Hertz Selling 2,000 EVs Replacing Them with Gas Cars

Hertz is selling off a third of its electric vehicle fleet, which is predominantly made up of Teslas, and will buy gas cars with some of the money it makes from the sales. The company cited lower demand for EVs and higher-than-expected repair costs as reasons for the decision.

The sell-off began last month and will continue through 2024. As some electric vehicle-focused blogs have noted, they’re being sold at steep discounts. The company said in a Thursday morning filing that it is recognizing “approximately $245 million of incremental net depreciation expense related to the sale,” which is a dry way of saying it’s taking a bath on the decision. Hertz told shareholders that it believes it will be able to make up that loss in the coming years.      READ MORE...

CHINA Leading EV Exporter GLOBALLY

There's a new king of the global auto market. The global shift to electric cars, signified by companies like Tesla and BYD, has helped China's carmakers potentially reach two important milestones, unseating once-dominant players and unnerving legacy automakers in Europe, Japan and the U.S.

Chinese carmakers exported 3.83 million passenger cars in 2023, a 62% increase from the year before, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) estimated during a press conference on Tuesday. That would mark the first time its exports have surpassed those of Japan—Japanese carmakers exported 3.5 million cars between January and November, according to Reuters. The CPCA estimated that 5.26 million vehicles in total were exported from China, compared to 4.3 million from Japan.

Chinese brands also outsold foreign carmakers inside China, taking 52% of the domestic market, up 4.6 percentage points from the year before.     READ MORE...

EV Market Could be the Next Big FLOP

Just like Ford’s "Edsel" model in the 1950s, Trump administration economist Steve Moore cautioned that electric vehicles (EVs) may be the auto market's "next big flop."

"Henry Ford's son was named Edsel, and this was going to be the great car, all of the executives said, 'This is the car everybody's going to want to buy.' Ford made 500,000 of these new sedan cars, but guess what?" Moore said on "Varney & Co." Monday. "Nobody bothered to ask consumers whether they wanted the car."

"And of course, the Edsel was one of the great flops of all time," the economist continued. "I'm here to tell you, if these trends continue, we're going to see the EV market become the next big flop because car buyers don't want them."

Moore’s comments come as the EV push at Ford and General Motors hit a speed bump that’s cutting into the automakers’ profits and causing them to reevaluate their electric plans amid a price war and supply chain challenges.  READ MORE...

Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine

Some agree that batteries are the clear winner in the race against hydrogen technologies, while others think the opposite. There's no such debate among internal combustion engine proponents. Almost all of them believe that replacing fossil-fuel-based fuels with H2 is feasible. However, there are some significant caveats to H2ICEs.

The Latin phrase "Inter duos combatentes, tertius vincit" translates to "between two combatants, the third wins." I always feared the fierce debate between battery-electric propulsion enthusiasts and hydrogen-powered systems supporters would benefit the internal combustion engine devotees.

And I was not wrong, as recently, e-fuels seduced many to believe that phasing out of an almost obsolete technology is not necessary anymore. Moreover, these people believe that internal combustion engines deserve not only a top spot in history but also a bright future, along with new high-tech-green technologies.

That's because many in the transport industry and policymakers believe more and more in the potential of combining hydrogen and ICEs.

The fuel-cell sand castle
Currently, Toyota is the most stubborn carmaker willing to keep on investing big money in hydrogen technology for passenger cars. Besides small evolutions in fuel-cell technology – which are marketed as giant leaps, but analysts agree it's not the case – the Japanese also make efforts to use hydrogen for internal combustion engines.

BMW and Hyundai are still in the game, but the new iX5 Hydrogen demonstration vehicles failed to impress, while Hyundai Nexo's future is uncertain. Honda took everyone by surprise when the main rival of Toyota in the fuel cell realm announced it put the hydrogen program on hold to prioritize hybrids and EVs.

As for Volkswagen, their conclusion is sharp: "In the case of the passenger car, everything speaks in favor of the battery, and practically nothing speaks in favor of hydrogen." Mercedes-Benz also joined the "ditch the fuel-cell" bandwagon after 30 years of pursuing the H2 dream.  READ MORE...

Toyota's New Battery Achieves 932 Mile Range

Toyota, renowned as the world’s largest car company, has often been perceived as an anti-EV automaker due to its cautious approach and reluctance to embrace the EV revolution.

Toyota maintained its course to focus on alternative options or rather specifically saying hydrogen path for its automobility future.  

Instead of succumbing to the hype surrounding these vehicles, Toyota has consistently maintained its stance, emphasizing the need for battery technology to reach a certain stage before committing to the electric path.

However, recent revelations from the company’s “Let’s Change the Future of Cars” workshop suggest a shift in perspective.

After being called an EV-skeptic for ages, they’ve finally shouted from the rooftops that they’re ready to join the party. Cue the confetti cannons and the techno beats because Toyota is projecting that by 2026, the long-awaited stage for electric vehicles will finally be here.

Get this: their battery-powered beauties are expected to cruise an eye-popping range of 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) by 2028. Oh, and here’s the kicker—giga castings!

Yes, you heard it right. Toyota is now jumping on the Tesla train with their own Giga castings, proving that even the biggest skeptics can’t resist a little electric charm.

In light of these revelations, let us delve deeper into Toyota’s evolving stance and the significant implications it holds for the future of electric mobility.    READ MORE...

Buyers Regret Buying EVs

A LUXURY vehicle dealer has shared numerous reasons that car buyers sometimes regret buying electric automobiles.

The YouTube creator revealed drawbacks that he's recognized in the development of various brands of EVs and also noted some of the reasons the cars are seen as the vehicles of the future.

He mentioned issues with Tesla's charging stations like how long they have to sit plugged in 

before powered up      Credit: Getty

On his account, Mark Holubetz (@ECPP) said he posts content with the goal of teaching his subscribers of over 200,000 YouTubers "everything about premium, luxury, and exotic cars."

"There are a lot of reasons to buy an electric car, but there are also many reasons not to," captioned a recent video.

"When you compare electric [versus] petrol or ICE cars (internal combustion engine) then you might think you're getting a big improvement when you go electric, but you might just regret buying that car."

"Many people believe electric cars are the future," he said in the clip while walking around a dealership lot.    READ MORE...

China Leads the World in EVs

SHANGHAI — When Shanghai held its international auto show this spring, the world’s biggest names were there: Toyota, Ford, BMW and more. But Chinese brands such as BYD and NIO stood out with electric vehicles that are cutting-edge — and affordable.

China’s electric vehicle companies have grown rapidly in recent years, becoming major competitors for U.S. automakers like Tesla.

William Li, the CEO of NIO, said competition in the EV industry is “much fiercer” in China, the world’s largest market for EVs and for automobiles overall.

Every company “must go all out,” he said in an interview at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Auto Show in April. “Otherwise, you may be ahead today, [but] you may not be ahead in a few months.”

The fierce competition has spurred rapid development of the industry. According to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, about one-quarter of passenger cars sold in China last year were all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, compared with about 7% in the U.S.

“China is way ahead of the U.S. in terms of EV adoption,” said Soumen Mandal, a senior analyst for Counterpoint, based in Kolkata, India.  READ MORE...

EVs are Piling Up

The auto industry is beginning to crank out more electric vehicles (EVs) to challenge Tesla, but there's one big problem: not enough buyers.

Why it matters: The growing mismatch between EV supply and demand is a sign that even though consumers are showing more interest in EVs, they're still wary about purchasing one because of price or charging concerns.

It's a "Field of Dreams" moment for automakers making big bets on electrification — they've built the cars, and now they're waiting for buyers to come, says Jonathan Gregory, senior manager of economic and industry insights at Cox Automotive.

Driving the news: 

• Cox Automotive experts highlighted the swelling EV inventories during a recent midyear industry review for journalists and industry stakeholders.
• EV sales, which account for about 6.5% of the U.S. auto market so far this year, are expected to surpass 1 million units for the first time in 2023, Cox forecasts.
• A Cox survey found that 51% of consumers are now considering either a new or used EV, up from 38% in 2021.
• Tesla’s rapid expansion, plus new EVs from other brands, are fueling the interest — 33 new models are arriving this year, and more than 50 new or updated models are coming in 2024, Cox estimates.

Yes, but: Sales aren't keeping up with that increased output. 
READ MORE...

Hydrogen Electric Vehicles

To comply with carbon emissions regulations, many automakers have pledged to phase out the production of gas and diesel vehicles in the near future. But there is something in their plans that is hard to ignore. While the pathway to achieving zero-emission vehicles offers two options - battery and hydrogen fuel-cell EVs - the latter has been massively sidelined. Only a handful of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) have been produced so far.  

The Toyota Mirai, the Hyundai Nexo, and the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, which was discontinued in 2021. Speaking of which, only three companies are responsible for all hydrogen cars in the market. In contrast, millions of BEVs are gracing our roads today, and nearly every car manufacturer can claim production responsibility for at least one model.

In light of automakers' actions, it appears as if achieving zero emissions is synonymous with producing BEVs instead of exploring other available options. Not long ago, the world’s largest automaker, Toyota, was on the receiving end of criticism for being deliberately slow in shifting toward the production of all-electric vehicles. 

All this time, the company was experimenting with other options, including hybrid and hydrogen cars, which they believed could be better alternatives to achieving the same goal of reducing carbon emissions. 

In their defense, the then CEO Akiyo Toyoda said that EVs are just a hype that will backfire when they flood the market and cause overload on the grid along with more emissions indirectly through electricity generation. Guess what he proposed was the true green vehicle – you got it right – hydrogen fuel-cell cars.  READ MORE...

Biggest Hurdle for Electric Vehicles

The Biden administration just unveiled a proposal for some of the most aggressive auto climate rules in the world — the latest step for a White House that has gone all-in on electric vehicles. But America’s EV transition faces a threat few are talking about — not because of high car costs or a lack of automaker support, but the country’s broken and dysfunctional public charging system.


Most EV drivers charge their vehicles at home. But as Americans buy EVs — to the tune of 7 percent of all new vehicle registrations in January — more and more people are finding that the public charging system is unreliable, inconvenient and simply confusing.


“I’ve seen people wait because there are only four chargers and two of them are out of service,” said Bill Ferro, the founder of EVSession, a software firm that tracks charger reliability. “Everything that I’ve seen shows that it’s driving away current and potential EV owners.”


Drivers might show up at a DC-fast charging station — which can fill a vehicle’s battery by 80 percent in about 20 minutes — to find that most of the chargers are broken. Or one might work, but only if the driver installs a particular app on their phone, creates an account and loads money onto it.


Last year, in a study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and the climate advocacy group Cool the Earth, researchers tested every single fast charging station in the San Francisco Bay Area.


They found that more than a quarter of the 657 charging points didn’t function during a two-minute charging test. Sometimes the charging cable couldn’t reach the vehicle’s charging port; other times the payment system wouldn’t work; sometimes the charger’s screen was broken or the network was down.  READ MORE...

Gas or Electric?

 FILE - A Tesla electric vehicle, left, sits in a charging station at a dealership, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Dedham, Mass. Shares of Tesla and Twitter have tumbled this week as investors deal with the fallout and potential legal issues surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his $44 billion bid to buy the social media platform. Of the two, Musk's electric vehicle company has fared worse, with its stock down almost 16% so far this week to $728. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Hooray for electric vehicles. Someday, they’re going to help slash carbon emissions and get global warming under control.

Getting there, however, is not likely to be an effortless glide on gleaming blacktop. This is going to be a bumpy road, and the faster we go, the bumpier it’s going to get. Get ready to surround yourself with airbags. And get a helmet, maybe.


The Biden administration plans to tighten car-pollution standards in a way that's meant to dramatically speed the adoption of electric vehicles, or EVs. On April 12, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules that would cut the allowable pollution from cars by more than half by 2032. 

The amount of pollution a car produces is directly related to the amount of fuel it burns. Since there's no way to boost the fuel efficiency of gas-powered cars by that much, the new rules will effectively force automakers to build way more EVs, and way fewer gas-powered cars, in order to comply.


The goal is laudable. The implementation, however, could be a multi-car pileup. The Biden administration is basically proposing the forced adoption of new technology on a scale unprecedented in the auto industry. The government has been tightening fuel-economy standards since the 1970s, but that has largely been a gradual process. Even then, unintended consequences have caused unforeseen problems.  READ MORE...

Tesla's Supercharger Network

After recently expanding its Supercharger pilot program for non-Tesla EV owners, the Supercharger network became the ‘largest 150 kW+ public fast-charging network’ in Europe overnight. It’s quite impressive that Tesla did that basically by just flipping a switch.

Tesla was early in investing in charging infrastructure, which led to the Supercharger becoming the largest global fast-charging network.

The company has been criticized for only providing charging for its own customers when most other networks are for all electric vehicles, but there basically wasn’t any other electric vehicle when Tesla started working on the Supercharger network.

Only lately has the automaker started to work on opening up the network to other EVs.

In November 2021, we saw Tesla take its first step with a pilot program running at 10 Supercharger stations in the Netherlands where non-Tesla EV owners can charge using the Tesla app.

When announcing the new pilot program, Tesla said that it planned to slowly expand it as it tests the user experience for both new non-Tesla EV owners being onboarded on the network and current Tesla owners who are going to see more traffic at those charging stations.

In January, the automaker announced that the program was expanding to more stations in Norway and France, and a month later, the program was expanded to all Supercharger stations in the Netherlands.

Finally, Tesla made its biggest expansion of the pilot program last week by opening many more Supercharger stations in the UK, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Austria to all EV owners.

Jeroen van Tilburg, Tesla’s Head of Supercharging in EMEA, had an interesting note about the pilot program. Following the latest expansion, he said that the network of Supercharger stations opened to non-Tesla EV owners in Europe has become the largest network of 150 kW+ public fast-charging stations.  READ MORE...