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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

Electric vehicle fires: How worried should we really be?

Dec 02, 2024 05:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Electric vehicles (EVs) bring not just environmental promise, but also raise critical safety questions chief among them, the fire risks posed by their lithium-ion batteries. While indispensable for powering EVs, these...

Electric Vehicle Series

You will soon be able to power your house with your electric car. Here’s how

Nov 13, 2024 08:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

This year, dozens of new models of electric vehicles have hit the Australian market and more are coming. New models of battery electric and plug-in hybrids come with bigger batteries. The average battery electric now has...

Electric Vehicle Series

Electric vehicles in Africa: what’s needed to grow the sector

Nov 09, 2024 06:20 am UTC| Business Insights & Views

In sub-Saharan Africa, high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions cause poor health, developmental stunting, and even death. Vehicle emissions also contribute to global...

Electric Vehicle Series

Electric vehicles are usually safer for their occupants – but not necessarily for everyone else

May 01, 2024 03:43 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

The future of automobiles is electric, but many people worry about the safety of todays electric vehicles. Public opinion about EV crash safety often hinges on a few high-profile fire incidents. Those safety concerns...

Electric Vehicle Series

Why surging sales of large electric vehicles raises environmental red flags

Nov 07, 2023 09:00 am UTC| Business

Electric cars are getting bigger and heavier. In 2019, 30% of the electric vehicle (EV) models available worldwide were sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Fast forward to 2022 and that figure stood at 40% equivalent to...

Electric Vehicle Series

Will drivers who paid Victoria's electric vehicle tax be able to get their money back?

Oct 25, 2023 05:32 am UTC| Business

Electric vehicle owners in Victoria couldnt be blamed for wondering if they might get their money back after the High Court found the states zero and low-emission vehicle road-user charge to be unconstitutional. The...

Electric Vehicle Series

The High Court of Australia's decision on electric vehicles will make charging for road use very difficult

Oct 24, 2023 09:22 am UTC| Law Business

The High Court of Australias decision to invalidate Victorias electric vehicle tax has been widely noted as a major judgement in the history of federal-state taxation powers. In 2021, Victoria introduced a 2.5 cents per...

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Economy

Malaysia’s Q1 GDP Grows 4.4%, U.S. Exports Surge Amid Tariff Concerns

Malaysias economy expanded by 4.4% year-on-year in Q1 2025, according to official advance estimates released Friday. While slower than the 5% growth recorded in Q4 2024, the economy remained resilient amid global...

Japan’s Inflation Rises as U.S. Tariff Risks Weigh on BOJ Policy

Japans core inflation rose in March, driven by persistent food cost increases, complicating the Bank of Japans (BOJ) path toward further rate hikes amid growing concerns over U.S. trade tariffs. The core consumer price...

Gold Pulls Back from Record Highs After Fed's Hawkish Signals and Profit-Taking

Gold prices dipped on Thursday in Asian trading after briefly hitting another record high, as investors took profits and digested hawkish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Spot gold fell 0.7% to...

Oil Prices Climb on Iran Sanctions, OPEC Output Cuts, and U.S. Inventory Data

Oil prices rose on Thursday amid growing concerns of supply tightening after the U.S. imposed new sanctions to restrict Iranian oil exports and several OPEC members pledged to cut output to address overproduction. Brent...

Dollar Set for Fourth Weekly Loss as Tariff Worries and Safe-Haven Demand Grow

The U.S. dollar is poised for its fourth straight weekly loss as investor concerns over tariffs and trade uncertainty drive a shift away from U.S. assets. Despite a slight rebound from a seven-month low against the yen,...

Politics

US and Ukraine Sign Memorandum to Boost Critical Mineral Partnership

Ukraine and the United States have signed a memorandum of intent to advance cooperation on mineral resource development, paving the way for a broader Economic Partnership Agreement. The deal, strongly backed by U.S....

Paris Talks Signal Stronger European Role in Ukraine Peace Efforts

Talks in Paris involving U.S. officials Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Ukraine, and Europes key powersFrance, Britain, and Germanymarked a significant step toward a more united European approach to Ukraines future. A...

LA28 Olympic Visa Concerns Eased After USOPC Meets Trump Officials

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) received strong reassurances from the White House regarding visa support for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, USOPC Chair Gene Sykes said on Thursday. This follows...

Senator Murkowski Warns of Trump Retaliation, Voices Concern Over GOP Policies

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed deep concern this week over the fear of political retaliation from President Donald Trump, revealing it makes her anxious to speak out against his policies. Speaking at...

Trump May Abandon Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Without Swift Progress

U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to withdraw from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless tangible progress is made, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. Speaking in Paris...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Nvidia Faces $5.5B Hit as U.S. Restricts H20 AI Chip Exports to China

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced it will incur $5.5 billion in charges after the U.S. government indefinitely restricted exports of its H20 AI chip to China, a critical market for its data center products. The H20 chip,...

Intel Restructures Leadership Under New CEO to Boost AI and Engineering Focus

Intels new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has initiated a major leadership shakeup aimed at streamlining operations and reviving the chipmakers competitive edge. In a recent internal memo obtained by Reuters, Tan announced a flatter...

TSMC Q1 Profit Surges 60% on Booming AI Chip Demand

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, reported a 60% year-over-year surge in first-quarter net profit, driven by skyrocketing demand for chips powering artificial intelligence...

Tencent, Douyin Launch Domestic Sales Initiatives Amid U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Douyin, TikToks sister app in China, have launched new initiatives to support local exporters affected by the intensifying U.S.-China trade war. These efforts aim to help export-reliant...

Stargate AI Megaproject Eyes UK Expansion Backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle

The $500 billion Stargate data center project, backed by OpenAI, SoftBank (TYO:9984), and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), is exploring expansion opportunities in the UK as it seeks overseas sites for scaling artificial intelligence...