Malcolm Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 Seems that the "smart money" is now talking Morgan Stanley is cutting its position in Tesla stock. Here's why Story by Investing.com Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) said it is slashing its position in Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock, citing a “continued slowdown in the auto industry, intense competition among electric vehicles (EVs) and reduced consumer preferences” for EVs. TSLA has been a part of Morgan Stanley’s model portfolio since March 2021, with the position increased in both September and December 2022. However, the stock was reduced in November 2023. Since the last stake boost in December 2022, Tesla has delivered a 15% return, trailing the Russell 1000 Growth Index (RLG) by 46%, Morgan Stanley strategists highlighted. “While we continue to hold a position in TSLA, due to the optionality of its various nonauto assets, we see an attractive opportunity to reallocate some of the position to other, less-volatile stocks that are not as economically sensitive and may have less pricing pressure,” they wrote. Despite Tesla’s status as the leading electric vehicle company in the U.S., with potential growth avenues in robotics, AI, and energy storage, the strategists have decided to reduce the position to make room for stocks with higher earnings viability such as Spotify (NYSE:SPOT). Earlier this week, the European Union announced that it would reduce planned tariffs on Tesla vehicles imported from China, lowering them from 20.8% to 9%. The EU is also cutting planned import duties for several other electric vehicle manufacturers. Related video: Tesla Profit Slumps as Musk Ties Fortunes to Robotaxis (Bloomberg) The most important take away from earnings and the earnings Loaded: 2.43% Play Current Time 0:00 / Duration 8:13 Quality Settings Captions Fullscreen Bloomberg Tesla Profit Slumps as Musk Ties Fortunes to Robotaxis Unmute 0 View on Watch These new tariffs will be in addition to the existing 10% duties already imposed by the EU on battery electric vehicle imports. In June, the EU indicated it would impose higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, arguing that these vehicles "heavily benefit from unfair subsidies" and present a "threat of economic injury" to European EV producers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 UBC study on break-even point for owning EVs If you're wondering whether the gas savings are worth the extra money you'd spend on an EV, a new UBC study has some answers for you. Rumina Daya reports. See less 161 142 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo32a Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 Your link didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 30 minutes ago, mo32a said: Your link didn't work. This should work.The more you drive your EV, the more you save, UBC study finds - Fernie BC News (thefreepress.ca) It found that based on a typical B.C. drive of 34 kilometres a day, over a seven-year period, owning the EV version would cost about $8,000 more. But driving more than a typical B.C. driver will narrow that gap. British Columbians would need to drive 64 kilometres daily over the same seven-year period to break even. It found that based on a typical B.C. drive of 34 kilometres a day, over a seven-year period, owning the EV version would cost about $8,000 more. But driving more than a typical B.C. driver will narrow that gap. British Columbians would need to drive 64 kilometres daily over the same seven-year period to break even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydee Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 (edited) https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/03/four-nigerian-teenage-girls-invent-urine-powered-generator/ Four Nigerian teenage girls have invented a generator powered which can use a litre of urine to produce six hours of electricity. Edited August 25 by Jaydee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 2 hours ago, Jaydee said: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/03/four-nigerian-teenage-girls-invent-urine-powered-generator/ Four Nigerian teenage girls have invented a generator powered which can use a litre of urine to produce six hours of electricity. seems like Fake News to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydee Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 (edited) 55 minutes ago, Malcolm said: seems like Fake News to me. Well it’s 2024 so I guess it’s possible but there’s a lot of coverage of it 10 pages of results on a Googlevsearch https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewdepaula/2012/11/08/teens-create-a-way-to-use-urine-as-fuel/ https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/african-girls-pee-powered-generator-raises-questions-flna1c6956099 Edited August 26 by Jaydee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 Tariffs - the gift of life for ICE vehicles in North America. Trudeau says Canada will slap big tariffs on Chinese EVs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 1 hour ago, Airband said: Tariffs - the gift of life for ICE vehicles in North America. Trudeau says Canada will slap big tariffs on Chinese EVs I rately agree with our current governemnt but If this protects Canadian Workers and the Canadian auto industry, I am all for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada, following the lead of the United States and European Union, said on Monday it would impose a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and also announced a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum from China. The duties apply to all EVs shipped from China, which would include those made by Tesla, a Canadian government official said. Shares of the most valuable global automaker fell 3%. Canadian imports of automobiles from China to its largest port, Vancouver, jumped 460% year over year in 2023, when Tesla started shipping Shanghai-made EVs to Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa was acting to counter what he called China's intentional, state-directed policy of over-capacity. "I think we all know that China is not playing by the same rules," he told reporters. The tariffs will be imposed starting Oct. 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo32a Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 Gee, right after the White House security advisor, Jake Sullivan, attended the Liberals Halifax retreat, the Liberals announce tariffs on Chinese EV's. Amazing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Tesla's Reign in Europe Ends as Gas-Powered Cars Make a Comeback Photo: Shutterstock© Provided by Dagens.com (CA) Tesla's dominance in the European auto market has taken a sharp turn in 2024. After celebrating a strong performance in 2023, where the Tesla Model Y became the best-selling car across the continent, the American electric vehicle (EV) giant now faces a significant decline in sales. Gas-powered Cars Surge Forward According to data from Jato Dynamics and Moto, the Model Y, which once topped the charts, dropped to 24th place in July 2024, marking a striking 16% decrease in consumer interest. While the Model Y remains Tesla's best-selling vehicle in Europe, the overall shift in the market is clear. Traditional gas-powered cars have surged back to the forefront. The Dacia Sandero led sales in July 2024, boasting a 34% increase. Following closely were the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Toyota Yaris Cross, the latter seeing a remarkable 47% jump in sales. Also read New Rules for Electric Cars Following Tragic Fire Cause Outrage in Seoul Overall Decline in EV-sales Tesla's struggles aren't limited to the overall market. In the EV segment, the company has been overtaken by BMW, which sold 14,869 electric vehicles in July, compared to Tesla's 14,561. BMW's iX1 and i4 models were particularly popular, contributing to a 35% increase in the Bavarian automaker's EV sales. Related video: EU Slashes Tariffs on Chinese-Made Tesla Electric Vehicles - TaiwanPlus News (TaiwanPlus News) The European Union has slashed its planned tariffs for Tesla's Loaded: 42.03% Play Current Time 0:01 / Duration 0:40 Quality Settings Captions Fullscreen TaiwanPlus News EU Slashes Tariffs on Chinese-Made Tesla Electric Vehicles - TaiwanPlus News Unmute 0 View on Watch Meanwhile, Volkswagen is closing in, with 12,213 battery-powered vehicles sold in July, led by the ID.4, which attracted 5,294 buyers. The broader picture for the EV market in Europe isn't much brighter. Despite selling 139,244 electric vehicles in July 2024, the market saw a 6% decline compared to the previous year. This downturn is attributed to several factors: a significant drop in the value of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the phasing out of subsidies and tax incentives in various countries, and a general slowdown in sales across key markets like Germany. Also read Electric Car Factory Forced to Shut Down After Four Worker Deaths Ford Hits the Brakes on Electric Dreams: Model Scrapped, Billions at Risk New Car Brand Wants $1.3 Billion from Italy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A federal agency plans to reassess its environmental permit for Hyundai's $7.6 billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia after a conservation group complained that regulators failed to properly examine the sprawling factory's potential impacts on the area's water supply. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a letter Friday that state and local economic development agencies that applied for the project's 2022 permit never mentioned Hyundai wanted to withdraw up to 6.6 million gallons (25 million liters) per day from the underground aquifer that's a major regional source of drinking water. Details of the plant's needs came out earlier this year as the Georgia Environmental Protection Division considered a proposal for four new wells to supply water to the auto factory. As a result, the Army Corps said it will revisit its finding that the project would have “negligible impacts." The Army Corps sent a similar letter to the Ogeechee Riverkeeper conservation group, which gave notice in June that it planned to sue if the agency refused to revisit the permit issued for the Hyundai project in October 2022. “The concentration of that pumping in one area is going to have some impacts locally, such as on domestic and agricultural wells,” said Ben Kirsch, the riverkeeper group's legal director. “The big question we've had throughout all this is what impact will it have on other resources resources — natural springs in the area, wetlands, tributaries and streams.” Related video: China's Car Market Sees New Energy Vehicles Surpass Traditional Sales as New Energy Vehicles... (Dailymotion) The Army Corps' decision comes as Hyundai pushes to start production before the end of the year at its 2,900-acre (1,170-hectare) plant in Bryan County west of Savannah. The site will produce EVs and the batteries that power them. The South Korean automaker plans to employee 8,000 workers at the plant, making it the largest economic development project Georgia has ever tackled. The Army Corps ordered no delays or disruptions to construction at the plant site as a result of its permit reassessment. “At this time the permit is still valid and we have not requested that the permittee stop work,” Cheri Dragos-Pritchard, a spokesperson for the Army Corps' Savannah District, said by email Monday. She said it wasn't known how long the additional review might take. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the automaker’s name for its Georgia factory, said in a statement Monday that it will assist as needed to ensure the Army Corps gets the information it needs. “Hyundai has worked tirelessly with the relevant authorities to ensure we are good neighbors to those in the region and that our operations do not negatively impact the community’s water resources,” the company’s statement said. The extra scrutiny by the federal government is “unlikely to impact or delay” a final decision by Georgia regulators on whether to permit wells for the Hyundai project, said Sara Lips, a spokesperson for the state Environmental Protection Division. The Army Corps permit obtained by state and local economic developers authorized the filling or dredging of 221 acres (89 hectares) of wetlands at the plant site just a few months after Hyundai announced plans to build its EV factory in May 2022. The Army Corps concluded then that the project would have “negligible impacts on municipal and private water supplies." Its Friday letter said the agency relied on information provided by economic developers. “We never purposefully withheld anything,” said Trip Tollison, president and CEO of the Savannah Area Economic Development Authority, one of the local agencies that worked with state officials to bring Hyundai to Georgia. Tollison said he expected the updated information requested by the Army Corps to be submitted within 10 days. The federal agency would typically complete its review within a month, he said, adding that he's confident the reevaluation won't hold up the project. “There’s enough water for everyone,” Tollison said. “We feel really good about where we are.” Georgia's environmental agency issued draft permits in July for the four wells to supply Hyundai. It's now evaluating public comments before reaching a final decision. The wells would be drilled in neighboring Bulloch County, where some farmers and rural residents have said they worry the auto plant will siphon water away from their crops and homes. State regulators concluded that water withdrawals by the Hyundai plant would lower water levels in the aquifer up to 19 feet (5.8 meters) for private wells within 5 miles (8 kilometers). They said most wells won't see any impacts because they reach deeper into the ground. The state agency has also said that nearby rivers and streams won't be affected because dense layers of rock seal off the aquifer from water at the surface. Kirsch with the Ogeechee Riverkeeper said he hopes a second look by the Army Corps will provide more details on how state regulators reached those conclusions. “We definitely want to see the Corps independently evaluate this," Kirsch said. “This should have been all considered before the wetlands were filled and buildings went up.” Russ Bynum, The Associated Press Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Kelly McParland: While the Liberals fixate on electric vehicles, people are buying hybrids When politicians make important financial decisions based on a movie they may have seen as kids, it shouldn’t come as a shock if the results prove to be sub-optimal. Field of Dreams was a hit 1989 film based on a 1982 novel about a 1919 baseball scandal. An Iowa farmer played by Kevin Costner repeatedly hears an ethereal voice advising him “If you build it, he will come.” So he constructs a ball diamond in a corn field and, sure enough, long-dead figures from a long-gone baseball team — including Ray Liotta as his dad — come wandering out of the fields for a game of pick-up. As far as I can tell, the justification for handing tens of billions of dollars to corporate auto behemoths to help them build battery plants for electric vehicles (EVs) has its roots in the same principle: no matter how uncertain the EV vehicle outlook may be, governments in Ottawa, Ontario and Quebec insist success is inevitable. If we build the plants, buyers will come. It hasn’t been working out that way. The initial dream of stylish, emissionless vehicles gliding silently through the countryside has run into growing public awareness there are potholes involved. Batteries are very heavy, and anything but cheap. There’s the whole issue of range uncertainty, the relative paucity of charging stations and the unreliability of those that exist, not to mention the fact vast sections of the planet lack the will, the capacity, the money or the intention of building the massive infrastructure required for the EV revolution. Sure 93 per cent of new cars sold in Norway, population 5.6 million, are electric; in India, population 1.5 billion, it’s two per cent. Norway boasts a US$1.7 trillion oil-fuelled wealth fund. India has an average annual income of US$1,314. The result is that EV sales are lagging, and the auto firms are rethinking strategies. Volkswagen was planning six new battery plants, but now says the schedule may be delayed. “There is for the time being no business rationale for deciding on further sites,” CEO Oliver Blume told Czech officials keen on being among the choices. A decision, said Blume, will be “based on market conditions, including the sluggish ramp up of the (EV) market in Europe.” Ford Motors is likewise curbing its enthusiasm for the all-EV future, putting off a $1.8 billion plan to transform its Oakville, Ont. facility into a “state of the art” hub for EV production, to be renamed the Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex. Instead it will retool the plant to pump out the F-Series Super Duty pickup, a traditional gas-guzzling emissions machine. Government thinking behind EV policies was straight from Field of Dreams, with a twist: automakers would be strongarmed into building them while drivers would be bribed into buying them. Regulations unveiled by Canada’s Liberals in 2023 were typical of the genre: sales of new gas-fuelled vehicles would effectively be blocked by 2035, while auto firms would be required to demonstrate a regular increase in the availability of EVs, whether demand justified it or not. Hard as they might try, there is only so much politicians can do to force their views on a skeptical population, and the EV crusade is a case in point. While sales of fully electric vehicles are lagging, hybrid vehicles are selling quickly. Former Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda predicted as much when he argued that the rush to toss aside a century of engine technology in favour of a still-developing replacement was getting ahead of itself, as much of the world just wasn’t ready. Toyota produced the first-ever mass-market hybrid car more than 25 years ago, yet Toyoda’s view was considered so out of line he felt the need to step aside in 2023 in favour of a less skeptical, more with-it successor. Turns out he was right, though. While EV sales tail off, hybrid demand is brisk . With both a gas engine and small electric motor, hybrids don’t carry the same concerns about range or recharging stations. They cost less, improve mileage and reduce emissions. U.S. hybrid sales increased 53 per cent in the U.S. in 2023 over the previous year, and another 50 per cent in the first months of this year. The Wall Street Journal reported that hybrids have been selling almost three times faster than EVs and twice as fast as traditional internal combustion versions. In making its Oakville announcement, Ford held out hope the revamp “paves the way to bring multi-energy technology to the next generation of Super Duty trucks.” But they were talking hybrids, not electric. Don’t expect that to make an impression on the politicians. Governments in Ontario, Ottawa and Quebec have dedicated so many billions, and so much verbiage, to their battery blueprints they’re not about to change their tune just because the market does. Fields big enough to hold numerous ballparks are already being cleared for the battery plants, walls are going up, hiring is underway. At least equally important is the amount of political capital at stake, with none of the three men behind the big subsidy cheques — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premiers Doug Ford and François Legault — popular enough that they can afford to lose much more of it. Ford and Trudeau recently visited an Ontario Goodyear plant to herald an expansion supported by $64 million in subsidies. EVs are good for the tire sales, as their added weight wears out tires faster than usual. The plant will produce specially-designed EV tires, no doubt with specially-designed prices to match. Until EV prices come down and something is done about the range and recharging situation, buyers are likely to continue choosing hybrids over full electrics. Perversely, western governments are doing their best to keep it that way. Trudeau announced on Monday that Canada will join the U.S. in imposing 100 per cent tariffs on imports of cheaper Chinese vehicles, ensuring buyers will be blocked from competitive pricing and ensuring the gap between EVs and hybrids will remain. One way or another, Canada is going to have a battery industry. The coffers are open to government handouts. If only they could talk Kevin Costner into helping gin up some sales. National Post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydee Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 (edited) Trudeau and Ford at it again with more taxpayers dollars for EVs This article originally appeared in the Western Standard. More good money is being thrown after bad, but that seems to be the theme of Trudeau’s government. On Monday Goodyear Tire announced a $575 million expansion of their Eastern Ontario manufacturing plant to produce electric vehicles, and to make their plant more energy efficient. And Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau were there for the photo opportunity. Why? Because — shocker — this move comes with serious money from taxpayers in Ontario and throughout Canada. Goodyear is set to receive up to $44.3 million from the federal government through the Strategic Innovation Fund and $20 million from Ontario through the provincial Invest Ontario. In case you’ve lost track of the money — your money — which has been thrown down this blackhole to date, here’s only some of the close to $46 billion that has been committed: Northvolt, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility, up to $1.34 billion Stellantis—LGES (NextStar), EV battery manufacturing facility — $5 billion Volkswagen (PowerCo), Federal ($700 million) and Ontario governments ($500 million) Ford EcoPro, $322 million Stellantis, Federal ($529 million) and Ontario government ($513 million) Umicore, Federal ($551.3 million) and Ontario government ($424.6 million) Ford Motor Company of Canada, $295 million from both the Federal and Ontario governments GM Ingersoll, $259 million from both the Federal and Ontario governments More taxpayer dollars for cars that no one wants to buy, and are only affordable with heavy government subsidies. In fact, last month Ford Canada announced that they would be abandoning their plans to retool their plant in Oakville, ON to focus on EV production. Instead, the plant will begin to produce their popular F-Series gasoline-powered heavy duty pickup truck. Ford plants in Ohio and Kentucky are at full capacity and can’t keep up with the demand for the F-Series, so they are shifting some of the load to Oakville. (Trudeau might learn a lesson here about supply and demand, which is what makes a healthy economy work.) Plant workers were no doubt relieved to hear this, as Ford had already delayed the date when the plant would begin producing EVs from 2025 to 2027, due no doubt to their multi-billion dollar annual losses on EVs. (They lost $4.7 billion on EVs in 2023 and they’re projected to lose nearly $5.5 billion this year.) Many workers had already been laid off, and many more layoffs were expected. But now they’ll be hard at work producing a reliable Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) pickup. This should come as no surprise. We need only look around the world for examples of dwindling EV sales. In Germany, EV sales fell by 37%. This slump is directly related to the premature ending of the purchase subsidies program. Budget issues forced Germany to end the program a year sooner than anticipated. In fact, whenever a country reports an increase in EV sales, be sure to look at the subsidies being offered. “In France, a social leasing scheme which helps to provide cheap EVs to low-income households helped see BEV sales increase by 14.9 per cent in the first half of 2024”. And in Italy EV incentives helped push EV sales “up by 7 per cent across the first six months of the year.” The lavish subsidy programs for EVs have created a false economy whereby they are only attractive and affordable with taxpayer handouts. Canada should expect the same slump in sales when our own subsidy programs come to an end. In fact, the only nation which shows no sign of slowing down on electric vehicles is China, where they’re pumping them out at breakneck speed. This is, of course, so that they can take advantage of the EV mandates which Canada and other nations have enacted. China’s EV manufacturers are able to undercut Western producers since they control the lion’s share of Lithium battery production. Their government also heavily subsidizes the industry. But chances are, once they control most of the EV market share, bankrupting smaller producers, they’ll jack up the price. And because of the mandates, drivers will either have to pay what they’re asking, or else invest in a horse and buggy. This has led to calls for the Trudeau government to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs, to prevent them from inundating the Canadian market to the detriment of Canada’s economy and Canadian workers. Trudeau and co have dragged their feet, likely because they don’t want to offend Chairman Xi. We certainly should impose those tariffs. But what would be even better for regular, everyday Canadian taxpayers — not that that ever seems to be top-of-mind for Trudeau or Doug Ford — would be to scrap the EV mandates altogether. Forcing Canadians to buy EVs by 2035 is a terrible policy that will make us poorer as individuals and poorer as a nation. And it will ultimately fail. Better to admit that now, while we still have some money we haven’t paid out by the truckload to green corporate grifters. Dan McTeague is President of Canadians for Affordable Energy. Edited August 29 by Jaydee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydee Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 Volvo gives up plan to sell only EVs by 2030 1 hour ago Share João da Silva Business reporter Getty Images The car maker blamed changing market conditions for its decision to give up a target it had announced only three years ago Car company Volvo has announced it has abandoned its target to produce only fully electric cars by 2030, saying it now expects it will also be selling some hybrid vehicles by that date. The car maker blamed changing market conditions for its decision to give up a target it had announced only three years ago. It comes as the industry faces a slowdown in demand in some major markets for electric vehicles (EVs) and uncertainty due to the imposition of trade tariffs on EVs made in China. Volvo, which has traditionally flaunted its environmental credentials, joins other major car makers General Motors and Ford, which have also rowed back on their EV ambitions. Volvo now expects at least 90% of its output to be made up of both electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2030. The Swedish company may also sell a small number of so-called mild hybrids, which are more conventional vehicles with limited electrical assistance. "We are resolute in our belief that our future is electric," said Jim Rowan, chief executive of Volvo, in a statement. "However, it is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds." The company also said the business climate for EVs had changed, due to factors such as a slow rollout of charging infrastructure and the withdrawal of consumer incentives. Volvo is majority-owned by Chinese car giant Geely and because it uses factories in China, it will also be affected by tariffs on imports of Chinese-made EVs in Europe and North America. International Business Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 Ontario man told his EV needs $33K battery. Software update fixes the problem 00:47 / 02:52 Pat Foran CTV News Toronto Consumer Alert Videojournalist Follow |Contact Updated Sept. 4, 2024 8:13 a.m. MDT Published Sept. 4, 2024 4:00 a.m. MDT Share Link X Reddit LinkedIn Email An Ontario man said he couldn't believe an electric car he bought three years ago for $20,000 would need a new battery at a cost of more than $33,000. "They called me to say I needed a new battery, but I actually felt sick, bewildered, perplexed that the battery could cost that much,” said Charles Jakl of East Garafraxa, near Orangeville. Download our app to get alerts on your device(opens in a new tab) Get the latest local updates right to your inbox(opens in a new tab) Jakl bought a 2018 Chevrolet Volt Hybrid three years ago and he said when the car was just over 161,000 km, which is just outside its warranty period, it stopped working. RELATED STORIES Less than half of Canadians say they will buy an electric vehicle as their next car: survey This is why an electric vehicle will cost you more in Ontario than other provinces Canada to announce all new cars must be zero emissions by 2035 “The car right now is a paperweight. It has been sitting at the dealership since December," said Jakl. After speaking with CTV News Toronto, we contacted General Motors Canada on his behalf and a spokesperson said the company was working with Jakl to resolve the issue. Jakl then contacted CTV News Toronto again to say GM decided to take another look at the car and found it was a software update issue and the car did not require a new battery, which was a relief for him. GM worked with Jakl to repair his car at no cost and his Chevy Volt is now back on the road. EVs require new set of skills for mechanics: expert As the automotive industry moves towards electric vehicles there is also a great need to have knowledgeable mechanics to work on them. Chris Muir is an automotive professor at Centennial College, the largest automotive school in Canada for training auto mechanics. Muir gave a refresher course to faculty at the college about some of the safety requirements needed when working on an electric car and said the college has been updating its curriculum to teach new mechanics about EV repairs. "There has probably been a bit of a drought of training for electric vehicles particularly in the aftermarket,” said Muir. “We have to train technicians that are used to working on mechanical repairs how to work on new electrical software-driven machines. It’s a challenge, but we offer the training for it.” Muir said EVs require a new set of skills for mechanics and those used to working on combustion engines without proper training could misdiagnose repairs, especially in the case of software updates. "If you miss a bulletin for a vehicle software update then there is a chance you could spend a customer's money unwisely on parts that didn't need to be replaced,” said Muir. Larger dealerships are more likely to have EV specialists on staff and there are also ongoing training courses offered by colleges and manufacturers to help train mechanics to work on EVs. RELATED IMAGES 1 / 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Seems that the major problem, other than cost (*1 electric bus costs as much as 3 conventional buses), is a slow release of funds from governments. Why doesn't Canada have more electric school buses? 3 years in, the federal zero emission transit fund hasn't done much to electrify school fleets Janyce McGregor · CBC News · Posted: Sep 06, 2024 2:00 AM MDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago Ottawa promised 5,000 electric school buses back in 2021. Where are they? 13 hours ago Duration2:03 Three years after the federal government promised to finance up to 5,000 zero-emission EV school buses across Canada, only a tiny handful are on the road — and mostly in Quebec. Social Sharing Facebook X Email Reddit LinkedIn For anyone who spent their childhood riding stinky, noisy school buses, it's a revelation to climb aboard one of the electric models coming off the assembly line at Lion Electric in Saint-Jérôme, Que., northwest of Montreal. "The only thing you hear is the wheels on the road," said founder and CEO Marc Bédard. Proponents believe kids who ride e-buses show up calmer and more focused for school. U.S. data linking test scores to diesel fumes backs them up. But so far, only about two per cent of Canadian school buses offer students this advantage. Bédard and his team are motivated to deliver technology that helps kids — not to mention the planet they're increasingly anxious about inheriting. But like many green entrepreneurs, he's faced challenges. Bédard lays one of his current problems at the feet of the federal government. "There's nothing worse than announcing a program and not deploying it," he said, adding he's frustrated by the slow pace of the federal approval process for the Zero Emission Transit Fund (ZETF). Lion Electric in Saint-Jérôme, Que. is the only Canadian school bus manufacturer that focuses exclusively on electric models. (Toni Choueiri/CBC) This $2.75-billion fund was one of then-infrastructure minister Catherine McKenna's final announcements before the 2021 election. Alongside the $1.67 billion available in loan financing from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, bus operators were supposed to be able to offset the high startup costs of transitioning to an electric fleet. E-school buses are cheaper to operate and can pay for themselves over the long run. But their initial price tag is double what diesel replacements cost. The short-term contracts of private service providers, which supply most of the bus service across Canada, don't always provide incentives for longer-term change without government subsidies. Federal delays contributed to layoffs: CEO Based on the government's objectives for this fund, Bédard budgeted for Lion — the only manufacturer that makes exclusively electric models — to deliver about 500 buses a year for the duration of the five-year program. In fact, his first order to be approved for federal financing took about two and a half years. Two hundred e-buses were finally greenlit in June for Langs Bus Lines in southwestern Ontario. This gap between what Lion had ramped up to deliver and the slower pace of federal approvals hit the company's finances hard. Bédard said he was forced to lay off 700 employees earlier this year. Local school bus company gets $44M boost to electrify fleet "We're behind. That's a shame," the CEO said, adding his employees would love to come back and help Canada catch up to school districts in the U.S. that have received more timely government support. "We have over 1,000 units in our order book. We have a lot of operators that want to electrify their fleet right now and today they are [still] waiting for an approval." Several dozen buses were rolling out when CBC News visited the Lion Electric facility. Some with white roofs and English lettering were destined for American school districts. Others with distinctive blue bumpers will soon carry Quebec students. Both federal and provincial politicians have visited Lion Electric's facilities several times, touting its batteries, trucks and buses to showcase government climate initiatives. Lion founder and CEO Marc Bédard says he was forced to lay off 700 employees earlier this year because sluggish federal funding approvals delayed orders for electric buses. (Toni Choueiri/CBC) Quebec Premier François Legault's government has done more to walk the walk than any other provincial jurisdiction. Quebec now has a mandate to replace school bus fleets only with locally-sourced electric buses from now on, and provincial rebates cover about half the cost of each new bus. The Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance — a coalition of environmental advocates pushing for an all-electric school fleet by 2040 — estimates that of the roughly 1,200 electric school buses taking Canadian kids to school this fall, about 1,000 are in Quebec. Canada's most common bus There are more school buses on Canadian roads than any other type. At current pricing, you can replace three diesel school buses for the cost of one emissions-free public transit bus — so focusing federal funding on school buses would deliver more emissions-cutting bang for the buck. School buses are also ideal for electrification. They have predictable local routes each day, and return to consistent parking locations off-hours for predictable and affordable re-charging. (Lion's batteries can also store and return power to the grid to help meet peak or emergency demand, especially in remote locations.) Nevertheless, only two per cent of the 51,000 vehicles in Canada's school bus fleet are electric at the moment. To reach the Alliance's objective of weaning that fleet off diesel by 2040, bus operators would have to procure more than 2,800 green vehicles per year. They're nowhere near that pace. And some operators are still buying new diesel buses because that's all they can afford. Based on current lifespans, those polluters will still be emitting on Canada's roads 15 years from now. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, accompanied on this 2020 tour of the electric bus assembly plant by MP Stephane Lauzon, left, and CEO Marc Bedard, has visited Lion Electric several times and championed its technology. The federal and Quebec governments helped finance the construction of its nearby battery facility in 2021. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) Prince Edward Island faced that dilemma this summer. That small provincial government administers its own student busing and was an early adopter of e-buses. There were growing pains. But P.E.I. applied for federal funding to buy 207 more e-buses to keep scaling up. That approval hasn't come. In the meantime, older diesel buses break down. Faced with not having enough vehicles, the province reversed gears and bought 30 diesel replacements while awaiting word on federal assistance. "I think if you look across Canada, you'll see all kinds of jurisdictions that are planning to switch to electric buses that are kind of in limbo while they wait for this funding," said Steven Myers, P.E.I.'s minister of environment, energy and climate action. Many needs, shrinking fund The Zero Emission Transit Fund wasn't set up exclusively to electrify school transportation. From its outset, federal officials said the money was intended to help purchase 5,000 public transit or school buses over five years. At the moment, the fund's swamped with applications from cities that can't afford to green their transit systems without help. The ZETF also took a haircut last year — trimmed to $2.4 billion as part of the government's push to cut spending across departments. Federal Infrastructure Minister Sean Fraser has said more school bus announcements are coming. But he's also hinted that school bus operators are competing with municipalities. So jurisdictional politics may be afoot, with federal and provincial governments passing this potato around. Lion Electric's buses are used by school districts across North America. At the moment, Canadian jurisdictions are behind the U.S. in replacing diesel fleets. (Toni Choueiri/CBC) "Keep in mind we traditionally don't, in federal politics, develop programs designed for provincial education systems, but more often have developed programs to respond to applications by municipalities to improve transit more broadly," the minister told CBC News during a conference in Ottawa for Ontario municipalities. "If you think about it, school buses are transit. They're public transit for our kids," said Miriam Ponette, a public policy researcher with Green Communities Canada, one of the coordinators of the Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance. P.E.I. government buying only diesel school buses this year, despite plan to phase them out Why some P.E.I. bus drivers are getting fed up with their new electric school buses Ponette said she questions whether the benefits of electrification are rolling out equitably, particularly given the fact that kids have very long rides on diesel buses — far longer than many adults sit on public transit. "Communities that ... have suffered already from environmental pollution should be prioritized and getting the cleaner buses," she said. "We have to be thinking about Indigenous communities and rural communities who may have different challenges in accessing funding. "Diesel fumes are a known carcinogen. Something that was very surprising to me is that there are more diesel fumes inside the bus than outside the bus. "Children have a lot of climate anxiety. By transitioning to electric school buses first, we're helping with kids mental health. They can see this important part of their lives as being part of the change." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydee Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Everyone is realizing that electric vehicles were a bad investment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 Ottawa promised 5,000 electric school buses back in 2021. Where are they? Three years after the federal government promised to finance up to 5,000 zero-emission EV school buses across Canada, only a tiny handful are on the road — and mostly in Quebec. See less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 $2 Billion Shortfall Forces Layoffs at Car Battery Factory Swedish electric car battery manufacturer Northvolt is facing a severe financial crisis, resulting in employee layoffs. The company announced the layoffs in a press release, citing a sudden cash shortage, largely due to BMW canceling a contract worth 2 billion US dollars for battery deliveries. The exact number of layoffs has not yet been made public. Northvolt previously stated that it employs around 3,000 workers at its Northvolt Ett Upstream 1 factory in Skellefteå, which will be partially shut down as part of the company’s restructuring efforts. Also read Tesla Wireless Charging System One Step Closer to Reality Northvolt management is currently in discussions with employee unions, promising to do everything possible to minimize layoffs, though acknowledging that some job cuts are unavoidable. In addition to layoffs, Northvolt is considering selling its factory in Gdansk, Poland, and seeking partners for projects in Canada and Germany. Plans for a new factory in Borlänge, Sweden, have also been scrapped. CEO Peter Carlsson confirmed the company will be taking "tough measures" to stabilize its financial situation. "We must take some tough measures to secure the basis for Northvolt's business, improve our financial stability, and strengthen our operational performance," Carlsson stated. $2 Billion Shortfall Forces Layoffs at Car Battery Factory (msn.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 New mail delivery vehicles are charging at a station at a post office on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Postal Service’s new delivery vehicles aren’t going to win a beauty contest. They're tall and ungainly. The windshields are vast. Their hoods resemble a duck bill. Their bumpers are enormous. U.S. Postal Service delivery driver Avis Stonum stands in the work lot of a postal facility on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press “You can tell that (the designers) didn’t have appearance in mind,” postal worker Avis Stonum said. Odd appearance aside, the first handful of Next Generation Delivery Vehicles that rolled onto postal routes in August in Athens, Georgia, are getting rave reviews from letter carriers accustomed to cantankerous older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breaking down — and even catching fire. Within a few years, the fleet will have expanded to 60,000, most of them electric models, serving as the Postal Service’s primary delivery truck from Maine to Hawaii. Once fully deployed, they'll represent one of the most visible signs of the agency's 10-year, $40 billion transformation led by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who's also renovating aging facilities, overhauling the processing and transportation network, and instituting other changes. The current postal vehicles — the Grumman Long Life Vehicle, dating to 1987 — have made good on their name, outlasting their projected 25-year lifespan. But they're well overdue for replacement. Noisy and fuel-inefficient (9 mpg), the Grummans are costly to maintain. They’re scalding hot in the summer, with only an old-school electric fan to circulate air. They have mirrors mounted on them that — when perfectly aligned — allow the driver to see around the vehicle, but the mirrors constantly get knocked out of alignment. Alarmingly, nearly 100 of the vehicles caught fire last year, imperiling carriers and mail alike. U.S. Postal Service delivery driver Richard Burton stands in the work lot of a postal facility on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press The new trucks are being built with comfort, safety and utility in mind by Oshkosh Defense in South Carolina. Even tall postal carriers can stand up without bonking their heads and walk from front to back to retrieve packages. For safety, the vehicles have airbags, 360-degree cameras, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors and anti-lock brakes — all of which are missing on the Grummans. Related video: New U.S. Postal Service vehicles debut in Georgia (The Associated Press) Loaded: 23.39% Play Current Time 0:01 / Duration 1:16 Quality Settings Captions Fullscreen The Associated Press New U.S. Postal Service vehicles debut in Georgia Unmute 0 View on Watch The new trucks also feature something common in most cars for more than six decades: air conditioning. And that's key for drivers in the Deep South, the desert Southwest and other areas with scorching summers. “I promise you, it felt like heaven blowing in my face,” Stonum said of her first experience working in an air-conditioned truck. Richard Burton, another driver, said he appreciates the larger payload area, which can accommodate bigger packages, and the fact that he doesn't have to crouch, helping him avoid back pain. The old trucks also had a habit of breaking down in traffic, he added. Brian Renfroe, president of the National Letter Carriers Association, said union members are enthusiastic about the new vehicles, just as they were when the Grummans marked a leap forward from the previous old-school Jeeps. He credited DeJoy with bringing a sense of urgency to get them into production. Mail delivery vehicles are seen at a post office on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press “We’re excited now to be at the point where they’re starting to hit the streets,” Renfroe said. The process got off to a rocky start. Environmentalists were outraged when DeJoy announced that 90% of the next-gen vehicles in the first order would be gas-powered. Lawsuits were filed demanding that the Postal Service further electrify its fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles to reduce tailpipe emissions. “Everybody went nuts,” DeJoy said. The problem, Dejoy said, wasn’t that he didn’t want electric vehicles. Rather, the expense of the vehicles, compounded by the costs of installing thousands of charging stations and upgrading electrical service, made them unaffordable at a time when the agency was reporting big operating deficits every quarter. He found a way to further boost the number of electric vehicles when he met with President Joe Biden’s top environmental adviser, John Podesta. That led to a deal in which the government provided $3 billion to the Postal Service, with part of it earmarked for electric charging stations. U.S. Postal Service delivery driver Avis Stonum maneuvers one the the newest fleet vehicles through the work lot of a postal facility on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press In December 2022, DeJoy announced that the Postal Service was buying 106,000 vehicles through 2028. That included 60,000 next-gen vehicles, 45,000 of them electric models, along with 21,000 other electric vehicles. He pledged to go all-electric for new purchases starting in 2026. “With the climate crisis at our doorsteps, electrifying the U.S. government’s largest fleet will deliver the progress we’ve been waiting for,” said Katherine García of the Sierra Club, which sued the Postal Service before its decision to boost the volume of electric vehicle purchases. Between the electric vehicles, reduced tailpipe emissions from optimized mail routes and other changes, the agency anticipates cutting carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, DeJoy said. The route revisions will also save money. Patrick Ecker, executive manager of fleet services for the U.S. Postal Service, stands in front of a new mail delivery truck on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)© The Associated Press This summer the Postal Service's environmental battles came full circle as the White House honored it with a Presidential Federal Sustainability Award, marking the end of “an interesting journey,” DeJoy said. The honor signifies the agency's ability to work through complex problems — be they operational, financial, technical, political or of a public policy nature, he said. “It comes from forging forward,” he said. “Keep moving.” ___ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Interesting if accurate. Charging Electric Cars Are Wasting More Power Than You Think (msn.com) Charging Electric Cars Are Wasting More Power Than You Think Photo: Shutterstock© Photo: Shutterstock Charging your electric car might be costing you more power—and money—than you realize. A surprising amount of electricity is lost during the charging process, and some models are much worse than others, according to a new study by the German automobile group ADAC. Testing over 90 electric cars currently on the market, ADAC found that, on average, 14.5% of the electricity used at charging stations never even makes it to the car’s batteries. That's energy—and cash—disappearing into thin air. Also read Some Electric Cars Shouldn’t Be Charged Above 25%, Says Researcher The worst offender? The Mini Cooper SE, which wasted a shocking 30.1% of its charge. The Volvo XC40 wasn’t far behind, losing about 20% during charging. Other notable energy guzzlers include the Dacia Spring, Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Leaf, MG 4, and Xpeng G9. Not all electric cars are culprits of massive power waste, though. Volkswagen ID. models fared much better, with energy losses hovering around just 8%. The best performer in the test was the Aiways U6 Prime, but with the company currently pausing production in China, getting your hands on one might be tough. So, what’s causing all this energy loss? It all comes down to the need to convert alternating current (AC) from the charging station into direct current (DC) to store in the car's batteries. That conversion process is where a big chunk of the power goes to waste. Related video: Crafting a High-Power Battery Car: Easy Steps (Make Toys) None, music. Loaded: 12.07% Play Current Time 0:03 / Duration 2:29 Quality Settings Captions Fullscreen Make Toys Crafting a High-Power Battery Car: Easy Steps Unmute 0 View on Watch ADAC suggests that electric car owners factor this hidden energy loss into their calculations when figuring out how far their car can truly go on a single charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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