Electric Vehicles
Here is some exciting news for those who are in the market for an electric SUV. The Audi e-tron All-Electric SUV is Set For Global Launch In September. The SUV, which is the first of three electric vehicles Audi will launch by the end of 2020, will have a range of around 245 miles and will be available via a reservation system similar to Tesla. In 2019 they will be available through a traditional dealership model.
A team of racers/hackers are quite proud of themselves after managing to unlock the Tesla Model 3 ‘Track Mode‘ and set a new record. Tesla installs the Stability Control and Traction Control systems to increase safety in the Model 3. Interestingly, the team accomplished the record with the RWD version of the car–not the Performance Edition or the AWD configuration.
Harley Davidson plans to expand its global efforts including electrification. The company’s first electric bike named ‘LiveWire’ will premier in August 2019 and they plan on rolling out as many as five more models by 2022.
Infrastructure
Hotels have the opportunity to grow their own profits and the EV movement by installing charging stations that enable their guests to drive electric. The article, Hotels Race To Fill Growing Demand For Electric Car Chargers, lays out considerations for hotel managers and explains the intersection between them and the growing electric vehicle industry.
Panasonic is ramping up their battery cell production at the Tesla/Panasonic Gigafactory in Nevada to more than 30% by the end of 2018. This is to ensure that Panasonic has enough capacity to support Tesla’s demonstrated rate of 5,000 Model 3s per week.
Policy
The Trump administration released a proposal to weaken fuel economy and emissions standards this week. Sighting ‘safety’ the 978-page proposal outlines federal guidelines to freeze emissions standards at 2020 levels. Additionally, it seeks to strip California’s and 13 other states’ ability to adopt and enforce stricter pollution standards. From a related article from the Union of Concerned Scientists entitled, New EPA Administrator, Same Bad Idea-Car Standard Rollbacks Would be Awful, “this will cost consumers hundreds of billions of dollars—in 2040 alone, consumers will spend an additional $55 billion at the pump if these standards are rolled back.”
Some good news can be found in the article Duke Energy Building 74.9 MW Solar Plant In Northern Florida, that outlines Duke Energy Florida’s plan to include more renewable energy and electric vehicle infrastructure. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s executive director Dr. Stephen A. Smith said, “We applaud Duke Energy Florida for proactively working with stakeholders to embrace smart, 21st-century technologies that are good for consumers and the environment. Pursuit of large-scale solar, electric vehicles and battery storage are positive steps for our energy grid and the Sunshine State. We welcome Duke Energy’s willingness to work with stakeholders on data collection and any rate design changes impacting customer-owned, demand-side solar.”