Category Archives: Energy and Climate Change

News and articles on climate change, vehicle pollution, and renewable energy.

Here’s How Many Solar Panels You’ll Need to Charge Your EV

November 28, 2023At Home, Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar PowerRepost

In order to make your EV green-energy approved, you’ll need to charge it using a renewable energy source. Solar panels are one way to accomplish that.

For the eco-conscious EV driver, an electric vehicle is only as clean and green as the source of electricity charging its battery.

That’s because EVs plugged into the grid can either be powered by “dirty” sources such as fossil fuels such as coal, or from “clean” renewable energy that comes from sources such as solar, hydro or wind power. With many utilities, it’s likely to be a mix of renewables and fossil fuels. The best way to ensure your EV is actually powered by renewable energy is to connect your home’s EV charger to a solar energy system or use a public charger also sourced by solar panels.

An impediment to electric vehicle adoption is car dealerships.

With spiking gas and electric prices and an intensifying climate crisis, it’s no wonder the solar and electric vehicle industries are gaining in popularity each year. Rooftop solar panel installations are breaking records, and US EV adoption is expected to accelerate — predicted to reach 40% of passenger car sales by 2030, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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What is the ZEV Mandate?

October 25, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

New legislation being implemented in 2024 will require car manufacturers to meet targets for new electric car sales, which could result in big discounts being available…

In September 2023, the UK Government announced that the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be pushed back from 2030 to 2035.

However, at the same time, it confirmed that the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate that was previously only a proposal would be implemented from 2024. And this could mean that the transition to electric cars still happens quite quickly.

Here’s everything you need to know about the mandate – and how it could potentially save you a lot of money on an electric vehicle (EV).

What is the ZEV mandate?

The ZEV Mandate is a legal requirement for car manufacturers to meet targets for new EV sales in the UK.

This means that in 2024, 22% of cars sold by each manufacturer must be fully electric. This will then rise to 28% in 2025, 33% in 2026, 38% in 2027, 52% in 2028, 66% in 2029 and 80% in 2030.

The Government is still finalising the targets between 2030 and 2035. However, it’s rumoured that the mandate will rise to 84% in 2031, 88% in 2032, 92% in 2033, 96% in 2034 and 100% in 2035.

If car makers exceed their EV annual sales targets, they can bank allowances for use in future years or trade them with other firms that have fallen short. In 2024, manufacturers can borrow up to 75% of their annual target.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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The world needs cheap electric cars. That spells trouble for big carmakers

October 20, 2023Cost of ownership, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

In 1913, Henry Ford’s moving assembly line transformed carmaking. Ford’s groundbreaking innovation drastically reduced the time it took to assemble a car, enabling mass production and slashing vehicle prices.

More than a century later, carmaking is undergoing a similarly seismic shift. Only this time, Ford Motor Company (F) is scrambling to catch up, rather than leading the charge.

Electric vehicles represent a fundamental shift in the technologies and manufacturing processes that have turned Ford and rivals such as Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen into the biggest car companies on the planet.

Established automakers have been racing to adapt at an enormous financial cost, but are still miles behind Tesla (TSLA) and a crop of new Chinese competitors, including BYD and Xpeng (XPEV).

The world needs affordable EVs more than ever as electric cars will play a big role in hcelping countries cut planet-heating pollution. But can automakers in Europe and the United States — where governments are already planning to ban or limit the sale of new gas and diesel cars — deliver them?

“Ultimately, some of these car companies that have been the cornerstone of how we’ve thought about cars for the last 100 years will be a fraction of their size in future,” said Gene Munster, a managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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New AutoMotive: Why we’re refusing to throw in the towel and get the UK back on track to 2030

October 19, 2023Buying/Leasing, Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Hyundai, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

Last week, Rishi Sunak confirmed that he will reverse certain green targets. Amongst several policies that Sunak was willing to cut or delay, the phase out of petrol and diesel cars was put on the chopping block, with a confirmed five-year delay despite the [Conservative] government’s original target.

This move is not only unpopular with motorists, industry, and the wider public – it also raises economic concerns and threatens vital aspects of Britain’s industrial strategy moving forward.

From January 2018, no more new diesel taxis will be licensed in London

Electric vehicles are undeniably cheaper to run, contribute to improved air quality due to their lack of tailpipe emissions, and are increasingly preferred by drivers over their combustion counterparts. Our data at New AutoMotive shows that the UK could achieve an 85% electric vehicle (EV) market share by 2028 and is making consistent progress toward the goal of 300,000 public charge points. The UK is also the fifth best prepared nation for the EV transition, thanks to sensible and fact-driven policies implemented by Sunak’s predecessors.

Reacting to the news, the UK motor industry has criticised plans to water down policies. Kate Brankin, the chair of Ford UK, noted that the industry has already made considerable investments to meet the 2030 deadline, with a $50 billion commitment from Ford alone.

We were clear in our response that delaying the 2030 deadline would pull the rug out from under motorists and industry, and would deal a hammer blow to the UK’s leadership on climate change.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Electric cars approach ‘tipping point’ as battery prices plummet

October 11, 2023Economy, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

‘The death of the internal combustion engine is near,’ says energy analyst

The cost of batteries fell by nearly 10 per cent in August, taking them past a key milestone that is seen by energy analysts as a “tipping point” to supercharge the transition to electric vehicles.

The price of lithium-ion battery cells, which power everything from smartphones to the International Space Station, fell below $100/ kilowatthour (kWh) last month – a 33 per cent drop from March 2022 and an 8.7 per cent month-on-month drop.

Energy analytics firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, who compiled the figures, noted that battery pack prices need to reach $100/kWh for electric vehicles to reach price parity with fossil fuel-burning vehicles.

“Decreasing cell prices could allow [manufacturers] to sell mass market electric vehicles at comparable prices to internal combustion engine vehicles, with the same margin, improving the attractiveness of the EV transition for both consumers and automakers,” said Benchmark analyst Evan Hartley.

“Falling cell prices are of particular concern for companies investing in cell production outside of China, particularly when there is already concern surrounding the profitability of factories in regions such as Europe.”

The drop in price could also have implications for other technologies, the report noted, including for solar and wind installations that need to store excess energy during periods of overproduction.

ScottishPower launches new overnight charging tariff for EV drivers

October 3, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Energy company ScottishPower has launched a new tariff for electric vehicle (EV) drivers with “one of the lowest overnight charging rates available”, it claims.

The EV Saver tariff allows drivers to charge their cars for 7.45p/kWh between midnight and 5am.

The company, a subsidiary of Spanish utilities giant Iberdrola, said that they want to help encourage more drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles. The new tariff adds on to an existing home charging package which comes with free AA support for 12 months.

Andy Mouat, head of smart mobility at ScottishPower, said: “Latest figures show that more than 20% of new cars sold in the UK are now all-electric and we’re here to help lead the electrification of transport by making the transition to EVs easier and more affordable.

“Our new, competitive charging tariff offers clean affordable energy for our EV-driving customers while supporting the UK’s decarbonisation journey.”

The company says it is currently investing £8 million “every single working day” in the UK to support the energy transition.

The new EV Saver Tariff is available to existing ScottishPower domestic customers who have a smart meter and opt to pay by Direct Debit, and new domestic customers joining ScottishPower on its Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) who meet the same criteria.

In August, SocttishPower’s parent company Iberdrola secured a €500 million (£432 million) loan with Citi for the construction and development of the East Anglia III offshore wind farm.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Jaguar Land Rover to reuse its car batteries to store national grid power

September 5, 2023Energy Storage, Jaguar Land Rover, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

The UK’s largest carmaker has announced plans to use old car batteries to store energy the national grid can’t use and return it to the network at peak times.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is turning its used car batteries into what it says will be one of the largest energy storage systems in the UK.

Battery storage can be used to hold excess power during off peak times, when there’s a mismatch between supply of electricity (from wind farms, for example), and demand for energy.

That power can then be released and fed back into the grid when needed.

The JLR battery scheme aims to supply enough batteries to power 750 homes for a day, equivalent to 7.5 megawatt hours of energy, by the end of this year.

Electric car batteries can be reused, JLR said, due to the high standards they meet, meaning they can be used again when they fall below the “stringent” requirements of an electric vehicle.

Typically they’re left with 70% to 80% residual capacity.

The batteries will be stored in containers across the Chelveston renewable energy park in Northamptonshire

Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)

And there’s scope to grow the programme as more containers can be created to house additional used batteries from vehicles in the future, JLR said.

Used batteries could be utilised even further in years to come, JLR added.

Used battery supply for energy storage could exceed 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030, creating a global value over $30bn (£23.5bn), according to a 2019 McKinsey report.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Blow for Putin and MBS as oil demand set to slow

August 30, 2023Economy, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, OpinionRepost

Growth forecasts for global oil demand next year have been downgraded as the post-pandemic recovery stalls just as electric vehicle (EV) use surges.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday that demand will rise by only one million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, which is 150,000 bpd less than previously forecast.

This will be a blow to both Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is using oil and gas revenues to fund his war in Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose oil profits are driving the country’s economic diversification.

The IEA said: “With the post-pandemic rebound running out of steam, and as lacklustre economic conditions, tighter efficiency standards, and new electric vehicles weigh on use, growth is forecast to slow to 1m bpd in 2024.”

The Paris-based energy watchdog has forecast that 14 million electric vehicles will be sold by the end of 2023, a 35pc surge compared to 2022.

By 2030, it expects EV use will be displacing five million barrels of oil per day.

But for now, world oil demand is still hitting record highs following China’s post-pandemic reopening and a rebound in global air travel.

In June, demand hit an all-time peak of 103m bpd. The IEA said August demand could surpass this level.

The IEA said global oil demand will jump by 2.2m bpd to hit 102.2m bpd in 2022, with China driving more than 70pc of this growth.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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Electric Vehicles Are Better For People & The Planet

August 25, 2023Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, Energy and Climate Change, FAQ, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

There’s quite a lot of misinformation and disinformation — deliberate misinformation — about electric vehicles online. One of the key bits of disinformation is the false notion that EVs aren’t that green because there are carbon emissions generated by mining for the materials in their batteries and manufacturing them. The false claim is that an EV owner would have to drive about 49,000 miles to offset the carbon emissions from manufacturing the battery and vehicle. The claim was based on a study that eventually was debunked.

The true figure was about 16,000 miles, after which an EV would be ‘greener’ than a gas- or diesel-powered vehicle. The word greener is in quotes because gas and diesel-powered vehicles are not at all green. They have been dirty ever since they were invented, and at no point could ever be considered green.

There’s also something disingenuous — read ‘fake’ — about the concern over an EV battery’s carbon emissions from materials mining and manufacturing, because the people who express it had no regard whatsoever for vehicle mining emissions before EVs came on the scene. That is, for decades before electric vehicles began to appear they never said a word about internal combustion engine or diesel-powered vehicle mining emissions, including their own. Additionally, fossil fuel mining is far worse.

“Every year, about 15 billion tons of fossil fuels are mined and extracted. That’s about 535 times more mining than a clean energy economy would require in 2040.

It’s Time to Go Green!

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OVO customers saved over £1 million in six months with its smart EV tariff

August 17, 2023At Home, Charge Your Car, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Energy supplier OVO says it has saved customers on its Charge Anytime tariff over £1 million in half a year.

The Charge Anytime tariff uses smart charging to power electric vehicles (EVs) for 10p per kWh at any time of day, saving the average customer £129 per month.

Customers have completed over 5 million kWh of smart charging, which uses an algorithm to automatically shift charging away from peak times, usually between 4-7 pm, to periods when the grid relies on cleaner energy sources.

The 10p per kWh rate is three times cheaper than the national average (30p per kWh) and seven times cheaper than many public charge points. The tariff is powered by Kaluza’s smart technology, which OVO says has resulted in a 67% reduction in charging costs.

One OVO customer who drives over 1,000 miles per month to transport disabled, vulnerable, and elderly individuals to their appointments, is said to have seen their monthly costs drop significantly from over £120 in a petrol car to approximately £40 with her EV and the Charge Anytime program.

Alex Thwaites, director of EV, OVO, said: “It’s incredible to see the impact Charge Anytime is making for people and the planet. By using smart technology to shift EV charging out of peak times when the grid is more reliant on fossil fuels, we’re able to provide greener, cheaper energy for customers.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form: