Biweekly Digest Archive

Source: The Verge GM shot from third to first in terms of commitment to transportation electrification from automakers in the United States after revealing their new EV strategy last week. On March 4, 2020, the automaker pledged $20 billion to company-wide electrification through 2025 with 20 new EV models expected by the end of [...]

Source: EV Hub    Ride-hail trips are 70 percent more polluting than the rides they displace, according to new research from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Nationwide, the number of Transportation Network Company (TNC) vehicles has more than doubled since 2012. In the nine cities where Uber and Lyft ridership is highest, TNC rides [...]

Source: EV Hub   The business case for electrifying vehicle fleets is improving and major retailers are looking for independent analysis on transportation electrification. According to a 2017 report from the United States Department of Transportation, roughly 80 percent of freight is carried over distances less than 250 miles. These vehicles are primary candidates for electrification [...]

Source: EV Hub   Since the state's first approval in 2015, California has been the clear leader in utility investment for every year except in 2017 when the state accounted for only 13 percent of approved investment. As was the case then, utilities outside of California saw a surge in transportation electrification [...]

Source: EV Hub   After finishing the year strong with the third-highest quarterly sales ever, the U.S. EV market faces an uncertain path in 2020. Automakers seemed to diverge on approaches to emissions regulations and many fear a divided landscape where automakers must comply with different standards in various states. Despite uncertainty, new advertising efforts [...]

Source: New York Times   By Nick Nigro The passenger EV market has something for everyone right now and reading between the lines reveals that the market is on the verge of a turning point. The extent to which the United States leads or follows during this transition is up to policymakers in [...]

Source: EV Hub   The EV industry hit several roadblocks in 2019 and automakers continue to grapple with uncertainty around the future of emissions standards in 2020. Compared to 2018, U.S. passenger EV sales dropped almost nine percent in 2019, which exceeded the 1.6 percent decline for the entire passenger vehicle market. Excluding light truck sales, EV sales [...]

Source: Transport Topics   Correction: this version clarifies the mechanism proposed by TCI.   A flurry of activity from several EV market leaders in the early days of 2020 indicates that states are likely to continue to show leadership on the development of new EV policy as federal support wanes. In addition [...]

Source: EV Hub This spotlight is an excerpt from a complete data story linked in the graph above.  Engagement from electric utilities in transportation electrification is on the rise and approved investment now totals almost $1.4 billion, 80 percent of which has occurred in the last two years. The ratio of approved elements [...]

Source: Inside Climate News By Nick Nigro Climate change, software, and urbanization are the three primary drivers of change in mobility today and will continue to push on existing structures throughout the 2020s. Progress on transportation electrification is inextricably linked to each of these factors. To date, policymakers, especially those in Washington, [...]

The first mass-market plug-in electric vehicle hit U.S. streets in late 2010, about a year after I landed in DC. By the end of this year, millions will have been sold worldwide and nearly $350 billion will have been committed to electrify the transportation sector. Looking back, it’s evident that the rollout of [...]

Source: GM   The flood of new models expected in 2020 is going to require a surge in battery production. Anticipating potential supply crunches as battery demand rises, automakers are stepping up their investment in batteries with several looking to produce them domestically in the United States. GM, which has been under fire from labor groups [...]