Podcast: Tesla Roadster, Toyota EVs, new federal tax credit, and more

This week on the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy, including more Tesla Roadster information, Toyota bringing EVs to the US, a new federal tax credit, and more.

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Source: Charge Forward

Green Deals: Snow Joe 21-inch electric snow thrower $140, more

Amazon is offering the Snow Joe Electric 21-inch 14A Single Stage Snow Thrower for $139.99 shipped. Also at Best Buy. For comparison, this model normally goes for around $170 at Amazon and today’s deal matches the lowest price that we’ve tracked in the past six months. If you’re being hit with this winter snowstorm that’s sweeping across the country right now, it’s time to prepare for snow removal when it all stops. This snow thrower spans 21-inches to clear nearly 2-feet in a single pass. Plus, being electric, there’s no gas or oil used here, as you simply need an extension cord to power it. Rated 4.2/5 stars.

Head below for more deals on HomeKit smart thermostats, electric scooters, and of course Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best Tesla accessories.

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Source: Charge Forward

Green Tesla embraces carbon-intensive bitcoin

Elon Musk is by nature an iconoclast, a disrupter, an upsetter of applecarts and a slayer of sacred cows, so his long-standing interest in bitcoin, which has been described as “a techno-anarchist project” and “a way to separate money from the state,” is not at all surprising. Now Tesla has purchased $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin as an investment, and announced that it will accept the currency as payment for its products and services.

“We expect to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limited basis, which we may or may not liquidate upon receipt,” the company said in its recent annual report.

Bitcoin’s price took off like a rocket on the news, setting a new all-time high. Analysts saw the vote of confidence from Tesla as a major milestone for bitcoin, and most expect the value of the currency to continue to rise and become more stable. Other companies are expected to follow Tesla’s lead and begin accepting bitcoin as legal tender.

“If any lesser mortals had made the decision to put part of their balance sheet in Bitcoin, I don’t think it would have been taken seriously,” said Thomas Hayes of Great Hill Capital. “But when the richest man in the world does it, everyone has to take a second look.”

While many see Tesla’s embrace of bitcoin as an extension of the company’s disruptive ethos, others are puzzled that a company with a mission to clean up the environment would promote a technology that, by all accounts, consumes massive amounts of energy. Unlike coal mining, bitcoin “mining” doesn’t destroy mountaintops or pollute rivers, but it does require amazing amounts of computing power, and thus gargantuan gobs of electricity.

A 2019 report entitled The Carbon Footprint of Bitcoin, published in the journal Joule, estimated that bitcoin’s annual electricity consumption (as of November 2018) amounted to 45.8 TWh, with corresponding annual emissions of at least 22 megatons of carbon dioxide.

“Participation in the Bitcoin blockchain validation process requires specialized hardware and vast amounts of electricity, which translates into a significant carbon footprint,” write the report’s authors. They estimate that the emissions produced by bitcoin are equivalent to the levels produced by the nations of Jordan and Sri Lanka.

Another study, also from 2019, suggested that the climate change impact of the cryptocurrency isn’t quite that bad—only on par with the carbon emissions of Estonia. Life Cycle Assessment of Bitcoin Mining, published in Environmental Science and Technology, found that earlier estimates had assumed that carbon emissions from electricity generation were uniform across China, where it’s estimated that half of all bitcoin mining takes place. Breaking down the emissions to take account of regional differences in the cleanliness of the Chinese electrical grid, the researchers came up with a global footprint for the cryptocurrency of 17.29 megatons of CO2 in 2018.

A more recent study (November 2020) from Cornell University noted that “the future carbon footprint of bitcoin strongly depends on the decarbonization pathway of the electricity sector,” and estimated that in the “business-as-usual scenario,” electricity consumption could exceed 100 TWh in 2021, resulting in cumulative CO2 emissions of over 5 gigatons by 2100.

A December 2020 study published in Energy Research & Social Science estimated annual consumption at 87.1 TWh as of 2019, equal to that of Belgium.

Digiconomist’s Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index aims to track bitcoin’s energy consumption and carbon emissions over time. Its latest estimate is 78 TWh of electricity and 37 megatons of CO2, comparable to that of Chile.

Whatever country you compare it to, it’s plain that bitcoin’s carbon footprint is significant, and that making its energy consumption more sustainable would be a major undertaking. As Barclays Private Bank’s Gerald Moser told Bloomberg, “Buying bitcoin pretty clearly makes an investment portfolio less green.”

Harvard University deploys four electric buses

Harvard University recently purchased four Proterra electric buses, along with the necessary charging infrastructure. The new buses, which will replace four biodiesel-powered vehicles, represent about a third of Harvard’s fleet.

Each 35-foot Proterra transit bus has a seating capacity of 29, and features a 450 kWh battery pack and an 800-volt system architecture. The shuttles will be charged during off-peak overnight hours, using 150 kW charging stations that can deliver a full charge in about three hours.

The project was supported by a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection grant program, which is funding nearly 100 transportation electrification projects across the state.

Harvard has already electrified several campus operations, including electric leaf blowers and service vehicles, and has installed dozens of EV charging stations across the campus in Cambridge and Allston.

“Harvard takes its responsibility of being a good neighbor seriously,” added David Harris, Director of Transit & Fleet Management. “One of the great things about this project is that the buses will produce much less noise and operate far more smoothly as they navigate the densely populated streets of Cambridge and Allston.”

“Investing in electric buses will have a positive impact on the health of people on our campus and in the Cambridge and Boston area,” said Heather Henriksen, Managing Director of the Harvard Office for Sustainability. “Harvard hopes to be a catalyst for other universities, businesses, and cities by piloting the transition to electric buses.”

Millor will manufacture cobalt-free lithium-ion batteries in Europe

The COBRA (CObalt-free Batteries for FutuRe Automotive Applications), a European consortium that aims to develop a new cobalt-free lithium-ion battery technology, has chosen Millor Battery to make the prototypes and first batteries.

COBRA and Millor Battery seek to reduce the proportion of critical raw materials in batteries without compromising energy and energy performance. Among these raw materials is cobalt, which is expensive, scarce and not found in Europe. 

The first functional battery prototypes are expected in early 2022 and the results of the project will be made public by the end of 2023.

Freightliner electric trucks to use proprietary Detroit ePowertrain

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has announced that its proprietary Detroit ePowertrain will power the upcoming Freightliner eCascadia and Freightliner eM2, as part of Daimler Trucks’ strategy to establish a uniform basic architecture for its global line-up of battery-electric vehicles.

Daimler also announced plans to invest $20 million in its subsidiary Detroit’s manufacturing facility located in—wait for it—Detroit, Michigan, which will serve as the North American source of Detroit ePowertrain components.

Initially, the Detroit ePowertrain will offer an eAxle design operating at 400 volts, and will be offered in two variants suitable for a variety of commercial vehicle applications. The single-motor design is rated at 180 horsepower, and delivers maximum torque of up to 11,500 lb-ft, while the dual-motor design offers up to 360 hp and 23,000 lb-ft. The Detroit ePowertrain can be mated to one of three battery options for the eCascadia and eM2: a 210 kWh version, a 315 kWh version and a 475 kWh version. The battery packs are comprised of arrays of prismatic lithium-ion cells. Detroit’s first ePowertrain offerings will offer a maximum range of at least 230 miles for the medium-duty eM2 and 250 miles for the Class 8 eCascadia tractor.

“The combination of Freightliner and Detroit has been delivering an incredible experience to our valued customers for over four decades,” said Rakesh Aneja, head of eMobility at DTNA. “An integrated ePowertrain from Detroit respects that legacy and moves us into a new era for the industry by improving operational efficiency while simultaneously eliminating tailpipe emissions.”

“By utilizing our Detroit ePowertrain to power the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2, we are giving Freightliner buyers the same level of confidence that comes with our conventionally-powered portfolio, known throughout the industry as having the best total cost of ownership – bar none,” said DTNA Senior VP Richard Howard.

Initial production of the Detroit ePowertrain is expected to begin in late 2021. The start of production for both Freightliner models will begin in 2022.