A few weeks ago Northern California was rocked by huge power outages which PG&E hoped would prevent wildfires ignited by tree limbs falling on power lines. At the time weather conditions included heavy wind storms, drying out an already extremely dry landscape, raising the fire danger high enough to make…
I want the electric motorcycle industry to succeed if only because of the need to electrify every type of vehicle. My work has circled around the electric motorcycle industry for some time, and as a result I’ve met most of the movers in this industry. Having talked with Richard Hatfield,…
I appreciate that Rivian carries with it an appreciation for the wild areas, the natural world, and going out into the mountains to enjoy life. I appreciate that Rivian’s staff goes to these places, and has their own ah-hah moment that their work in developing an electric pickup truck could…
In China, Tesla built the Gigafactory 3 in 10 months, which may cause some in the USA to slam policies here about environmental reviews and the like. Be that as it may, the Tesla Model 3 is now manufactured in China, fulfilling a long-term goal of Tesla to have a…
Some of us want to take road trips with electric cars. Thanks to ever-more-powerful fast charging systems and ever-larger battery packs electric car road trips are increasingly possible. A year ago a friend in Romania informed me he would not consider an electric car until it could go 1200 kilometers…
On Monday, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota said they were intervening on the side of the Trump Administration in its fight with California over that states’ right to set its own emissions policy. Since the 1960’s California has set its own emissions policies, and has a specific allowance to…
What is California to do during it’s yearly fire season in October/November? The last ten years this state has seen an uptick in huge wildfires, with seemingly every year having the largest wildfire ever only to be superseded with the one the following year. Some of the wildfires have been…
Many people in California are irate about PG&E. In 2017, downed PG&E power lines contributed to a wildfire that destroyed parts of Santa Rosa California. In 2018, downed PG&E power lines ignited a wildfire that destroyed the city of Paradise. In 2019, PG&E developed a plan to avoid wildfires that…
The state of electric motorcycles were improved greatly during the years of active racing action. Ten and one half years ago the TTXGP kicked off the era of modern electric motorcycle racing with a one-lap race on the Isle of Man during TT Week 2009. That race garnered a bunch…
Today NY Senator Schumer proposed a bold plan to switch completely to clean vehicles, zero emission vehicles, like electric cars. As Schumer notes, “Scientists tell us that to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, the world needs to be carbon neutral — to have net-zero carbon dioxide emissions…
Bucharest, the Capitol of Romania, has passed a special tax, the Oxygen Vignette, aimed at cars not meeting the Euro 5 standard. Cars not meeting the Euro 3 standard will be completely banned from entering an area designated as Action Zone for Air Quality (ZACA) in the center of Bucharest,…
California’s 2019 fire season is all set to surpass 2018’s massive wildfire that destroyed Paradise CA. Almost every year for the last 10 years there’s been a new biggest wildfire of California’s history, only to be beaten by the one a year later. Last year the Camp Fire was ignited…
Each car maker has its own idea of applying electric technology to cars. This week the Tokyo Auto Show gives the Japanese car makers a chance to show their concepts, and while Lexus and Nissan show electric concept cars, Mitsubishi is sticking with its PHEV design despite having had one…
What if you have a hankering for a specific car, like the 1967 Mustang, but you want it to be electric rather than powered by the 287 cubic inch gasser engine Ford sold it with. There is a whole subculture of folks converting gas cars to electric, most of whom…
Anybody wanting a 200+ mile range electric car, and liking the utilitarian shape of the Kia Soul EV, and residing in the USA, is feeling disappointed today. Recently Kia made it clear that USA sales of the 2020 Kia eSoul, the revamped Soul EV with 243 mile electric driving range…
