January 3 NEC Energy News
¶ “Next-Gen ‘Massless’ EV Batteries Could Have No Weight” • Simply removing the weight of the battery would increase an EV’s range by 70%. The scientists behind that estimate have been hard at work developing a “massless” EV battery, meaning a battery that adds no extra weight because it also serves as a working part of the EV’s structure. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Shoreline Nuclear Plant Could Get OK To Reopen In 2025” • This year could be pivotal for a plan to reopen a nuclear plant along Lake Michigan. Operations at the Palisades nuclear plant stopped in 2022, but its owner, Holtec International, is seeking approval to reopen, and the Biden administration pledged $2 billion in loans to help the restart. [WMUK]
¶ “Jimmy Carter Was Ahead Of His Time On Energy” • Carter’s environmental legacy is sizable. He is well-known for wearing a sweater and turning down his thermostat (and asking Americans to do the same). But his faith and support of solar technology helped push it to the viable industry that exists today. Solar costs fell 78% while he was in office. [ABC News]
¶ “BYD Bus And Commercial Vehicle Sales Explode” • Most of the EV story is about consumer vehicles. But there is a lot more: electric buses, shipping trucks, delivery trucks, ore trucks, etc. BYD sells a lot of those. The company’s electric bus sales were up in 2024 by 18.6%. But BYD’s non-passenger commercial EV sales were up by 138% for the year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tesla Reports 1.1% Sales Drop For 2024, First Annual Decline In At Least Nine Years” • Tesla’s global annual sales fell for the first time in at least nine years, with a 2.3% increase in the final quarter not enough to overcome a sluggish start to 2024 despite offers of 0% financing, free charging and low-priced leases. Sales were 1.1% below 2023 sales. [ABC News]
¶ “Equinor Shields Self Against Trump Offshore Wind Threat, Nails $3 Billion For New Wind Hub In Brooklyn” • News from Equinor is that it has $3 billion in new financing, a significant slice of the expected total of $5 billion in capital investments needed for its new wind hub. Equinor seems unfazed by Donald Trump’s attitude toward windpower. [CleanTechnica]
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