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Electric Car 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 Car 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 Car 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...

Electric Car Series

How driverless vehicles will redefine mobility and change car culture

Feb 24, 2016 16:12 pm UTC| Technology

My grandmother, Christine Johanna Hoffman, was born in 1894 and died in 1990. In the course of her lifetime, she witnessed the advent of indoor plumbing and home electrification, the Wright Brothers first flight, the debut...

Electric Car Series

Riversimple's hydrogen fuel cell Rasa gives car design a clean slate

Feb 22, 2016 14:13 pm UTC| Technology

The prototype of a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was unveiled this month by the Welsh company Riversimple. The company has named its vehicle named Rasa after the Latin phrase tabula rasa, which means: clean...

Electric Car Series

Why you should stay on the grid, even with your solar-powered batteries

Feb 16, 2016 02:34 am UTC| Insights & Views

Anything that can help cut our electricity bill is to be welcomed, and Teslas solar rechargeable batteries, now available in Australia, are just the latest option. Many Australian households have already installed solar...

Electric Car Series

The Supreme Court saves the smart grid, but more battles loom

Jan 29, 2016 16:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

In a surprising 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a controversial energy conservation rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency that regulates interstate electricity sales. The rule was...

Electric Car Series

Finland-Based Auto-Outlet Sells Tesla Accepting Bitcoin

Jan 25, 2016 12:45 pm UTC| Digital Currency

While experts continue to debate the status of bitcoin whether it is or not a major sale involving Bitcoin has taken place in Finland. TheAuto-outlet Helsinki Oyin Tampere and Vantaa sold a Tesla with the digital...

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Economy

What if the Reserve Bank itself has been feeding inflation? An economist explains

Heres something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its attempt to restrain inflation in May...

China’s new world order: looking for clues from Xi’s recent meetings with foreign leaders

There is broad consensus that Chinese foreign policy has become more assertive and more centralised in the decade since Xi Jinping has ascended to the top of Chinas leadership. This has also meant that Chinese foreign...

How India’s economy has fared under ten years of Narendra Modi

More than 960 million Indians will head to the polls in the worlds biggest election between April 19 and early June. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is seeking a third...

Will global oil supply be at risk if Iran and Israel pull the Middle East into war?

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated following Irans weekend missile and drone attacks on Israel, heightening concerns of a wider conflict. As with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, further conflict has the...

EU enlargement: What does the future hold?

To widen or to deepen. This has been one of the longstanding dilemmas throughout European Union (EU) history, and a perennial sticking point in the unending process of European integration. In its time, the UK...

Politics

Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

Georgias ruling party attempted to pass a controversial bill on foreign agents in March 2023. The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being under foreign influence if they receive...

South Korean President Yoon faces foreign policy challenges after the National Assembly election

South Koreas parliamentary election of April 10, 2024, was widely seen as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeols first two years in office. That being the case, the nation collectively expressed its strong...

How will US foreign policy affect Joe Biden’s chances of re-election in November?

When big questions about American foreign policy collide with an election, its rarely good news for a sitting president. Like many leaders before him, US President Joe Biden has had some of these questions thrust on...

US Commerce Secretary Asserts Huawei Chip Lag, Affirms Export Control Success

In an interview on CBS News 60 Minutes, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that the latest Huawei Mate 60 Pro phones chip remains significantly behind U.S. technology despite being the most advanced from China. She...

‘We have thousands of Modis’: the secret behind the BJP’s enduring success in India

Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity has grown exponentially and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP...

Science

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

If life exists on Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists might soon be able to detect it

Europa is one of the largest of more than 90 moons in orbit around the planet Jupiter. It is also one of the best places to look for alien life. Often termed an ocean world by scientists, observations to date strongly...

Technology

Bitcoin Price Alert: Potential Drop to $59K Seen as Prime Buying Opportunity for Savvy Investors

As Bitcoin teeters near a significant threshold, market analysts eye a potential dip to $59,000 not just as a concern but as a strategic buying signal for long-term gains. Bitcoin Price Teeters as Expert Predicts...

U.S. SEC Set to Reject Spot Ether ETFs in May Amid Regulatory Hurdles

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to deny approval for spot Ether ETFs in May, continuing a cautious stance amid unresolved regulatory clarity, according to industry insiders. SEC Set to Delay...

Mercedes-Benz to Release Luxury Electric Van in China

Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury and commercial vehicle manufacturer, plans to release a luxury electric van model in China. This information was shared by the companys head of the vans unit, Mathias Geisen, to the local...

Samourai Wallet Founders Arrested, Crypto Markets Tumble Amid Regulatory Heat

The cryptocurrency market dipped significantly after the U.S. Department of Justice arrested Samourai Wallets CEO and CTO, exacerbating volatility amid geopolitical tensions and the recent Bitcoin halving. Bitcoin and...

Post-Halving Surge: Standard Chartered Predicts Bitcoin to Hit $150K on Reduced Market Leverage

Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered Banks analyst and head of digital assets research, believes bitcoin (BTC) would likely trend upward following the halving due to lower leveraged market positions. In an interview with...