#ev

[ralfmaximus]

Tesla is tanking so hard it is dragging the entire EV segment's sales down into the negative. When you omit Tesla from the equation, EV sales are up 13% across the board.

Don't let anyone tell you EV sales are in a slump.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Citroën Ami Buggy Palmeira, 2025. The "flagship" model in the revised electric quadricycle range has metal tubbing instead of doors and a roll-back sunroof.

[political-us]

Tesla stock continues to plummet this month (2/27/25)

[reasonsforhope]

"In Zimbabwe, an Africa-born mobility startup is providing women with the catalyst they need to drive change in their community and society.

Called the Hamba, this durable electric tricycle is mobilizing a generation of working women and mothers, allowing them to perform arduous tasks with relative ease and comfort.

Manufactured in Africa and managed by the startup Mobility for Africa (MFA), a leasing program for women allowed one or several locals to lease a Hamba for $15 a month. This pilot program was a huge success, and now these electric tricycles are available to buy, on a lease-to-purchase agreement, and to rent—all on an ad-hoc basis.

It allows women to fetch water and firewood, take family members to medical facilities, or bring and buy produce at local markets, saving sometimes dozens of miles of walking each day.

“In the past transporting our produce to the market was a nightmare we would wake up at 3 am and travel a very long distance using an ox-drawn cart but now it is much easier we can reach the market on time,” a 34-year-old tomato farmer and mother of six, Hilda Takadini, told Africa News.

92% of female customers participating in the company’s pilot program noted an improvement in how safe they feel whilst traveling since they started using the Hamba compared with walking, and some have offered their services as couriers and drivers to other community members, sparking the spirit of entrepreneurialism.

Among the women whose stories were changed by the appearance of the Hamba was Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe who was excluded from economic life.

Now, she’s the major bread winner in her house, and Takadini relies on her to bring tomatoes to market before they spoil.

“Even my husband and in-laws have more respect for me now. No one used to listen to me, but now I have a seat when important decisions are being made,” the mother of three told Africa News.

70% of the Hambas are reserved for women, and 300 are estimated to currently own or rent one. The solar-powered trikes have just one moving part in the motor, making them easy to maintain and fix. Batteries can be exchanged when depleted at a cost of $5.00 at one of Infraco Africa’s solar power stations, a partner with MFA on the initiative.

Each Hamba can carry 1,000 pounds or so of cargo, and have a top speed of 37 mph (you couldn’t go much faster on a rural Zimbabwe road anyway)."

-Article via Good News Network, April 9, 2025. Video via Africa News, March 22, 2025.

[humanoidhistory]

GM's 512-series experimental cars, 1969.

[mensfactory]

Testarossa EV concept – a Ferrari that paves the way forward for future EVs.

Designer: Ki hyeon Kim

[photographss-world]

Başının içindeki düşünceler tıpkı şu gökyüzündeki seyrek bulutlar gibi daimi bir hareket halinde, şekilsiz ve elle tutulamayacak kadar dağınıktı...

Sabahattin Ali...

[ebva]

[hope-for-the-planet]

"Despite significant uncertainties, electric cars’ market share is on course to exceed 40% by 2030 as they become increasingly affordable in more markets, new IEA report shows."

From something that was very unusual to see on the road not all that long ago, EVs are becoming a very popular alternative to internal combustion cars--enough so that even people who don't care about the environmental benefits are jumping on the EV train.

EVs require less maintenance, are cheaper to operate, and data on high mileage EVs implies that they will last significantly longer than internal combustion vehicles. All these factors make them very appealing as commercial fleet vehicles as well as private cars.

They're also getting significantly cheaper, even without government incentives. Since EV technology is advancing so quickly, used EVs lose their value more quickly than traditional cars and can be a fantastic bargain.

On the environmental side, switching from an internal combustion car to an EV actually becomes more and more environmentally beneficial as we switch more of our power generation to renewables. We're also rapidly learning how to make EV batteries that last longer and can be constructed with less environmentally impactful materials.

[unbfacts]

[thedialoguedilemma]

BREAKING— China and the European Union are in talks to abolish EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles further allowing Chinese electric vehicles to enter the market in Europe if a deal is reached.

This would be a huge blow to Tesla sales in Europe as well as US based car companies that have electric vehicle fleets.

[ai-dream]

Good night.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

30 years ago the future looked like this Daewoo DACC-II Concept, 1995, by I.DE.A Institute. The Korean car maker commissioned the Italian design and engineering firm to produce a concept for a city car for the 21st century. Though the “Daewoo Advanced Concept Car” lacked an engine the suggestion was it would be electrically powered. Alas the Daewoo Group didn't make it into the 21st century

[reasonsforhope]

"Sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage are moving toward the mainstream. Wider use of these batteries could lead to lower costs, less fire risk and less need for lithium, cobalt and nickel.

On Nov. 18, CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, announced its second-generation sodium-ion battery, mass production of which would begin in 2027. The China-based company said the new battery has an energy density of 200 watt-hours per kilogram, which is an increase from 160 watt-hours per kilogram for the previous generation that launched in 2021. Higher energy density in an EV battery translates into more driving range.

On Nov. 21, a consortium of seven U.S. national laboratories announced a new initiative in which they would spend $50 million to foster collaboration to accelerate the development of sodium-ion batteries. The partnership is led by Argonne National Laboratory in the Chicago area.

The two announcements are part of a larger shift as governments, researchers and companies look for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, the dominant technology for EVs and energy storage.

For now, there are no passenger cars or trucks sold in the United States that use sodium-ion batteries. Some sodium-ion models are available in China and countries that import vehicles from China. 

“The reason we’re pursuing this is very simple,” said Venkat Srinivasan, a battery scientist at Argonne and the director of the new collaboration. “It’s because the huge demand in lithium-ion batteries has meant that we have a supply-chain constraint.

“We have a problem with cobalt. We have a problem with nickel,” he said, naming two of the metals often used in lithium-ion batteries.

Cobalt, nickel and lithium carry a variety of concerns, including the environmental damage of mining. [Note: Which is massive, and so are the human rights issues associated with lithium mining, which involves horrible conditions and is exacerbating conflict and civil wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo.] ...

In contrast, a sodium-ion battery relies on an element—sodium—that you can find in table salt and ocean water...

Also, a sodium-ion battery has much lower risk of fire. When lithium-ion batteries sustain damage, it can lead to “thermal runaway,” which triggers a dangerous and toxic fire.

The process of manufacturing sodium-ion batteries is similar to that of lithium-ion batteries, or at least similar enough that companies can shift existing assembly lines without having to spend heavily on retooling.

But sodium-ion batteries have some disadvantages. The big one is low energy density compared to lithium-ion. As a result, an EV running on a sodium-ion battery will go fewer miles per charge than a lithium-ion battery of the same size...

The national labs’ initiative has a five-year timeline, with a goal of developing sodium-ion batteries with energy densities that match or exceed those of today’s iron phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries. Researchers would do this by finding various efficiencies in design and materials.

The project is happening alongside the labs’ ongoing work to develop and improve other kinds of batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries dominate today’s market...

However, sodium-ion battery production is growing, and is projected to reach 140 gigawatt-hours by 2030, about 13 times its current level, according to Benchmark. Lithium-ion production also is projected to nearly triple by 2030.

“The key market driver for sodium-ion batteries is their potential to be cost competitive with lithium-ion batteries,” said Catherine Peake, an analyst for Benchmark...

Most of the push by battery companies to build sodium-ion systems is happening in China, but some of it is happening in other markets, including a plan by California-based Natron Energy to open its first large plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Natron made its announcement about the $1.4 billion project in August and has not given a timeline for when the plant would be online.

Meanwhile, researchers and companies continue working on other battery technologies.

I asked Srinivasan how sodium-ion batteries fit into this larger picture. He said sodium-ion will likely gain market share over the next few years as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Near the end of the decade, solid-state batteries will begin to become available, which would allow for higher energy densities and longer driving ranges. Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid or gel. The electrolyte is the substance through which ions move as they go from side to side during charging and discharging.

The technologies can coexist in the market, Srinivasan said.

He thinks solid-state batteries will initially be most common in high-end models and popular with people who want the longest possible ranges.

He expects that sodium-ion batteries will be more common in low-cost EVs for people who live in cities or suburbs and don’t place a high premium on driving range.

“It will not be a fringe player,” he said, about sodium-ion. “It will actually be a fast-growing segment.”"

-via Inside Climate News, December 6, 2024

[efverse]

im having sm fun doing little efverse pokesquares...