Light ray

A Visual History of Light

This is a quick visual history of human-created light sources over the past ~400,000 years, from wood fires to candles to the electric light. In 3,000 BCE, the “rushlight” candle was invented in Ancient Egypt. It is made of a pithy stalk of rush soaked in animal fat. In 1500 BCE, Babylonian/Assyrian lamps were created from olive or sesame oil. They had a linen wick and were fashioned from stone, terracotta, metal or shells. In 100 CE, […]

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Level 1 2 3 chargers

Shaping the future of fast-charging EV charging infrastructure

To help electric vehicles reach ubiquity, governments and EV charging companies must ensure the availability of fast-charging infrastructure doesn’t become a bottleneck for growth. A McKinsey research In the past decade, electric vehicles (EVs) have gone from a rare sight on even the busiest roadto an increasingly common, affordable option. In 2020, EV sales set new records that surpassed expectations, particularly in countries with an eager customer base and government policies supporting the transition to EVs. Much of […]

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Broken EV Charging Station

Electric vehicle owners are fed up with broken EV chargers and janky software

A common complaint you hear from electric vehicle owners is about the sorry state of public EV charging: broken chargers, janky software, busted screens. But a lot of this is anecdotal, and it can be hard to find any rigorous studies that capture the current state of EV charging in the US. JD Power surveyed 11,554 electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners from January through June 2022 for its second annual Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging […]

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EV Batteries

Tech talk – EV batteries

Batteries, they do not make electricity – they store electricity produced elsewhere, primarily by coal, uranium, natural gas-powered plants, or diesel-fueled generators. So, to say an EV is a zero-emission vehicle is not at all valid. Also, since forty percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. is from coal-fired plants, it follows that forty percent of the EVs on the road are coal-powered, do you see?” But that is not half of it. For those of […]

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Global EV Outlook 2022

Securing supplies for an electric future by the International Energy Agency. See thus very thoughtful PDF: Full Report Here. Executive Summary: Electric car sales continue to break records, but mineral supply constraints are loomingFew areas in the world of clean energy are as dynamic as the electric car market. Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) doubled in 2021 from the previous year to a new record of 6.6 million. Back in 2012, just 120 000 electric cars were […]

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Charging Battle for EVSEs

Winning the Battle in the EV Charging Ecosystem

A BCG study from 2021… Still very relevant in 2022! As electric vehicle sales take off, demand for public charging will explode. Providers can pursue seven strategic plays in this nascent but fast-moving market. It may not have the same allure as bringing the latest battery-pow- ered concept car to life. But public charging represents an explosive market opportunity for participants in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle ecosystem. Sales of electric vehicles, including plug-in hy- brids, were virtually untouched by […]

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EV Charging Cables Market – A new Research Study

Report:EV Charging Cables Market by Power Supply (AC and DC), Application (Private Charging and Public Charging), Length (2-5 Meters, 6-10 Meters, and >10 Meters), Shape (Straight and Coiled), Mode, Charging Level, Diameter and Region – Global Forecast to 2027 The global EV charging cables market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 29.8%, to reach USD 2,453 million by 2027 from an estimated USD 665 million in 2022. The market growth is driven factors such as […]

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Rivian Launches Fast Charging Network

Irvine-based electric car manufacturer Rivian says it is launching its own network of fast chargers, with the first deployment of what it is calling the “Rivian Adventure Network”. According to Rivian, it is launching Level 3 DC fast charging sites for Rivian drivers, starting with sites in Salida, Colorado; Inkoyern, California; and Bishop, California. Rivian says the charging sites will provide as much as 140 miles of range in 20 minutes of charging. Rivian says its new charging sites […]

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The current administration has announced a $5 billion EV charging program for the nation’s major transportation corridors

The Biden administration has proposed a new program entitled the National Electric Vehicle Charging Network. Think of the EV charging plan as being similar to the Interstate highway program that began in the 1950s, which transformed how Americans traveled and how goods got delivered. That program has repaid its initial investment 100 times over by unlocking increases in interstate commerce that have powered America’s economic growth for the past 70 years. The $5 billion allocated to the […]

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U.S. proposes standards for fast electric vehicle charging projects

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) on Thursday proposed minimum standards and requirements for electric vehicle (EV) charging projects funded under a $5 billion government program. The rules would require government-funded EV charging stations use DC Fast Chargers and have at least four ports capable of simultaneously charging four EVs and each must be at or above 150 kW. It would also bar charging stations from requiring a memberships to use them. USDOT says requiring […]

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Carpenters Shortage

Talk to a lot of carpenters, and they’ll express similarly warm feelings about their job. It’s the rare profession that doesn’t require an expensive education, yet offers decent pay. It’s largely unaffected by automation or globalization. And aside from occasional downturns, carpenters are in steady demand. So, why does America have so few of them? Even among the other construction trades, which have long faced retention and recruitment problems and for which there were ~400k unfilled jobs […]

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Automakers Are Adding Electric Vehicles to Their Lineups. Here’s What’s Coming.

Many automakers have detailed plans to electrify large portions of their fleets over the next decade, with some announcing goals for fully electrified lineups within five years. Consumers might not even have to wait that long. Dozens of pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are set to debut by the end of 2024 if all goes according to plan. “These more affordable models have the potential to sway a significant percentage of the car-buying public toward buying an […]

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Electric Cars: The Surge Begins

New car showrooms in the U.S. should look a lot different by 2030, with battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids likely to make up more than half of the options among available models, according to many industry analysts. By next year alone, the number of all-electric offerings will quadruple, from 13 today to more than 50. In just the last two weeks, startup Rivian began retail production of its new R1T pickup, while Ford confirmed it is doubling […]

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Gas-Powered Car Sales In China Down Around 4% While EV Sales Up ~145% In 2021

I saw an interesting tweet by Sam Korus from ARK Invest yesterday. He shared that gas-powered car sales in China were down around 4% in 2021, while battery electric vehicle sales were up ~145%. He pointed out that China’s passenger auto sales were up 4.4% to a total of 20.1 million units last year and EVs were basically responsible for that growth. He pointed to an article by the Wall Street Journal and also data from EV-Volumes.com […]

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America’s Electric Vehicle Selection Is About to Get a Lot Wider

EV options on the market are set to more than double this year, most of them SUVs and other supersize models. This year, the U.S. market is about to see its options for electric vehicles more than double. Thirty entirely new models are poised to hit the streets, according to researcher IHS Markit, mostly created by luxury brands such as Cadillac, Lincoln, and Polestar. And unlike most of the EV standard-bearers to date, the next generation will […]

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Month by Month in 2021, the Electric-Car Future Came into Focus

While EV sales are still a low-single-digit percentage of the market, the transition to electric vehicles gained momentum in 2021. Most manufacturers made bold claims about electrified futures, and some made big investments to back up the big talk. Here’s a timeline of what stood out through the year. 1 January: GM Hopes to Sell Only EVs by 2035:The largest U.S. automaker said it “aspires” to sell only electrics by 2035 for its light-duty lineup. Crucial caveats: […]

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What if Construction in Commercial buildings could better assist with lower carbon emissions pledge?

As commercial contractors committed to leave the world a bit greener to our children, we are always wondering how construction, material and the overall construction process could be improved to better assist lower carbon emissions. Read this article which highlights some of the challenges related to this major question. Being eco-conscious in Construction is not an easy task. As outlined in this report from the BBC, building efficiencies can go a long way and contribute to reduce […]

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Worldwide electricity demand could be met by installing solar panels on half the world’s roofs

Very interesting numbers highlighted by this new solar panels research study. Solar panels are another fantastic and creative invention we fully support. First, Rooftop solar panels are up to 79% cheaper than in 2010. Second, covering 50% of the world’s roofs with solar panels would provide enough capacity to meet the world’s annual electricity needs. Rooftop solar panels are up to 79% cheaper than they were in 2010. These plummeting costs have made rooftop solar photovoltaics even […]

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Growing a zero-emissions transportation network – a good example in Cincinnati

Pull up to an electric vehicle charging station in Cincinnati, and that station may have been delivered by the city’s first 100 percent electric truck. Servall Electric — a residential, commercial and industrial electric company that has served the tristate area around Cincinnati for generations — is helping the city electrify in more ways than one. Installing EV charging stations is a growing segment of its business. The family-owned company also plans to eventually transition its entire […]

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Contractors react to federal vaccine mandates

Construction professionals are questioning elements of President Joe Biden\’s new vaccine requirements. Source: Construction Dive, Sebastian Obando Since President Joe Biden issued plans to mandate vaccines in some workplaces earlier this month, a number of construction companies are encouraging their employees to get vaccinated and are trying to figure out what the new rules mean for their workplace. Biden announced on Sept. 9 that private employers with more than 100 employees will be required to either mandate […]

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