EV

So here’s the thing: I’d love to have a brand-new GM electric Hummer when it comes out. It’d scratch my itch for adrenalized American excess without making me think too critically about my own contribution to the inevitable destruction of our world and everything we hold dear. The only problem is that I don’t have $80,000+ burning a hole in my pocket to plunk down on that beast of an EV.

But if you’re like me and are hoping to find a more affordable way to get your electric Hummer groove on, then you’ll want to check out this ridiculous knock-off electric Hummer straight from the coolest parts bin on the internet: Alibaba!

When it comes to every part of the automotive industry, it seems that the switch to electric vehicles is set to leave no corner untouched. Until Tesla permanently disrupted the status quo, the world has been building cars for more or less the same way for a century.

Arizona utility Salt River Project (SRP) really wants its customers to drive electric cars, so it’s now offering any customer who buys an EV a $1,000 rebate in a pilot program.

Electrek‘s Michelle Lewis spoke with three electric car owners in Texas. They each explained how their EVs helped them get through February’s deep freeze and rolling blackouts.

Electrek‘s Michelle Lewis asked Anthony Allard, EVP, head of North America, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, how the US can make its power grids more resilient and better support clean energy, and what Hitachi ABB is doing to support large-scale electric vehicle deployment.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids digitizes all elements of the energy value chain and brings power grids into a sustainable energy future. In July, Hitachi ABB announced Grid eMotion Fleet, an EV charging system for large-scale public transport and commercial mobility. The company will also be providing energy storage systems to support large-scale EV deployments. 

Six utilities today announced the formation of the Electric Highway Coalition. It’s a plan to ensure that electric vehicle drivers have access to a network of charging stations on major highway systems on the Atlantic coast, in the Midwest and South, and in the Gulf and Central Plains regions.

Consumer Reports has launched a new Green Choice program for cars. It will use a green leaf icon to identify the new cars, SUVs, and minivans with the best fuel efficiency and lowest contributions to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and smog formation.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced today that they will jointly develop a statewide network of EV fast charging stations every 50 miles along the state’s interstates and major highways.

President Joe Biden has just announced that he will replace the entire US federal fleet with electric vehicles made in the US.

Royal Dutch Shell said today that it is acquiring 100% of Ubitricity, the UK’s largest public electric vehicle charging network. The amount of the acquisition is undisclosed, and the deal is expected to close later in 2021.

But Shell’s true road map to net zero by 2050 won’t become more clear until next month’s strategy update.

Sixty-six percent of registered US voters say developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. That’s according to a study released last week by Yale University and George Mason University’s climate change communication programs.

Community-owned Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and nonprofit EV advocate Plug In America have partnered up to provide free electric vehicle advice, not only just in Sacramento, but nationwide.

A number of UK press outlets covered a report that claims that electric vehicles need to travel 50,000 miles before its carbon footprint is better than an ICE vehicle. We’ve seen this type of report debunked many times in the past so we didn’t think it was worth our time. But a number of big UK publications ran with it.

It looks like this report could have been a sleight of hand from British luxury maker Aston Martin and a “sock puppet” PR agency, according to two electric vehicle experts who did some digging.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today released his 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution” that will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs. One of the 10 points is moving to electric vehicles by 2030. Here’s the government’s plan for the UK electric vehicle transition.

As Electrek reported in December 2019, “Nearly half of US states impose fees on EV owners or will consider adding fees in 2020. The ill-conceived idea is to make up for gaps in roadway infrastructure investments usually derived from gasoline taxes.” Next up? Texas.

China plans to require that all new cars sold after 2035 be eco-friendly “new energy vehicles” according to Nikkei Asia. The plans were announced in a future road map for new energy vehicles and will be regulated under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The specifics of the plan state that as of 2035, 50% of new cars sold in the country will be either electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell vehicles, and 50% of new cars will be conventional hybrids, which still run entirely on gasoline.

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection called for a ban on gas car sales by 2035 last week. If implemented, that would make the Garden State the second state in the US to enact an ICE ban policy, behind California, which is drawing up rules for a 2035 gas car ban.

Electric cars will triple their market share in Europe this year as a result of EU car emissions targets, according to a new report released today from Transport & Environment (T&E), a European umbrella group for non-governmental organizations that work in transport and the environment, and promote sustainable transport in Europe.

Global climate- and green-tech accelerator Elemental Excelerator just announced its newest cohort of 19 tech companies it said would be “ground-breakers and market-makers.” Here are five up-and-comers in Cohort 9 in the green-tech energy, mobility, and climate change sectors.

California announced a ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles from 2035 on September 23. Two days later, New York state senator Pete Harckham from the Hudson Valley introduced a bill that would also require all of New York State’s sales of new cars and trucks to be zero emissions by 2035.

Drive Electric Week is going online this year — on its 10th anniversary — with events centered around electric vehicle advocacy. Most events will be virtual, though some local in-person events will be held — far fewer than in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic (wear your masks!). A full list and map of events can be found on Plug In America’s website.

The week kicks off Thursday, September 24, at 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT, with an “all-star” event featuring longtime EV advocates Bill Nye and Leilani Munter. Its host will be NPR’s Peter Sagal. It will be streamed on Facebook Live (no account required to watch). Register here to get more information via email, or find the event on Sierra Club’s Facebook page.