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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Trex Composite Decking: Everything you should know

We often get asked about Trex composite decking when talking to commercial property managers or even residential homeowners. We found this Q&A with the best questions and answers about Trex from Home Depot.  So without further ado, here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. Who they are. Trex Company, Inc. is the manufacturer of Trex® decking, railing, fencing and trim and is the leading brand of alternative decking lumber in North America. […]

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Improving ROI while expanding CMMS use

Great advice published by JLL – we strongly believe and support centralized and automated computerized maintenance management systems. We are using CMMS capabilities ourselves, with great results. If you’re like a lot of facilities managers, you using your computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to transmit the work order from the person requesting service to the person who will do the work. But there’s so much more than a smart, powerful CMMS can do for your facilities management […]

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Pre-Construction Services – Hiring a Contractor for Consulting

Pre-construction services, sometimes associated with consulting services, are typically used before any actual construction begins. These services are part of the necessary planning stages for any construction project and are critical to ensure any project can be successfully completed. Pre-construction is defined as the initial phase of the overall planning, risk assessment, coordination and control of a construction project. The objective of pre-construction is to identify and outline a project. This first phase gives the owner a […]

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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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Commercial Contractors Struggle to Find Workers, Materials

92% report difficulty finding workers; of those, 42% have turned down work because of it. (SOURCE:Contractor Mag). WASHINGTON, DC — In the face of escalating challenges including worker shortages, materials shortages, and rising costs, commercial construction contractors are seeing a slowdown in the pace of their recovery from the pandemic, according to third quarter data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (Index). Almost all (92%) contractors report some level of difficulty finding skilled workers, but this quarter, 55% indicate high levels of difficulty—a jump of 10 percentage points from Q2. The lack of workers has […]

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The 2022 Rivian R1T truck

Interesting write up by TechCrunch who test-drove the upcoming Rivian truck. On its first try, Rivian produced the Goldilocks of pickup trucks. The Rivian R1T electric truck is neither too big nor small. It handles rock crawling and off-camber trails with ease, can zip from zero to 60 miles per hour on a dirt road in just a few seconds without the typical back-end slippage — although there is an option to provide that drifting effect — […]

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Investor\’s opportunity: Buildings account for 39% of global greenhouse emissions

KEY POINTS Investing in sustainable buildings could offer a real solution to reducing emissions, ESG investment firm Taronga Ventures said. Green solutions can be found across the value chain, from design to construction and operations, Avi Naidu told CNBC. Buildings currently represent 39% of global greenhouse emissions, according to U.N. data. Sustainable buildings present a ‘real opportunity,’ says investorInvesting in sustainable buildings could offer a real solution to reducing emissions in one of the world’s most polluting […]

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Homesteady recognized as Best Commercial Contractor!!

Nice recognition from General Contractor Magazine who named us one of the 4 best commercial contractors in Thousand Oaks, CA! Woot-woot!! Here\’s what General Contractor Magazine wrote about us: Homesteady 1336 N Moorpark Road, #180, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 Homesteady specializes in general contracting for commercial spaces. The Southern California company works in retail, office, corporate and industrial businesses. Its expertise involves pre-construction, construction, and maintenance, from planning and management to building and field supervision. CEO Fabien […]

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Why electric vehicle owners want better public charging stations

The Biden administration is proposing installation of 500,000 public charging stations across the United States, which may help with some pain points experienced by EV owners. CNBC’s Phil LeBeau reports on how satisfied EV owners are with public charging stations Interesting point of view, check this CNBC video post: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/08/18/why-electric-vehicle-owners-want-better-public-charging-stations.html

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Panel: The New Infrastructure Bill – What\’s in it for you?

Our very own Founder was asked to participate in a Panel conversation about the (potentially!) upcoming Infrastructure Bill. Homesteady represented the Private sector and what / how the Bill could impact our future. As of this writing, the Bill is still not approved, but find here a Fact Sheet from the White House. Speakers in the panel included Congresswoman Julia Brownley  and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, amongst others. You can watch this very engaged conversation in the Youtube […]

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Tokyo 2020: an engineering view of the Olympics

When you watch the Tokyo Games, it\’s easy to see why the Olympic motto is \”Citius, Altius, Fortius,\” (or \”faster, higher, stronger\” for those of who skipped Latin in high school). Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He is the author of several science books for general audiences, including the best-selling audio book \”The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality.\” He also produces a series of science education […]

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This is the first house to be 3D printed from raw earth

We are strong believers in sustainability and technology. This Construction project is a perfect example where great mindsets delivered an amazing product. Article read on : It\’s Nice That. Multiple printers constructed the building in 200 hours using local soil, meaning it’s zero-waste and needed no materials to be transported to the site. Mario Cucinella Architects and Wasp, Italy’s leading 3D printing company, have completed the first house to be 3D-printed from raw earth. The process coined […]

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GM, Ford are all-in on EVs. Here’s how their dealers feel about it

(Note from the team: OK Fabien. Time to upgrade your F150!! 😉) Source: CNBC. KEY POINTS General Motors is aiming to produce only EVs by 2035, with 30 new plug-in models arriving by 2025, a $27 billion investment. Ford, which is investing $22 billion in EVs and announced that 40% of its vehicles will be electrified by 2030, generated excitement with the recent debut of the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup. Many auto dealerships are embracing the electric […]

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