Tesla claims to put safety first, and while some people don’t agree with such claims, its safety ratings and awards are telling.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
New VW boss seems lukewarm on EVs, wants to bet on synthetic fuels
Former Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess was a hero to pro-EV activists. He was less popular with certain factions within the company, including the powerful Works Council (to say nothing of the stock market), and in 2022, he was forced out, to be replaced by Oliver Blume. At the time, we wondered whether Diess’s departure would put the brakes on Volkswagen’s aggressive electrification strategy.
Alas, we’re now seeing evidence that this will indeed be the case. In a recent interview with the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport (via ntv), Blume said, “Our strategy is to keep combustion engines on the market for the time being because they are very popular in many regions of the world. At the same time, we are increasing interest in and sales of all-electric models.”
No one would dispute the fact that combustion engines are popular—but some would argue that that popularity is the cause of the existential crisis now facing the auto industry. As for climate change, Blume says it must be thought of in a holistic or big-picture fashion (“gesamtheitlich”). “Electric mobility is an important lane. At the same time, there are more than a billion existing vehicles worldwide. They will be on the road for decades to come.”
Comments like these are of course standard fare for auto industry CEOs, who like to reassure stockholders (and unions) that the transition to e-mobility will be slow and gradual. The part of Mr. Blume’s speech that environmentalists may find disturbing is his reiteration of the value of “e-fuels,” which are widely seen as another oil-industry greenwash.
Herr Blume has been a consistent supporter of synthetic fuels. He is correct that oil burners will remain on the roads for many years, and in the recent interview he said that “e-fuels are an effective, supplementary solution for this. Gasoline engines can be operated with [e-fuels] with almost no CO2 emissions. In this way, all vehicles can do their part to reduce CO2 regardless of the type of drive. Also, e-fuels as hydrogen derivatives can be mixed with fossil fuels, and every percent of the admixture is a contribution to climate protection.”
By all accounts, e-fuels are far less efficient than BEVs (or hydrogen, for that matter), and producing them is energy-intensive. According to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (via Trending Topics), the efficiency of e-fuels is around 10 to 15 percent—compared to up to 80 percent for EVs—and producing e-fuels consumes about 5 times as much energy as using the electricity directly. As for “almost no CO2 emissions,” Tagesschau estimates (via Trending Topics) that a typical EV would emit 53 percent less CO2 than an ICE powered by synthetic fuels.
Blume’s predecessor Diess nixed e-fuels because of their poor efficiency. In November, despite lobbying by Blume and other auto industry heavyweights, the European Commission rejected a proposal to carve out an exception to the 2035 ICE sales ban that would allow sales of ICE vehicles running on e-fuels to continue.
Source: ntv
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
Porsche Macan EV displays ferocious power and versatility in new testing video
Porsche is promising its Macan EV will be the “sportiest model in its segment” when it arrives in 2024. In a new testing video, the Porshe Macan EV looks to fill the role, tearing across brutal terrains with ease.
The post Porsche Macan EV displays ferocious power and versatility in new testing video appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Half Of US New Car Buyers Believe EVs Are Too Expensive: Survey
Seven in 10 respondents said they expect their next vehicle to cost less than $50,000, which would leave out most EVs on sale today.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Volkswagen ID.7 To Be Produced In China By Two Joint Ventures
Together with Germany, it will be produced at three sites.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Tesla is again rumored to be near deal to build factory in Indonesia
Tesla is again rumored to be nearing a deal to build a factory in Indonesia, which would secure a lot of nickel supply for the automaker.
The post Tesla is again rumored to be near deal to build factory in Indonesia appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
The US’s first-ever complete solar supply chain is coming
Seoul-headquartered PV solar-cell manufacturing giant Qcells today announced it will invest more than $2.5 billion to build a solar supply chain in Georgia – the largest-ever investment in clean energy manufacturing in the US to date.
The post The US’s first-ever complete solar supply chain is coming appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Tesla Model Y Performance Now Has Smaller Brake Calipers With Fake Covers
This is reportedly true for all vehicles built after August, 2022.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Tesla Will Not Compensate Protesters In China After EV Price Cuts
Financial markets across the globe have been in turmoil for some time now, and prices of goods remain uncommonly fluid.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
RadTrike review: Testing of Rad Power Bikes slickly designed electric trike
The RadTrike is the first consumer-focused electric three-wheeler from Rad Power Bikes, the largest e-bike company in North America. It’s designed to make e-biking more accessible to a wider range of riders, especially older riders, and it sure fits that bill. After testing the trike I can tell you that there’s a lot to like here, though I’ve also got a few critiques in areas I would have liked to have seen changed.
The post RadTrike review: Testing of Rad Power Bikes slickly designed electric trike appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward