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Electric Vehicle Series

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An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. Electric motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. They are also around three times as efficient as cars with an internal combustion engine. The first electric cars were produced in the 1880s. Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in batteries and energy management, concerns about increasing oil prices, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to promote the introduction and adoption in the mass market of new electric vehicles depending on battery size and their all-electric range. Electric cars are significantly quieter than conventional internal combustion engine automobiles. They do not emit tailpipe pollutants, giving a large reduction of local air pollution, and, can give a significant reduction in total greenhouse gas and other emissions (dependent on the method used for electricity generation). As of September 2015, there are over 30 models of highway legal all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available for retail sales, mainly in the United States, China, Japan, Western European countries. By mid-September 2015, about 620,000 light-duty electric vehicles have been sold worldwide out of total global sales of one million plug-in electric cars sold since 2008. The world's top selling highway-capable electric car is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010 and sold in 46 countries. Global Leaf sales passed the 200,000 unit milestone in December 2015, and the Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, ranks second with over 107,000 units sold worldwide. In this series, we cover stories covering the development of electric vehicles around the world.

Electric Vehicle Series

How Dyson can offer a challenge to Tesla and the electric car giants

Apr 04, 2016 15:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson may be steering into a brand new market. News that the company owned by inventor and entrepreneur, James Dyson, has received UK government research funds for electric vehicle...

Electric Vehicle Series

Digital Currency Revolution

BitGo Engineer Preorders Tesla Model 3 Using Bitcoin

Apr 04, 2016 10:39 am UTC| Digital Currency

Mainstream bitcoin adoption still remains a much debated topic. However, the use of digital currencies as a payment method has been consistently growing. Although their potential to replace conventional fiat currencies...

Electric Vehicle Series

Tesla's gamble on its 'affordable' electric car

Apr 04, 2016 09:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Tesla announced what it calls its most affordable electric vehicle in the Model 3 last week. The car can now be ordered with a deposit of A$1,500 in Australia (US$1,000 in the United States) but wont be delivered until...

Electric Vehicle Series

Tesla Unveils $35k Model 3 Electric Car for the Masses

Apr 01, 2016 08:52 am UTC| Technology

Tesla has finally unveiled the much-awaited Model 3 electric car at the companys design studio in Hawthorne, California, The Verge reported. CEO Elon Musk hopes the new variant will take the electric car to the masses....

Electric Vehicle Series

Graphite: to capitalise Australia needs to invest in conversion

Mar 23, 2016 02:48 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australia can capitalise on graphite if it considers new technologies that convert it to synthetic diamonds and for use in creating carbon fibres, rather than just mining the mineral. Graphite is a form of carbon, the...

Electric Vehicle Series

Lithium: Australia needs to recycle and lease to be part of the boom

Mar 22, 2016 00:56 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australia has an opportunity to capitalise on the increasing global demand for lithium batteries by developing recycling systems and creating models for leasing the resource. Lithium is the third element in the periodic...

Electric Vehicle Series

Climate Change Series

Will cheap gas at the pump stall progress on car emissions?

Mar 18, 2016 00:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Retail gasoline prices are now as low as they were in the roaring 90s. The 1990s, that is, when the energy crisis of the 1970s had faded from American consumers memories, the economy was strong and the market share of...

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Economy

Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes

Oil prices fell on Friday, ending a two-day rally as traders weighed reports that the United States and Iran were discussing a phased agreement that could eventually reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease disruptions to...

Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens

The Canadian dollar could remain under pressure through the end of 2026 as diverging monetary policy between the Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada weighs on the currency, according to CIBC Capital Markets. CIBC expects...

Japanese Yen Rebounds as Trump Flags Currency Weakness

The Japanese yen ended a five-day losing streak on Friday, rebounding from the closely watched 160-per-dollar level after Tokyo disclosed that U.S. President Donald Trump had raised concerns about the currencys weakness...

US Comfortable With Canada Trade Standoff as Import Bans Loom

President Donald Trumps administration is prepared to maintain its escalating trade dispute with Canada as new import restrictions approach and Washington threatens additional tariffs on key Canadian industries. U.S. Trade...

Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals

The U.S. dollar weakened on Friday as oil prices retreated, although the currency remained headed for a second consecutive weekly gain as expectations for another Federal Reserve rate hike increased. The Japanese yen,...

Politics

Colombia Extradites FARC Dissident Leader ‘Spider’ to US

Colombia has extradited Geovany Andres Rojas, a senior commander of a dissident faction linked to the former FARC rebel movement, to the United States, where he is wanted on drug-trafficking charges. Rojas, widely known by...

Evan Gershkovich Says FSB Set Trap for 2023 Russia Arrest

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich says Russias Federal Security Service orchestrated an elaborate sting operation that led to his 2023 arrest on espionage charges, according to his first detailed published...

Saudi Arabia Seeks Military Support as Houthi Attacks Escalate

Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs were expected to discuss support for Saudi Arabia as escalating Houthi attacks intensify security concerns across the Middle East, while new restrictions on Iranian flights add...

Putin Says Ukraine Peace Proposals Remain on Table

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that proposals aimed at ending the 4-1/2-year war in Ukraine remain under consideration, although Moscow must determine which options best serve Russias interests. Speaking to...

Iran Rejects Nuclear Concessions in Hormuz Deal

Iran will not compromise on its nuclear rights even if the United States accepts Tehrans proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to a senior Iranian official, underscoring major obstacles to ending the...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

AMD Hits $1 Trillion as BofA Raises Price Target to $720

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) has joined the $1 trillion market capitalization club, and BofA Securities believes the semiconductor giant has room to climb further as artificial intelligence drives stronger demand...

US Appeals Court Upholds Anthropic AI Supply Chain Ban

A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld the Department of Wars decision to exclude Anthropic from its supply chain, handing the Trump administration a significant victory in a closely watched dispute over military use of...

Solidigm Eyes $150 Billion IPO as SK Hynix Expands AI Storage Push

SK Hynix subsidiary Solidigm is considering a U.S. initial public offering as early as next year that could value the semiconductor storage company at as much as $150 billion, according to a Reuters report on Friday. The...

Meta Found Liable in New Mexico Facebook Data Privacy Case

A New Mexico jury has found Meta Platforms liable for misleading consumers about Facebook user privacy and data-sharing practices in a case tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The verdict followed a two-week trial in...

DaVoice Sues Perplexity AI Over Trade Secrets

AI technology startup DaVoice has filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI in California federal court, accusing the artificial intelligence company of misappropriating trade secrets connected to wake word technology used in...