[Caevlist] Fwd: Will hybrids’ allure sidetrack automakers?

[Kirk Rensmeyer]

Hybrids still sell. My 2005 Prius is still  putting along!
        Kirk Rensmeyer

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Energy News Weekly <info at energynews.us>
Date: Wed, Jun 5, 2024 at 7:31 AM
Subject: Will hybrids’ allure sidetrack automakers?
To: <krensmey at gmail.com>


Plus: The world has enough fossil fuel projects

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👋 Hello and welcome to Energy News Weekly!

After a few weeks in Scandinavia, I've got electric vehicles on the brain.
But back here in the U.S., one big automaker is questioning whether hybrids
are a stepping stone on the way to zero-emission vehicles — or something
more permanent.
[image: The first picture I took on vacation was of these curbside EV
chargers in Copenhagen, which I guess says something about me.]

The first picture I took on vacation was of these curbside EV chargers in
Copenhagen, which I guess says something about me.

With a lot of the country still lacking high-speed charging stations
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=f4dcbb066e&e=01abf3ea3a>
,* range anxiety can be a real concern* for rural Americans. And if you
don’t have a driveway or accessible place to plug in, charging at home
isn’t easy either.

The Biden administration is working on the first part of that dilemma,
including with a new round of funding
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=dd4539c005&e=01abf3ea3a>
to build EV chargers announced last week. In the meantime, many automakers
and experts see plug-in hybrids that combine a taste of electric driving
with a combustion engine as a *stepping stone to fully electric cars. *

Consumers seem to agree: U.S. hybrid sales *shot up 45%
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=732b40336b&e=01abf3ea3a>
in the first quarter of this year*, while EV sales slowed a tad, according
to MotorIntelligence.com. But at a conference last week, Ford CEO Jim
Farley suggested those surging sales are changing his long-term view of
hybrids, Reuters reports
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=6cb65e4b56&e=01abf3ea3a>
.

“We should stop talking about it as transitional technology,” Farley said
of hybrids. “Many of our hybrids in the U.S. are now more profitable than
their non-hybrid equivalent.”

But there’s a big problem with sticking with hybrids for too long, as
General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra noted at the same conference. “*It’s not the
end game *because it’s not zero emission,” Barra said, doubling down on her
company’s promise to fully transition to EVs.

On average, gas cars emit more than 350 grams of carbon per mile driven
over their lifetime, while hybrids emit around 260 grams per mile, MIT
researchers have found
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=7e29730e93&e=01abf3ea3a>.
EVs are meanwhile responsible for about 200 grams per mile, when you take
into account the emissions tied to building a car and producing the
electricity they run on.

And even better? *Swapping out as much driving as possible *for walking,
public and public transit.

*Are you hesitant to drive a fully electric car, but open to a hybrid (or
already have one)? Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email.*

— *Kathryn Krawczyk*

*More clean energy news*

*🏭 We’re good on fossil fuels:* The world already has enough planned
fossil fuel projects
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=9ecff461ea&e=01abf3ea3a>
in the pipeline to cover predicted energy demand through 2050, a study
finds, suggesting countries should halt new permits. *(The Guardian)*

*🚌 Jumpstarting electric school buses:* The Biden administration announces
nearly $900 million
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=fd35762316&e=01abf3ea3a>
for 500 school districts across the country to buy clean buses, most of
them electric, in the latest round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
funding. *(Canary Media)*

*💰 Investing in green: *Clean energy and transportation investments totaled
a record high of $71 billion
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=b107c9de50&e=01abf3ea3a>
in the first quarter of the year.* (Utility Dive)*

*🚧 Clean innovation’s holdup:* The CEO of the nation’s largest residential
solar company discusses how the company is trying to innovate in a sector
held back by the utility industry’s “slow and no” culture
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=9f3be0428d&e=01abf3ea3a>.
*(Energy News Network)*

*💨 No excuses on methane cuts:* A study of U.S. EPA data finds reported
methane emissions from U.S. gas extraction dropped 37% between 2015 and 2022
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=47de216c7c&e=01abf3ea3a>
even as production surged, suggesting the industry can curb leaks without
limiting production.* (Canary Media)*

*🚗 Problematic EV origins:* U.S. environmental justice advocates turn
their attention to the Congo
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=045ca9be82&e=01abf3ea3a>,
where the industry mining cobalt essential to electric vehicle batteries is
ripe with worker exploitation.* (Capital B)*

*🌡️ Heating up*: An analysis of death certificates finds that 2023 was a
record year for heat-related deaths and illnesses
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=414c68ceca&e=01abf3ea3a>,
especially in Arizona, Texas and other southern states. *(Associated Press)*

*🏠 Hey, I’m weatherizin’ here: *New York launches the country’s first
energy rebate program supported by federal Inflation Reduction Act funds
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=3022833b74&e=01abf3ea3a>,
which will help low-to-moderate-income homeowners
<https://midwestenergynews.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae5d3a0c6088cad29d71bf0d0&id=aa5123430b&e=01abf3ea3a>
make energy efficient upgrades.* (Utility Dive, Gothamist)*

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