It’s hard to know where to start given the outcome of the election. That said, I think I’m just going to stay on message and report environmental news and my perspectives in this regard. While not unusual or surprising, climate change and the environment did not rise up to the top of issues that drove the decision of who to vote for. Given the outcome not just for President but also the Senate and probably the House, the United States is going to become the only country in the world to deny climate science and in fact actually try to dismember anything positive that has been done to combat the rise in warming causing emissions that has been accomplished so far.
While it’s hard to imagine any new and positive action regarding combating climate change coming from our federal government under the Trump Administration, there are many other reasons to have faith that we will continue to move in the right direction in many ways. Many states like us here in Illinois will continue to pass environmental laws and implement them as we did in 2021 with the Clean Energy and Jobs Act (CEJA), the strongest state level climate bill ever. So progress at the State level will continue around the country.
Furthermore, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) won’t be touched and continue to incentivize clean energy development. Why you may ask?? Well, somewhere between 75% and 80% of the money is being spent in RED congressional districts bringing jobs and economic development to their residents. The local congress person sure isn’t going to want to give up or pass up this development and you can bet that despite voting against the bill, they are going to brag about all the benefits they obtained for their district. In addition, renewable energy is now in most cases, the least expensive form of new energy production for which demand will continue to grow and drive the marketplace.
When it comes to the electrification of the transportation industry again, not to worry. Especially when it comes to cars and light duty trucks. While government support may dissipate some I can only imagine that the manufacturers will be lobbying hard for them not to stop. The reason being that overseas the move to EVs is not only going on unabated, but continuing to accelerate. Especially in China. If the US manufacturers stop doing R&D and developing new and better products they will get annihilated from foreign competitors. The first article bellow is about the new Mercedes that is coming out with new battery technology and configuration giving a range of about 460 miles. Yes there are still hurdles to get over in EV adoption. And yes, the Federal Government will not be as supportive as it could be. But as I continue to report upon, the hurdles continue to be overcome step by step.
As for “drill baby drill”? We’re already the largest oil producing country in the world and there’s only so much demand. Another of the articles in today’s publication is about the International Energy Agency’s projection for when the world will reach peak oil demand and it’s WAY sooner than you might imagine.
So let’s get on to the news.
From Motor Trend
Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Beats a Porsche Record With Unique Charging Strategy
November 6, 2024
Depending on powertrain, the production CLA sedan will have a range of more than 466 miles, traveling 5.2 miles for every kilowatt hour of energy its powertrain consumes.
The 2026 CLA sedan is an important car for Mercedes-Benz, the first of the company’s second generation EVs, and a car that will debut an all-new platform architecture called MMA.
Charging to 55 percent or 60 percent meant each stop took a total of just 10 minutes
From Bloomberg Hyperdrive
Price Parity Has Arrived
June 7, 2024
The auto industry has entered a fiercely competitive phase in the electric vehicle transition, and it’s producing an intriguing result for US car buyers: the first long-range EVs that are cheaper to buy than the average gas-powered car.
At least three manufacturers — Tesla, Hyundai-Kia and General Motors — now offer EVs with more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) of range for less than the cost of the average new vehicle sold in the US, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Green. The most affordable is Hyundai’s 2024 Ioniq 6, which comes with 361 miles of range and a price tag that’s 25% below the national average of roughly $47,000.
From Bloomberg Hyperdrive
China’s Batteries Are Now Cheap Enough to Power Huge Shifts
July 9, 2024
We no longer need to model for when cell prices drop far enough to decarbonize road transport. That day is here.
Over the last year, the price for lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, battery cells in China has dropped 51% to an average of $53 per kilowatt-hour. The average global price of these batteries last year was $95/kWh.
From E&E Energy Wire
World Set for Cheaper Energy on Shift from Oil and Gas, IEA says
10/17/2024
“Bar major geopolitical conflicts, we will be entering a period where prices will see significant downward pressures,” the International Energy Agency predicted.
“In energy history, we’ve witnessed the Age of Coal and the Age of Oil — and we’re now moving at speed into the Age of Electricity,” said Birol.
Global demand for all fossil fuels will stop growing this decade
From Reuters
IEA Expects Global Clean Energy Investment to Hit $2 Trillion in 2024
June 6, 2024
Global investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure is set to hit $2 trillion this year, twice the amount going into fossil fuels, an International Energy Agency report showed.
“The rise in clean energy spending is underpinned by strong economics, continued cost reductions and by considerations of energy security,”
While progress will be made on converting the world’s economy from power from fossil fuels to electricity, we continue to emit CO2 and methane. And while emissions are getting to the point of plateauing or even dropping in some places, we are still nevertheless adding more. And the climate continues to get more and more volatile and a danger to civilization and our way of life. More on the consequences later but for now, just know this…
From E&E News
World on Track for Catastrophic 3 C Warming, UN Warns
10/24/2024
Current plans and policies will lead to global temperatures rising between 2.6 C and 3.1 C this century, a new report finds.
Current plans and policies will lead to 2.6 to 3.1 degrees Celsius of global warming this century, with zero chance of limiting the temperature increase to the totemic 1.5 C target
The severity and frequency of dangerous heat waves, destructive storms and other disasters rise with every fraction of warming. At 3 C, scientists say the world could pass several points of no return that would dramatically alter the planet’s climate and increase sea levels, such as the collapse of polar ice caps.
the best-case scenario of 2.6 C, however, represents “catastrophic” warming with “debilitating impacts to people, planet and economies,” the U.N. warns.
