles in September for the first time. Passenger vehicle sales last month came in at 417,603 units, BYD said in an exchange filing Tuesday, including 164,956 battery electric cars and 252,647 plug-in hybrid models. That’s up 46% versus September 2023, showcasing BYD’s robust growth as it dominates its home market and increasingly exports abroad. Of those September deliveries, more than 33,000 units were sold overseas.” [Bloomberg, 10/1/24 (=)]
Ford Offers Free Chargers in Hopes of Boosting Low EV Sales — “Customers buying or leasing a Ford EV in the fourth quarter will receive a free at-home charging station, which includes installation. If the offer does well, Farley said it could be extended. Despite billions of dollars in investment and incentives from the Biden-Harris administration, U.S. automakers have struggled to interest Americans in electric vehicles, and Ford is no exception. According to Inside EVs, Ford experienced a slight uptick in all-electric vehicle sales in July, from 3.8% a year ago to 5%.” [Newsmax, 10/1/24 (-)]
Ford Asks UK for Subsidies to Boost Electric Vehicle Sales — “Ford Motor Co. is calling on the UK government to reintroduce subsidies to help carmakers hit sales targets as consumers shun electric vehicles. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves needs to bring back incentives in this month’s budget to stimulate customer demand for EVs, said Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK and the company’s managing director for Britain and Ireland.” [Bloomberg, 10/1/24 (=)]
Ford in talks to make electric vehicles in India, minister says — “Ford is discussing plans to manufacture electric vehicles at its southern India plant in Tamil Nadu for reentering the world’s third-largest car market three years after announcing shutting its local factories. Ford has yet to decide on what it will manufacture in India, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa said in an interview to Bloomberg TV. However, he hinted that it could be electric vehicles.” [E&E News, 10/2/24 (=)]
GM reports 2.2% US sales dip in 3rd quarter, cites lower fleet demand — “General Motors on Tuesday reported a 2.2% decline in U.S. new vehicle sales in the third quarter as sales of its Chevrolet pickups, particularly to fleet customers, came in lower than the year-ago period, which was a strong quarter for comparison. But GM remains the top-selling automaker. GM reported it sold 659,601 total vehicles in the quarter compared with the year-ago period when it sold 674,336. Part of the decline is due to GM's fleet sales, which were down about 18%, said GM spokesman David Caldwell. Fleet sales typically comprise 20% of GM's total sales. GM's closest rival in total U.S. sales is Toyota North America.” [Detroit Free Press, 10/1/24 (=)]
Can a luxury EV eliminate range anxiety? — “With the big battery drain on the way up, we were all curious about how much we could recharge on the way down. When an EV coasts downhill, the motors can take in some of the energy generated to recharge the battery. It didn’t quite balance out, however. The trip down added about 5 percent to the battery. The weekend was a big success, but we did get one unhappy surprise at the end. The vehicle gets occasional software updates wirelessly. A 2 a.m. update the day before I was due to return the R1S triggered an error message concerning the battery system that also came with a persistent beeping sound. A friendly Rivian rep drove out with a replacement vehicle and managed to diagnose and un-trigger the error message (nothing was actually wrong with the battery).” [Boston Globe, 10/1/24 (=)]
Electric Vehicles |
NREL Researchers Survey the State of Smart Charge Management Nationwide — “Smart charge management—intelligently managing the flow of electricity that charges electric vehicles (EVs)—can have incredible benefits for drivers, utility companies, governments, and fleets. Yet smart charge management strategies have not been widely deployed nationwide. In response, two national laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), broke new ground by surveying the national state of smart charge management across the United States. In a new report published with the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), the two laboratories detail their major findings from reviewing more than 100 managed charging programs nationwide and conducting over 40 interviews with utility companies and stakeholders.” [Clean Technica, 10/1/24 (=)]
Why Gen Xers hold the keys to the EV market — “Key Takeaways More than half of those who plan to own an EV in the future are older consumers, with Gen Xers representing a core target for future sales. 27% of Gen Xers are concerned about the cost of EVs, meaning automakers will need to address price concerns. When it comes to auto manufacturers, future EV owners are 12 percentage points less likely to say they trust them than current EV owners.” [Morning Consult, 10/1/24 (=)]
The 'EV Slowdown' Comes For Gas Cars — “The truth is that EV sales aren't as apocalyptic as other headlines might have you believe. Many brands are still posting record electric sales every month or quarter. But they aren't taking off as quickly as expected, and now, one major story we're seeing from Q3's sales data is that the entire car sector—including gas cars—is hurting.” [Inside EVs, 10/1/24 (=)]
'Park outside': 150,000 Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler hybrids recalled for fire risk — “Certain Jeep hybrid plug-in models are being recalled due to several reports of fires starting when the cars are driving or parked, according to car companies Stellantis and Chrysler. Covering about 154,032 cars in the U.S., Chrysler reported the recall to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday, saying affected cars' high-voltage batteries may fail internally and lead to fire. A Monday statement from Stellantis said 13 fires had been reported in parked cars affected by the issue. According to the company, about 5% of affected vehicles may have the defect. As a result, park-outside notices have been issued to owners of certain Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler hybrid owners to prevent the spread of potential flames. Owners have also been advised to avoid charging their batteries for the time being.” [USA Today, 10/1/24 (=)]
Electric Vehicle fire adds to Hurricane Helene devastation in Florida — “After Hurricane Helene flooded parts of Tampa, residents are now facing a new threat: electric vehicles bursting into flames. Florida homeowners Lisa and Morgan Hodges recounted a terrifying night when their Tesla caught fire. Most of the family had gone to bed, but two of their grandchildren stayed up. Just after midnight, they heard a strange noise from the garage and went to investigate, only to discover what the family described as a ‘fireball.’” [WOFL-TV, 10/1/24 (-)]
States & Local |
Indiana EV charging plan halfway complete — “$100 million coming to state as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program; EV cruise-in events engage public, give dealerships an EV audience Stacy Milheiser is moving from electric vehicle to electric vehicle (EV) with a clipboard, acting as event judge for this year’s crop of brand new vehicles. In this case an electric Chevy Equinox. It’s Evansville’s third annual electric vehicle cruise-in event, EVs for EVVeryone, held on a rainy Saturday. Her name tag’s ink is already runny.” [WNIN-Radio, 10/1/24 (=)]
Illinois receives $2.3 Billion in federal funding — “The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is allocating $2.33 billion to Illinois in Fiscal Year 2025 funding. The agency made the announcement on October 1st. This money comes from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will support 12 infrastructure programs in Illinois.” [WSIL-TV, 10/1/24 (=)]
Concord gets a public electric vehicle charger that is very slow, which is a good thing — “An electric vehicle charger is being unveiled in a Concord parking lot Wednesday and it’s gathering a lot of attention for a very odd reason: It’s really slow. ‘The reality is that cars are parked over 90% of the time. This is a great way to harness that concept of passive charging, to be topping off the battery’ said Ross Bloom, founder of the Somerville, Mass.-based company Revvit, which made the unit being put into a Storrs Street parking lot as a test. ‘This is a huge opportunity to move away from the gas station mentality, to leverage the benefit of EVs that you can charge anywhere you’re parked.’” [Concord Monitor, 10/1/24 (=)]
North Carolina’s Coming Run on Electric Cars — “Americans in hurricane territory have long kept diesel-powered generators as a way of life, but electric cars are a leap forward. An EV, at its most fundamental level, is just a big battery on wheels that can be used to power anything, not only the car itself. Some EVs pack enough juice to power a whole home for several days, or a few appliances for even longer. In the aftermath of Helene, as millions of Americans were left without power, many EV owners did just that. A vet clinic that had lost power used an electric F-150 to keep its medicines cold and continue seeing patients during the blackout. One Tesla Cybertruck owner used his car to power his home after his entire neighborhood lost power.” [The Atlantic, 10/1/24 (+)]
Virginia’s electric vehicle transition depends on the power grid. How is it faring? — “As the growing number of electric vehicles is expected to cause the demand on Virginia’s electric grid to surge, Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company are actively preparing for the changes. Meanwhile, conservation groups are monitoring the impact on the environment and Virginians, ensuring that the transition is as sustainable as possible and of less concern than data centers that are prompting continued fossil fuel use as a dispatchable power source. The transition to electric vehicles is intended to remove tailpipe greenhouse gasses that make up one third of the emissions in the state and nationwide, contributing to climate change-fueled increasing storm intensities and frequencies. Virginia is also navigating the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a 2020 law that seeks to transition Dominion and Appalachian Power to zero-carbon generation sources by 2050 to reduce emissions from the power sector.” [Virginia Mercury, 10/2/24 (=)]
Research, Analysis & Opinion |
Opinion: Project 2025 Offers A False Choice: Climate Action Vs. Economic Growth — “Today, the United States’ global economic competitiveness is at stake, more than ever. Following Project 2025’s prescription risks the future of EVs, renewable energy, and green jobs. That would cede America’s progress on national climate goals and hand over the global energy economy to China and Europe. Clean energy accounted for 10% of global GDP growth in 2023, and global clean energy investment hit $1.8 trillion last year. America can tap this potential—unless we let Project 2025 derail our progress. China is already the world's biggest EV producer with about 60% of global sales and is also the largest EV exporter, accounting for 19% of EU sales.” [Forbes, 10/2/24 (+)]
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