Cars Clips: October 24, 2024
2024 Elections |
Opinion: Harris Promises Not to Make You Buy an EV—Until After She Wins — “EPA’s federal standards similarly will have at most a rounding-error’s worth of climate benefits. As Americans are starting to realize, the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandates are all pain and no gain. No wonder she’s trying to gaslight us as Election Day approaches. Indeed, Harris made her disingenuous claim that she ‘will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive’ in the swing state of Michigan.” [Daily Signal, 10/23/24 (-)]
Why Arizona mining opponents are afraid of Trump — and Harris — “In this mineral-rich swing state, the clean energy revolution has left some opponents of mining just as wary of Vice President Kamala Harris as they are of former President Donald Trump. For years, those advocates looked to Democrats to champion their causes of protecting Native American lands and biodiversity, especially as Trump weakened environmental laws and advanced contentious mining projects in his first term.” [Politico, 10/24/24 (=)]
Would Trump throw EV machinery into reverse? Not easily — “Tim Echols is a bona fide conservative. The Georgia public service commissioner is an ordained evangelical minister, is solidly against abortion and founded a nonprofit to help teens understand the political process and ‘defend their Christian faith.’ But there’s one place where he’s a little out of step with his political colleagues: Echols is also evangelical about electric vehicles. The guy loves them, owns three and is on a crusade to get fellow conservatives on board. That’s why the Echols’ family Nissan Leaf is often out on loan to a Georgia politician.” [Detroit News, 10/23/24 (=)]
Vehicle & Engine Manufacturers |
Ford CEO Admits Driving Chinese EV After Receiving Billions From Taxpayers To Make Rival Cars Domestically — “Ford CEO Jim Farley admitted to driving a Chinese-made electric vehicle (EV) on Monday despite his company previously receiving billions in taxpayer dollars to manufacture EVs in America.” [Daily Caller, 10/23/23 (-)]
Tesla Reports Robust Profit Increase on Strength of Battery Storage Sales — “Tesla’s profit for the third quarter increased 17 percent from a year ago, the company said Wednesday, as strong growth in its battery storage and other businesses more than made up for a modest increase in car sales. The company said it earned $2.2 billion from July through September, compared with $1.9 billion in the same period last year. Sales were $25.2 billion, compared with $23.4 billion a year earlier.” [New York Times, 10/23/24 (=)]
Electric Vehicles |
The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports — “The US just hit a major electric vehicle milestone: There are now more than 200,000 public EV charging ports nationwide. This achievement, announced yesterday by the US Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, demonstrates the momentum of expanding EV charging infrastructure. The Joint Office’s Q3 2024 update on August 30 showed an increase in three months of around 9,000 ports to nearly 192,000 public EV charging ports. This latest announcement shows an increase in the number of ports of around 9,000 in just seven weeks.” [Electrek, 10/23/24 (+)]
Chinese EV competition in Germany shows threat to US automakers — “Increasing competition from low-cost electric vehicles produced by Chinese automakers is creating financial headwinds for German automakers, and that could portend risks for domestic manufacturers in North America. Increasing EV sales penetration has been slower than expected in North America and Europe as access to charging infrastructure and affordability remain challenges. Yet commitments like those of global EV sales leader Shenzhen, China-based BYD Co. Ltd. to bring its Seagull EV at less than $22,000 (20,000 euro) to Europe and to build a plant in Hungary represent major threats to market share among legacy manufacturers there already showing vulnerabilities and evaluating job cuts.” [Detroit News, 10/23/24 (=)]
Investigation into a blaze at EV maker Rivian's factory continues as details emerge — “The fire department in Normal, Illinois — after extinguishing a blaze that destroyed 55 all-electric Rivian vehicles at the automakers' factory — has turned the investigation into the cause over to the automaker, which has yet to determine what sparked the fire. Rivian Automotive builds its R1S electric SUV and R1T electric pickup at its factory in Normal, the home of Illinois State University located about a two-and-a-half hour drive south of Chicago. Rivian is based in California and has a facility in Plymouth.” [Detroit Free Press, 10/24/24 (=)]
States & Local |
Colorado is second in the nation in electric vehicle adoption, thanks to affordable cars and generous incentives — “Sorry, Washington. It looks like a wave of dirt-cheap leases on affordable plug-in cars has pushed Colorado into second place for EV adoption nationwide. A new report from Colorado Automobile Dealers Association finds more than 23 percent of new cars registered in the state from January through September were either battery-electric or plug-in hybrid models, putting Colorado second only to California nationwide in EV market share. Washington and Oregon follow in third and fourth place.” [CPR News, 10/23/24 (=)]
With ‘EV mandate’ claims flying, here’s what to know as politics hits Michigan auto industry — “As former President Donald Trump and JD Vance crisscrossed Michigan this fall, one of their biggest talking points has been electric vehicles. Or, more precisely, what they call an ‘EV mandate’ from the Biden administration.” [Michigan Live, 10/24/24 (=)]
'Landmark' nearly $250M will go toward electronic vehicle charging infrastructure on I-95 — “The Clean Corridor Coalition, a four-state initiative led by New Jersey, was awarded a ‘landmark grant’ from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to build green infrastructure along the I-95 corridor with the hope of significantly reducing harmful air pollution and creating jobs throughout the region.” [northjersey.com, 10/23/24 (=)]
Opinion: The Reality of Range Anxiety and Driving an EV — “However in situations like mine driving a very good EV between two major cities, it should’ve been easier. There shouldn’t have been the range anxiety that existed. It’s through no fault of Volvo or any EV manufacturer but more about how in the Midwest, we aren’t ready for the EV revolution. If this was a movie, then any other EV I get to drive in the same scenario would have a sequel. Range Anxiety: The Sequel, until the EV infrastructure gets addressed, not recommended.” [Wyoming News Now, 10/23/24 (-)]
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