Opinion:
¶ “Was Toyota Right To Prioritize Hybrids Over Full Electric Cars?” • Paul Fosse: When I heard Toyota decided to prioritize hybrids over full EVs, I was skeptical. But after digging into the data and studying how this strategy plays out in different markets – China, Europe, emerging markets, and the US – I realized the answer isn’t black-and-white. [CleanTechnica]
Toyota charging (Toyota image)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Bi-Directional Charging News From Kia And Mercedes ” • Wallbox began US pre-sales of its Quasar 2 bi-directional charger for the Kia EV9, which will enable customers to use the electric SUV for energy storage. The vehicle to home service will initially be available in California, Washington, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, and Illinois. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Flood And Drought Risk Increasing In Cities” • The world’s 100 most populated cities are becoming increasingly exposed to both flooding and drought, according to new research. Charity WaterAid worked on a study with the University of Bristol and Cardiff University and found 17% of the cities studied were at risk from “climate whiplash.” [BBC]
Flood (Don Lodge, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “City Hopes To Become ‘Pollinator Capital'” • Avon Wildlife Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society are working with people in Bristol and Bath to create a 43 mile (70km) “bee-line” for the Pollinator Pathways Project. Shelly Easton of the Avon Wildlife Trust said: “The focus this time is on hoverflies because they’re vital for food security.” [BBC]
¶ “Premiere Of New Toyota C-HR+, bZ4X, And Lexus RZ In Europe” • Toyota Motor Corporation announced that it will be expanding its battery EV lineup in Europe as part of its multi-pathway approach to achieving a carbon-neutral society. Toyota is committed to product and region-centered management with the aim of making ever-better cars. [CleanTechnica]
Toyota bZ4X – European specifications (Toyota image)
¶ “Solar Farms Can Host Up To Three Times As Many Birds As Crop Fields” • Building solar farms should be done carefully to avoid exacerbating a reduction in biodiversity. We found that solar farms in East Anglia that were managed for biodiversity had more bird species, and more birds overall, than surrounding cropland. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “BayWa RE Seeks Consent For 500-MW BESS” • BayWa’s renewable energy arm is seeking consent for a 500-MW battery energy storage system in Scotland, the largest in its portfolio. The Glasgow-based renewable energy company submitted an application to the Scottish government for the Redshaw BESS project in South Lanarkshire. [reNews]
Battery storage (BayWa image)
¶ “Europe Seeks To Avoid Russian Energy If Sanctions Eased, Ministers And Execs Say” • European buyers are unlikely to return to Russia’s energy sector if sanctions are lifted, as the bloc has diversified its power mix with both renewable energy and alternative gas suppliers, ministers and executives said at a conference in Houston. [Yahoo News UK]
¶ “Chinese PV Industry Brief: Huaneng, TBEA Have Announced GW-Scale Renewables Clusters” • TBEA has announced plans to invest in a 1-GW solar power plant and a 2-GW wind power project, both with energy storage. And China Huaneng signed a framework agreement for a 2.7-GW renewable project in Inner Mongolia. [pv magazine International]
Wind turbines on a hill (Ludovico Ceroseis, Unsplash)
¶ “‘Nervous And Rushed’: Massive Fukushima Plant Cleanup Workers Exposed To Radiation And Stress” • Radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have dropped a lot since the cataclysmic meltdown fourteen years ago. Some workers walk around in wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes. It’s a different story for other workers. [The Japan News]
US:
¶ “Trump Or No Trump, EV Charging Is Getting Easier Than Ever” • The occupant of the White House is determined to take down the entire US auto industry, EVs and all. Presidents come and go, and this one will be gone four years hence. Meanwhile, EV charging stakeholders continue to lay the groundwork for the electrified future of the US. [CleanTechnica]
EV charger (Courtesy of Xcharge North America)
¶ “Tesla Cybertruck Hitch Tested To Failure: It Could Be A Problem For Heavier Trailers” • Last year, extreme torture tests by WhistlinDiesel got a lot of attention. When put through testing far beyond real-world conditions, the Cybertruck came to fail spectacularly. Then came stories of people hauling trailers and seeing similar failures. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Installed Record 50 GW Of Solar In 2024” • Figures shot the US installed 50 GW of new solar capacity in 2024. It is the largest single year of new capacity added by any technology in over two decades. Solar and storage account for 84% of all new capacity added to the US grid last year, according to the US Solar Market Insight 2024 Year in Review report. [reNews]
Solar array (SunPower image)
¶ “The US Solar Industry Is Setting Records, But The Dark Clouds Of Doom Are Gathering” • The US solar industry had another record setting year in 2024, according to data compiled by the Solar Energy Industries Association. All else being equal, the boom times will continue. Of course, with President Trump and Elon Musk nothing is certain. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “RWE Cuts US Offshore Workforce” • RWE confirmed that it is laying off workers of its US offshore team, the latest developer to scale back its US ambitions in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s federal permitting freeze. RWE has 5.9 GW of offshore lease holdings in the US, and in November RWE CEO Markus Krebber announced delays. [reNews]
Have a really inspired day.
geoharvey 