#electric vehicles

[myjetpack]

my latest cartoon for New Scientist.

[hope-for-the-planet]

Electric Buses Have Passed a Brutal Cold-Weather Test

Overhead chargers on key bus routes in Madison, Wisconsin are enabling the zero-emissions vehicles to run despite freezing conditions.

From the article:

Metro Transit, which provides about 9.1 million rides annually, installed overhead chargers on key routes, allowing buses to quickly top off at several stops. Improved battery capacity also lets them go further between plug-ins. The real test came January 23, when the temperature dropped to -4°F, shutting down the University of Wisconsin-Madison — but the buses kept running. [...] Just a few years ago, electric buses routinely faltered in cold conditions, reinforcing doubts about whether they could replace diesel and natural gas-burning fleets in northern cities. Now, with better batteries and strategically placed chargers, Madison is at the forefront of a small but growing number of cities testing whether those doubts still hold. Making the technology work through a long Midwestern winter could reshape how others approach electrification. Some 3.6 million commuters nationwide rely upon buses to get around. With transportation accounting for roughly 28 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, transit agencies are looking for alternatives to polluting machinery that creates a particular health risk around bus stops. Madison is among more than 100 U.S. cities that have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Electric buses are key to that goal.

[status-quo-hater]

I fucking hate EVs. Not because I hate the environment, but because I actually care about it.

We saw the problem of car dependency fucking up the environment, and in true capitalist fashion; the auto manufacturers said "why don't we fix this with more cars! ☝️😃"

These new enormous electric cars are almost completely irreparable if they break (and they WILL). The manufacturers don't sell replacement parts for them. The cars themselves are overly complex and the price to fix them is often more than the cost of the car. And the people who buy these things are statistically likely getting a new one via trade-in every ~5 years.

And what happens to the old ones? Scrapped. Nobody wants used EVs for all the reasons above. There's already so many of these fucking things in scrap yards. Nobody wants parts from these things because nobody fixes them because they are not made to be maintained and repaired.

I refuse to believe that I am causing more pollution by maintaining and driving my shitbox manual mustang that is 30+ years old when the average "environmentally conscious" EV owner is going to be partially responsible for literally tons of e-waste within ten years. And in ten years, hopefully I'll just get to brag about having a 40+ year old daily, which is objectively cooler than any brand new vehicle.

What we ACTUALLY need to do to save the environment is to kill car-centric infrastructure, so the majority of people don't literally need to drive in a personal vehicle every single day. We need public transportation and we need places you can walk.

Cars would not be so terrible for the environment if there was just significantly less of them being driven.

[ourpalebluehome]

✈️♻️ An all-electric plane made its historic landing at JFK airport in New York! The 45-minute flight used only $8 worth of electricity!

All-electric aircraft makes historic landing at JFK Airport

History was made Tuesday at JFK Airport as an all-electric aircraft made a successful runway landing for the first time.

[reasonsforhope]

Solar Tricycle Startup Helps Entrepreneurial Women Be Drivers of Change in Africa

It allows women to fetch water and firewood, take family members to medical facilities, or bring and buy produce at local markets.

"In Zimbabwe, an Africa-born mobility startup is providing women with the catalyst they need to drive change in their community and society.

Called the Hamba, this durable electric tricycle is mobilizing a generation of working women and mothers, allowing them to perform arduous tasks with relative ease and comfort.

Manufactured in Africa and managed by the startup Mobility for Africa (MFA), a leasing program for women allowed one or several locals to lease a Hamba for $15 a month. This pilot program was a huge success, and now these electric tricycles are available to buy, on a lease-to-purchase agreement, and to rent—all on an ad-hoc basis.

It allows women to fetch water and firewood, take family members to medical facilities, or bring and buy produce at local markets, saving sometimes dozens of miles of walking each day.

“In the past transporting our produce to the market was a nightmare we would wake up at 3 am and travel a very long distance using an ox-drawn cart but now it is much easier we can reach the market on time,” a 34-year-old tomato farmer and mother of six, Hilda Takadini, told Africa News.

92% of female customers participating in the company’s pilot program noted an improvement in how safe they feel whilst traveling since they started using the Hamba compared with walking, and some have offered their services as couriers and drivers to other community members, sparking the spirit of entrepreneurialism.

Among the women whose stories were changed by the appearance of the Hamba was Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe who was excluded from economic life.

Now, she’s the major bread winner in her house, and Takadini relies on her to bring tomatoes to market before they spoil.

“Even my husband and in-laws have more respect for me now. No one used to listen to me, but now I have a seat when important decisions are being made,” the mother of three told Africa News.

70% of the Hambas are reserved for women, and 300 are estimated to currently own or rent one. The solar-powered trikes have just one moving part in the motor, making them easy to maintain and fix. Batteries can be exchanged when depleted at a cost of $5.00 at one of Infraco Africa’s solar power stations, a partner with MFA on the initiative.

Each Hamba can carry 1,000 pounds or so of cargo, and have a top speed of 37 mph (you couldn’t go much faster on a rural Zimbabwe road anyway)."

-Article via Good News Network, April 9, 2025. Video via Africa News, March 22, 2025.

[rhp162]

[chalamet-chalamet]

Timothée Chalamet has been announced as the global brand ambassador for Lucid.