EV MUSINGS NEWSLETTER 118
Accelerating Power at Sea for a Thriving Blue Economy, Electric Car Battery Prices Are Going Back Down Faster Than Expected, and EV New Car Registrations Surpass Diesel in Europe.
Intro:
If you want the additional articles, commentary, and goodies that are behind the paywall then click the link to upgrade to becoming a paid member. You can even get 7 days for free!
Let's get into it.
This week's podcast(s)
In Episode 194 Gary takes a deep dive into the state of van electrification for fleets and small businesses with special guest Paul Kirby 'The Van Man'
In Episode 195 Gary looks at one of those companies that works behind the scenes to actually get chargers in the ground. Vital EV. We talk to the head of Business Development, Dean Hedger.
Top 5 EV or Renewable Stories
Accelerating Power at Sea for a Thriving Blue Economy
Although there are challenges associated with tidal and wave energy - salt water is notoriously unforgiving on submerged machinery - the potential of using these natural sources is very high. They provide a reliable, despatchable energy source that gives the sort of resilience that wind and solar often lack.
Electric Car Battery Prices Are Going Back Down Faster Than Expected
New data indicate that the price of EV batteries is dropping back down to the sort of levels they were last year. The prices rose due to supply constraints and general inflation but the consensus seems to be that they will break below the £100/kWh mark pretty shortly.
GM Drops Major Electrification Interim-Target
I can't help but think that economic reasons for belt-tightening could equally be applied to ICE production rather than EVs. To me, this is another indication that some of the big OEMs are not really serious about the transition to EVs
In a First, EV New Car Registrations Surpass Diesel in Europe
In a promising sign for electric vehicles everywhere, new EV car registrations in Europe surpassed diesel registrations for the first time.
It's not all great news, however, petrol-powered vehicles still account for a third of the market and hybrids are slightly behind that.
Skoda Will Offer Six All-Electric Models by 2026
From being a VW subsidiary that only had one model (The Enyaq, based in the ID MEB platform) Skoda has big designs in the EV world.
By 2026 they intend to have 6 fully electric models including a “Small” entry-level electric SUV, a “Compact”, which will officially be called Elroq, a “Combi” estate model and a “Space”, the production version of the Vision 7S concept
A Cool Thing
From Episode 194
Berlin’s underground car parks are producing so much heat they could power thousands of homes with clean geothermal electricity, according to a new study.
The heat given off by car engines makes the city’s car parks hotter than the surrounding earth, which in turn raises the temperature of the groundwater.
Obviously, this isn’t great. But in the spirit of ‘If life gives you lemons make lemonade’ the city is using heat pumps to extract the energy and use it to heat homes. In Berlin alone, enough energy is transferred to the groundwater to supply 14,660 households with heat, based on modelling from over 5,000 underground car parks.
In an ideal future when the majority of vehicles on the road are electric this will not be as applicable. But in the interim, this is an excellent example of using waste heat to reduce bills and provide energy.
From Episode 195
Honda has just released the motocompacto which is an e-bike with a difference.
It’s a suitcase.
Well actually it’s not a suitcase but it looks like a slim white suitcase with wheels, a seat, and a set of handlebars.
It’ll do 15 mph has a 12-mile range and costs little under a $1000. For short-distance trips over fairly smooth surfaces, it’s reasonably practical.
For anything else, it’s completely impractical but very cool-looking
Final Thoughts
Tell Your Friends!
Newsletters are best enjoyed when shared with friends. If you enjoyed reading this issue and found it useful, please consider telling your friends.
It takes you a few seconds to share this, but it takes me hours to curate it.
Share this email or tweet about us. It helps me a lot!
The Mystery Box
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to EV Musings Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.